Storage of Gamma-Glutamyltransferase from Dried Serum Spots: Matrix for Field Based Studies

Background: Gamma-glutamyltransferase is recognised as a biomarker to assess the harms associated with alcohol misuse. The objective ways to measure GGT in areas lacking central lab facilities are desirable. This study aims to measure GGT from dried serum spots and its storage from dried serum spots. Method: The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee. One hundred and eighty (180) patients were included in the study. Their blood samples were collected. The serum samples were spotted onto filter paper (Whatman 903) dried and stored at 4°C. The GGT levels were measured on the day of collection and at various time periods to assess the effect of storage. All the analysis was performed on SPSS version 21. Result: The GGT levels measured from fresh serum GGT levels mean (SD) 286.5 (539.4) correlated well with their respective dried serum levels 287.18 (538.2) (P = 0.80). The mean recovery of GGT from dried serum was observed to be 103.3%. A sub-sample (n = 12) was stored at 4°C. The dried serum spots were found to be stable at the end of four weeks using repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) (P = 0.39). Conclusion: This method has the potential to be used for epidemiological or field based studies to assess harms associated with alcohol use.

Comparison of Superoxide Dismutase Isoenzymes in Three Shrimps

[Objective] The aim of the study is to compare the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) isoenzymes in three species of shrimps Penaeus japonicus, Procambarus clarkia and Litopenaeus vannamei. [Method] The experimental materials were used to measure SOD activities after pretreatment, meanwhile the differences in SOD isoenzymes from different materials were assayed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). [Result] There are specific and histological differences in SOD activities of shrimps. With a similar electrophoresis pattern and migration rate, Penaeus japonicus and Litopenaeus vannamei showed remarkable differences with that of Procambarus clarkia. [Conclusion] The result showed the differences of cognation and origin of three shrimps.

Preoperative gamma-glutamyltransferase to lymphocyte ratio predicts long-term outcomes in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients following hepatic resection

BACKGROUND Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)is a heterogeneous hepatobiliary cancer with limited treatment options.A number of studies have illuminated the relationship between inflammation-based prognostic scores and outcomes in patients with ICC.However,the use of reliable and personalized prognostic algorithms in ICC after resection is pending.AIM To assess the prognostic value of the gamma-glutamyltransferase to lymphocyte ratio(GLR)in ICC patients following curative resection.METHODS ICC patients following curative resection(2009-2017)were divided into two cohorts:The derivation cohort and validation cohort.The derivation cohort was used to explore an optimal cut-off value,and the validation cohort was used to further evaluate the score.Overall survival(OS)and recurrence-free survival(RFS)were analyzed,and predictors of OS and RFS were determined.RESULTS A total of 527 ICC patients were included and randomly divided into the derivation cohort(264 patients)and the validation cohort(263 patients).The two patient cohorts had comparable baseline characteristics.The optimal cut-off value for the GLR was 33.7.Kaplan-Meier curves showed worse OS and RFS in the GLR>33.7 group compared with GLR≤33.7 group in both cohorts.After univariate and multivariate analysis,the results indicated that GLR was an independent prognostic factor of OS[derivation cohort:hazard ratio(HR)=1.620,95%confidence interval(CI):1.066-2.462,P=0.024;validation cohort:HR=1.466,95%CI:1.033-2.142,P=0.048]and RFS[derivation cohort:HR=1.471,95%CI:1.029-2.103,P=0.034;validation cohort:HR=1.480,95%CI:1.057-2.070,P=0.022].CONCLUSION The preoperative GLR is an independent prognostic factor for ICC patients following hepatectomy.A high preoperative GLR is associated with worse OS and RFS.

Combination of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase in predicting the diagnosis of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis

BACKGROUND Gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) is one of the most important laboratory tests for the evaluation of liver damage. Through a long-term clinical observation of patients with secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis, we found that most patients had abnormal GGT serum levels.AIM To investigate the combination of serum GGT and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) in predicting the diagnosis of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis.METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, the clinical data of 829 patients with cholecystolithiasis admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College from August 2014 to August 2017 were collected. Among these patients,151 patients had secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis and served as the observation group, and the remaining 678 cholecystolithiasis patients served as the control group. Serum liver function indexes were detected in both groups,and the receiver operating characteristic(commonly known as ROC) curves were constructed for markers showing statistical significances. The cutoff value,sensitivity, and specificity of each marker were calculated according to the ROC curves.RESULTS The overall incidence of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis was 18.2%. The results of liver function indexes including serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin levels showed no significant differences between the two groups(P> 0.05). However, the serum GGT and ALP levels were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group(P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.881(95%CI: 0.830-0.932), 0.647(95%CI: 0.583-0.711) and 0.923(0.892-0.953) for GGT, ALP, and GGT + ALP,respectively. The corresponding cut-off values of GGT and ALP were 95.5 U/L and 151.5 U/L, sensitivity were 90.8% and 65.1%, and specificity were 83.6% and59.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of GGT + ALP were 93.5% and85.1%, respectively.CONCLUSION An abnormally elevated serum GGT level has an important value in the diagnosis of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis.The combination of serum GGT and ALP has better diagnostic performance. As a convenient, rapid and inexpensive test, it should be applied in secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis routine screening.

