..................................................................................................................... 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. 9 ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... LIST OF ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS ..............

We tested the diagnostic sensitivity of various urinary analytes for detecting cadmium-induced nephropathy at an early stage. We investigated 73 healthy persons (control group 1) and individuals exposed to cadmium, either environmentally (n = 36, risk group 2) or occupationally (n = 62, exposed group 3). All data were related to limits of the central 95% reference intervals of the control group...

BACKGROUND Urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) excretion is increased in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). This study investigated when during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) the plasma glucose, urine glucose, and insulin levels correlate most strongly with urinary N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels in prediabetic subjects. METHODS The OGTT was administered ...

Effects of Mercury Vapour Exposure at Low Concentrations on Urinary Activity of N-AcetylBeta-D-Glucosaminidase: Nobuo IS H I H A R A. Research Centre for Occupational Disease, Tohoku Rosai Hospital—Effects of exposure to mercury vapour less than 0.02 mg Hg/m3 on urinary N-Acetylbeta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were studied in seven Japanese workers from 1991 to 1997. According to the recor...

The present study was undertaken to determine whether there is any alteration in the activities of lysosomal enzymes in the liver and sera of rats during the course of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced cirrhosis in rats. Cirrhosis was induced by the chronic administration of carbon tetrachloride plus phenobarbitone. N-acetyl glucosaminidase, P-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase were assayed s...

The influence of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) on macromolecular permeability in the distal ileum has been studied. Using a rat experimental model, we determined the intestinal permeability to different sized dextrans (3000-70 000 daltons) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the absence and presence of LPC. We also examined the morphology of the ileal mucosa after deposition of LPC in the gut lum...

Ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and is a natural contaminant of mouldy food. We examined the neuroactive potential of ochratoxin A by measuring the changes in the activities of several membrane bound, cytoplasmic and lysosomal enzymes in the brain of adult female rats, following subchronic application of ochratoxin A. The activities of both soluble and membrane bou...

We investigated the potential of a panel of 22 biomarkers to predict the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) patients. The study enrolled 96 DM2 patients with (n = 75) and without (n = 21) evidence of CAD. We assessed a biochemical profile that included 22 biomarkers: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, LDL/HDL, triglycerides, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, fruct...

The intracellular and extracellular distribution of acid hydrolases in cultured retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) was studied. Incubation of cultured RPE in medium containing 20 mM mannose-6-phosphate resulted in the extracellular release of approximately 15% of the cell-associated activity of several acid hydrolases. This represents an approximate 120% increase over control levels after 24 hr...