34 research outputs found
High serum alkaline phosphatase levels, a study in 181 Thai adult hospitalized patients
BACKGROUND: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important enzyme mainly derived from the liver, bones and in lesser amounts from intestines, placenta, kidneys and leukocytes. An increase in ALP levels in the serum is frequently associated with a variety of diseases. This study was done in order to determine the diseases associated with a high ALP level among Thai adult hospitalized patients. METHOD: A review was made of medical records of inpatients with high ALP level above 1000 IU/L in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand from January 1999 to December 1999. Excluded were cases of (a) patients who have bone involvements with malignancies, (b) pediatric patients younger than 15 years old and c) HIV-seropositive patients. RESULTS: A total of 181 hospitalized patients with eligible medical records were identified (96 males and 85 females, mean age 49.4 ± 16.1 years). Their ALP levels ranging from 1,001 to 3,067 IU/L, these patients were divided into four groups. CONCLUSION: High serum ALP levels in hospitalized patients were commonly found in three major groups having obstructive biliary diseases, infiltrative liver disease and sepsis. The study results were in accordance with previous reports in developed countries. Nonetheless, cholangiocarcionoma and some tropical diseases unique to our setting were also detected in these cases. where there was a marked elevation of serum ALP
Dividend yield and stability versus performance on the German stock market: a descriptive study
Dividend yield, Dividend stability, Diversification, Performance, G11, G14,
Divalent Heavy Metal Cations Block the TRPV1 Ca(2+) Channel
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)
is a non-selective cation channel involved in pain sensation
and in a wide range of non-pain-related physiological and
pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to
explore the effects of selected heavy metal cations on the
function of TRPV1. The cations ranked in the following
sequence of pore-blocking activity: Co2+ [half-maximal inhibitory
concentration (IC50)013 μM]>Cd2+ (IC500
38 μM)>Ni2+ (IC50062 μM)>Cu2+(IC500200 μM). Zn2+
proved to be a weak (IC50027 μM) and only partial inhibitor
of the channel function, whereas Mg2+, Mn2+ and La3+
did not exhibit any substantial effect. Co2+, the most potent
channel blocker, was able not only to compete with Ca2+ but
also to pass with it through the open channel of TRPV1. In
response to heat activation or vanilloid treatment, Co2+
accumulation was verified in TRPV1-transfected cell lines
and in the TRPV1+ dorsal root ganglion neurons. The
inhibitory effect was also demonstrated in vivo. Co2+ applied
together with vanilloid agonists attenuated the nocifensive
eye wipe response in mice. Different rat TRPV1
pore point mutants (Y627W, N628W, D646N and E651W)
were created that can validate the binding site of previously
used channel blockers in agonist-evoked 45Ca2+ influx
assays in cells expressing TRPV1. The IC50 of Co2+ on
these point mutants were determined to be reasonably comparable
to those on the wild type, which suggests that
divalent cations passing through the TRPV1 channel use
the same negatively charged amino acids as Ca2+