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Background: Pancreatic cancer is a major worldwide health problem. Little is known about the etiology of pancreatic cancer, which is an important cause of cancer mortality in developed countries. This study evaluates the importance of amounts of trace elements in pancreatic cancer etiology and diagnostics. Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to estimate zinc, selenium, copper, cadmium and lead concentrations in 80 patients with pancreatic cancer admitted to various hospitals in Tehran Province over an 18-month period and in 100 control subjects. Results: There were significantly lower levels (P<0.001) of zinc in patients' sera (63.12±26.45 μg/dl) compared with controls (107.05±30.23 μg/dl). The mean concentration of cadmium in patients (3.10±1.05 μg/l) was higher than in healthy subjects (1.52±0.88 μg/l; P<0.0001). In addition, there were significant variations in blood cadmium concentrations due to tobacco smoking in both groups (P<0.001). No significant differences in levels of selenium, copper and lead were observed between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: In this study and by analyzing data from recent major reported series, we have found that cadmium is a plausible pancreatic carcinogen. This study also suggests a significant relationship between zinc metabolism and pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: In developing countries, nutritional deficiency of essential trace elements is a common health problem, particularly among pregnant women because of increased requirements of various nutrients. Accordingly, this study was initiated to compare trace elements status in women with or without pre-eclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, serum trace elements including zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) were determined by using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in 60 patients and 60 healthy subjects. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the values of Cu between two groups (P > 0.05). A significant difference in Zn, Se, Ca and Mg levels were observed between patients with pre-eclampsia and control group (P < 0.001, P<0.01, P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). Zn, Se, Ca and Mg levels were found to be 76.49 ± 17.62 μg/ dl, 8.82 ± 2.10 μg/ dl, 8.65 ± 2.14 mg/dl and 1.51 ± 0.34 mg/dl in Pre-eclamptic cases, and these values were found statistically lower compared to the controls (100.61 ± 20.12 μg/dl, 10.47 ± 2.78 μg/dl, 9.77 ± 3.02 mg/dl and 1.78 ± 0.27 mg/dl, respectively). While Cu levels were 118.28 ± 16.92 and 116.55 ± 15.23 μg/dl in the patients and the healthy subjects, respectively. In addition, no significant difference was found between two groups with respect to Hemoglobin Concentration (HbC) and Total White Blood Cell Count (TWBC) (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the levels of Zn, Se, Ca and Mg are significantly altered in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia. This research shows that these deficiencies can not due to hemodilution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunological, endocrinological, haematological and neurological abnormalities are relatively common in people with Down's syndrome (DS). Zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and manganese (Mn) are elements that act in the maintenance of normal function of these systems. The present study aimed to evaluate the concentration of these elements on DS symptoms. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was done from April to October 2011. Serum trace elements including Zn, Cu, Se and Mn were determined by using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in 56 patients with DS and 60 healthy subjects. Results: There was no significant difference in the values of Cu and Se between two groups (p>0.05). While, Zn and Mn levels were found to be significantly decreased in patients with DS compared to the control group (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Results of this study indicate zinc and manganese deficiency in more than 60% of DS patients. Some of the problems experienced by people with DS may be due to changed level of these trace elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leishmaniasis is a widespread tropical infection, which has a high incidence rate in Iran. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are two forms of this disease. In this study, we investigated if selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels differ in different forms of leishmaniasis. Materials and Methods: To determine if leishmaniasis has effects on trace elements status, they were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in patients (n = 155, 95 CL and 60 VL) and control group (n = 100). Results: Our findings indicate that there is a significant difference in the values of Se and Zn between control and patient groups (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Se and Zn levels were 3.65 ± 0.88 and 67.24 ± 18.76 µg/dL in the leishmaniasis patients, and these values were observed to be statistically lower compared to the control groups (11.10 ± 2.37 and 119.61 ± 26.18 µg/dL, respectively). Meanwhile, no significant difference in status of Cu was found between the cases (110.55 ± 29.25 µg/dL) and healthy subjects (91.42 ± 27.54 µg/dL) (P > 0.05). When the patients were divided into two groups, there appeared to be a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in Se concentration for VL patients (2.57 ± 0.64 µg/dL) compared with CL patients (4.33 ± 1.06 µg/dL). Conclusion: Based on these results, serum Se and Zn levels could be a useful marker for the pathophysiology of leishmaniasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]