The mineral and trace element composition in French food items and intake levels in France.

A table was made of the composition of mineral and trace elements in different classes of French food items. The P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, I and Se contents of the main categories of food are presented. The mineral and trace element intakes of the average French consumer were calculated from national survey data concerning all food items purchased by households. The intakes and the sources of the different elements are given related to the energy. These results were calculated for male and female adults receiving 2700 kcal and 2000 kcal, respectively, and compared with the recommended dietary allowances (RDA). Phosphorus and calcium intakes were adequate, as was iron for men. The intakes of Mg, Cu, Mn were between 80 and 100% of the RDA. For Zn, I, Se the intakes were lower (50-80% of the RDA). The iron deficiency observed in women is serious, and the selenium deficit in men may induce real biochemical subdeficiencies with clinical consequences.

Capillary whole blood selenium determination in assessing selenium status of children.

Selenium levels in venous and capillary whole blood of children were assessed by direct graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Selenium data obtained for both blood samples did not differ statistically (p > 0.05). Capillary blood may therefore be used as an alternative to venous blood, which is more difficult to obtain from children. Whole-blood selenium data for children in the Antwerp region (Belgium) were compared with literature data for children from other countries.

Thiotungstate-copper interactions. I. Studies on the metabolism of [185W] tetrathiotungstate and the systemic interactions of labeled pharmacological doses with copper in rats.

[185W] tetrathiotungstate was employed to study the metabolism of thiocompounds in rats after i.v. injection. At tracer levels (12.5 micrograms W) the most important plasma binding protein eluted in the position of ceruloplasmin but the association did not prevent uptake of thiotungstate by the liver. At higher dose levels (1.5 mg W) there was considerable hydrolysis immediately after injection with rapid excretion of label in urine. The [185W] tetrathiotungstate remaining in plasma was associated with albumin and the amount retained was increased by pretreatment of the rats with copper. The increased binding to albumin did not prevent hepatic uptake and over the short-term pretreatment with copper increased the movement of the isotope into subcellular organelles, probably lysosomes. The excretion in bile was increased and the label was associated with high molecular weight proteins. In liver cytosol the 185W was bound by specific, as yet uncharacterized, proteins. At the higher dose levels there was some movement to higher molecular weight proteins and this was greatly increased by the pretreatment with copper. The studies show that the metabolism of 185W tetrathiotungstate is sufficiently similar to 99Mo or 35S tetrathiomolybdate for work on the systemic interactions of thiocompounds and copper in man and animals.

Thiotungstate-copper interactions II. The effects of tetrathiotungstate on systemic copper metabolism in normal and copper-treated rats.

The intraperitoneal administration of tetrathiotungstate to rats (6-17.4 mg W/Kg BW) caused profound changes in copper metabolism in both normal rats and in rats pretreated with copper. Plasma copper associated with albumin increased, liver copper, particularly cytosol copper, was depleted, and biliary excretion was increased. There was also a movement of copper to higher molecular weight proteins in both liver cytosol and bile. In contrast to penicillamine, tetrathiotungstate did not increase liver cytosolic apometallothionein levels and reduced the rise provoked by copper. Metallothionein-bound copper was removed. Ceruloplasmin oxidase activity was inhibited and there was evidence for increased movement of copper into subcellular organelles, probably lysosomes. It is concluded that tetrathiotungstate has a genuine "decoppering" effect and could be considered as an alternative to thiomolybdates in the treatment of copper storage diseases.

A simple system for nutritional studies with chronic consumption of liquid diet in rats.

A feeding system allowing liquid diet distribution to rats without any loss by evaporation is described. A liquid diet stirred continuously is offered to rats in water bottles. The diet is made available to the animals without any clotting throughout the 24-h period. Such a system could be applied to alcohol administration.

The effect of dietary copper on rat plasma apolipoprotein B, E plasma levels, and apolipoprotein gene expression in liver and intestine.

The plasma levels of apo B and apo E, and the level of hepatic and intestinal mRNA coding for these apolipoproteins were investigated in weanling male rats pair-fed for 6 wk with a control or copper-deficient diet. Plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids were significantly increased, and plasma apo B and apo E levels were also markedly increased in copper-deficient rats as compared to control rats. Copper deficiency significantly increased triglyceride levels and decreased cholesterol levels in the liver. No major differences in the levels of hepatic and intestinal apo B and apo E mRNA occurred between control and copper-deficient rats. These data imply that hypertriglyceridemia dn hypercholesterolemia owing to the copper deficiency are not accompanied by modifications in the gene expression at the mRNA level in the liver and intestine of the apolipoproteins studied.

The interactions of penicillamine with copper in vivo and the effect on hepatic metallothionein levels and copper/zinc distribution: the implications for Wilson's disease and arthritis therapy.

