A Need for Hydroinformatics for the Water Resources Management in Mauritius

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Short CommunicationA Kinetic Model for In-vitro Instestinal Uptake of the Amino Acid L-tyrosine Across Rat Everted Gut Sacs

This study proposes a kinetic model for the uptake of the amino acid L-tyrosine under the influence of the thyroid hormone,L-thyroxine, across rat everted gut sacs. Our results showed that absorption of the amino acid did not remain relativelyconstant along the small intestine. It would appear that a non-energy dependent saturable “carrier” system was involvedduring the uptake of L-tyrosine. Furthermore, it was also noted that the influx and efflux of L-tyrosine was activated by Lthyroxine.In conclusion, kinetic analysis suggests that the model proposed for the uptake of the amino acid did notconform, reasonably well, to simple Michaelis-Menten enzyme-substrate kinetics. KEY WORDS: enzyme, kinetics, inborn errors, metabolism Résumé Cette étude propose un modèle cinétique pour l'absorption de l'acide aminé L-tyrosine, sous l'influence de l'hormonethyrodienne L-thyroxine, à travers l'intestin grêle du rat. Nos résultats démontrent que l'absorption de l'acide aminé n'estpas relativement constante sur tout le parcours de l'intestin grêle. Il semble qu'un système “transporteur” autonomed'énergie et saturable serait impliqué dans l'absorption de L-tyrosine. De plus, il a été remarqué que le transport de Ltyrosineétait activé par la présence de L-thyroxine. Pour conclure, les données cinétiques suggèrent que le modèle proposépour l'absorption de l'acide aminé ne se conforme vraiment pas au cliché cinétique enzyme- substrat, de Michaelis-Menten. Mots clés: enzyme, cinétique, erreur intrinsèque, métabolismeDiscovery and Innovation Volume 15 Number1/2 June (2003) pp. 40-4

Quality of Life in End Stage Renal Failure Patients Undergoing Dialysis in Mauritius

We assessed the quality of life of 45 patients with end stage renal failure undergoing dialysis in Mauritius using the standard United Kingdom version of the Short Form 36 Items Health Survey (SF36) questionnaire. Our findings showed that gender, level of social and emotional support, marital status, and travel time were variably significant predictors of higher scores in specific dimensions. No significant relationship was found between SF36 subscales and age, occupation, length of time on haemodialysis, and household numbers. Response rate was high at 90%. Overall, health related quality of life of ESRD patients is poor. Further studies are required to ascertain whether altering those predictor variables that are amenable to intervention by health care professionals could be associated with improvements in health related quality of life.Keywords: health, quality of life, end stage renal disease, Mauritiu

Increased N-a-tosyl l—arginine methyl ester [tame]-esterase activity in subjects with diabetic dyslipidaemia

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