SePP (selenoprotein P) is central for selenium transport and distribution. Targeted inactivation of the Sepp gene in mice leads to reduced selenium content in plasma, kidney, testis and brain. Accordingly, activities of selenoenzymes are reduced in Sepp(-/-) organs. Male Sepp(-/-) mice are infertile. Unlike selenium deficiency, Sepp deficiency leads to neurological impairment with ataxia and se...

OBJECTIVE In the current study, we examined whether selenium supplementation during iodine-131 (131I) treatment had a radio-protective effect on salivary glands. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Sixteen patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were prospectively enrolled in the study. Patients after total thyroidectomy, before 131I treatment, were divided into two groups; 8 patients in the selenium gr...

Redistribution of selenium and manganese in postmitotic tissues of alpha-lipoic acid-supplemented aged rats has been proposed to contribute to metal-catalyzed protein oxidation. DL-Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) (100 mg/[kg body wt.day]) was administered intraperitoneally to the Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 days. Serum selenium levels were lowered in the aged rats with LA supplementation compared with th...

Introduction: The aim of study was to compare umbilical cord blood selenium levels in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and non RDS preterm babies.    Methods: Umbilical cord blood selenium levels of all preterm newborn born during a 6-month period were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups: RDS and non RDS. Selenium level was assessed by using electro-thermal atomic ab...

Diabetes is associated with high risk for vascular disease, and aggressive lipid management is generally necessary. The management of dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes requires attention to the full lipid profile, since hypertriglyceridemia is particularly common. This study aimed to determine the effect of taurine, selenium and azathioprine on diabetic complications, including plasma gluc...

1. Iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase, which is mainly responsible for peripheral triiodothyronine (T3) production, has recently been demonstrated to be a selenium-containing enzyme. In the elderly, reduced peripheral conversion of thyroxine (T4) to T3 and overt hypothyroidism are frequently observed. 2. We measured serum selenium and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (as indices of selenium status),...

Selenium is an essential trace element and circulating selenium concentrations have been associated with a wide range of diseases. Candidate gene studies suggest that circulating selenium concentrations may be impacted by genetic variation; however, no study has comprehensively investigated this hypothesis. Therefore, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study to identify genetic va...

Selenium (Se) concentrations were determined in human serum, rice and wheat flour sampled in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and compared with those sampled in Tokyo. Japan. Serum levels of Se were significantly lower in Japanese Brazilians than Japanese living in Tokyo. The samples of rice consumed by Japanese Brazilians in São Paulo contained 22.7 ng Se/g on average, which was about half the s...

Electrotonic coupling between pairs of sympathetic neurons dissociated from superior cervical ganglia of neonatal rats is rare when cells are cultured for 2 weeks in a nutrient medium plus serum and is common when cells are cultured for the same period in serum-free defined medium. This defined medium is the same nutrient medium with five added factors (progesterone, transferrin, putrescine, in...