dose of selenium depends on mercury-binding losses

2019.8.26: health/diet/selenium/mercury-binding losses:
2020.1.7: summary:
. selenium (se) is an essential mineral
but it binds to mercury,
and there is a lot of mercury in some foods
especially since the industrial age,
(and some fillings release mercury;
and some flu vaccines may contain mercury).
so some may need more se than others,
ie, you may need more than is recommended.
. some lakes are low in se,
but the ocean has plenty of it,
so most ocean fish have more se than mercury,
however, even if ocean fish are not a
mercury hazard, they still have carcinogenic
endocrine disruptors such as PCB, and dioxins.
. in addition to using sardines for se,
(also omega-3 oils, and plenty of minerals)
I get se from Se-Methyl L-Selenocysteine
since it may have additional benefits
before being degraded into elemental selenium
that can bind mercury and be used in proteins.

some flu #vaccines don't contain mercury

7.12: news.med/flu vaccine/beware thimerosal:
. some flu vaccines still contain thimerosal
delivering about 25 micrograms of ethylmercury.
It is known that as little a 0.5 micromole
[114.825 micrograms]* of ethylmercury
[ 5 years of thimerosal-flu vaccines ]
can produce a 50% inhibition of the
brain's most important protective system
against excitotoxicity.

se-methylselenocysteine at wikipedia

2.1: web.cyb/net.wiki/se-msc:
. this is what I did for wikipedia;
their Methylselenocysteine page had been deleted
for copyviolations,
I may be doing too much quoting too;
we'll see ...

acetylcysteine can inhibit anti-cancer p53 protein

30: news.health/acetylcysteine can inhibit anti-cancer p53 protein:
31: summary:
. N-acetylcysteine or NAC is a source of cysteine,
but is too powerful an antioxidant .
. a better source of cysteine is egg yolk:
it too is great at raising glutathione,
a safe antioxidant made by the body .

nut trees for desert (not mac's) #xeriscape

4: web.apt`xeriscape/nut trees for desert (not mac's):
17: summary:
. I'm looking to grow cooking oil in the desert;
the healthiest is the mac nut (macadamia).
. avocados are heavy in palmitic fat;
and other nuts have a bit too much omega-6 .
. olives are difficult to process,
brazil nut fat is good only for selenium,
(the anti-cancer cysteine-bound form),
better to get that from brocolli and onions .
. so, what can I grow in the desert,
around Tucson AZ -- zone 12 ?

variety best for sourcing selenium?

10.2: co.amazon/cook/
Frontier Bulk Garlic Granules, CERTIFIED ORGANIC:
where is it sourced from?!

. this is the perfect granule size,
just large enough for me to feel confident that
all the substance is actually garlic ...
. it tastes great but I'm interested in garlic because
it is a selenium accumulator,
with a very healthy form of selenium:
se-methy-seleno-cysteine .
. however, if it comes from China,
then there are many places there that have
very low levels of selenium in the soil .
. so my new strategy is to just get variety,
and not depend on any one brand .
. I'm also going for quantity too,
and not worrying as much about organic
when it comes to garlic .

supplements for radiation #fukushima

12.5: web.health/supplements for radiation:

Dr. Melissa Patterson, ND
talks about supp's you may need for
dealing with the increased radiation levels
coming from the fukushima nuclear accident .
If large doses of C,E, and B (especially B5),
are taken before exposure,
the radiation sickness can be reduced to a large degree.
Vitamin A can be toxic to a pregnancy .

onion #superfood #prebiotics #selenium

11.4: todo.health/probiotics/is onion a health food?:
. onion is a glycemic food 
but has se-msc, the favored form of selenium;
and unlike garlic, it doesn't make you smell bad .
. npr radio was talking about microbiome profiles,
and they said good food for the probiotics (the beneficial bacteria)
includes garlic, onion, and leeks .

Se-methylselenocysteine resources update #selenium #cancer #prevention

12.18: update knol.health/se
/{new source of selenate, vrp.com se-msc}:
19: intro:
. this is a summary of updates to my knol:
health/anti-cancer selenium-cysteine compounds .
. following that is an amazon review for
the new selenate source .

