ORAL ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY: Results of a Randomised Controlled Trial Management of hepatic encephalopathy with oral zinc supplementation: a long-term treatment. The role of antioxidants and zinc in minimal hepatic encephalopathy: a randomized trial Zinc supplementation is associated with improved neurologic recovery rate and visceral protein levels of patients with severe closed head injury. Zinc supplementation therapy improves the outcome of patients with chronic hepatitis C Effect of zinc supplementation on body mass index and serum levels of zinc and leptin in pediatric hemodialysis patients Zinc supplementation in alcoholic cirrhosis. A double-blind clinical trial. A controlled trial on utility of oral zinc supplementation in acute dehydrating diarrhea in infants. Oral zinc therapy in diabetic neuropathy. Effect of zinc supplementation on viral response in patients with chronic hepatitis C and Beta thalassemia major, a pilot study. Oral zinc supplementation in persistent diarrhoea in infants. Oral Zinc Supplementation Reduces the Erythropoietin Responsiveness Index in Patients on Hemodialysis Effects of low dose zinc supplementation on biochemical markers in non-alcoholic cirrhosis: a randomized clinical trial. Effect of zinc on liver cirrhosis with hyperammonemia: a preliminary randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial. Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements, Regardless of Their Zinc Content, Increase Growth and Reduce the Prevalence of Stunting and Wasting in Young Burkinabe Children: A Cluster-Randomized Trial Mild to moderate zinc deficiency in short children: effect of zinc supplementation on linear growth velocity. Zinc supplementation in Brazilian children with acute diarrhoea
22 cirrhotic patients with chronic encephalopathy were given oral zinc supplementation or placebo in a double-blind r and omised trial . In the group which received zinc acetate 600 mg a day for 7 days , serum zinc had been restored to normal by day 8 . On day 8 hepatic encephalopathy , as assessed by a trailmaking test , was improved in the supplemented group but not in the placebo group . There was also a significant increase in blood urea nitrogen in the supplemented group . Short-term oral zinc supplementation probably improved hepatic encephalopathy by correcting the zinc deficiency that compromises conversion of ammonia to urea . The duration of this improvement requires further investigation OBJECTIVES The effect of long-term oral zinc supplementation , in addition to st and ard therapy ( protein-restricted diet and lactulose ) on recurrent hepatic encephalopathy , was assessed in a double-blind study . METHODS Ninety cirrhotic patients with stable recurrent hepatic encephalopathy , after following a one month period of st and ard therapy , were r and omized to receive oral zinc acetate supplementation ( 600 mg/day ) in addition to st and ard therapy or to continue only st and ard therapy ( a diet containing 0.8 g/kg/day of protein and 90 g/day of lactulose ) for six months . Psychometric tests , NCT ( number correction test ) and PSE ( portal-systemic encephalopathy ) Index , were used to evaluate the degree of hepatic encephalopathy , both at the beginning and the end of each treatment period . RESULTS Oral zinc supplementation in addition to st and ard therapy was able to normalize serum zinc levels .  The patients who never showed clinical signs of hepatic encephalopathy during the trial were 88.6 % in zinc-group and 86 % in only st and ard therapy group . Psychometric tests , NCT and PSE Index , were statistically better than basal values either in zinc-group or in only st and ard therapy group . CONCLUSIONS Final values of psychometric tests were better in zinc-group than only st and ard therapy group but the differences were not statistically significant Background : Minimal hepatic encephalopathy ( MHE ) has a far-reaching impact on quality and function ability in daily life and may progress to overt hepatic encephalopathy . There is a synergistic effect between systemic oxidative stress and ammonia that is implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy . The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of oral supplementation of antioxidants and zinc gluconate on MHE versus lactulose . Methods : Our study included 58 patients with cirrhosis diagnosed as having MHE by neuropsychometric tests , including  number connection test part A ( NCT-A ) , digit symbol test ( DST ) and block design tests ( BDTs ) . Patients were r and omized to receive 175 mg zinc gluconate , 50,000 IU vitamin A , 500 mg vitamin C and 100 mg vitamin E once daily plus lactulose , dose 30–60 ml/day for 3 months [ group A ( n = 