A Closer Look at Blood Serum

The opening chapter of this compilation is dedicated to the quantification of selenium and platinum in blood serum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. While selenium is an essential trace element in many selenoproteins, platinum is found in the human body as a consequence of chemotherapy treatment after the administration of Pt-based drugs. For these reasons, their reliable quantification is extremely important. The authors go on to discuss how the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is important for more efficient treatment and prophylaxis. Currently, the dominant hypothesis of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is amyloid cascade resulting in accumulation of amyloid-β in brain structures. In conclusion, the authors discuss the major barrier to a widespread use of blood serum eye drops represented by the lack of standardized processes for the preparation, conservation, and dispensation of the products. Future perspectives of homologous serum eye drops include the introduction of tailored eye drops screened for the desired content of growth factors for each patient and ocular surface disease.