#cancer #prostate prevention factors #health

11.13 ... 12.31: web.health/
cancer#prostate/prevention factors:

intro:

. I was recently introduced to a fund drive
for awareness of prostate cancer .
. it wasn't clear to me how funds could cure cancer;
but the drive certainly does promote awareness;
and, awareness begets prevention ...
however, I was stumped by the question
"(what prevents prostate cancer?);
and, they weren't offering any clues,
so I directed my available resources at research .
12.1:
. my first strategy for assessing prostate risk
is to look at several cultures with low risk;
the most significant result of that has been: [12.28:
# paleo is not easy:
. even if you could afford grass-fed, chances are
your fats are contaminated with xenoestrogens .]
# soy & grain not required:
. the controversial soy & grain plan
is not required for prostate care:
soy has been the apparent source of Japanese health
but has not been needed by the Inuit .
. moreover, soy confuses 2 preventive factors:
# weakly estrogenic Isoflavones,
# legume diet's hormone-balancing benefits:
the pro-biotic, soluble fiber,
and the fiber's drip-feeding of glucose & protein
all work to reduce prostate risk
(even peanuts benefit from being legumes!).
12.23:
. other strategies include trying to integrate the teachings
of the Zone diet (an advanced paleo diet),
and cancer reports with battle strategies,
all of which have unique contributions to the war on cancer .

#thyroid optimization may save bone,vision #health

11.2 ..11.4: health/thyroid/
lifestyle choices that improve function:
summary:
low thyroid is very common:
. age-related hypo-thyroid
-- ie "(normal) TSH levels --
is as common as the many modern diseases,
and that may be more than a coincidence .
. there are ties to bone loss,
atrial fibrillation,
and blindness due to glaucoma
(you may be at increased risk if you are
nearsighted or hypo-thyroid).

. I will first explain how common low thyroid is,
and how it can be mistaken for hyper-thyroid
-- that's important to realize because
some are avoiding the iodine they need
under the assumption that they are hyper-thyroid
when, in fact,
both the low and high thyroid extremes
can have the same symptoms
of a rapid or erratic heart .

. the unprecedented rate of obesity starting in the 1980's
may be due to the combination of
not only replacing sugar with high-fructose corn syrup,
but also replacing the iodine in bakery goods
with bromides that actually inactivate
what little iodine you might already be getting !

anti-#cancer #selenium-cysteine compounds

. this an update of my knol page:
health/cancer prevention/se-msc/
anti-cancer selenium-cysteine compounds:
Se-methylselenocysteine is the most valuable form of selenium

a new terrorist among the promiscuous

2.21: news.health/oral sex (on either sex)
raises risk of throat cancer:
web: both sexes? yes!
Oral Sex is The Leading Cause for Rise in Throat Cancer
 by VR Sreeraman on February 21, 2011
. there are 150 types of hpv
(human papillomavirus),
and about 40 of those
can be sexually transmitted,
some of those cause cancers  .
-- Diane Harper, University of Missouri;
-- Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, UC, San Francisco .
Researchers have found a 225% increase
in oral cancer cases in usa from 1974 to 2007,
predominantly among
young white males .
. those who performed oral sex
on six or more partners
face an eight-fold higher risk
of acquiring HPV-related  cancers
than those with fewer than six .
New England J Medicine 2007 HPV
. of 100 men and women newly diagnosed with
cancer of of the throat, tonsils and tongue,
those who had evidence of
prior oral HPV infection
had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
A vaccine is available which protects against
cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18,
and also against genital warts .
what is it about promiscuity? networking depth
# Zimbabwe married men:
40 % reported having had an extramarital partner
within the past year .
# Nigerian:
. a majority of the married men
and one-third of the married women
reported they had a extramarital partner .
Edgar Winans, UW anthropologist:
Adultery occurred in lots of traditional
African rural societies for a long time,
but in many villages it was disapproved,
so it was risky behavior
[since it was not tracked,
and involved many more targets
than one would publicly date .]
In the city there's much less check on behavior,
and African cities have attracted
large numbers of singles.
. prostitution (ie, sex with strangers) is common .
Myth of Promiscuity in Africa:
2001 Durex Global Sex Survey conducted among
18,500 sexually active and inactive individuals
in 28 countries .
# age of starting sex is 18:
{ Americans(16 to 20): 16
, Americans(25 to 34): 18
, Chinese: 22
}
# number of sexual partners is 7.7:
{ Nigerians: 4.2
, South Africans: 8.2,
, Americans: 14.2
} --[
. this reminded me of why prostitution
could matter;
prostitution allows hundreds to share
the same source;
whereas in a friend network,
it's possible to have fewer
transitive connections .
. in the best case, americans with 14 partners
are actually part of a closed system
-- virtually in a class-room sized
communal marriage .
ie, even though the 1st degree
number of relations is 14,
the 2nd degree is zero .
. whereas if prostitutes were involved with strangers,
the 2nd degree becomes hundreds .]