D-penicillamine does not remove copper from metallothionein, but it has been suggested that it may increase hepatic metallothionein levels. D-penicillamine was shown to increase rat hepatic metallothionein levels; however, the effect was dependent on an interaction with copper. The drug accelerated the excretion of exogenous copper but increased the amount retained on metallothionein. This interaction of penicillamine and copper also provoked changes in the distribution of zinc and in particular an increase in the heat-stable cytosol zinc fraction. In contrast, thiomolybdates were much more effective in eliminating exogenous copper and even removed copper that was already bound to metallothionein; thus, the copper level in the heat-stable cytosol fraction decreased. The observations support the view that patients with Wilson's disease may not be truly "decoppered" but that treatment with d-penicillamine is effective because the accumulated copper in the liver is bound in a nontoxic form by the increased metallothionein. The results explain why cessation of treatment is dangerous. The results may also partially explain the effectiveness of D-penicillamine copper chelates as antiinflammatory drugs.

Contribution of milk to iodine intake in France.

A survey based on 838 samples of milk obtained from 537 dairies covering 70 of 95 districts in France was organized to assess iodine content of milk and its contribution to total intake. Iodine levels were significantly higher in winter than in summer. Very low iodine contents (less than 25 micrograms I/kg) were found in the eastern part of the country (the Vosges, Jura, and the Alpes) and the Massif Central. During milk processing, much of the iodine is lost in the whey. The other significant sources of dietary iodine are fish and eggs. Iodized salt is sold only to households and not to industry. Even if about 20% of the iodine is lost over the first 3 mo, salt remains the main source for this trace element. It is concluded that, if iodized salt is not provided systematically for both domestic and agro-industrial use, then milk may be the most important source of iodine. This key role may explain seasonal and geographical variations in the frequencies of goiter in France.

The effect of trithiomolybdate and some selenium compounds upon 109Cd labeled rat metallothionein in vitro: the possibilities for cadmium chelation therapy.

The main binding protein for 109Cd was metallothionein after in vitro incubation of various tissue cytosol preparations obtained from rats supplemented with zinc. The exception was heart cytosol where the label was associated with higher molecular weight proteins. The metallothionein-bound 109Cd was sensitive to trithiomolybdate and moved too higher molecular weight proteins, presumably because of the creation of new stronger ligands by the association of thiomolybdate with these proteins. The 109Cd binding was affected by selenate, selenite, and selenide while molybdate, sulphate, and thiosulphate were ineffective. It is proposed that thiomolybdates should be investigated for use in the therapy of in vivo cadmium toxicity because they can remove the accumulated metal from metallothionein.

Experimental Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in lambs: kinetics of bacterial dissemination and inflammation.

Infection and pyogranulomas induced by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis were experimentally reproduced in lambs. In two separate experiments, bacterial multiplication and dissemination were studied in 30 male lambs inoculated subcutaneously into the right ear with 1.1 or 1.5 X 10(8) viable C. pseudotuberculosis strain 19R. Infected lambs were necropsied at various times until the 28th day following inoculation. After a transient hyperthermia and a strong local inflammatory reaction, an abscess developed in the right ear from postinoculation day (PID) 6; it enlarged until PID 14 and stabilized thereafter and was associated with adenopathy of lymph nodes draining the head. Three acute phase indicators of inflammation were followed in 14 out of 30 lambs; plasma levels of copper and haptoglobin increased rapidly following inoculation whereas zinc levels decreased. The peaks were reached from PID 1 to 5, and thereafter the values came back slowly to the baseline. Antibodies against C. pseudotuberculosis exotoxin increased from PID 5 and reached a plateau on PID 21. Bacterial dissemination, assessed by the number of infected organs per lamb, was maximal on PID 16 and then stabilized until the end of the experiment. Lungs were infected in seven out of 18 lambs necropsied on PID 28. These results demonstrate a significant relationship between the clinical score of superficial lymph nodes or inoculation site and the infection level of these organs, and an early localization of pyogranulomatous lesions in regional lymph nodes. The subsequent development of the disease was related to the enlargement of these lesions and, in some animals, to a bacterial dissemination from primary sites of infection in the right prescapular lymph node and in the lung.

The influence of sulfur supplementation (methionine and sulfate) on the zinc availability of a poor diet in sheep.

A poor hay, with a low proteic level, decreases the zinc availability in lambs. Increasing the sulfur level with methionine and sulfate, of such a diet, enhances zinc absorption. However, sulfur is not the only factor limiting zinc availability in a hypoproteic diet.

[Determination of trace elements in the hair: significance and limitations]. / La détermination des oligoéléments dans les poils et dans les cheveux: intérêt et limites.