31 ) ] or initiated and maintained on lactulose dose 30–60 ml/day for 3 months [ group B ( n = 27 ) ] . Neuropsychometric tests and laboratory investigations were repeated after 3 months of therapy . Results : Compared with the baseline neuropsychometric tests , a significant improvement was reported in patients with MHE after 3 months of antioxidant and zinc therapy ( group A ) versus patients with lactulose therapy ( group B ) ( NCT-A , p < 0.001 ; DST , p = 0.006 ; BDT , p < 0.001 ) . Antioxidant and zinc supplementation significantly decreased arterial ammonia level , alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ) , aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ) ( p < 0.001 ) and improved Child – Pugh score in MHE after 3 months of therapy ( p= 0.024 ) . Conclusion : Antioxidant and zinc supplementation can improve MHE in patients with liver cirrhosis Sixty-eight patients were entered into a r and omized , prospect i ve , double-blinded controlled trial of supplemental zinc versus st and ard zinc therapy to study the effects of zinc supplementation on neurologic recovery and nutritional/metabolic status after severe closed head injury . One month after injury , the mortality rates in the  st and ard zinc group and the zinc-supplemented group were 26 and 12 % , respectively . Glasgow Coma Scale ( GCS ) scores of the zinc-supplemented group exceeded the adjusted mean GCS score of the st and ard group at day 28 ( p = 0.03 ) . Mean motor GCS score levels of the zinc-supplemented group were significantly higher on days 15 and 21 than those of the control group ( p = 0.005 , p = 0.02 ) . This trend continued on day 28 of the study ( p = 0.09 ) . The groups did not differ in serum zinc concentration , weight , energy expenditure , or total urinary nitrogen excretion after hospital admission . Mean 24-h urine zinc levels were significantly higher in the zinc-supplemented group at days 2 ( p = 0.0001 ) and 10 ( p = 0.01 ) after injury . Mean serum prealbumin concentrations were significantly higher in the zinc-supplemented group ( p = 0.003 ) at 3 weeks after injury . A similar pattern was found for mean serum retinol binding protein level ( p = 0.01 ) . A significantly larger number of patients in the st and ard zinc group had craniotomies for evacuation of hematoma ; thus a bias may have been present . The results of this study indicate that zinc supplementation during the immediate postinjury period is associated with improved rate of neurologic recovery and visceral protein concentrations for patients with severe closed head injury We administered zinc supplementation therapy over three years to patients with chronic hepatitis C and reported and that the aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ) and alanine aminotaransferase ( ALT ) levels decreased , and platelet counts increased , significantly in the group with increased serum zinc concentrations . We are continuing this treatment to clarify the long-term consequences and report here the changes in serum zinc concentrations over seven years and compare the cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) . We administered polaprezinc to 32 patients , r and omly selected for zinc therapy ( treatment group ) , while another 30 formed the control group . We measured the serum zinc and albumin concentrations and conducted a prospect i ve study to determine long-term outcomes . The changes and rates of change of serum zinc concentrations after seven years were 76.7 ± 18.2 µg/dl and + 0.302 ± 0.30 % in the treatment group and 56.7 ± 12.4 µg/dl and + 0.033 ± 0.21 % in the control group and had increased significantly ( p = 0.0002 , p = 0.0036 ) . Progression of liver disease seemed to vary , depending on serum albumin concentrations . In the group with baseline serum albumin concentrations of 4.0 g/dl or more , the change and rate of change of serum zinc concentrations increased significantly , and the cumulative incidence of HCC tended to decrease , in the treated group . According to multivariate analysis , the factors that contribute to a reduction in the incidence of HCC are  zinc therapy ( risk ratio : 0.113 , 95 % CI : 0.015–0.870 , p = 0.0362 ) , and platelet counts ( 0.766 , 0.594–0.989 , 0.0409 ) . Zinc supplementation therapy seems to improve liver pathology and reduce the incidence of HCC Introduction Zinc is an essential trace element for human nutrition , and its deficiency is associated with anorexia , poor food efficiency , growth retardation , and impaired neurological and immune systems . The zinc-deficiency rate is particularly high in many disease states , such as with end-stage renal disease patients undertaking hemodialysis . The aim of this study was to determine the effect of