se-methylselenocysteine preventing cancer

Se-methylselenocysteine -- at iherb and amazon--
is a uniquely non-toxic form of selenium,
the essential mineral;
I've routinely taken 20doses a day
-- that's 4mg*... (that would be too toxic in other forms).
. here are more references to articles about
how it prevents cancer, and maybe old-age blindness
(this will be added to my selenium knol).

12.12: web.health/se/se-methylselenocysteine:
TRAIL (TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand)
International Journal of Oncology May 2009 Volume 34 Number 5

. Se-MSC rapidly and specifically down-regulates
expression of the Bcl-2 at transcriptional level.
The forced expression of Bcl-2
attenuated Se-MSC plus TRAIL-mediated apoptosis,
suggesting that Se-MSC's reduction of Bcl-2 expression
is critical to the increased sensitivity
to TRAIL in renal cancer cells.
In addition, we demonstrate that the synergistic effects
of Se-MSC and TRAIL
result from the activation of the
caspase-dependent pathways.
Co-administration of HA14-1,
a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor
and TRAIL increased apoptosis in Caki cells.
Taken together, Se-MSC-mediated down-regulation of Bcl-2
is able to sensitize Caki cells for
TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Programmed Cell Death

Programmed cell death (PCD), or apoptosis,
can be triggered by a wide range of stimuli,
including cell surface receptors like Fas
or tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1).
It constitutes a system for the removal of
unnecessary, aged, or damaged cells
. the relative abundance of
proapoptotic and antiapoptotic proteins
determines the susceptibility of the cell
to programmed death.

The proapoptotic proteins Bax, Bad, Bid, Bik, and Bim
contain an a-helical BH3 death domain
that fits the hydrophobic BH3 binding pocket
on the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL,
forming heterodimers that block
the survival-promoting activity of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL.

. things that result in more pro-apopt's
include: growth factor withdrawal
, genotoxic insult
, uv irradiation,
-- this reminds that chronically high
insulin (a growth factor)
can reduce one of your own sources of pro-apopt's .

The proapoptotic proteins act at
the surface of the mitochondrial membrane
to decrease the mitochondrial transmembrane potential
and promote leakage of cytochrome c.
In the presence of dATP,
cytochrome c complexes with and activates Apaf-1.
Activated Apaf-1 binds to downstream caspases,
such as pro-caspase-9,
and processes them into
proteolytically active forms.
This begins a caspase cascade
resulting in apoptosis.

Smac/Diablo is released from the mitochondria
and blocks IAP proteins that normally interact with
caspase-9 to inhibit its conversion to
the apoptosis-effecting caspases-{3, 6, 7}

The graphic shows the conserved apoptotic pathway
in the organism C. elegans .
CED-3 encodes a caspase whose function is facilitated by CED-4,
which is highly similar to Apaf-1.
CED-4 function is blocked by CED-9,
which protects cells against apoptosis
and is similar to the human antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2.
CED-9 activity is inhibited by EGL-1,
which is similar to the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members.

