The retinol-binding protein (RBP) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin were isolated from rat serum. Under physiological conditions RBP and prealbumin form a protein complex. Rat RBP exhibited characteristics very similar to those previously encountered for the human and monkey counterparts, including the association constant to prealbumin (8 x lo6 M-l). Thyroxine-binding prealbumin in rat is in co...

Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is strongly associated with high mortality in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. However, its clinical assessment has not been well defined. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between combined nutritional indicators and mortality in CAPD patients. In the present retrospective cohort study, a total of 885 incident...

INTRODUCTION Hyperglycemia and protein loss are common in critically ill patients. Insulin can be used to lower blood glucose and inhibit proteolysis. The impact of moderate insulin therapy on protein metabolism in critically ill patients has not been evaluated. We compared urinary nitrogen excretion, nitrogen balance, serum albumin concentrations, prealbumin concentrations, and clinical outcom...

We investigated whether high-protein enteral nutrition with immune-modulating nutrients (IMHP) enriched with β-glucan stimulates immune function in critically ill patients. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, 30 patients consumed one of three types of enteral nutrition: a control or IMHP with and without β-glucan. The IMHP with β-glucan group showed increases in natural kille...

BACKGROUND Gastroparesis is an important side-effect of end-stage renal disease because of its influence on nutritional status. METHODS In this study, 56 equilibrated haemodialysis patients were evaluated by radioisotopic examination for gastric emptying time. These data were correlated to anthropometrical as well as biochemical parameters. RESULTS The half-life time for gastric emptying wa...

Ligand binding characteristics of rat liver microsomal type I iodothyronine deiodinase were evaluated by measuring dose-response inhibition and apparent Michaelis-Menten or inhibitor constants of iodothyronine analogues to compete as substrates or inhibitors for the natural substrate L-thyroxine. These data show strong correlations with the binding requirements of hormone analogues to serum thy...

Acute phase proteins and markers of proteosynthetic activity reflect the clinical activity in Crohn's disease (CD). The impact of anti-tumor necrosis factor antibody (anti-TNF) therapy on serum levels of acute phase proteins and proteosynthetic markers was studied. Fourteen patients with active CD were treated with 5 mg per kg of anti-TNF in intravenous infusion. Clinical activity (assessed by ...

To define a reference value for serum prealbumin (transthyretin) concentration, we used a rate immunonephelometric microassay to quantify it in 76 healthy children, ranging in age from two to 36 months. Age-specific ranges (+/- 2 SD from the mean) are: 2-5.9 months, 142-330 mg/L; 6-11.9 months, 120-274 mg/L; 12-17.9 months, 115-259 mg/L; 18-23.9 months, 143-243 mg/L; 24-36 months, 108-258 mg/L....

Background. There is a considerable dissimilarity in the survival duration of the patients with gastric cancer. We aimed to assess the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and nutritional status of these patients before the commencement of chemotherapy to find the appropriate prognostic factors and define a new score for predicting metastasis. Methods. SIR was assessed using Glasgow Prognostic ...