Serum trace elements levels in preeclampsia and eclampsia: correlation with the pregnancy disorder.

Preeclampsia and eclampsia are fatal medical complications of pregnancy accounting for 20-80 % of increased maternal death in developing countries. Their aetiologies are still under investigation. Serum trace elements have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Serum vitamin E, C and A status in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patients, and their correlation with blood pressure: a study in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The aim of this study was to determine serum concentrations of vitamin E, C and A in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patients, and to analyse their relationship with blood pressure. It was a cross-sectional case controlled study comprising forty-four pre-eclampsia, fifty eclampsia, and thirty-five normo-tensive pregnant women of singleton gestations in their third trimester from two hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. HPLC and spectrophotometric methods were employed to determine the serum concentrations of vitamin E, A, and C.

Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic properties of Nigella sativa.

In this study the volatile oil of Nigella sativa seeds (NSVO) was investigated for its immunomodulating and cytotoxic properties. A rat model was designed to examine the effect of NSVO on selected immune components. Long-Evans rats were challenged with a specific antigen (typhoid TH) and treated with NSVO; and the changes produced in their serum antibody titre along with the splenocytes and peripheral immune cells were analysed.