Se-methylselenocysteine inhibits
phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity
Breast Cancer Res (2005) 7: R699-707

Se-methylselenocysteine (MSC),
a naturally occurring selenium compound,
is a promising chemopreventive agent
against in vivo and in vitro models of
carcinogen-induced mouse and rat mammary tumorigenesis.
We have demonstrated previously that MSC
induces apoptosis after a cell growth arrest in S phase
in a mouse mammary epithelial tumor cell model (TM6 cells) in vitro.
The present study was designed to examine the involvement of
the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) pathway
in TM6 tumor model in vitro after treatment with MSC.
RESULTS: PI3-K activity was inhibited by MSC
followed by dephosphorylation of Akt.
The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was also downregulated
after these cells were treated with MSC.
In parallel experiments MSC inhibited the
Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway.
CONCLUSION:
These studies suggest that MSC blocks
multiple signaling pathways
in mouse mammary tumor cells.
MSC inhibits cell growth by inhibiting the activity of PI3-K
and its downstream effector molecules
in mouse mammary tumor cells in vitro.

Se-methylselenocysteine (MSC) chemically synthesized:
. [these 2 ref's were given]:
# SYNTHESIS OF [TRIMETHYLSELENONIUM-SE-75 IODIDE
FROM [SELENOCYSTINE-SE-75]
Source: ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY Volume: 137 Issue: 1 Pages: 205-209
Published: 1984 Reprint Address: FOSTER, SJ (reprint author),
UNIV WISCONSIN, DEPT NUTR SCI, MADISON, WI 53706 USA
ISSN: 0003-2697
# Chemical Form of Se,
Critical Metabolites, and Cancer Prevention:

Methylated selenides are prominent metabolitesat the dietary levels
used for obtaining anticarcinogenic effects with selenium.
The present study reports the chemopreventive activities
of 2 novel selenium compounds,
Se-methylselenocysteine and
dimethyl selenoxide,
Other treatment groups were supplemented with either
selenite or selenocystine for comparative purposes.
Results of the carcinogenesis experiments showed that
the relative efficacy with the four compounds was
Se-methylselenocysteine > selenite
> selenocystine > dimethyl selenoxide.
In correlating the chemical form
and metabolism of these selenium compounds
with their anticarcinogenic activity,
it is concluded that:
(a) selenium compounds that are able to generate
a steady stream of methylated metabolites,
particularly the monomethylated species,
are likely to have good chemopreventive potential;
(b) anticarcinogenic activity is lower for selenoamino acids,
such as selenocysteine following conversion from selenocystine,
which have an escape mechanism via
random, nonstoichiometric incorporation into proteins;
(c) forms of selenium, as exemplified by
dimethyl selenoxide,
which are metabolized rapidly and quantitatively
to dimethyl selenide and trimethylselenonium
and excreted,
are likely to be poor choices.
We also undertook a separate bioavailability study
using
Se-methylselenocysteine
, dimethyl selenoxide
, and trimethylselenonium
as the starting compounds for delivering selenium with
one, two, or three methyl groups,
and measured the ability of these compounds to restore
glutathione peroxidase activity in selenium-depleted animals.
All three compounds were able to
fully replete this enzyme,
although with a wide range of efficiency
(Se-methylselenocysteine >
dimethyl selenoxide > trimethylselenonium),
suggesting that complete demethylation
to inorganic selenium
is a normal process of selenium metabolism.
However, the degree to which this occurs
under chemoprevention conditions
would argue against the involvement of selenoproteins
in the anticarcinogenic action of these selenium compounds.

-- Sodium selenite was obtained from
Sigma Chemical Co. (St Louis, MO, USA).
--. wholesaler only:
but they do have Se-methylselenocysteine:
M6680 Sigma Se-(Methyl)selenocysteine hydrochloride 95% (TLC)

CAS Number: 863394-07-4
Empirical Formula (Hill Notation): C4H9NO2Se · HCl
Molecular Weight: 218.54
MDL number: MFCD03412450
PubChem Substance ID: 24278564
Description: Se-(Methyl)selenocysteine
. a chemopreventive agent that blocks
cell cycle progression and proliferation of
premalignant mammary lesions;
and, induces apoptosis of cancer cell lines in culture.
M6680-100MG /$ 164.50

Sigma-Aldrich Corp
St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-771-5765, Fax: 314-771-5757
E-mail: OC_DOM_HC@sial.com
Ordering & Customer Service
Phone: 800-325-3010

# Opening a Sigma-Aldrich Account
Accounts are generally established for a company or institution
rather than for individuals.
# Your business or institution must have an established
Customer Account with Sigma-Aldrich
to establish an account, and be approved for on-line ordering;
you will need to contact Support by phone.
You cannot establish an account on-line.

