**1. Introduction**

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404 Pharmacology and Nutritional Intervention in the Treatment of Disease

The aging processes proceed in small steps making it difficult to separate aging symptoms from early pathological processes. Cell metabolism involves metal ions and trace elements together with compounds necessary for optimal function. In case of imbalance in cells both compounds and distribution of metal ions may be changed but the change of metal ions and trace elements may probably be easier to identify than the large quantity of metabolized compounds. In cells there are distributions of elements, an elemental profile, indicating normal metabolism. Brain has a high demand of oxygen supply and need optimal supply of protection of reactive products. The erythrocytes pass brain many times and other organs accumulating information of elements during their way. We have chosen erythrocytes because oxygen dependent cells need regular supply of oxygen for a stable metabolism. Erythrocytes collect information for about 120 days and then will be replaced by new cells. Elemental profiles of erythrocytes reflect information in their own metabolism (limited metabolism) but may also give important information from other cells by deviations in the homeostasis, the element profile. For monitoring elemental profiles of the erythrocytes we have used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) which is selective, sensitive and allow analysis of elements in low concentration in a short time.

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