Biochemical assessment

Biochemical assessment and long-term monitoring in patients with acromegaly Statement from a joint consensus conference of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the Pituitary Society. I Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004 89(7) 3099—3102. 

Biochemical assessment of trace element, vitamin, and essential fatty acid deficiencies should be based on the nutrient s function, but few practical... 

Fig. 6. Apoptotic DNA ladder pattern of eosinophils treated with dexamethasone (Dexa, 2 (xM) for 18 h (Zl). DNA was extracted from cells with ethanol (P4) and electrophoresed on 1% agarose gel in 1 X TAE (Tris acetate-EDTA) buffer (pH 8.0). After electrophoresis, the gel was soaked in 1 x TAE buffer containing 0.5 /tg/ml ethidium bromide, and DNA was visualized by an ultraviolet illuminator. Reproduced with permission from Zhang, J. R, Wong, C. K., Lam, C. W. K., Ho, C. Y., and Hjelm, N. M., Biochemical assessment of apoptosis. Chinese J. Lab. Med. Clin. Sci. 1, 27-28 (2000).

Bowden CL, Brugger AM, Swann AC, et al Efficacy of divalproex vs lithium and placebo in the treatment of mania. JAMA 271 918-924, 1994b Bowen DM, Davison AN Biochemical studies of nerve cells and energy metabolism in Alzheimer s disease. Br Med Bull 42 75-80, 1986 Bowen DM, Smith CB, White P Accelerated ageing or selective neuronal loss as an important cause of dementia Lancet 1 11-14, 1979 Bowen DM, Smith CB, White P, et al Biochemical assessment of serotonergic and cholinergic dysfunction and cerebral atrophy in Alzheimer s disease. J Neuro-chem 41 266-272, 1983... 

The tools for nutritional assessment include medical history and screening aides, physical examination and anthropometric measurements, biochemical assessment, and tests of immune function. A general health assessment and medical history are required to rule out causes of secondary malnutrition such as poor oral health, chronic illness, disease, and medication. Malnutrition is influenced by lifestyle, which includes alcohol usage in adults, food preference, eating habits, social interactions, and economic status. Various screening tools, such as the DETERMINE checklist (White et al., 1991), are available to assess the risk of malnutrition. 

Guth, D.J., and R.D.Mavis. 1985. Biochemical assessment of acute nitrogen dioxide toxicity in rat lung. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 81(1) 128—138. 

Biochemical criteria of vitamin adequacy and methods for biochemical assessment of nutritional status can be divided into the following two distinct groups ... 

Sauberlich HE, Canham JE, Baker EM, Raica N Jr, and Herman YF (1972) Biochemical assessment of the nutritional status ofvitamin B 6 in the human. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 25, 629 2. 

As with the other B vitamins that act as coenzymes biochemical assessment of vitamin Bg can, be made by direct chemical analysis of the vitamer or its metabolites, or by functional means. Measurements that have been used are PLP in plasma or red cells, its metabolite 4 PA in urine or plasma, the activity and activation coefficient of the red cell aminotransferases (aspartate and alanine), and the tryptophan load metabolite excretion test. As no single marker adequately reflects status, a combination of these markers olfers the best approach. 

The liver is involved in a number of excretory, synthetic, and metabolic functions. Clinical laboratories perform a number of tests that are useful in the biochemical assessment of these functions. 

Therapeutic exploratory trials are conducted if the results of the human pharmacology trials are considered positive (someone has to decide that the results are positive). These trials involve the comprehensive assessment of the investigational drug s safety in perhaps 200-300 individuals with the disease or condition of interest. They are typically conducted by clinical pharmacologists, and participants in these trials are often hospitalized and can therefore be closely monitored. Extensive data are collected, including self-report assessments by the participants and biochemical assessments. 

A comprehensive nutrition assessment must include an evaluation of possible trace element, vitamin, and essential fatty acid deficiencies. Because of their key role in metabolic processes (as coenzymes and cofactors), a deficiency of any of these nutrients may result in altered metabolism and cell dysfunction, and may interfere with metabolic processes necessary for nutritional repletion. The evaluation of single-nutrient-deficiency states includes an accurate history to identify symptoms and risk factors that may indicate deficiency or predispose the patient to developing a deficiency state. A focused physical examination for signs of deficiencies and biochemical assessment to confirm a suspected diagnosis also should be done. Ideally, biochemical assessment would be based on the nutrient s function (e.g., metalloenzyme activity) rather than simply measuring the nutrient s serum concentration. Unfortunately, few practical methods to assess micronutrient function are available currently, and most assays measure serum concentrations of the individual nutrient. 

Makhaeva, G.F., and Malygin, V.V. 1999. A stable preparation of hen brain neuropathy target esterase for rapid biochemical assessment of neurotoxic potential of organophosphates, Chem.Biol. Interact., 119/120, 551-557. 

The human hepatic cytochromes as expressed in this system demonstrate substrate specificities and enzymatic rates which are essentially comparable to the enzymes studied in human liver micro-somes and extracts. Membrane preparations derived from the Dundee P450 System retain cytochrome activity which is useful in simple biochemical assessments of substrate-enzyme interactions. Whole bacterial cells can be manipulated to explore the effects of substrate concentration and competition for co-factors and co-en-zymes through the appliance of molecular genetics. The same clones can be directed to the analytical scale production of meta-bohtes with benefits for the progression of dmg development programmes (see Tab. 

A 36-year-old man complained of impaired vision while driving, particularly at night. After clinical and initial biochemical assessment, a combined anterior pituitary stimulation tc.st was performed (i.v. insulin 0.1 U/kg, TRH 200 pg. GnRH... 

Our group compared in Wistar rats the acutely toxic organophosphate (OP) paraoxon with fenthion, one of the agents frequently involved in human IMS. The clinical symptoms, the occurrence of muscle fiber necrosis and histochemical assessment of neuromuscular junction AChE activity in muscle biopsies, biochemical assessment of brain AChE activity, and EMG parameters including repetitive nerve stimulation at various frequencies were studied at various lime points. 

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