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Platelet selenium in children with normal and low selenium intake
K Kasperek1, I Lombeck, J Kiem
1Institute of Medicine, Nuclear Research Center, Box 1913, D-5170, Jülich, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
The concentration of selenium was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis in erythrocytes, platelets, and plasma of eight dietetically treated children with phenylketonuria (n=6) or maple-syrup-urine disease (n=2) with low selenium intake and for ten children with normal selenium intake. The normal selenium concentration in platelets was about 600 ng/g and about five times higher than in erythrocytes of the same children. A decreased selenium concentration in platelets was seen only when the corresponding concentrations in erythrocytes and plasma were very low. This suggests a special role of selenium in platelets.
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