Nutrition
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Although there is no known dietary requirement for inorganic sulfur, it is an essential element for all animal species in as much as they all require the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine. There are three predominate forms of organic sulfur in animals and humans: 1). the thiomethyl of methionine residues in protein; 2). the sulfhydryl disulfides of protein; and 3). the compounds containing ester or amide bound sulfates of glycosaminoglycans, steroids, and many xenobiotic metabolites. Thus, sulfur becomes an important constituent of amino acids, proteins, enzymes, vitamins and other biomolecules. ⋯ In recent times, however, the increasing prevalence of refining petroleum and smelting sulfur compounds of metallic minerals into free metals are having a large impact on the balance of sulfur in the environment. Sulfur toxicity is associated mainly with high levels of the element and its toxic volatile substances in the environment. Sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), a major air pollutant, may adversely affect animal and human health by causing bronchitis, bronchoconstriction, and increased pulmonary resistance.
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In 1995, middle-aged Lithuanian men had a four-fold higher risk than Swedish men of dying from coronary heart disease. The cross-sectional LiVicordia study had reported significantly lower levels of the lipid-soluble antioxidants lycopene, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol among Lithuanian men than among Swedish men. We examined whether there were differences in urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), a marker of oxidative stress, between these groups of men. ⋯ These findings indicate that increased urinary 8-OHdG levels accompany lower serum levels of antioxidants in Lithuanian men. They supported previous suggestions that increased oxidative stress may be one factor behind the higher mortality in Lithuanian men.
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Comparative Study
Determination of total potentially available nucleosides in human milk from Asian women.
The objective was to measure the total potentially available nucleosides (TPAN) in breast milk from Asian women. ⋯ The average TPAN level in Asian women is similar to that in European and American women, and free nucleotides in human milk represent less than half of the TPAN.