L-3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (DOPA) and its 3-O-methyl metabolite (OMD) were measured in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid by a new assay which combines N,O-acetylation of amino acids in aqueous media, preparation of pentafluorobenzyl esters under anhydrous conditions, and analysis by gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry. The N,O-acetyl, carboxy-PFB derivatives ga...

Maternal diabetes in pregnancy affects offspring health. The impact of parental diabetes on offspring health is unclear. We investigated the impact of parental diabetes on the metabolic-health of adult-offspring who did not themselves have diabetes. Data from the Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study, a population-based family cohort, were record-linked to subjects' own diabetes med...

Six steers (BW = 436 +/- 15 kg) were assigned randomly to alfalfa, bromegrass, or prairie hay diets in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design to evaluate the efficacy of different internal markers for estimating OM digestibility (OMD). Internal markers used to estimate OMD included ADL, alkaline peroxide lignin (APL), AIA, and indigestible ADF (IADF), which consisted of a 144-h in vitro incubat...

It has been well known that 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD) is a metabolite of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) formed by catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), and 3-OMD blood level often reaches higher than physiological level in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients receiving long term L-DOPA therapy. However, the physiological role of 3-OMD has not been well understood. Therefore, in order to clarify...

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is one of the most important food legumes in countries like Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia. The legume is nutritious, rich in protein (28-32%) and contains good quantities of essential amino acids. Consumption of Lathyrus sativus seeds has been associated for more than 2000 years with neurolathyrim caused by the nearotoxin ß-ODAP (ß-N-Oxalyl-L-α, ßdiaminopropioni...

PURPOSE To determine whether a mutation in the RP1-like protein 1 (RP1L1) gene is present in a Japanese patient with sporadic occult macular dystrophy (OMD) and to examine the characteristics of focal macular electroretinograms (ERGs) of the patient with genetically identified OMD. METHODS An individual with OMD underwent detailed ophthalmic clinical evaluations including focal macular ERGs. ...

Lathyrus sativus is a grain legume high in protein (25-30%) that can be grown under limited moisture conditions. However, the Government of India has imposed a ban on its sale because of the association with human neurolathyrism in the population subsisting on it. Over the years, by mutation and conventional breeding, attempts were made to reduce the amount of oxalyl diamino propionic acid (ODA...