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The importance of zinc (Zn) in broiler chicken nutrition is gaining attention due to the realization of its role in several enzymes and metabolic functions. This meta-analysis, therefore, aimed to synthesize pooled evidence on the effectiveness of Zn supplementation on enhancing feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and average daily gain (ADG) in broiler chickens. Thirty-seven peer-reviewed studies out of 436 identified from the search carried out in Scopus, Google Scholar and PubMed databases met the criteria for inclusion in this meta-analysis. Data were pooled and then disaggregated for moderators: broiler strains, sources of Zn, duration of Zn supplementation and Zn supplementation levels. All the analyses were conducted in Open Meta-analyst for Ecology and Evolution (OpenMEE) software. Pooled results indicate that Zn supplementation increased feed intake [standardised mean differences (SMD) = 0.34 g/bird/day; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27, 0.42)] and ADG (SMD = 0.43 g/bird/day; 95% CI 0.35, 0.50) in broiler chickens in comparison with the controls. Dietary Zn supplementation improves FCR (SMD =  - 0.16 g/g; 95% CI 0.20, - 0.11), taking heterogeneity and publication biases into account. Restricted subanalysis showed that studied moderators influenced the outcomes of the meta-analysis. Meta-regression revealed that moderators explain about 38% of the sources of variations in the present study. This meta-analysis suggests that dietary zinc supplementation had a positive effect on growth performance indices in broiler chickens., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The demand for chicken meat is on the rise, necessitating high level of production and efficient feed conversion which to a certain extent can be actualized by the use of specific trace minerals like zinc (Zn). Zn is a part of several enzymes involved in the metabolism of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. In addition, Zn has antioxidant properties and is vital for hormone function, including growth, pancreatic, and sex hormones. Its deficiency in animals is characterized by poor fertility, decreased feed intake, poor growth, testicular atrophy, and weakened immunity. Nano-Zn sources have been shown to be more bioavailable than conventional zinc (organic and inorganic) sources. Zn from organic sources, on the other hand, has higher bioavailability than Zn from inorganic sources. Furthermore, Zn supplementation promotes growth, enhances antioxidant capacity, modulates the immunity, and improves health indices in broiler chickens. Published studies have demonstrated that Zn supplementation has the potential to improve carcass yield and meat quality in broilers with various research contradictions. However, a clear understanding of the role of Zn in broiler nutrition is still lacking, necessitating further research. As a result, the purpose of this review was to highlight the influence of Zn (organic or inorganic) supplementation on growth, blood characteristics, antioxidant status, immune responses, Zn tissue/fecal concentrations, intestinal villus histomorphology, and meat quality of broiler chickens as well as Zn bioavailability to understand the role of Zn in broiler nutrition, resolve contradictory research results, and identify knowledge gaps. Understanding the role of dietary Zn in broiler chicken nutrition and meat quality will avail important suggestion on policy advancements and sustainable use of Zn in the broiler chicken industry., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The literature regarding clinical olfaction, olfactory loss, and olfactory dysfunction has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, with an exponential rise in the past year. There is substantial variability in the quality of this literature and a need to consolidate and critically review the evidence. It is with that aim that we have gathered experts from around the world to produce this International Consensus on Allergy and Rhinology: Olfaction (ICAR:O)., Methods: Using previously described methodology, specific topics were developed relating to olfaction. Each topic was assigned a literature review, evidence-based review, or evidence-based review with recommendations format as dictated by available evidence and scope within the ICAR:O document. Following iterative reviews of each topic, the ICAR:O document was integrated and reviewed by all authors for final consensus., Results: The ICAR:O document reviews nearly 100 separate topics within the realm of olfaction, including diagnosis, epidemiology, disease burden, diagnosis, testing, etiology, treatment, and associated pathologies., Conclusion: This critical review of the existing clinical olfaction literature provides much needed insight and clarity into the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with olfactory dysfunction, while also clearly delineating gaps in our knowledge and evidence base that we should investigate further., (© 2022 ARS-AAOA, LLC.)