zinc supplementation on body mass index ( BMI ) and serum levels of zinc and leptin in pediatric hemodialysis patients . Patients and methods This was a prospect i ve clinical trial study in which 60 hemodialysis patients were r and omly divided into two groups : group I received 50–100 mg zinc sulfate ( equivalent to 11–22 mg elemental zinc ) according to age , sex , and nutritional status of the child ; and group II received placebo ( cornstarch ) twice daily for 90 days . Anthropometric measurements were taken , and serum zinc and leptin levels were determined by colorimetric test with 5-Br-3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay , respectively , at days 0 and 90 of the study . Results Zinc supplementation result ed in a significant increase in mean serum zinc level and BMI . Serum leptin decreased significantly after supplementation in children under hemodialysis . A significant negative correlation was observed between serum zinc and leptin levels as a result of zinc supplementation . Conclusion There was an increase in serum zinc level and BMI and decreased serum leptin  after zinc supplementation in children under hemodialysis A double-blind clinical trial with zinc sulfate , 0.2 g three times daily , and a placebo was performed in 30 patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver cirrhosis . The disease was in a stable phase , and none of the patients showed evidence of a decompensated liver function . Parameters of liver function , taste acuity , dark adaptation and of zinc and vitamin A metabolism were followed for six weeks . In the zinc-treated group of 16 patients , serum zinc rose from a normal mean value of 13.3 to 17.4 mumol/l , whereas the mean serum vitamin A level remained practically unaltered within the normal range , 1.89 at the entry and 1.83 mumol/l at the end of the study . Plasma prothrombin and serum alkaline phosphatase levels of the zinc group increased and serum bilirubin and serum carotene decreased significantly . The dark adaptation did not change , but the taste function was significantly improved during zinc treatment . The results indicate that zinc supplementation causes alleviation of certain abnormalities of cirrhotics , which deserves further attention A controlled , r and omized trial was conducted in 50 infants with acute dehydrating diarrhea to evaluate the effect of oral zinc supplementation in acute diarrhea . After completion of rehydration , 25 infants in Group A received oral zinc sulfate ( 20 mg elemental zinc twice daily ) and an equal number in Group B were given placebo ( glucose ) . Both groups were comparable with respect to various initial characteristics including nutritional status , diarrheal disease , serum alkaline phosphatase , and serum and rectal mucosal zinc content . During therapy all the assessed parameters of zinc status ( serum alkaline phosphatase and serum and rectal zinc ) recorded significant elevation and reduction in Groups A and B , respectively . At recovery the zinc status of Group A was significantly better and was nearer that of healthy controls . The diarrheal duration and frequency in the zinc-supplemented group were lower , but the differences were not significant ( 0.05 less than p less than 0.1 ) . However , when only subjects with relatively severe initial zinc depletion ( rectal zinc lower than the 15th percentile of healthy controls ; 11 in Group A and 14 in Group B ) were considered , the diarrheal duration and frequency were significantly ( p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01 , respectively ) lower in the zinc-supplemented cases . Weight gain in both groups was similar . It is concluded that oral zinc administration in acute diarrhea can replenish body zinc status and this may shorten the diarrheal duration and frequency in children with relatively severe zinc depletion The present double blind r and omized study was conducted on 50 subjects ; 20 age and sex matched healthy controls ( Group -- I ) ; 15 patients of diabetes mellitus with neuropathy who received placebo for 6 weeks ( Group -- IIA ) ; and 15 patients of diabetes mellitus with neuropathy who were given supplemental zinc sulphate ( 660 mg ) for 6 weeks ( Group -- IIB ) .  Serum zinc level , fasting blood sugar ( FBS ) and post pr and ial blood sugar ( PPBS ) levels and motor nerve conduction velocity ( MNCV ) were estimated on day 0 and after 6 weeks in all subjects . Serum zinc levels were significantly low ( p < 0.001 ) in group IIA and IIB as compared to healthy controls ( Group -- I ) at baseline . After 6 weeks the change in pre and post therapy values of FBS , PPBS and MNCV ( median and common peroneal nerve ) were highly significant ( P = < 0.001 ) for group IIB alone with insignificant change ( P = > 0.05 ) in group IIA . No improvement ( P = > 0.05 ) in autonomic dysfunction was observed in either groups . Therefore , oral zinc supplementation helps in achieving better glycemic control and improvement in severity of peripheral neuropathy as assessed by MNCV INTRODUCTION Zinc deficiency has been reported in patients with both hepatitis C and beta thalassemia major .  