Annals of clinical and laboratory science
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Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. · Nov 1988
Serum copper concentration as an index of cardiopulmonary injury in monocrotaline-treated rats.
The pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline produces pulmonary inflammation, hemorrhage, fibrosis, and hypertension. In rats, monocrotaline pneumotoxicity can be ameliorated by cotreatment with inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), such as CL242817. In the present study, serum and urine copper (Cu) concentrations were evaluated as indices of cardiopulmonary injury in rats sacrificed after six weeks of continuous administration of monocrotaline (0 to 3.6 mg per kg per day, in the drinking water) or CL242817 (60 mg per kg per day, in the feed), or both. ⋯ Urinary Cu concentration correlated roughly with that of serum, but the variability within groups was high. Cotreatment with the ACE inhibitor CL242817 not only ameliorated monocrotaline-induced right heart enlargement and lung hydroxyproline accumulation but also reduced the hypercupremia in monocrotaline-treated rats. Thus, serum copper concentration appears to be an accurate and minimally invasive index of monocrotaline pneumotoxicity in this model of pulmonary hypertension.
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Drug monitoring has recently been extended into the neonatal population largely owing to improvements in analytical techniques. This important area of study represents a wide diversity of patients,-from mature infants to low-birth weight infants owing either to premature birth or intrauterine growth retardation. ⋯ Rational drug administration at this time can be very difficult. Drug monitoring in conjunction with effective therapeutic ranges can be of great assistance to the physician.
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Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. · Nov 1980
ReviewClinical applicability and usefulness of ferritin measurements.
The accurate measurement of ferritin in the serum was first reported in 1972. Since then, the assay has become widely available to clinicians. ⋯ Hepatic disease, malignancies, and other chronic diseases can cause an elevation in serum ferritin which does not represent an elevation in body iron stores. While markedly elevated in late hemochromatosis, the value of serum ferritin in the detection of early hemochromatosis or the carrier state is not certain.
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Endocrine pancreatic tumors are frequently multicellular and produce several hormones and peptides. A review of the basic concepts of hormone secretion, pancreatic islet cell composition and ultrastructural make-up of tumors is presented. The importance of correlating ultrastructural, immunocytochemical and biochemical studies of these tumors is emphasized.
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Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. · Mar 1978
A supplement to alkaline phosphatase fractionations: utilization of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and hydroxyproline assays.
Fractionation of serum alkaline phosphatase by either biochemical or electrophoretic techniques is often insufficient to determine the source of the elevated serum enzyme. In 31 unselected patients with high serum alkaline phosphatase a simultaneous determination of serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and urinary hydroxyproline excretion rates was performed, in addition to urea denaturation and L-phenylalanine inhibition tests. ⋯ When all three tests were performed simultaneously, the combination of results identified the source of the ALP in 88 percent of the cases. It is believed that this combination offers better sensitivity and specificity than any of the three tests used individually.