In this study, the electrochemical and anodic behaviors of Pb-Ag anodes during ultrasound-assisted zinc electrowinning were meticulously examined. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurring at the Pb-Ag anodes in a 150 g L -1 aqueous H 2 SO 4 solution was studied in the absence (silent) and presence of ultrasonication (40 kHz, 100 % acoustic amplitude). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and zinc electrowinning tests were conducted to analyze the electrochemical behavior of the Pb-Ag anodes during zinc electrowinning. Compared with that under silent conditions, the OER was greatly enhanced under ultrasonic conditions, and the overpotential reduction was found to be 108 mV at 35 °C at a current density of 50 mA cm -2 . A significant reduction in the bath voltage was achieved during ultrasound-assisted prolonged zinc electrowinning, with a difference of approximately 50 mV compared with that of the control. The integration of ultrasonic technology into the realm of zinc electrowinning leverages the physical and chemical effects of ultrasonication to significantly improve the efficiency and kinetics of the OER. Smaller PbO 2 grains and a larger silver exposure area appeared on the Pb-Ag plate surface during ultrasonic-assisted electrowinning, which is beneficial for the OER chemically. The generated oxygen bubbles merged more rapidly and detached from the electrode surface with greater alacrity under ultrasonication conditions, which reinforced the OER in terms of mass transfer kinetics. Furthermore, more fine zinc products can be obtained during ultrasound-assisted zinc electrowinning. By harnessing the power of ultrasonic technology, more sustainable and cost-effective zinc electrowinning can be achieved., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

γ-MnO 2 precoated lead (Pb)-based anodes have shown high initial activity in heavy-metal pollution reduction and production improvement for zinc electrowinning in laboratory. However, the accumulated impurity ions (M) in industrial MnO 2 -precursors restrict its industrial application. Herein, the heterostructure-induced rich oxygen-vacancies for M-MnO 2 and its higher activity (Pb/Co-MnO 2 >Pb/Ni-MnO 2 >Pb/Fe-MnO 2 ≈Pb/Cu-MnO 2 >Pb/MnO 2 ) was reported. However, it reached a concentration threshold and afterwards provided the inhibited activity. Moreover, the Pb 2+ diffusion-induced lead leakage is the dominant factor in the inactivation of anodes before extrinsic mechanical effects manifest, which follows: Pb/Fe-MnO 2 >Pb/Cu-MnO 2 >Pb/MnO 2 ≈Pb/Ni-MnO 2 ≈Pb/Co-MnO 2 . Instead, due to the enhanced activity and suppressed lead leakage, Pb/Co-MnO 2 avoided about 12.4 % and 72.3 % lead-containing anode slime in comparison with Pb/MnO 2 and Pb/Fe-MnO 2 and minimized the contamination of zinc products by lead. Such complex effects also provide a cost-effective and environmental-friendly strategy for lead-leakage preventable Pb-based anodes in zinc electrowinning as it can reduce the exogenous dopants usage while still delivering competitive electrooxidation activity-stability., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The abandoned smelters present a substantial pollution threat to the nearby soil and groundwater. In this study, 63 surface soil samples were collected from a zinc smelter to quantitatively describe the pollution characteristics, ecological risks, and source apportionment of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs). The results revealed that the average contents of Zn, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg were 0.4, 12.2, 3.3, 5.3, and 12.7 times higher than the risk screening values of the construction sites, respectively. Notably, the smelter was accumulated heavily with Cd and Hg, and the contribution of Cd (0.38) and Hg (0.53) to ecological risk was 91.58%. ZZ3 and ZZ7 were the most polluted workshops, accounting for 25.7% and 35.0% of