Zinc supplementation in addition to antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis C has been accompanied by some success in patients with chronic hepatitis C. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present pilot study is to determine the effect of 30 mg elemental zinc on biochemical and virological response in a population of patients with chronic hepatitis C with beta thalassemia major . MATERIAL S AND METHODS A prospect i ve , double blind , placebo controlled trial included 40 patients being treated with Pegylated interferon Alfa ( Peg IFN-α ) and ribavirin .  Biochemical and virological parameters and plasma zinc levels were determined before starting treatment . Patients were r and omly selected to receive either zinc or a placebo in addition to Peg IFN-α and ribavirin for a period of one year . AST , ALT , sustained viral response ( SVR ) , and zinc levels were measured after treatment . Of the original 40 eligible patients , eight withdrawn from the study and 32 patients completed the study ; 16 in the zinc group and 16 in the placebo group . Analysis of the data shows that there is no difference between the two groups in AST , ALT , SVR or zinc level following one year of treatment ( p=0.224 , p=0.616 , p=0.670 , p=0.999 , respectively ) . CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that using 30 mg/day elemental zinc did not significantly improve the outcome of treatment in thalassemia patients with chronic hepatitis C. In future studies , we recommend trying higher doses zinc in patients with hepatitis C who had beta thalassemia major A controlled r and omized trial was conducted in 40 infants ( 6 - 18 months old ) with persistent diarrhoea ( greater than 2 weeks ' duration ) to evaluate the effect of oral zinc supplementation . After completion of rehydration , 20 infants in group A received oral zinc sulphate ( 20 mg elemental zinc twice daily ) and an equal number in group B were given a placebo ( glucose ) . Each child was given oral nalidixic acid and a similar milk-free feeding schedule . Both the groups were comparable with respect to various initial characteristics including nutrition , diarrhoeal disease , serum alkaline phosphatase and serum and rectal mucosal zinc content . During therapy , all the assessed parameters of zinc status ( serum alkaline phosphatase and serum and rectal zinc ) recorded significant elevation and reduction in groups A and B , respectively . At recovery , the zinc status of group A was significantly higher than that of group B. The diarrhoeal duration and frequency in the zinc-supplemented group were lower but the differences were not statistically significant ( p = 0.078 and p = 0.076 , respectively ) . Weight gain in both groups was comparable . It is concluded that in persistent diarrhoea there is depletion of zinc with the progression of disease and oral zinc administration can improve the zinc status . The possible anti-diarrhoeal effect of zinc , however , merits further study Background : In hemodialysis ( HD ) patients , zinc depletion caused by inadequate intake , malabsorption , and removal by HD treatment leads to erythropoiesis-stimulating agent ( ESA ) hyporesponsiveness . This study investigated the effects of zinc supplementation in HD patients with zinc deficiency on changes in the erythropoietin responsiveness index ( ERI ) . Methods : Patients on HD with low serum zinc levels ( < 65 μg/dL ) were r and omly assigned to two groups : The polaprezinc group ( who received daily polaprezinc , containing 34 mg/day of zinc ) ( n = 35 ) and the control group ( no supplementation ) ( n = 35 ) for 12 months . All the 70 patients had been taking epoetin alpha as treatment for renal anemia .  ERI was measured with the following equation : Weekly ESA dose (units)/dry weight (kg)/hemoglobin ( g/dL ) . Results : There were no significant changes in hemoglobin levels within groups or between the control and polaprezinc groups during the study period . Although reticulocyte counts were increased immediately after zinc supplementation , this change was transient . Serum zinc levels were significantly increased and serum copper levels were significantly decreased in the polaprezinc group after three months ; this persisted throughout the study period . Although there was no significant change in the serum iron or transferrin saturation levels in the polaprezinc group during the study period , serum ferritin levels significantly decreased following polaprezinc treatment . Further , in the polaprezinc  group , ESA dosage and ERI were significantly decreased at 10 months and nine months , respectively , as compared with the baseline value . Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that the change in the serum zinc level was an independent predictor of lowered ERI . Conclusions : Zinc supplementation  reduces ERI in patients undergoing HD and may be a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with renal anemia and low serum zinc levels BACKGROUND The present study aim ed to evaluate the effects of low dose zinc ( Zn ) supplementation on biochemical markers and underlying disease status in non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients . METHODS We enrolled 60 cirrhotic patients in a double-blind ,  placebo-controlled  , r and omized clinical trial . All patients in the interventional group ( n = 30 ) received long-term , low dose Zn supplementation ( 50 mg elemental Zn sulfate daily ) . The control group ( n = 30 ) received placebo ( starch ) .  Child-Pugh scores and biochemical markers were assessed for both interventional and control groups at the first day and the end of the 90th day of the interventional period . A per- protocol analysis was performed after excluding all participants who did not receive or complete the r and omized intervention . The mean differences of quantitative variables between and within groups were evaluated by independent sample s t-test and paired- sample s t-test , respectively . SPSS version 13.00 was used for statistical analysis . RESULTS In the initial evaluation , 16 ( 53.30 % ) patients from the interventional group had a Child-Pugh score of 5 - 8 and 14 ( 46 . 70 % ) had a score of 9 - 12 . In the control group 18 ( 60.00 % ) had a Child-Pugh score of 5 - 8 and 12 ( 40.00 % ) scored 9 - 12 . After three months the mean Child-Pugh score in the interventional group showed a significant improvement ( from 6.56 ± 0.21 to 5.72 ± 0.22 , P = 0.001 ) whereas in the control group despite no significant decline , the mean Child-Pugh score increased slightly ( from 6.25 ± 0.27 to 6.67 ± 0.31 , P = 0.14 ) . Zn supplementation significantly decreased copper ( Cu ; P = 0.01 ) and creatinine ( Cr ; P < 0.0001 ) levels . CONCLUSION In this study , we determined that low dose Zn supplementation could prevent deterioration of clinical status of cirrhosis and prevent excess Cu accumulation in non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients . Zn supplementation produces metabolic effects and trends towards improvements in liver function , hepatic encephalopathy , and nutritional status . Registration ID in I RCT : I RCT 201106122017N4 OBJECTIVE To our knowledge , no r and omized study has shown whether zinc replacement therapy is effective for hyperammonemia in liver cirrhosis ; therefore , we performed a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial to examine efficacy and safety of the zinc replacement therapy . METHODS Patients with liver cirrhosis and hyperammonemia ( at or above the institutional reference value ) and hypozincemia ( ≤65 μg/dL ) were enrolled in the outpatient units of the participating institutions and were r and omly divided to receive placebo ( P group ) or zinc acetate preparation at a dose of 3 capsules/d for a total zinc content of 150 mg/d ( Z group ) by the envelope method . Of the 18 enrolled patients , 6 dropped out ; thus , the analyses included 12 patients ( 5 in the P group and 7 in the Z group ) . Variations in blood concentrations of zinc and ammonia as well as liver function test results were compared . RESULTS Blood zinc levels significantly increased in the Z group ( P = 0.0037 ; Friedman test ) but not the P group . Blood ammonia levels significantly decreased in the Z group ( P = 0.0114 ; Friedman test ) but not the P group . The percent change in blood ammonia level also revealed significant reduction at the eighth week in the Z group ( P = 0.0188 : Mann-Whitney test ) . No serious adverse events attributable to the zinc preparation were noted . CONCLUSION Although this study is preliminary and includes a small sample , it is , to our knowledge , the first r and omized controlled trial to show that zinc supplementation for 3 mo seems effective and safe for treating hyperammonemia in liver cirrhosis . Studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our findings Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements ( SQ-LNS ) are promising home fortification products , but the optimal zinc level needed to improve growth and reduce morbidity is uncertain . We aim ed to assess the impact of providing SQ-LNS with varied amounts of zinc , along with illness treatment , on zinc-related outcomes compared with st and ard care . In a placebo-controlled , cluster-r and omized trial , 34 communities were stratified to intervention ( IC ) or non-intervention cohorts ( NIC ) . 