[Analysis of lipoprotein metabolism in alcoholics].

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is increased by exercise and drinking and is well known as a negative risk factor of coronary heart disease. We analyzed serum lipids of alcoholics from the view points of biochemical examination, remnant like particle (RLP) and particle size of lipoprotein for the purpose of estimated effect of serum lipids, especially HDL quality in alcoholics. Serum levels of total cholesterol, free glycerol, RLP-C and RLP-TG were significantly decreased after hospitalization.

A new on-line dual enzymatic method for simultaneous quantification of cholesterol and triglycerides in lipoproteins by HPLC.

We describe an on-line dual detection method using HPLC for lipoprotein analysis that allows simultaneous determination of cholesterol and triglyceride profiles from a single injection of sample. Two different gel permeation columns, TSKgel LipopropakXL and Superose 6HR, were applied to the dual detection system, evaluating analytical performance of the proposed method and the columns by analyzing serum samples from human and nonhuman subjects. Both TSK and Superose columns produced good within-day imprecision values less than 4.

[Assessment of tasting disorder in alcoholics].

To clarify the influence of chronic and excessive alcohol consumption on gustatory function, we examined taste functions of 20 male alcoholics by total oral gustometry using salty, sweet, sour, bitter and glutamate solutions. As results, all patients showed markedly impaired taste in all kinds of solutions comparing with age and sex matched healthy persons, nevertheless none of them recognized their impaired taste. Serum zinc levels of all patients were within reference range, but the most of them were within lower part of reference level.

Novel, aberrantly truncated isoform of serum CD13 in a family with high serum aminopeptidase N (CD13) activity.

Background: We previously reported a family in which the propositus and both her father and paternal grandmother had high serum aminopeptidase N (CD13; EC 3.4.11.

Assessment of between-instrument variations in a HPLC method for serum lipoproteins and its traceability to reference methods for total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol.

Background: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the between-instrument variation of the HPLC method for the measurement of total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), VLDL-cholesterol (VLDL-C), chylomicron cholesterol (CM-C), LDL size, and HDL size. Furthermore, the accuracy of the HPLC was assessed for the determination of TC and HDL-C, compared with CDC reference methods.

Methods: We used four HPLC instruments with different column-load numbers from 250 to 5000.

Quantitative detection method of triglycerides in serum lipoproteins and serum-free glycerol by high-performance liquid chromatography.

We have developed a simple and reliable method for quantitative detection of triglycerides (TG) in serum lipoproteins and serum-free glycerol (FG) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After separation of serum constituents using a new gel-permeation column (TSK gel Lipopropak XL, Tosoh) and a new eluent (TSK eluent LP-2, Tosoh), TG and FG were detected by on-line reaction using a modified reagent which contained glycerol kinase, glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase and lipoprotein lipase. HPLC patterns showed five peaks corresponding to chylomicrons, very-low-density, low-density, high-density lipoproteins and FG.

A family with high serum leucine aminopeptidase activity derived from a novel variant CD13.

We investigated a family in which some individuals showed extremely high serum leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) (EC 3.4.11.

Evaluation of precipitation and direct methods for HDL-cholesterol assay by HPLC.

HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) values measured by precipitation (sodium phosphotungstate-MgCl2) and direct methods were compared with those obtained by HPLC with a new column (TSKgel Lipopropak) and an eluent (TSKeluent LP-1). The HDL-C values determined by the precipitation method were significantly (P <0.001) lower than those by the HPLC method, whereas the HDL-C values by the direct method were slightly but significantly higher (P <0.

Electrophoretic patterns of urinary proteins of diabetics in the pre, early and overt nephropathy stages.

Urinary proteins of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) were analyzed using cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis, to determine the clinical usefulness of fraction patterns of the proteins in detecting the group at high risk for diabetic nephropathy. We divided the protein patterns into 5 groups. Four groups (I, II, III, IV) were found in the healthy group and a newly classified group was termed group 0 and was characterized by a prominent albumin peak with a negligible or small globulin peak.

Rapid and highly sensitive colloidal silver staining on cellulose acetate membrane for analysis of urinary proteins.

In order to establish a rapid staining method sensitive enough to stain the protein bands on cellulose acetate membrane and suitable for the analysis of urinary proteins in healthy subjects, we conducted a detailed examination of Kovarik's method designed for the analysis of proteins in cerebrospinal fluid in detail. For purpose, of our study, we changed the pH of the staining solution used in Kovarik's method to pH 4.4 by adding acetic acid.

Urinary protein fractions in healthy subjects using cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis followed by staining with acid violet 17.

We fractionated normal urinary proteins obtained from 40 healthy subjects using cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis and stained them with Acid Violet 17. The electrophoretic patterns were classified into four groups. Each of groups I, II, III, IV had an albumin peak and 1, 2, 3, and 4 additional globulin peaks, respectively.

Clinical usefulness of malate dehydrogenase and its mitochondrial isoenzyme in comparison with aspartate aminotransferase and its mitochondrial isoenzyme in sera of patients with liver disease.

The activities of serum malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and its mitochondrial isoenzyme (MDHm) were studied in sera of patients with liver disease. They proved to be more useful than those of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and its mitochondrial isoenzyme for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma and acute circulatory failure, and for estimation of the severity of acute hepatitis. The N/T value measuring system, which is adaptable for autoanalysis and allows simultaneous determination of activities depending on NAD and thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD), yields both the total activity of MDH and the N/T value which was correlated significantly with MDHm/MDH (r = 0.

Gel-filtration of serum gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase with HPLC in hepatobiliary diseases and its significance.

Serum gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) from patients with various hepatobiliary diseases was fractionated by molecular size using HPLC to investigate the heterogeneity of serum gamma-GTP. Serum gamma-GTP eluted with HPLC showed essentially 3 elution peaks of different molecular size. In the sera of normal patients, there was little gamma-GTP in the high molecular fraction, and most occurred in the low molecular fraction.

Serum lipoproteins in Japanese rural community with low cardiovascular mortality.

The lipid profiles of sera obtained from the adult inhabitants of a rural community with low cardiovascular mortality named Kin-cho in Okinawa were studied by the lipoprotein profiling system. The results were compared with those of the control sera obtained from healthy adults in Tokyo. Serum lipid profiles of the inhabitants in Kin-cho revealed significantly higher HDL cholesterol and significantly lower atherogenic indices than those of the control group in both sexes.