Trace elements analysis in hair is sometimes used by clinician for a diagnosis of nutritional deficiency. Hair contents are supposed to reflect the elements status on an extended period. Hair may be contaminated by environment and its mineral composition may be modified in the different steps of the analytical process. Experiments in well known physiological conditions show a wide variability of the analytical results. These results are poorly correlated to the nutritional status so their interpretation is difficult. An epidemiological use of samples obtained from a wide population may provide worthwhile informations to the clinician. It is necessary to be very careful interpreting results coming from isolated samples.

Behavior of [185W]thiotungstates injected into sheep and the influence of copper: their fate and the effect of the compounds upon plasma copper.

[185W]trithio- and tetrathiotungstates (0.5 mg W) were injected intravenously into sheep. The compounds circulated in plasma bound reversibly to plasma proteins, particularly to albumin. After the first few minutes, levels declined exponentially with a T 1/2 of 12-14 hr. The initial movement of [185W]trithiotungstate from the plasma compartment was delayed transiently by the immediate injection of copper (2-6 mg); the longer-term metabolism was unaffected. The final fate of the compounds appeared to be hydrolysis and excretion in urine as [185W]tungstate. 185W from [185W]trithiotungstate appeared more rapidly than from [185W]tetrathiotungstate, but in both the rate was unaffected by copper injections. Since the appearance in urine did not correspond to the disappearance from plasma, it was suggested that the hydrolysis occurred in extravascular tissues and that the liver might be the site. A control experiment showed that [185W]tungstate in plasma was very rapidly cleared (and appeared in urine). At higher W levels (25-50 mg W per sheep per day), systematic copper metabolism was perturbed since plasma copper levels rose. The experiments demonstrated that in sheep the behavior and the effects of thiotungstates and thiomolybdates are sufficiently similar for 185W to be used as a more convenient alternative to 99Mo for longer-term studies on the interaction of the compounds with copper metabolism in animals.

Iodine nutrition in ewes. 2. Effects of low to high iodine intake by ewes on the I content of biological fluids and plasma immunoglobulins G in newborn lambs.

1. In two experiments samples of blood and organs were taken from newborn and young lambs born to five groups of ewes that received different dietary iodine (I) levels. Dietary I contents (mg/kg dry matter [DM]) in pregnancy and lactation, respectively, were: Experiment 1--0.36 and 0.26 for group C, 2.01 and 1.94 for group D; Experiment 2--0.13 and 0.12 for group A, 0.22 and 0.20 for group B, 10.77 and 8.88 for group E. 2. I intake of ewes had no effect on birthweight, body weight gain, or mortality between birth and wk 2 of life. No difference between the groups was recorded in the weights of brain, heart, lungs, and liver of lambs killed at birth. However, the weight of both the thyroid lobes in lambs from group E was lower than that of the other groups. The I content of the thyroid lobes of lambs from group A was 30-40% lower than that of the other groups. 3. The plasma inorganic iodine (PII) of lambs from birth to d42 of life was affected by ewe I intake, except for groups A and B, during the first 16 h of life. The PII of lambs increased with the I intake via milk in each group. The ratio of PII of lambs at birth/PII of ewes at d7 prepartum was 3.77, 2.96, 1.68, 1.39 and 8.62, respectively, for groups A, B, C, D and E. 4. The high I intake by group E ewes induced a higher plasma T4 concentration in lambs at birth. The decrease in plasma immunoglobulins G (IgG) recorded for the lambs in this group might be explained by this increase in plasma concentration.

Influence of molybdenum and sulfur on copper metabolism in sheep: comparison of elemental sulfur and sulfate.

French forages usually have low levels of molybdenum, and sulfur contents are often in excess in ruminant feeds. The minimum level of molybdenum able to trigger the copper sulfur molybdenum interference in sheep was measured with either elemental sulfur or sulfate (diets enriched to 5.2 g S/kg DM). Four groups of 5 lambs weighing 35 kg received elemental sulfur and 4 increasing doses of molybdenum in the first experiment. In a second experiment, 6 groups of 5 lambs received sulfate (one group was a control group; the second received sulfate only) and 4 increasing molybdenum doses. The sulfur-molybdenum-copper interference was quantified by the plasma copper fraction insoluble in 5% trichloracetic acid (TCA insoluble copper). Whatever the form of sulfur, the interference appears with a molybdenum level of over 2.4 mg Mo/kg DM. Sulfate interferes less than elemental sulfur with the molybdenum on copper metabolism.

Iodine nutrition in ewes: effects of low to high iodine intake on iodine content of biological fluids in pregnant and lactating ewes.

In a first experiment, 2 groups of 46 and 47 multiparous ewes received diets which provided an iodine intake of 0.36 and 0.26 mg/kg dry matter (group C) and, 2.01 and 1.94 mg/kg (group D), respectively, for pregnancy and lactation. In a second experiment, 3 groups of 10 nulliparous ewes received diets which provided an I intake of 0.13 and 0.12 mg/kg dry matter (group A), 0.22 and 0.20 mg/kg dry matter (group B), and 10.77 and 8.88 mg/kg dry matter (group E), respectively, for pregnancy and lactation. Observations and sampling were carried out on the ewes from the first third of pregnancy to the 2nd and the 6th week of lactation. The diets provided adequate nutrition for pregnant and lactating ewes. Dietary I content had no effect on the dry matter intake, the size or the weight of the litter and the length of pregnancy. Plasma inorganic iodine (PII) was less affected by the I intake during lactation than during pregnancy. The excretion of I in milk induced a decrease in PII between pregnancy and lactation. The I in urine expressed as microgram I/g creatinine was largely affected by the intake. Colostrum I was 6.7, 4.0, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5 times higher in groups A, B, C, D and E than the I in milk collected 1 week postpartum. Milk iodine (MI) content and the ratio MI/PII were markedly dependent on the I intake. During pregnancy, plasma T4 concentration decreased for each group. Plasma T4 concentration remained low during lactation in the low I intake group, whereas it increased at the same time in the other groups. The plasma T3 concentration decreased at the 6th week of lactation in the highest I intake group. Experimental values showed that 0.12 mg I/kg dry matter induced depletion in the I stocks of pregnant and lactating ewes, whereas an I intake above 10 mg I/mg dry matter disturbed the metabolism of thyroid hormones.

Studies of the changes in systemic copper metabolism and excretion produced by the intravenous administration of trithiomolybdate in sheep.

1. The effects of intravenous trithiomolybdate administration on the fate of 64Cu and on stable Cu metabolism were examined in sheep held in metabolism cages and fed on a low-Cu diet supplying 2.95 mg Cu/animal per d. 2. In Expt 1 the injection of trithiomolybdate, 30 mg molybdenum/sheep per d for 5 d, greatly increased plasma Cu levels and more than doubled the faecal Cu excretion. Urinary Cu excretion was unaffected. The disappearance from plasma of 64Cu injected during the trithiomolybdate administration was slowed although faecal 64Cu excretion was increased more than threefold. 3. In Expt 2 trithiomolybdate, 10 and 30 mg Mo/sheep per d for 3 d, was administered 22 h after the injection of 64Cu. Radioactivity reappeared immediately in plasma and faecal 64Cu excretion was increased. 4. In both experiments the 64Cu and the increased stable Cu in plasma were associated with albumin. 5. The experiments explain the effectiveness of thiomolybdates as 'decoppering' agents and provide a model for some of the systemic effects seen in ruminants exposed to increased dietary Mo. The experiments support the view that the thiomolybdates, by causing the appearance of new ligands, alter the distribution of Cu in tissues and cause an overall depletion.

Iodine Content of Dairy Milk in France in 1983 and 1984.

Iodine concentrations were determined in 848 samples of milk from tanks of 537 dairy factories collected in 1983 and 1984 during winter and summer. Industrial processing, like pasteurization, UHT sterilization and spray-drying, had no effect on iodine concentrations. Of the samples of bovine milk, 94.7% ranged between 10 to 250 µg/kg. Iodine in bovine milk averaged 97 and 93 µg/kg in the winter of 1983 and 1984, and 44 and 23 µg/kg in the summer of 1983 and 1984. The frequency of iodine concentrations above the 500 µg/kg limit was 0.5% in 1983 and 0.3% in 1984. Iodine in ovine milk varied from 116 to 1183 µg/kg. Of the ovine milk samples 53.3% were above 500 µg/kg. Thus the iodine content of milk, is not yet a health problem in France.

Cardiovascular lesions in cobalt-vitamin B12 deficient sheep.

Cardiovascular lesions were observed at necropsy in five of six sheep which were subjected to an experimentally induced cobalt-vitamin B12 deficiency during a period of 34 weeks. The classical symptoms of cobalt-vitamin B12 deficiency (anorexia, cachexia, anaemia) were seen in all six sheep at week 20 of the experiment. Histologically, lesions of the auricular epicardium and myocardium consisted of a high concentration of inflammatory cells dominated by polynuclear eosinophils as well as the haemorrhagic inflammation of blood vessels accompanied by necrosis of auricular tissue. The similarity between the lesions observed in the present experiment and those seen in arteriosclerosis, led to the suggestion that a deficiency of vitamin B12 may be implicated in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis. A hypothesis is advanced in this respect.