As a small stress response protein, human αB crystallin, detects protein destabilization that can alter structure and function to cause self assembly of fibrils or aggregates in diseases of aging. The sensitivity of αB crystallin to protein instability was evaluated using wild-type hemoglobin (HbA) and hemoglobin S (HbS), the glutamate-6-valine mutant that forms elongated, filamentous aggregate...

OBJECTIVE To determine urine ketone and blood β-hydroxybutyrate acid (β-HBA) in outpatients of endocrinology department and to investigate the association between urine ketone or blood β-HBA and diabetic ketosis (DK) or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). METHODS Urine ketone, blood β-HBA, body mass index (BMI) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were determined in 134 patients with blood glucose ≥ ...

Increased hemoglobin A(2) (HbA(2); ie, levels > 3.9%) is the most important feature of β-thalassemia carriers. However, it is not uncommon to find persons with borderline HbA(2) (levels, 3.3%-3.8%), who pose a relevant screening problem. Several genotypes have been associated with borderline HbA(2), but sometimes the reasons for this unusual phenotype are unknown. In this paper, we report, for ...

Haifa Bay Area (HBA) contains Israel’s principal industrial area, and there are substantial public concerns about health effects from its emissions. We aimed to examine associations between exposure air pollution HBA area with prevalent asthma other atopic diseases at age 17. This is a cross-sectional study. The study population included all adolescents born in Israel whose medical status was e...

OBJECTIVE The recommended HbA(1c) diagnostic categories remain controversial and their utility in doubt in pediatrics. We hypothesized that alterations in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of type 2 diabetes may be evident in the American Diabetes Association recommended at-risk/prediabetes category (HbA(1c) 5.7 to <6.5%). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared in vivo hepatic and peripheral i...

OBJECTIVE Hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) is recommended for identifying diabetes and prediabetes. Because HbA(1c) does not fluctuate with recent eating or acute illness, it can be measured in a variety of clinical settings. Although outpatient studies identified HbA(1c)-screening cutoff values for diabetes and prediabetes, HbA(1c)-screening thresholds have not been determined for acute-care setting...

BACKGROUND The national programs for the harmonization of hemoglobin (Hb)A(1c) measurements in the US [National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP)], Japan [Japanese Diabetes Society (JDS)/Japanese Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC)], and Sweden are based on different designated comparison methods (DCMs). The future basis for international standardization will be the reference syst...

Heat-killed Brucella abortus (HBa) has been proposed as a carrier for therapeutic vaccines for individuals with immunodeficiency, due to its abilities to induce interleukin-2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and to upregulate antigen-presenting cell functions (including IL-12 production). In the current study, we investigated the ability of HBa or lipopo...

The significance of glycated albumin (GA), compared with casual plasma glucose (PG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), was evaluated as an indicator of the glycemic control state in hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetes. The mean PG, GA, and HbA(1c) levels were 164.5 +/- 55.7 mg/dl, 22.5 +/- 7.5%, and 5.85 +/- 1.26%, respectively, in HD patients with diabetes (n = 538), which were increased ...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate haemoglobin A1c (HbA(1c)) in diagnosing diabetes and identify the optimal HbA(1c) threshold to be used in Chinese adults. DESIGN Multistage stratified cross sectional epidemiological survey. SETTING Shanghai, China, 2007-8. PARTICIPANTS 4886 Chinese adults over 20 years of age with no history of diabetes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Performance of HbA(1c) at increasing ...