We compared CSF and serum levels of iron, copper, manganese, and zinc, measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in 26 patients patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) without major clinical signs of undernutrition, and 28 matched controls. CSF zinc levels were significantly decreased in AD patients as compared with controls (p < 0.05). The serum levels of zinc, and the CSF and serum levels of iron, copper, and manganese, did not differ significantly between AD-patient and control groups. These values were not correlated with age, age at onset, duration of the disease, and scores of the MiniMental State Examination in the AD group. Weight and body mass index were significantly lower in AD patients than in controls. Because serum zinc levels were normal, the possibility that low CSF zinc levels were due to a deficiency of dietary intake seems unlikely. However, it is possible that they might be related to the interaction of beta-amyloid and/or amyloid precursor protein with zinc, that could result in a depletion of zinc levels.

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a clinical disorder that is becoming more prevalent in Spain. The syndrome encompasses a set of metabolic disorders such as type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity, which may be associated with variations in serum levels and poor delivery of certain mineral elements. Methods: This study attempted to ascertain whether metabolic syndrome might be linked to alterations in serum levels of the mineral elements magnesium, copper, zinc, chromium, and nickel in a population of 92 diabetic subjects, some suffering from certain conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome, and 72 control subjects (Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Spain). Results: The results indicated that as a group the alterations implicated in metabolic syndrome were indeed associated with variations in blood levels of the mineral elements considered, though statistically significant differences were recorded only in the case of copper. Still, trends in mineral levels for each of the separate components contributing to the syndrome tended to increase. Conclusion: Metabolic complications appear to be associated with alterations in the levels of some minerals, especially copper.

We compared CSF and serum levels of iron, copper, manganese, and zinc, measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in 37 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 37 matched controls. The CSF levels of zinc were significantly decreased in PD patients as compared with controls (p < 0.05). The serum levels of zinc, and the CSF and serum levels of iron, copper, and manganese, did not differ significantly between PD-patient and control groups. There was no influence of antiparkinsonian therapy on CSF levels of none of these transition metals. These values were not correlated with age, age at onset, duration of the disease, scores of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale of the Hoehn and Yahr staging in the PD group, with the exception of CSF copper levels with the duration of the disease (r = 0.38, p < 0.05). These results suggest that low CSF zinc concentrations might be related with the risk for PD, although they could be related with oxidative stress processes.

We compared CSF and serum selenium levels, measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in 27 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (13 females, 14 males, mean +/- SD age 73.6 +/- 7.4 years) without major clinical signs of undernutrition, and 34 matched controls (18 females, 16 males, mean +/- SD age 70.7 +/- 7.8 years). CSF and serum selenium levels did not differ significantly between AD-patient (11.4 +/- 7.8 ng/ml and 28.5 +/- 13.0 ng/ml, respectively) and control groups (13.3 +/- 7.0 ng/ml and 22.5 +/- 17.5 ng/ml). These values were not correlated with age, age at onset, duration of the disease, and scores of the MiniMental State Examination in the AD group. Weight and body mass index were significantly lower in AD patients than in controls. These results suggest that CSF selenium concentrations are apparently unrelated with the reported oxidative stress processes in patients with AD.

All of the essential technological means of treating grapes, must and wine were examined systematically. The main reasons for the differences in the arsenic (As) content of rosé and red wines are explained. In this study a relationship has been found between the As level and the wine-making technique. Rosé wines contain more As than red wines because they require a shorter period of contact with the skins. In order to prove this, the average values for the rosé and red wine samples from the same winery were compared.