UNLABELLED The pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy is multifactorial, involving gut-derived toxins such as ammonia, which has been demonstrated to induce oxidative stress. Therefore, a primary hepatic encephalopathy treatment target is reducing ammonia production in the gastrointestinal tract. AST-120, an oral adsorbent of engineered activated carbon microspheres with surface areas exceeding...

BACKGROUND Acid suppression therapy (AST) is routinely used in critically ill patients to prevent stress-related mucosal bleeding (SRMB). OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine the impact of a structured educational intervention on AST used for prevention of SRMB on appropriateness of AST. METHODS A single-center, retrospective, cohort study of appropriate use of AST in critically ill pat...

We examined the kinetics of the catalytic activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST, EC 2.6.1.1) isoenzymes in serum of 28 patients with myocardial infarction who were to receive either intracoronary urokinase--reperfusion angiographically proved--or conventional therapy (control group). Cytosolic (soluble) AST (s-AST) activity in serum increased rapidly immediately after recanalization, re...

BACKGROUND To determine the mechanism by which the flavonoid glycoside astragalin (AST) reduces ovarian failure in an aged rat model of menopause. METHODS The in vivo effect of AST on granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis in aged female rats was determined using flow cytometry. In vitro, the effects of AST on cultured GCs were investigated using the MTT proliferation assay and western blot assays. ...