Pre-eclampsia is the most common medical complication of pregnancy associated with increased maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Its exact etiology is not known, although several evidences indicate that various elements might play an important role in pre-eclampsia. This study was carried out to analyze and to compare the concentration of calcium, magnesium, and zinc in the serum of women with pre-eclampsia and in normal pregnant women. Fifty clinically diagnosed patients with pre-eclampsia (25 with mild and 25 with severe pre-eclampsia) and 50 normal pregnant controls were enrolled in this study. The serum calcium, magnesium, and zinc levels were estimated with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean serum levels of calcium, magnesium, and zinc in normal pregnant group were 2.45 +/- 0.18 mmol/L, 0.79 +/- 0.13 mmol/L, and 15.64 +/- 2.4 micromol/L, respectively, while in mild pre-eclamptic group, these were 2.12 +/- 0.15 mmol/L, 0.67 +/- 0.14 mmol/L, and 12.72 +/- 1.7 micromol/L, respectively. Serum levels in severe pre-eclamptic group were 1.94 +/- 0.09 mmol/L, 0.62 +/- 0.11 mmol/L, and 12.04 +/- 1.4 micromol/L, respectively. These results indicate that reduction in serum levels of calcium, magnesium, and zinc during pregnancy might be possible contributors in etiology of pre-eclampsia, and supplementation of these elements to diet may be of value to prevent pre-eclampsia.

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Serum copper and zinc estimations in humans were made to find their diagnostic and prognostic value in cases of myocardial infarction. Following infarction, there was an increase in serum copper levels from the first 24 h up to the 7th day, with gradual decline that did not reach the normal value up to the 14th day. The serum zinc levels declined in the first 24 h until the 4th day and increased to the normal value on the 14th day. It is concluded that, for diagnosis of myocardial infarction, serum zinc levels are more useful during the first week and copper levels in the second week after the onset of infarction.

The effectiveness and success of antitubercular therapy is mainly measured by identifying the organism in sputum. In certain patients, especially in geriatric patients, available tuberculosis tests are not satisfactory and do not provide enough information on the effectiveness of antitubercular therapy, as the symptoms might be confused with the existing symptoms of ongoing diseases. Therefore, 60 diagnosed and randomly selected patients with tuberculosis were included into this study. The patients with other associated diseases likely to influence serum copper and zinc were not included in the study. The estimations of serum copper and zinc were done in healthy volunteers and in tubercular patients before the start of treatment and after 4 wk of antitubercular treatment. The average plasma concentration of serum copper and zinc in healthy volunteers were 102 +/- 20 microg/dL and 96 +/- 18 microg/dL respectively. In tuberculosis patients, serum copper and zinc levels were 123.65 +/- 9.98 microg/dL and 64.14 +/- 3.97 microg/dL, respectively, before the start of treatment, which came down to 116.23 +/- 4.27 mug/dL and 74.31 +/- 3.60 microg/dL, respectively, after 4 wk of antitubercular treatment.

Background. Menopause, a form of reproductive aging, is marked by many hormonal variations which cause imbalance in the oxidative processes resulting in onset of endothelial dysfunction leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to analyze the effect of oxidative stress in an early detection of CVD in all menopausal women both normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic. Methods and Results. Study included 523 menopausal women (265 CVD and 258 non-CVD). They were screened for lipid profile, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), serum LDL carbonyl protein, and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD). Pearson's correlation was observed between MDA and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in both normolipidemic (r = 0.650; p < 0.001) and hyperlipidemic (r = 0.207; p < 0.01) CVD group as compared to non-CVD menopausal women. Significant correlation was also observed between LDL carbonyl content and AIP in normolipidemic (r = 0.650; p < 0.001) and hyperlipidemic (r = 0.248; p < 0.01) CVD menopausal women as compared to non-CVD ones. Conclusion. Strong correlation between atherogenic index of plasma and oxidative stress in CVD menopausal women reveals oxidative stress as an effective prognostic tool for an early detection of cardiovascular risk.