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Clinical and biochemical vitamin B12(B12) deficiency is lower than anticipated in vegetarians. Extraileal absorption, such as from the colon, as well as reduced daily excretion, may be adaptive mechanisms to maintain B12homeostasis with marginal intakes.

Agronomic zinc biofortification of wheat by foliar application increases wheat zinc content and total zinc absorption in humans.

The present review presents a current view of vascular development, with a focus on the factors contributing to the establishment of arterial–venous identity and the potential of chemical biology for providing new insights into this field.

We have identified a novel gene expressed in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and in a restricted, tissue-specific pattern during mouse development. The gene is also expressed in blood vessels; hence, we have named it asrij (Sanskrit; asRˆij = blood). The gene encodes a novel conserved, predicted transmembrane protein of 247 amino acids, which is localized to lysosomes and endosomes. During ES cell-derived blood vessel formation in vitro, Asrij expression precedes and partially overlaps with the vascular markers Flk-1 and PECAM. During development, Asrij is expressed predominantly in mouse embryonic blood vessels. The asrij transcript is alternatively spliced, and its expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner. An asrij splice variant that is enriched in the adult mouse brain encodes a protein of 196 amino acids. Asrij can serve as an early stem cell marker that is down-regulated in nonvascular tissues. Our data indicate that Asrij belongs to a novel class of conserved proteins with a complex developmental profile and suggests multiple functions for the gene. Development Dynamics 227:578–586, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Here we report a novel separation technique for the clinically important 199Tl radionuclide from its precursor lead and daughter product mercury. Two algal genera, Lyngbya major, from cyanophyceae and Rhizoclonium hieroglyphicum from chlorophyceae have been used as natural bioreagents in the separation of thallium radionuclides in ultra-trace scale. 24 h algal treatment of an aqueous solution at pH 8 containing a mixture of radionuclides shows that Rhizoclonium accumulates 100% Hg, >80% Pb and a small fraction of thallium (15%). Thus a large fraction of thallium remains in the solution not accumulated by algae. Thus the selectivity of various algae towards different metals in sorption and desorption processes may be exploited in the separation of these metals from a mixture of them.