Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a noncicatricial alopecia affecting any hair-bearing area. Although AA is considered to be an autoimmune disease, oxidative stress has been shown to be an important factor in the etiology of AA. Trace elements are highly essential for humans since they form the building blocks of large molecules, function as the cofactors of enzymes, and have some key biological functions. The aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of heavy metals like iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in patients with AA.
Materials And Methods: The study included a patient group of 30 with AA and a control group of 31 healthy individuals. Serum levels of heavy metals were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
Results: The 30 patients included 17 (56.7%) men and 13 (43.3%) women with a mean age of 33.8 (range, 19-48) years. Serum Zn and Mn levels were significantly lower and serum Cd, Fe, Mg, Pb, Co, and Cu levels were significantly higher in the patient group compared to that of the control group (<0.05 for all).
Conclusion: The results indicated that low levels of Zn and Mn are associated with AA while other metals were normal. So Zn supplementation may have some beneficial effect in AA while Fe prescription is fruitless.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6340228 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ijd.IJD_137_18 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Ras Guanine Nucleotide-Releasing Protein-4 Inhibits Erythropoietin Production in Diabetic Mice with Kidney Disease by Degrading HIF2A.
Diabetes Metab J
January 2025
NHC Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development, Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital and Tianjin Institute of Endocrinology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Background: In acute and chronic renal inflammatory diseases, the activation of inflammatory cells is involved in the defect of erythropoietin (EPO) production. Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) promotes renal inflammatory injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of RasGRP4 in the production of renal EPO in diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIFN-γ reprograms cardiac microvascular endothelial cells to mediate doxorubicin transport and influences the sensitivity of mice to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Exp Mol Med
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy at The Second Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Pharmacology at College of Pharmacy (The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education), Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China.
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a first-line chemotherapy agent known for its cardiac toxicity. DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) severely limits the use for treating malignant tumors and is associated with a poor prognosis. The sensitivity to DIC varies among patients, but the precise mechanisms remain elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy on the correlation between serum IgG4/IgG levels and the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng St, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China.
Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) with elevated IgG4 levels has different characteristics from patients with GO who do not have elevated IgG4 levels, but the study findings are contradictory. The goal of this study was first to investigate the relationship between IgG4/IgG and IgG4 levels and the occurrence of GO and then to investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with GO who had elevated IgG4 levels. This study control group consisted of 57 Graves' disease(GD)patients with no complicated ocular disease and a median followup of 54.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtective effect of low-dose lactulose in dextran sulfate sodium induced ulcerative colitis model of rats.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, No.137 LiYuShan Road Xinjiang Province, Urumqi, 830000, China.
Although low-dose lactulose has shown a good theoretical foundation for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in previous studies, the exact effects and mechanism remain unclear. The rats were randomly distributed into 5 groups, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn educational case of toluene intoxication: importance of kidney function and timing in diagnosis.
CEN Case Rep
January 2025
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1, Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 216-8511, Japan.
Metabolic acidosis (MA) is common in daily clinical settings and requires evaluation not only by serum anion gap (AG) but also by urine AG (UAG) and urine osmolal gap (UOG) to investigate potential causes and determine appropriate treatment. Herein, we report an educational case of non-gap (normal AG) MA (pH 7.16, HCO 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!