2435 eligible IC children were r and omly assigned to one of four groups:1 ) SQ-LNS without zinc , placebo tablet ; 2 ) SQ-LNS containing 5 mg zinc , placebo tablet ; 3 ) SQ-LNS containing 10 mg zinc , placebo tablet ; or 4 ) SQ-LNS without zinc and 5 mg zinc tablet  from 9–18 months of age . During weekly morbidity surveillance , oral rehydration salts were provided for reported diarrhea and antimalarial therapy for confirmed malaria . Children in NIC ( n = 785 ) did not receive SQ-LNS , tablets , illness surveillance or treatment . At 9 and 18 months , length , weight and hemoglobin were measured in all children . Reported adherence was 97±6 % for SQ-LNS and tablets . Mean baseline hemoglobin was 89±15g/L. At 18 months , change in hemoglobin was greater in IC than NIC ( + 8 vs -1g/L , p<0.0001 ) , but 79.1 % of IC were still anemic ( vs. 91.1 % in NIC ) . Final plasma zinc concentration did not differ by group . During the 9-month observation period , the incidence of diarrhea was 1.10±1.03 and of malaria 0.54±0.50 episodes per 100 child-days , and did not differ by group . Length at 18 months was significantly greater in IC compared to NIC ( 77.7±3.0 vs. 76.9±3.4 cm ; p<0.001 ) and stunting prevalence was significantly lower in IC ( 29.3 % ) than NIC ( 39.3 % ; p<0.0001 ) , but did not differ by intervention group within IC . Wasting prevalence was also significantly lower in IC ( 8.7 % ) than in NIC ( 13.5 % ; p = 0.0003 ) . Providing SQ-LNS daily with or without zinc , along with malaria and diarrhea treatment , significantly increased growth and reduced stunting , wasting and anemia prevalence in young children . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov Twenty-one prepubertal , short Japanese children ( 11 boys ) without endocrine abnormalities were identified as having mild-to-moderate zinc deficiency by zinc kinetics studies ( zinc body clearance > or = 20 ml/kg per hour ) . Only one child had a serum zinc level < 65 micrograms/dl ( cutoff level ) . A total of 10 children ( 5 boys ) received 5 mg/kg per day of zinc sulfate for 6 months ; 11 untreated children ( 6 boys ) served as control subjects . During treatment , calorie intake ( p < 0.01 ) , growth velocity ( p < 0.01 ) , serum zinc , calcium , and phosphorus concentrations , alkaline phosphatase activity ( p < 0.001 ) , percentage of tubular reabsorption of phosphorus ( p < 0.05 ) , ratio of maximal tubular reabsorption rate for phosphorus to the glomerular filtration rate ( p < 0.05 ) , serum osteocalcin level ( p < 0.01 ) , and plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 ( p < 0.05 ) were significantly increased , but urinary excretion of growth hormone was unchanged in the zinc-supplemented group . All these values were unchanged in the untreated children . We conclude that zinc supplementation is effective for inducing growth in short children with zinc deficiency , and that body zinc clearance tests facilitate detection of marginal zinc deficiency Abstract Although oral rehydration therapy greatly reduces mortality from diarrhoeal diseases , it has little effect on stool frequency . However , there is mounting evidence that zinc is an effective adjunct to the treatment of diarrhoea , although few studies have examined its efficacy in Latin America . This study assessed the efficacy of zinc supplementation in children with acute diarrhoea in Brazil . The study was a double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omised , clinical trial in children < 5 years of age attending emergency services in Sergipe , Brazil . Subjects received zinc or vitamin C as placebo . There was a marked reduction in the duration of the diarrhoea ( 1.1 vs 2.6 days ) and of watery stools in the zinc-supplemented group . The efficacy of zinc was independent of the presence of viral enteropathogens in the stools . It is concluded that , similar to studies in India and Bangladesh , zinc could be an important adjunct for treating acute diarrhoea in Brazilian children
Conclusion Oral zinc supplementation improved performance on the number connection test , but no evidence about other clinical or biochemical outcomes was available
Background and aim Because low serum zinc levels precipitate hepatic encephalopathy , zinc supplementation is considered a potential therapeutic option .
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of oral zinc supplementation in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy .