The relation of zinc (Zn) nutriture to brain development and function has been elucidated. The purpose of this study is to examine whether Zn supplementation improves mood states in young women. The study used a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled procedure. The major outcomes were psychological measures, somatic symptoms and serum Zn. Thirty women were placed randomly and in equal numbers into two groups, and they ingested one capsule containing multivitamins (MVs) or MV and 7 mg Zn daily for 10 weeks. Women who took MV and Zn showed a significant reduction in anger-hostility score (P ¼ 0.009) and depression-dejection score (P ¼ 0.011) in the Profile of Moods State (POMS) and a significant increase in serum Zn concentration (P ¼ 0.008), whereas women who took only MV did not. Our results suggest that Zn supplementation may be effective in reducing anger and depression.

Iron deficiency without anemia (IDNA), the most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide, affects young women of reproductive age. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between IDNA and mental and somatic symptoms including anger and fatigue using the Japanese version of the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire (CMI-J). Data regarding demographic characteristics, anthropometry, hematological, and biochemical indices of the iron status, frequencies of selected food intakes assessed by self-administered food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), frequencies of nonspecific symptoms, and grades of neurotic tendencies assessed by CMI-J were collected from 76 young women aged 18-22 years living in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, Japan. The subjects were classified as having IDNA (hemoglobin (Hb)≥12 g/dL and serum ferritin<20 ng/mL; n=29), having iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (Hb<12 g/dL and serum ferritin<20 ng/mL; n=10), or having a normal iron status (Hb≥12 g/dL and serum ferritin≥20 ng/mL; n=36). One subject was excluded from the analyses because of Hb<12 g/dL and serum ferritin≥20 ng/mL. Fisher's protected least significant difference and the Dwass-Steel-Chritchlow-Fligner multiple comparison tests were used to compare the data of the three groups. P values<0.05 were considered significant. Sections M-R (mental complaints) were significantly higher in the IDNA subjects than in the normal subjects. No significant difference in CMI scores was found between the normal and IDA subjects. Sections I (fatigability), Q (anger), and R (tension) were significantly higher in the IDNA subjects than in the normal subjects, regardless of no significant differences between the normal and IDA subjects in those sections. Young women with IDNA demonstrated a significantly higher proportion of neurotic tendencies (grades II-IV). The intake frequency score of canned or bottled green tea fortified with vitamin C was significantly higher in the IDNA subjects than the IDA subjects. The findings suggest that IDNA may be a risk factor for anger, fatigue, and tension in women of childbearing age.

IFN-y occupies a central role as a potent modulator of both the affector and the effector limbs of the immune response . While promising as a therapeutic agent for immunodeficiency states, infectious and neoplastic diseases, and autoimmunity (1-3), IFN-y has perhaps more often been evoked in the pathogenesis of such disorders (4-9). In the latter regard particularly, recent evidence from transgenic mouse models has clearly demonstrated that overexpression of IFN-y can result in autoimmune destruction of tissues by inflammatory mechanisms (10). In the course of studying the cell and molecular basis for IFN-y gene regulation (11), we observed an IFN response consensus sequence in the most proximal 5' region of the human IFN-y gene very near a T cell-specific, inducible DNAse I hypersensitive site 250 by from that gene's cap site (12). Given the role of such response elements in upregulating IFN responsive genes (13, 14), we queried whether the product ofthe human IFN-y gene locus might somehow affect its own expression. In this article, definitive evidence is presented using both total human PBMCs and specific subsets ofthose cells, demonstrating a strong IFN-y autosuperinduction response to either IFN-y "priming or costimulation .Volume 170 September 1989170 September 1021170 September -1026 Materials and Methods Brief Definitive ReportFor each experiment, human PBMC were isolated from 1 U of heparin-treated, random donor buffy coats (GulfCoast Regional Blood Center, Houston, TX) . All samples used were negative by HIV and hepatitis serologies. PBMC were isolated by isoïymph gradient centrifugation . Mixed leukocytes were washed in HBSS and suspended in RPMI 1640, 10% FCS, penicillin/streptomycin at 5 x 106 cells/ml before stimulation. PBMC separated into E+ and E-fractions (15) were first panned in plastic petri dishes at 37°C for 45 min to remove adherent cells . For reconstitution experiments, adherent monocytes from 3 x 107 cells were added back to equal numbers of rosetted cells before stimulation. For co-stimulati experiments, human rIFN-y (Genzyme Corp., Boston, MA) and PHA (final 1.0 g/ml) were added simultaneously, the mixture was incubated at 37°C for 6 h, and nonadherent cells were removed, washed three times in cold PBS, and used directly for total RNA isolation . In preincubation (primed) experiments, cells as above were first incubated with rIFN (or media alone) for 6 h at 37°C before addition of PHA . Preincubation of monocytes alone with IFN-y had no effect on subsequent upregulation of IFN-y transcripts . IFN-y-primed

Human transferrin (Tf) very tightly binds two ferric ions to deliver iron to cells. Fe(III)(2)Tf (Fe(2)Tf) binds to the Tf receptor (TfR) at pH 7.4; however, iron-free Tf (apoTf) does not. Iron uptake is facilitated by endocytosis of the Fe(2)Tf-TfR complex. Tf can also bind aluminum ions, which cause toxic effects and are associated with many diseases. Since Al(III)(2)Tf (Al(2)Tf) does not bind to TfR, the uptake of aluminum by the cells does not occur through a TfR-mediated pathway. We have studied the absence of binding between Al(2)Tf and TfR by investigating the physicochemical characteristics of apoTf, Al(2)Tf, Fe(2)Tf, and TfR. The hydrodynamic radius of 38.8 A for Al(2)Tf obtained by dynamic light scattering was between that of 42.6 A for apoTf and 37.2 A for Fe(2)Tf. The zeta potential of -11.3 mV for Al(2)Tf measured by capillary electrophoresis was close to -11.2 mV for apoTf as compared to -11.9 mV for Fe(2)Tf, indicating that the Al(2)Tf surface had a relatively scarce negative charge as the apoTf surface had. These results demonstrated that the structure of Al(2)Tf was a trade-off between the closed and open forms of Fe(2)Tf and apoTf, respectively. Consequently, it is suggested that Al(2)Tf cannot form specific ionic interresidual interactions, such as those formed by Fe(2)Tf, to bind to TfR, resulting in impossible complex formation between Al(2)Tf and TfR.