12.12: news.health/se/se-methylselenocysteine/Protease inhibitors:
Protease inhibitors suppress apoptotic features induced by MSC

These results confirm previous observations
that caspase-3 is crucial for inducing apoptosis by MSC treatment,
and further suggest the possibility that
an unknown member of the serine protease family
is involved in MSC-mediated apoptosis.
Our results strengthen the possibility that
MSC can be used to prevent or cure cancer
as either a chemopreventive or a chemotherapeutic agent.
Further studies are required to differentiate between
the chemopreventive effects on normal cells
and cancer cells in vitro.

12.26: health/se/age-related macular degeneration:

I lamented how mom's eyes still got cataracts
even with supplemental selenium
-- not because selenium is quack
but because of
stress-induced melatonin disfunction
not allowing the selenium to be useful;
and now hearing about macular degeneration
I found only one article saying it helps that
when I know it helps so much more
(anti-cancer, anti-heart disease)
because of the way it enables selenium!

. in answering the question:
Does melatonin have any bad side effects
in someone mom's age?

here's something that starts as a warning
"(replacement of melatonin just for being elderly
is not recommended)
but actually becomes a great encouragement:
Although elderly people often have difficulty sleeping
it's not from being elderly
but from being either emotionally ill
(making too many stress hormones
that suppress melatonin secretion)
or using drugs that suppress melatonin secretion
(e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen, beta-blockers).
Adults with insomnia, heart disease, or schizophrenia
routinely have lower melatonin levels.

I found this study ok'ing elderly women 64 to 80 years
(it measures cortisol and dhea!)

Effects of six months melatonin treatment
on sleep quality and "serum concentrations of
estradiol, cortisol, dehydroepinadrosteron sulfate,"
and somatomedin C in elderly women
M. Pawlikowski, M. Kolomecka, A. Wojtczak & M. Karasek:
October 9 , 2002 NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY LETTERS

CONCLUSIONS:
On the basis of this preliminary open study
it seems that melatonin administration
may be beneficial for elderly subjects.
A significant decrease of estradiol concentrations
was observed after 6 months of the melatonin treatment
in comparison to initial levels.
IGF-I was found to be slightly but significantly
increased after the 6 months melatonin therapy.
Cortisol levels did not change significantly,
during the melatonin treatment.
DHEAS concentrations increased
after melatonin therapy.
-- a higher DHEAS/cortisol ratio .
Melatonin treatment did not influence significantly
either the parameters of total blood count
or glucose and serum lipids levels.
OBJECTIVES:
The role of melatonin in aging
is still under debate.
Therefore, an open pilot study on the effects of melatonin
was performed in elderly women.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
The study was performed on 14 women (volunteers),
aged from 64 to 80 years (mean age 71±4.6 years).
Melatonin (2 mg daily at 19:00 h) was administered during 6 months.
Before and after melatonin treatment
the peripheral venous blood samples
were taken in the morning (approx. at 08:00 h)
after the overnight fast.
The total blood count, glucose, total cholesterol,
LDL, HDL, and triglycerides were estimated by
routine laboratory methods.
The serum concentrations of the following hormones
were determined: 17-beta-estradiol,
dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS),
cortisol, and somatomedin C (IGF-I).

12.26: web.health/se/macular degeneration/se's role:
links from i-care:

# Glutathione and its related enzyme precursor amino acids
(N-Acetyl-Cysteine, L-glycine and glutamine,
as well as selenium)
are protective against damage to
human retinal pigment epithelium cells,
and may help prevent retinal damage in AMD.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1993 Dec;34(13):3661-8
# Consumption of fruits and vegetables is protective against
progression of macular degeneration.
Cho, Seddon, et al Arch Ophthalmol. 2004 Jun;122(6):883-92
# In a clinical trial 60% of subjects with ARMD
or diabetic macular edema [...] So Med J, 1987.

[. interesting term: diabetic macular edema
had me convinced that metabolic disorder
-- caused from the use of carb's
by carb'intolerant elders --
was the primary reason elders were getting armd .
so another source of damage besides
not getting the se to the gluthione peroxidase
is not having the circulation for
getting the glutathione to the retina .]