Alterations in serum concentrations of several trace elements including copper, zinc, manganese, and the macroelement magnesium have been reported to occur in type-2 diabetes mellitus. This study is done to evaluate copper, zinc and magnesium status in diabetic and nondiabetic human subjects. In this comparative analysis, the serum concentration of copper, zinc and magnesium was estimated in 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without complication and 40 healthy non-diabetic subjects. The data was analyzed by students't' test and Pearson's correlation coefficient test.Mean serum concentration of copper was significantly elevated in diabetic patients compared to control subjects. Serum zinc levels were significantly low (p < 0.001) in diabetic subjects compared to controls . There were no significant differences in serum magnesium between groups. Fasting plasma glucose level has significant positive correlation with serum level of copper (r = 0.567; p < 0.001), while zinc has negative correlation (r = -0.311; p < 0.047), but there is no significant correlation of plasma glucose level with serum magnesium level. Diabetic patients have significantly lower mean serum zinc levels and significantly higher serum copper concentration compared with healthy controls respectively. Along with antidiabetic therapy, supplementation of zinc and magnesium and chelation of copper can reduce complications due to diabetes mellitus.

Objective To study oxidative stress in placental tissue as well as in serum in pre-eclamptic women. Methods Fifty pre-eclamptic cases and fifty normal pregnant women were selected in the study. Thio barbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) was measured as oxidative stress marker and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and GSH (reduced glutathione) were measured for assessment of antioxidant status in placental tissue extract and serum. Results TBARS and SOD activity were increased significantly (P \ 0.001) in both placental homogenate and serum in pre-eclamptic women. Level of GSH was not altered much. Conclusion Placental oxidative stress can be assessed by measuring serum oxidative stress markers and this may help in prevention of further progress of this condition.

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