Reference intervals for 24 laboratory parameters determined in 24-hour urine collections.

Background: Reference intervals for many laboratory parameters determined in 24-h urine collections are either not publicly available or based on small numbers, not sex specific or not from a representative sample.

Methods: Osmolality and concentrations or enzymatic activities of sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, creatinine, citrate, cortisol, pancreatic α-amylase, total protein, albumin, transferrin, immunoglobulin G, α1-microglobulin, α2-macroglobulin, as well as porphyrins and their precursors (δ-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen) were determined in 241 24-h urine samples of a population-based cohort of asymptomatic adults (121 men and 120 women). For 16 of these 24 parameters creatinine-normalized ratios were calculated based on 24-h urine creatinine.

Task complexity reveals expertise of table tennis players.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intensive practice in table tennis on perceptual, decision-making and motor-systems. Groups of elite (HL, N.=11), intermediate (LL, N.

The protein and contrast agent-specific influence of pathological plasma-protein concentration levels on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the protein-specific response of r1 and r2 relaxivities of commercially available gadolinium-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents to variation of plasma-protein concentrations.

Materials And Methods: In this in vitro study, contrast agent (gadofosveset trisodium, gadoxetate disodium, gadobutrol, and gadoterate meglumine) dilution series (0-2.5 mmol Gd/L) were prepared with plasma-protein (human serum albumin [HSA] and immunoglobulin G [IgG]) concentrations at physiological (42 and 10 g/L HSA and IgG, respectively, Normal) and at 3 pathological levels with HSA/IgG concentrations of 10/10 (solution Alb low), 42/50 (IgG mild), and 42/70 (IgG severe) g/L.

Development of an in-capillary approach to nanoscale automated in vitro cytochromes p450 assays.

A method to perform nanoscale automated CYP450-based drug metabolism studies using a capillary as a reaction vessel is described. In-capillary assays consumed only approximately 30 nL of recombinant human CYP450 solution. Ultrafast analysis of substrates and metabolites was achieved off-line by ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Change of the unbinding mechanism upon a mutation: a molecular dynamics study of an antibody-hapten complex.

We study forced unbinding of fluorescein from the wild type (WT) and a mutant [H(H58)A] of the single-chain variable-fragment (scFv) anti-fluorescein antibody FITC-E2 by molecular dynamics simulations using various pulling techniques. A large number of long simulations were needed to obtain statistically meaningful results as both the wild type and the H(H58)A mutant unbinding occurs through multiple pathways, often with metastable intermediates. For the wild type, the rate-limiting step in the unbinding process corresponds to the breaking of the non-native interactions characteristic of a specific intermediate.