the pollution load and ecological risk, respectively. The influence of soil parent materials on pollution was minor compared to various workshops within the smelter. Combined with PMF, APCS-MLR and GIS analysis, four sources of HMs were identified: P1(25.5%) and A3(18.4%) were atmospheric deposition from the electric defogging workshop and surface runoff from the smelter; P2(32.7%) and A2(20.9%) were surface runoff of As-Pb foul acid; P3(14.5%) and A4(49.8%) were atmospheric deposition from the leach slag drying workshop; P4(27.3%) and A1(10.8%) were the smelting process of zinc products. This paper described the distribution characteristics and specific sources of HMs in different process workshops, providing a new perspective for the precise remediation of the smelter by determining the priority control factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing interest and research in olfactory and gustatory dysfunction (OGD). Drug-induced dysfunction is an often overlooked etiology. While several medications include smell or taste disturbance as a side effect, there are no publications describing which medications are most frequently implicated. We aim to describe the patterns of these adverse drug reactions (ADRs) using the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS)., Methods: The FAERS database was queried from 2011 to 2021 for terms describing ADRs related to OGD. Terms included anosmia, hyposmia, olfactory test abnormal, olfactory nerve disorder, hallucination olfactory, parosmia, ageusia, hypogeusia, dysgeusia, and taste disorder. We identified the top reported medications associated with general smell dysfunction, general taste dysfunction, reduced smell, and altered smell., Results: From 2011 to 2021, 16,091 ADRs were reported with OGD, of which13,641 (84.8%) and 2,450 (15.2%) were associated with gustatory and olfactory reactions, respectively. Zinc products (370 reports) and fluticasone propionate (214) were most commonly associated with olfactory dysfunction, specifically reduced olfaction. Varenicline (24) and fluticasone propionate (23) were most commonly associated with altered smell. Lenalidomide (490) and sunitinib (468) were most commonly associated with gustatory dysfunction. Antineoplastic and immunomodulating medications accounted for 21.6% and 36.3% of olfactory and gustatory ADRs, respectively. Among this category, immunoglobulin drugs were the most commonly associated with OGD ADRs., Conclusion: Gustatory dysfunction is more commonly reported ADR compared with olfactory dysfunction. Immunologic/rheumatologic medications are the leading culprit of reported OGD. With increasing numbers of patients presenting to otolaryngologists for OGD, it is important to consider drug-induced etiology., Level of Evidence: III., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is an essential tool for the determination of mineral chelation in proteinates used as animal feed additives. With advances in feed formulations and stringent regulatory requirements to confirm the degree of chelation in animal feed supplements, the aim of this work was to further refine the method and demonstrate its applicability to newly formulated, higher concentration (20% (w/w)) manganese and zinc proteinates of industrial relevance. Calibration and prediction models were created using multivariate analysis with R 2 > 0.99 for both mineral proteinates tested. Root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) values were found to be 1.7% and 2.1% respectively for the manganese and zinc products. The refined method produced reliable data for various applications with excellent specificity, selectivity, and reproducibility. Consequently, the proposed refinements are expected to be of interest from a regulatory perspective and for those in the feed industry for conclusively determining the percentage chelation of minerals in high concentration proteinate products.

