HWTI is a 55-residue protein isolated from the venom of the spider Ornithoctonus huwena. It is a potent trypsin inhibitor and a moderate voltage-gated potassium channel blocker. Here, we designed and expressed two HWTI mutants, HWTI-mut1 and HWTI-mut2, in which the potassium channel inhibitory activity was reduced while the trypsin inhibitory activity of the wild type form (approximately 5 EPU/...

We coupled a kinetic procedure to a selective inhibiting method for determining amylase isoenzymes in biological samples, using 4-nitrophenylmaltopentaoside plus 4-nitrophenylmaltohexaoside as substrate and a wheat-germ selective inhibitor with the Gilford S-III spectrophotometer. On plotting remaining amylase activities/total amylase activities (R/T) vs pancreatic amylase activities/salivary a...

An analysis of 35 consecutive episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis confirmed the frequent high levels of serum amylase in this condition. Serum amylase was raised during 21 episodes (60%), and in six instances (17%) the peak level exceeded 1,000 Somogyi units per 100 ml. Hyperamylasaemia was more often found when the initial blood sugar exceeded 500 mg/100 ml, or when the onset of the episode had ...

A young obese man with ketoacidosis-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus, associated with severe hypertriglyceridemia, was admitted to a local hospital complaining of abdominal pain. Although the abdominal pain worsened, his serum amylase level remained normal with persistent severe hypertriglyceridemia until the second day of hospitalization. The next day, computed tomography showed severe acute pan...

α-Amylase hydrolyses starch molecules to produce smaller oligosaccharides and sugars. Amylases are of great importance in biotechnology and find application in fermentation, detergents, food and the paper industry. The measurement of α-amylase activity in serum and urine has been used in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Salivary amylase has also been shown to be a stress indicator. Sensor c...

AIM To estimate the efficacy of 2 h post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) serum amylase levels and other factors for predicting post-ERCP pancreatitis. METHODS This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent ERCP from January 2010 to December 2013. Serum amylase levels were measured 2 h post-procedure, and patient- and procedure-...

ERCP is a very important therapeutic tool and Acute Pancreatitis remains the most common and feared complication. The recognition of the risk factors for post ERCP pancreatitis and the high risk patients is highly desirable & in this study we evaluate the relation between post ERCP serum amylase level and the incidence of post procedure acute pancreatitis. Patients and Methods: The study was pe...

BACKGROUND The routine measurement of pleural fluid amylase is frequently recommended, but the cost-effectiveness of this procedure is unknown. METHODS To assess the utility of routine measurement of pleural fluid amylase in evaluating pleural effusions, we measured amylase, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase, and protein levels and blood cell counts in 379 patients undergoing thoracentesis durin...

BACKGROUND Lipases and phospholipases are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Genes coding for lipases, phospholipases and amylase are present in MTB, enabling the bacteria to produce these enzymes. OBJECTIVE To compare serum lipase and amylase activity levels in patients with tuberculosis (TB) against those of healthy controls. METHODS S...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Most patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) develop mild disease, but up to 20% develop severe disease. Many clinicians monitor serum levels of amylase and lipase in an attempt to predict the disease course, but this strategy has not been recommended by practice guidelines. We performed a retrospective analysis to determine whether the percentage changes in amylase and lipase w...