الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Many of the heavy metals (trace elements) are known to be essential for normal health, function and development, although relatively small amounts (milligrams or micrograms) are required to be absorbed each day to maintain balance. Most essential trace element are biochemically functional as metalloproteins, usually as enzyme cofactors. Further, while most of the ancient medicines are now seen to be outdated and irrelevant, and, hence, have been discarded, the use of heavey metals (trace elements) as drugs has an impressive pedijree. In addition, metals have also been employed for more disreputable purposes such as murder, suicide gal abortion. and ille- During the past two decades, remarkable advances have taken place in the field of trace-element researsh. However, though the toxicity of trace-elements has been extensively investigated, little attention was drawn to their effects on the blood coagulation mechanism and its ally, the fibrinolytic system. In fact, data on the effects of some metals in this respect are derived from clinical observations in cases of accidenta! or suicidal poisoning as well as few scattered experimental reports on either blood clotting, fibrinolytic process or platelet function. It was, thus, stimulating to study the interaction of some metal salts with elements of blood clotting, fibrinolysis and platelet function in more detail |