Lead pollution precaution caused by lead-based anode corrosion is a hot and challenging issue for zinc electrowinning. A novel functional lead-based anode (MnO 2 pre-coated anode-MPA) was precisely fabricated and its long-term performances were studied compared with typical Pb-1%Ag anode (TPA). Results indicated that MPA posed excellent effects on synergistic inhibiting lead dissolution and reducing hazardous pollutants generation, and decreasing the lead content of zinc products by 81%. Further, the underlying mechanism of film growth and transformation in structure, composition and crystal phase, the migration and distribution of lead and anode slime during electrolytic, were clarified in-depth. Dynamic material flow analysis confirmed that MPA reduced the entire lead migration amount by over 92% compared with TPA. The compact multilayer structure of the MPA film and self-reparation effects of local structure provided better and persistent protection for the lead matrix, which greatly retarded the high-speed corrosion of lead anode. Compared with α-MnO 2 in TPA, the formation and maintenance of γ-MnO 2 in MPA accelerated the oxygen evolution reaction and inhibited the anode slime generation. This finding provides new insights in pollution precaution and control by designing and tuning new functional anode in hydrometallurgy process., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Hypocupremia due to zinc products can cause sideroblastic anemia and neutropenia and mimics other serious hematological disorders. Early consideration of the copper deficiency and a thorough clinical history can prevent unnecessary interventions., Competing Interests: This manuscript is original research, has not been previously published, and has not been submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration. The authors declare no conflict of interest with this manuscript. Consent: Consent was obtained for the publication of this case., (© 2020 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this study, the effect of various initial Zn 2+ concentration additionally on microalgae growth and biochemical composition were investigated. The Spirulina platensis biomass of each concentration reached the maximum at the end of the cultivation. However, high levels could severely inhibit the growth of microalgae. Fluorescence activity occurred changes in response to heavy metal stress. Moreover, biochemical composition in Spirulina platensis altered under zinc stress, and the highest contents of phycocyanin (PC), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), Carotenoid and zinc accumulation were obtained. The proportion of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids increased constantly in response to Zn 2+ exposure. Overall, this study indicated that the use of Spirulina platensis is a viable method for treating zinc containing wastewater and harvested microalgae can be processed into high-zinc products., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Zinc was known in ancient times, and is diffused in the environment. The potential benefits offered by zinc supplementary therapy have been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials using oral or topical zinc products. The benefit of zinc can be in principle increased through association with other actives. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect on primary human gingival fibroblast cell of a new formulation containing zinc and octenidine cations. Human gingival fibroblast cells were obtained from three healthy patients (14-year-old man, 15-year-old woman and 20-year-old man) during extraction of teeth. The gene expression of 14 genes (ELANE, FN1, FBN, ITGA1, HAS1, ELN, DSP, ITGB1, HYAL1,TGFB1, TGFB2, TGFB3, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2) was investigated in HGF cell culture treated with 80μm of Octenidine, 1000μm of Zinc, 80μm Octenidine + Zinc solution and the medium alone at 30 min. Prestoblue™ data showed that as the active concentration increases (Octenidine, Zinc and Octenidine + Zinc) the percentage of cell vitality compared to that of untreated cells decrease. In this study, no statistically significant gene expression was observed between cells, treated with difference substances, and control cells. Our results points out that zinc plus octenidine shows a positive potential in periodontal disease treatment.

Covering: up to the end of 2017While suggestions concerning the possible role of metals in olfaction and taste date back 50 years, only recently has it been possible to confirm these proposals with experiments involving individual olfactory receptors (ORs). A detailed discussion of recent experimental results demonstrating the key role of metals in enhancing the response of human and other vertebrate ORs to specific odorants is presented against the backdrop of our knowledge of how the sense of smell functions both at the molecular and whole animal levels. This review emphasizes the role of metals in the detection of low molecular weight thiols, sulfides, and other organosulfur compounds, including those found in strong-smelling animal excretions and plant volatiles, and those used in gas odorization. Alternative theories of olfaction are described, with evidence favoring the modified "shape" theory. The use of quantum mechanical/molecular modeling (QM/MM), site-directed mutagenesis and saturation-transfer-difference (STD) NMR is discussed, providing support for biological studies of mouse and human receptors, MOR244-3 and OR OR2T11, respectively. Copper is bound at the active site of MOR244-3 by cysteine and histidine, while cysteine, histidine and methionine are involved with OR2T11. The binding pockets of these two receptors are found in different locations in the three-dimensional seven transmembrane models. Another recently deorphaned human olfactory receptor, OR2M3, highly selective for a thiol from onions, and a broadly-tuned thiol receptor, OR1A1, are also discussed. Other topics covered include the effects of nanoparticles and heavy metal toxicants on vertebrate and fish ORs, intranasal zinc products and the loss of smell (anosmia).

