Measurement of urinary NAG and the detection of renovascular hypertension.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S M Tucker.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The urinary excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) has been claimed to be of high diagnostic value in indicating acute renal graft rejection. Similar claims have been made for the significance of urinary lysozyme excretion. Serial measurements of urinary lysozyme and NAG have been made in 35 patients after renal transplantation, and during 52 suspected rejection episodes. A close correlation has been found between these two parameters although they did not consistently change in parallel. The use of both assays may give a better indication of impending rejection than either assay alone.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
N-Acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) is a sensitive indicator of renal damage. When the urinary NAG levels of 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were measured a highly significant difference was detected between the mean urinary NAG excretion of the patients with RA (341 +/- 294-92 nmol h-1 mg creatinine-1) and that of 60 matched controls (67-53 +/- 16-93 nmol h-1 mg creatinine-1). In 10 patients studied no correlation could be shown between the urinary NAG levels and levels in either serum or synovial fluid. A significant positive correlation was noted between urinary NAG excretion and disease activity as estimated by the Lansbury activity index, the Ritchie articular index, and the haemaglobin level. An abnormally raised urinary NAG excretion was detected in eight out of 20 previously untreated patients with RA, which suggested that the rheumatoid process may affect renal function.
The influence of diet and feed restriction on kidney function was studied in aging male albino rats. Rats were fed either a commercial feed (LB) or a modified human diet (MHD) from weaning until sacrifice at either 12 or 24 mo. of age. Restricted rats were fed for only 15 out of each 48 hours. Feed restriction during either the first, the second, or both years of life was beneficial in delaying age-associated changes in kidney function as indicated by decreased proteinuria, increased in vitro transport of paraaminohippuric acid, and reduced incidence and severity of renal lesions. Urinary creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels were also favorably influenced by restriction. Most parameters were modified by diet as well as by restriction, with MHD being generally associated with improved kidney function. Improvement in kidney function may have been more related to a reduction in protein intake than to a reduction in caloric intake as a whole.
1. The A, B, I1 and I2 forms of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase present in urine, serum, kidney, liver and cerebral spinal fluid were separated on DEAE-cellulose and their presence confirmed by cellogel electrophoresis. The relative activities of each enzyme were determined by integrating the area under the elution peaks. 2. Serum A-form was eluted at a lower molarity of chloride than liver A-form and this was designated the As-form to distinguish it from the A-form of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase found in liver and kidney. 3. The P-form of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase present in the serum of a group of pregnant women was not detectable in urine samples from the same women. 4. Urinary NAG activities were found to be abnormally high in patients with impaired renal function. 5. The activity of both N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidases A and B increased in pathological urines. The higher the total N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activity excreted the higher the % of activity of the B-form present. 6. In a number of patients with haematuria an A-form similar to the serum As-form was present in the urine.
An automated method for the assay of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in human urine is described and a normal range of urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activity is reported. The automated method has been used routinely over a twelve month period in two London hospitals for monitoring the excretion of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in renal transplant patients. The abnormal elevation of urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase provides an early warning of rejection by indicating the presence of renal parenchymal damage. The automated assay of urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase may also be used in screening for the presence of renal disease.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Urine levels of the lysosomal enzyme beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase have been measured in patients with arthritic disorders; significantly higher levels were found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (mean: 332.9 nmol/h/mg creat.) than in those with degenerative joint disease (mean: 86.31 nmol/h/mg creat.; P less than 0.001). Analysis of the results shows that salicylates were responsible for some of this difference, but suggests that rheumatoid disease itself may cause renal damage.
Determination of the urinary excretion of N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and fibrin degradation products (FDP) made it possible to make a diagnosis of 25 out of 26 acute rejection episodes at least 24 hr before deterioration in renal function occurred. Of the two tests, the estimation of daily urinary NAG is the most practical for routine clinical use. This test alone permitted early diagnosis in 21 out of 26 episodes. In 9 out of 11 episodes in which both estimations showed an increase, the rise in FDP occurred before the rise in NAG. This is consistent with the view that in some forms of rejection, at least, intravascular fibrin deposition occurs first and causes ischaemic damage to renal tubular cells and consequent deterioration in function.
In a prospective study of cytomegalovirus infection in 1,040 pregnant women in London 319 (42%) of the white Englishwomen but only 28 (10%) of the immigrant Asian women were without antibodies at the onset of pregnancy. Out of 254 susceptible white women and 16 susceptible Asian women 8 (3%) and 3 (16%) respectively experienced primary infection during the course of pregnancy. The overall incidence of fetal infection after primary infection in the mother was almost 50%, and was higher in early pregnancy. One out of the five infected infants was found to be mentally retarded.Reactivation of latent infection was recognized in 0.7-2.9% of pregnant women; this occurred without involving the fetus.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Despite the fact that high doses of cocaine are abused chronically, relatively little is known regarding the development of tolerance and/or sensitization under these circumstances. Therefore, male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused continuously i.v. for 10 days, at a rate of 150 mg/kg/day (0.1 mg/kg/min) with cocaine hydrochloride. Body weight, food and water consumption, urine and fecal excretion, as well as blood pressure, heart rate and stereotypic behavior were monitored daily. Blood samples were also drawn daily so that plasma could be analyzed for cocaine and BEG by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Severe body weight loss on days 1 through 4 was followed by a gradual return to pre-drug levels. In addition, cocaine's effects on food and water consumption and urine and fecal excretion, which were maximal by day 2, were imperceptible by day 5. Complete tolerance developed rapidly to the remarkable rise in blood pressure noted on the first day. However, tolerance did not develop to the cocaine-induced increase in heart rate. A profound decrease in heart rate was noted in some animals which was interpreted to be cardiotoxicity since these animals subsequently died. On the other hand, sensitization or intensification of behavioral stereotypy occurred during the first 2 days followed by complete tolerance to this effect by day 5. No withdrawal phenomena were noted 24 h after cocaine was abruptly withdrawn. Plasma concentrations of cocaine rose rapidly during the first day and remained elevated at a constant level until day 5. Then, a sharp decline in plasma levels occurred at day 6 which remained depressed for the duration of the infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)