The influence of some antipsychotics on erythrocyte magnesium and plasma magnesium, calcium, copper and zinc in patients with paranoid schizophrenia.

Objective: The aim of the study was the investigation of plasma magnesium, calcium, copper and zinc and erythrocyte magnesium levels in patients with paranoid schizophrenia and the influence of the therapy with two antipsychotic drugs (haloperidol and risperidone) on these concentrations.

Methods: We investigated the influence of treatment with haloperidol and risperidoneon plasma and erythrocyte magnesium and on plasmatic levels of zinc, calcium and copper on hospitalized 56 patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia (DSM IV).

Results: Our data indicate a decrease of erythrocyte magnesium levels in schizophrenic patients (4.

Magnesium and some psychological features in two groups of pupils (magnesium and psychic features).

The aim of our study was to compare Mg levels and psychological features in two pupils groups with different conditions. It also ascertained the relationship between Mg levels and some aspects of intellectual development (attention, memory and intelligence) and personality features (psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion). 103 pupils from an orphanage and 100 pupils from a secondary school were investigated.

Serum lipid picture of rabbits fed on silicate-supplemented atherogenic diet.

Silicon is recognised as a protective trace element in atherosclerosis by epidemiologic and biochemical studies. The goal of the present work was the evaluation of the antiatheromatous effect of the natrium silicate in an experimental trial on 30 rabbits given a standard diet (control), an atherogenic diet (L1 lot) and a natrium silicate-supplemented atherogenic diet (L2 lot), by comparing the variation of the lipid pictures between each of the experimental lots and control. Levels of total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA) and phospholipids indicated that the natrium silicate supplemented to the atherogenic diet minimised the lipid metabolism unbalance by keeping constant the level of FFA and TG in rabbits.

[The antioxidant systems in rheumatoid polyarthritis].

The inflammatory process from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is marked by complexity, maintenance and destruction. The inflammatory lesions are induced by oxygen free radicals, that have a great capacity of destruction. We studied 52 patients with RA (defined by ARA criteria--1987).

[The relationship between zinc, copper and lipid metabolic indicators in adults].

The variation of the levels of serum zinc and copper was determined comparing with the variation of the lipidic indicators in a group of 169 adults from the general population. The subjects were divided by age and sex. Serum zinc declined with ageing, while serum copper increased.