A sensitive method for the determination of Cr, Mn and Cu in serum sample by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry is described. It requires only 0.1-0.2 ml serum sample. The method involves low temperature ashing of serum, 2-10 fold dilution with 0.01N HNO3 and injection of 20?l aliquot into graphite furnace. The known amounts of trace metals arc added to different diluted serum samples, and the recovery rates are 90-109%. The coefficients of variance for within-run and day-to-day values are 1.5-2.8% and 2.0-10.0% respectively. The serum Cr, Mn and Cu levels were determined in 79 normal subjects. 80% of the values are distributed within: 0.8-1.45 ?g/ml(Cu), 0.04-0.08 ?g/ml(Mn), 0.009-0.022 ?g/ml(Cr). It is suggested that the method described is available for a mass survey in a short time and is valualole to detect the trace metal concentation in serum in clinical laboratory.

This article presents a discriminant equation for distinguishing children with Keshan disease from normals. The stepwise regressive discriminant equation is established by means of 10 variables including sex, age, and eight-element contents in hair based on 23 patients and 23 normal subjects. Variables finally entered to the discriminant equation are Mn, Cu, Zn, Ca, sex, and age as follows;Y = - 0.89 + 0.09XCu + O.OlXAn- 0.23XMn + 0.48XCa + 0.38Xsex- 0.05XageBy resubstitution test 95.7% accuracy is obtained. Applying the equation to the population (n=247) of endemic and non-endemic area, the accuracy of non-endemic is 100%. Thus, the equation may provide a basis for predicting endemic area or patients with Keshan disease.

RBC, plasma and hair Mn levels have been measured in 38 children with Keshan disease from the Chuxiong district of Yunan province and were compared with that of 35 healthy children. After logarithmic, transformation, normal distribution of Mn levels of RBC, plasma and hair had been presented. The geometric means of the RBC, plasma and hair Mn content of the patients were 1.22?g/g(dry basis), 0.16?g/ml and 8.76?g/g respectively. In normal subjects, the means of RBC, plasma and hair Mn were found to be 0.59?g/g (dry basis), 0.13?g/ml and 2.57?g/g. The children with Keshan disease had higher Mn levels than controls. (P

The effects of manganese on selenium content and glutathione peroxidaseactivity in blood and myocardium, and on selenium excretion in growing ratswere studied to ferret out the interaction of the two essential trace elements.Manganese dichloride (40mg/kg of MnCl2.4H2O) was administered daily to a group of 17 rats for 35 days intraperitoneally. An obvious increase in manganese content in serum and myocardium was induced. However, selenium levels in the two tissues of manganese-treated rats were significantly lower than the controls. From the 14th day on, glutathione peroxidase activities in whole blood of manganese-treated rats were below the controls, and on the 35th day, the activities of the selenium-containing enzyme in blood and myocardium were reduced by 29.33% (P

Trace amount of molybdenum was measured by polarography in serum from 105 healthy adults and 159 patients with Keshan disease. Geometric mean molybdenum concentration in normal serum was found to be 6.2ng/ml (range: 1.5-25.0ng/ml), in serum of patients with latent and chronic type, the average level was 5.7ng/ml and 5.8ng/ml respectively (range: 1.7-33.7 ng/ml)There was no statistically significant difference between the molybdenum concentrations found in patients and healthy adults.In 80-85% samples the range of molybdenum concentration was found to be 3-11ng/ml.There was no significant difference between the molybdenum concentrations found in different age groups and sexes.

In the present study, the effects of adriamycin on antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase(SOD), and cardiac lesions were studied, furthermore, the protective influence of supplementation of copper and/or zinc on cardiac toxicity induced by adriamycin were investigated. Fourty four wistar rats weighing 130-160g were randomly divided into I-IV groups. All animals were fed on basic ration. The group I was given zinc sulphate 0.60mg/kg weight intraperitoneally once every third day for 49 days. The group I was given zinc 0.60mg + copper carbonate 0.14mg/kg weight intraperitoneally once every third day for 49 days. Groups I and I were given adriamycin 12mg/kg weight intraperitoneally. Group I was given adriamycin 12mg/kg weight intraperitoneally. Group IV was given physiological saline. The results suggested that the activities of GSH-Px and SOD were significantly decreased and cardiac lesions were characterized by numerous intracellular vesicles formed by dilation of the sarco-plasmic reticulum and lysis of myofiber accompanied by focal necrosis in group III. The activities of GSH-Px and SOD were apparently higher and cardiac lesions were much milder in the groups I and II, compared with those in the group VI.It may be concluded that trace elements (zinc and copper) can exert protective effects on cardiac lesions induced by adriamycin. Comparatively, much better results were observed in group I than that in group I.

In this study, the effects of overvitamin D on cardiac lesions and the protective effects of zinc on them were studied. The results showed that cardiac MDA and calcium were significantly increased and cardiac lesions were characterized by nonspecial focal necrosis, accompaning with myofib-eral and interstitial calcification. Zinc could remarkably decrease cardiac MDA and calcium and the cardiac lesions were also much milder. It suggested that cardiac lesions induced by overvitamin D related to both cardiac lipid peroxide and calcium overload. It might be concluded that zinc could protect heart from overvitamin D intoxication.