Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Determination Of Pancreatic And Salivary Amylase By Enzyme Immunoassay And Their Prevalence In Hyperamylasemic Patients, Sabdra Borgens Ward

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Currently, amylase determinations are nonspecific for the organ source and are based entirely on the enzymatic properties of amylase to produce a measurable product or byproduct. The determination of pancreatic amylase is important in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Most commercially available tests for amylase employ the measurement of the change in NADH absorbance at 280 nm or of the p-nitrophenol released from a maltotetrose substrate. These are nonspecific measurements of pancreatic amylase and often necessitate other tests to be run such as a serum lipase.

The two predominant isoenzymes of amylase are pancreatic (p-amylase) and salivary (s-amylase); the most …

Signal Transduction In Bacterial Chemotaxis, Edward Heath Rowsell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the site of ATP utilization in the signal transduction pathway of bacterial chemotaxis and localized the point of convergence of a methylation-independent system of chemotaxis with the methylation-dependent system. The identity of the signal originating from the phosphotransferase system was investigated by substituting the fructose-inducible HPr-like protein FPr for HPr in transport and chemotaxis. In addition, a novel chemoattractant, glycerol, was identified for Salmonella typhimurium. Histidine-auxotrophic S. typhimurium strains ST23 (hisF) and ST171 (hisF cheB) were depleted for ATP. The times required for the bacteria to adapt to a step increase in serine, …

Characterization Of The Vasoactivity Of Tachykinins In Isolated Rat Kidney: Functional Studies And In Vitro Receptor Autoradiography, Yuejin Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although tachykinins have potent vascular actions, their effect on renal resistance blood vessels is currently unknown. The vasoactive properties of tachykinins and related analogs were assessed in isolated perfused rat kidney. At a basal perfusion pressure (PP) of 75 $\pm$ 6 mm Hg (n = 5), bolus injections of substance P (SP) had no significant vasoactive effect. Following a sustained increase in baseline PP (134 $\pm$ 10 mm Hg) produced by phenylephrine (1 $\mu$M), SP evoked a dose-dependent increase in PP. The largest dose of SP increased PP by 60 $\pm$ 5 mm Hg. The vasoconstrictor response to SP was …

Investigation Of Selenium Status In Hypo-, Hyper- And Euthyroid Children, Ping Sun

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Recently, it has been reported that human type I iodothyronine deiodinase, an enzyme important in the conversion of T₄ to T₃ , is a selenoenzyme. Several studies have reported alterations in plasma selenium level in hypo- and hyperthyroid patients.

Using polarized Zeeman-effect atomic absorption spectroscopy, we measured selenium, zinc, copper and manganese concentrations in the plasma and/or red blood cells in children with or without thyroid disease being seen at the outpatient clinic at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. Children with thyroid disease were subdivided into untreated, treated and nonresponsive groups. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test …

An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna In Rett Syndrome And Other Neurodegenerative Disorders, Catherine Erickson Burgess

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from mutations on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is being recognized in a growing spectrum of diseases. These diseases, resulting from single base mutations, large deletions, or insertions, have been largely neuromuscular in origin. However, as an understanding of the effects of mtDNA mutations progresses, attention is now focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Rett Syndrome (RS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease with predominantly female cases, demonstrates morphologic mitochondrial changes, mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies and maternal inheritance (characteristic of mtDNA diseases). No investigation of mtDNA involvement has been previously conducted and, to date, no biological marker exists for this disorder.

Our preliminary studies …