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive aminoacidopathy secondary to an enzyme defect in the catabolic pathway of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine). Accumulation of their corresponding keto-acids leads to encephalopathy if not treated in time. A newborn male patient was suspected to have MSUD after tandem mass study when he presented symptoms and signs suggestive neonatal sepsis, anemia, and diarrhea. Food restriction of BCAAs was started; however, acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin eruptions occurred at age 2 months. The skin rashes resolved after adding BCAAs and adjusting the infant formula. At age 7 months, he suffered from recurrent skin lesions, zinc deficiency, osteoporosis, and kyphosis of the thoracic spine with acute angulation over the T11-T12 level associated with spinal compression and myelopathy. After supplementation of zinc products and pamidronate, skin lesions and osteopenia improved gradually. Direct sequencing of the DBT gene showed a compound heterozygous mutation [4.7 kb deletion and c.650-651insT (L217F or L217fsX223)]. It is unusual that neurodegeneration still developed in this patient despite diet restriction. Additionally, brain and spinal magnetic resonance imaging, bone mineral density study, and monitoring of zinc status are suggested in MSUD patients., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Diarrhea is the fourth leading cause of child mortality in Ghana. In 2010, Ghana endorsed guidelines from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund for use of zinc with low-osmolarity oral rehydration salts (ORS) for the treatment of acute childhood diarrhea. From late 2011 through 2014, the Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project implemented a comprehensive program in 3 regions of Ghana to increase the availability and use of ORS and zinc and to decrease incorrect use of antibiotics and antidiarrheals. The program included (1) partnering with local pharmaceutical firms to introduce and market locally produced zinc products, (2) collaborating with the Ghanaian Pharmacy Council to provide training and supportive supervision of private-sector providers on diarrhea management, and (3) conducting mass media campaigns to raise caregiver awareness. We evaluated the effect of this program using a baseline survey of 754 caregivers of children under 5 with diarrhea at the start of the intervention in 2012 and a follow-up survey of 751 caregivers in 2014. Regression analysis showed that use of ORS with zinc increased from 0.8% in 2012 to 29.2% in 2014 (P<.001), and antibiotic use declined from 66.2% to 38.2% (P<.001) during the same period. The magnitude and statistical significance of these results remained the same after including potential confounding factors as covariates. Inappropriate antibiotic use, however, remained high at follow-up. We conclude that similar programs applied in other settings have the potential to rapidly scale up use of ORS and zinc. Additional efforts are required to reduce persistent incorrect antibiotic use., (© El-Khoury et al.)

The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund recommend using a new oral rehydration solution (ORS) plus zinc supplementation for 10-14 days for the treatment of diarrhoea in children aged less than five years. The Social Marketing Plus for Diarrhoeal Disease Control: Point of Use Water Disinfection and Zinc Treatment (POUZN) project in Nepal was one of the first zinc-promotion projects to move beyond pilot efforts into a scaled-up programme with national-level reach. This study used data from a survey conducted in 26 districts in Nepal in 2008 to examine zinc-use behaviour, knowledge, and beliefs of caregivers of children aged less than six years, other diarrhoea-treatment practices, and recollection of project communication messages. The results of the survey indicated that, by six months following the onset of a zinc-promotion campaign, the majority (67.5%) of children (n=289), aged less than six years, with diarrhoea were treated with ORS, and 15.4% were treated with zinc. Over half (53.1%) of all caregivers (n=3,550) interviewed had heard about zinc products; most (97.1%) of those who had heard of zinc knew that zinc should be used for the treatment of diarrhoea. Zinc-related knowledge and behaviours were positively associated with recall of communication messages. Children whose caregivers recalled the mass-media message that zinc should be used for 10 days [odds ratio (OR)=2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.85-2.19] and whose caregivers perceived that zinc is easy to obtain (OR=1.76, 95% CI 1.49-2.09) were more likely to be treated with zinc for 10 days, along with ORS. The findings demonstrated that mass media play an important role in increasing caregivers' knowledge about zinc and encouraging trial and correct use. Future efforts should also focus on understanding the factors that motivate providers to continue recommending antibiotics and antidiarrhoeals instead of zinc. These findings are being used for informing the design and implementation of zinc programmes in other developing countries with a high prevalence of diarrhoea.