Six healthy men and patients on total parenteral nutrition received 40% zinc oxide ointment on intact skin. Serum zinc was measured by flame atomic absorption. In the healthy men, mean serum zinc one hour after 100 g of ointment was 116.1 ± 5.02 µg/dL compared with 107.3 ± 5.32 µg/dL at baseline, a difference the authors report as not significant. The completed patient series is described as showing little change over 10 days. Urine zinc was not measured.
Key numbers
Figures below are copied as printed. Units are not converted. Species are not merged.
| Analyte | What was reported | Value | Unit | Basis | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZnO | 100 g of 40% zinc oxide in a white petrolatum base | 40 | % zinc oxide | as prepared | Methods, p. 1 |
| ZnO | 100 g of 40% zinc oxide | 100 | g | single topical application | Methods, p. 1 |
| ZnO | 60 g of 100% white petrolatum base | 60 | g | single topical application | Methods, p. 2 |
| ZnO | 15 g of 40% zinc oxide ointment applied evenly to an area measuring 10 x 15 cm | 15 | g | topical, 10 x 15 cm area, 8 days of treatment | Methods, p. 2 |
| Zn | trial of 20% zinc chloride ointment treatment | 20 | % zinc chloride | topical dose | results text, p. 3 |
| Zn | second trial of zinc chloride ointment in 5% concentration | 5 | % zinc chloride | topical dose | results text, p. 3 |
| Zn | precision of the analysis was 5 tig/dl (standard deviation with pooled serum, 6 degrees of freedom) for | 5 | tig/dl | analytical precision | Sample Collection and Analysis, p. 2 |
| Zn | mean increase in serum zinc from 107.3 ± 5.32 to 116.1 ± 5.02 µg/dL | 107.3 ± 5.32 | µg/dL | serum concentration | Abstract and results text; Table IA values not captured in the extract, p. 1 |
| Zn | 116.1 ± 5.02 µg/dL 1 hr after application | 116.1 ± 5.02 | µg/dL | serum concentration | Abstract, p. 1 |
| Zn | This 8.8 pg/dl increase over baseline represents an 8.2% rise | 8.8 | µg/dl | serum concentration | results text, p. 3 |
| Zn | 115.2 ± 5.85 and 107.3 ± 5.32 p,g/dl | 115.2 ± 5.85 | µg/dl | serum concentration | Table IB described in text, p. 3 |
| Zn | fell from 115.2 ± 5.85 to 103.5 ± 5.32,ug/dl | 103.5 ± 5.32 | µg/dl | serum concentration | results text, p. 3 |
| Zn | 12.6 pg/dl or 12.17% greater | 12.6 | pg/dl | serum concentration | results text, p. 3 |
| Zn | mean baseline or pretreatment level of the 6 patients is 88.6 ± 5.85 pg/dl | 88.6 ± 5.85 | pg/dl | serum concentration | results text, p. 3 |
The structured evidence record for this source holds 15 copied values. The table above is the short set.
Methods (brief)
Phase I was a crossover, one week apart, of 100 g of 40% zinc oxide in petrolatum versus 60 g of petrolatum, with serum at baseline and hourly for 3 hours after a 12-hour fast. Phase II applied 15 g of the same ointment daily for 8 days to a 10 by 15 cm occluded area on the thigh. Normal serum zinc of 68 to 136 µg/dl is cited from another source and is not entered as a result of this study.
Evidence fitness
These data support One hour after 100 g of 40% zinc oxide ointment, mean serum zinc moved from 107.3 ± 5.32 to 116.1 ± 5.02 µg/dL. The authors report this 8.8 µg/dl rise as not statistically significant; Petrolatum control mean serum zinc fell from 115.2 ± 5.85 to 103.5 ± 5.32 µg/dl at 1 hour; Six patients on total parenteral nutrition had a pretreatment mean of 88.6 ± 5.85 pg/dl. The three who completed dosing are described as remaining relatively constant over 10 days, without printed day-by-day means.
They do not support Does not support a statistically significant rise in serum zinc over 3 hours in healthy men or a printed change over 10 days in the patients who completed dosing; Does not report urine zinc; Does not report zinc in skin; Individual Table I, II, and III cell values are not present in the text extract, so they are not transcribed.
Limitations
Year, journal title, and DOI are not printed on the extracted pages. Microgram glyphs are garbled after the abstract. Tables I to III are cited but their grids are not in the extract. Three of six patients did not complete the protocol. Patient 4’s rise from 101 to 142 is tied by the authors to tube feeding. Patient 5 received zinc chloride, not zinc oxide, and developed irritation. Tap water zinc of about 0.04 ppm is an assumption tied to a cited water file, not an assay in this paper, and is not ledgered.
Related evidence
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