Concentrations of trace elements in osteoarthritic knee-joint effusions

Concentrations of the 18 elements, barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), bismuth (Bi), calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), lanthanum (La), lithium (Li), magnesium (Mg), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), rubidium (Rb), antimony (Sb), tin (Sn), strontium (Sr), thallium (Tl), and zinc (Zn), were determined in the synovial fluids of osteoarthritic knee joints and in the corresponding sera of 16 patients by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Knee-joint effusions have lower elemental concentrations than their corresponding sera. For the essential elements Ca, Cu, Mg, and Zn and for the nonessential and toxic elements Ba, Be, Bi, La, and Sb, this difference was highly significant. Strong positive correlations between concentrations in effusions and sera for the essential elements Cu and Mg and for the nonessential elements Cs, Li, Rb, and Sr could be established. The grade of localized hyperperfusion of the knee region in the blood pool phase of ^99mTc HDP bone scan indicating inflammation did not correlate with any elemental concentration determined. Deceased.     

Effects of lithium carbonate on hematopoietic cells in patients with persistent neutropenia following chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Neoplasm therapy is restricted by the haematological side effects of tumour-destructive therapy, requiring expensive supportive care to some extent to overcome and treat leucopenia and its consequences. An effective and very cost-effective alternative for treating neutropenia is to administer lithium carbonate. Lithium leads to a release of hematopoietic growth factors (CSF) and therefore to proliferation of neutrophil granulocytes. Normally, recombinant CSF is only administered when there are indications of severe neutropenia because of the high costs involved, all the more evident in the long-term treatment of persistent leucocytopenia. On the other hand, CSF and leucocytes play an essential role in tumour immunology and with regard to response rates to cytostatic drugs. Lithium salts have shown that they can increase the number of neutrophil granulocytes quite significantly and, to a lesser extent, the number of eosinophil granulocytes and lymphocytes as well. The average number of erythrocytes does not change significantly. Patient tolerability to lithium carbonate therapy is very good. It can be used to treat patients with chronic leucopenia following chemotherapy or radiotherapy extremely cost-effectively. Unfortunately this treatment has not won acceptance in clinical oncology in the face of highly cost-intensive treatment with recombinant CSF.