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of toothpaste treatments on levels of oral volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) measured by gas chromatography in two clinical studies., Methods: These were blinded, randomised, controlled, crossover studies with 16 (study A) or 20 (study B) healthy volunteers between the ages of 19-54. Study A: breath samples were collected at baseline, immediately and lhr after brushing. Four dentifrices (Zinc A, Zinc B, commercially available triclosan dentifrice and zinc free control) were evaluated. Study B: breath samples were collected at baseline, immediately, 1, 2, 3 and 7 hours after treatment. Subjects consumed a light breakfast then provided an additional breath sample between baseline assessment and treatment. Two dentifrices (gel-to-foam and a commercially available triclosan dentrifrice) were evaluated. Breath samples were collected in syringes and analysed for VSCs (hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and Total VSCs) utilising gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection., Results: Study A: immediately after treatment, a statistically significant reduction in VSCs from baseline was observed for Zinc A product only. A statistically significant reduction in VSCs from baseline was observed after 1 hour for all products. Both zinc products exhibited a significantly greater reduction from baseline VSCs than Colgate Total and Control at all time points. Study B: a statistically significant reduction in VSCs from baseline was observed at all time points for both products. The gel-to-foam product exhibited significantly greater reduction from baseline Total VSC concentration than Colgate Total at all time points from 1 hour post-treatment., Conclusion: Control of oral malodour by toothpaste treatment, evaluated as VSC levels using GC, has been demonstrated. Zinc is effective at reducing VSCs and the efficacy of zinc is formulation dependent. A gel-to-foam dentifrice was more effective at reducing VSCs than Colgate Total up to 7 hours.

Objective: Based on two sets of data from occupational epidemiology, Benchmark dose (BMD) was applied to estimate biological exposure limit (BEL)., Methods: Cadmium exposed workers were selected from a cadmium smelting and a zinc products factory and control group was selected from doctors or nurses and staff from shops living in the same area; Urinary cadmium (UCd) was used as exposure biomarker and urinary beta(2) microglobulin (UBM), NAG (UNAG) and albumin (UALB) were as effect biomarkers. All urine parameters were adjusted by urinary creatinine. Software of BMDS (Version 1.3.2, EPA.U.S) was used to calculate BMD., Results: Calculated abnormal prevalence was based on the upper limit of 95% of effect biomarkers in control group; There are significant dose response relationship between the prevalence of effect biomarkers (UBM, UNAG and UALB) and exposure biomarker (UCd); BEL was 5 microg/g creatinine for UBM as effect biomarker, It consists with the recommendation of WHO; BEL was 3 microg/g creatinine for UNAG as effect biomarker; BEL can be estimated by using the method of BMD; the more sensitive biomarker would used, the more occupational people would protected., Conclusion: The application of BMD in estimating biological exposure limit (BEL) is proper. UNAG is suggested as most sensitive biomarker to be used to estimate BEL for cadmium exposure.

With the increasing use of herbal remedies by the general public worldwide, there remains a lack of information on the relationship between nutraceutical use and antibiotic resistance. Historically, there have been claims that nutraceuticals possess antibacterial and antiviral activity. However, the claims come with little or no documentation and no information related to the development of resistance to the nutraceutical or the cause of increases in resistance to antibiotics. These studies investigate the ability of nutraceutical exposure to influence the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Two antibiotic-sensitive organisms, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, were used as representative of the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. These preliminary investigations showed a general increase to the ampicillin marker by the products studied, using Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 as the indicator organism. There were 13 product-related increases in the MIC, 2 decreases, and 7 no changes. All six of the garlic products increased the MIC of the norfloxacin marker to greater than fourfold above baseline. Using E. coli ATCC 25922 as the indicator organism, the greatest product-antibiotic marker interaction was with the ampicillin marker. Garlic, Echinacea, and zinc products all caused large increases in the MIC to ampicillin over baseline values.