Diagnostic value of gamma-glutamyltransferase/aspartate aminotransferase ratio, protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II, and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Researchers have investigated the diagnostic value of protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and obtained abundant clinical diagnostic data. However, PIVKA-II and AFP have unsatisfactory specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC. Gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are common biomarkers for evaluating liver function, and we hypothesized that the γ-GT/AST ratio in combination with PIVKA-II and AFP would improve the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC. AIM To evaluate the diagnostic value of γ-GT/AST ratio alone or in combination with PIVKA-II and AFP in HBV-related HCC. METHODS Serum levels of γ-GT, AST, PIVKA-II, and AFP were detected and analysed in 176 patients with HBV-related HCC and in 359 patients with chronic hepatitis B. According to tumour size and serum level of HBV DNA, HBV-related HCC patients were divided into the following categories: Early-stage HCC patients, HCC patients, HBV DNA positive (HBV DNA+) HCC patients, and HBV DNA negative (HBV DNA-) HCC patients. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse and compare the diagnostic value of the single and combined detection of various biomarkers in different types of HBV-related HCC. RESULTS Tumour size was positively correlated with serum levels of PIVKA-II and AFP in HCC patients (r = 0.529, aP < 0.001 and r = 0.270, bP < 0.001, respectively), but there was no correlation between tumour size and the γ-GT/AST ratio (r = 0.073, P = 0.336). The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of the γ-GT/AST ratio in early-stage HCC patients, HBV DNA+ HCC patients and HBV DNA- HCC patients were not significantly different from that in the total HCC patients (0.754, 0.802, and 0.705 vs 0.779, respectively;P > 0.05). When PIVKA-II was combined with the γ-GT/AST ratio in the diagnosis of earlystage HCC, HCC, and HBV DNA+ HCC, the AUROCs of PIVKA-II increased, with values of 0.857 vs 0.835, 0.925 vs 0.913, and 0.958 vs 0.954, respectively. When AFP was combined with the γ-GT/AST ratio in the diagnosis of early-stage HCC, HCC, HBV DNA+ HCC, and HBV DNA- HCC, the AUROCs of AFP increased, with values of 0.757 vs 0.621, 0.837 vs 0.744, 0.868 vs 0.757, and 0.840 vs 0.828, respectively. CONCLUSION The γ-GT/AST ratio may be better than PIVKA-II and AFP in the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC, and its combination with PIVKA-II and AFP can improve the diagnostic value for HBV-related HCC.

Isoenzymes and soluble protein in Arthrospira from alka-line lakes in Erdos Plateau, China and in exotic species

The authors compared isoenzymes of five enzymes and soluble protein in Arthrospira platensis (A3) and A. erdosensis (A4) from alkaline lakes in Erdos Plateau, Nei Monggo (Inner Mongalia), China and exotic species of A. platensis (A1) from Chad and A. maxima (A2) from Mexico by means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the isoenzymes of EST, POD and soluble protein were polymorphic. Monomorphism and polymorphism were found in isoenzymes of AMY, CAT and SOD, and monomorphism was found only in the introduced species. The isoenzymes and soluble protein of the local species are all polymorphic. The number of bands in these species were in the order of A3>A4>A1>A2. A2 is the most primary, A1 from Chad Lake is relatively primary, A3 and A4 are ad- vanced species in evolution. Cluster analysis showed that the relation between the two introduced species are the closest to each other, and so too are the two local ones.

The combination of creatine kinase-myocardial band isoenzyme and point-of-care cardiac troponin/contemporary cardiac troponin for the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND:The early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction(AMI)remains challenging,especially for institutions without the high-sensitive cardiac troponin(hs-c Tn)assay.Herein,we aim to assess the value of creatine kinase-myocardial band isoenzyme(CK-MB)combined with different cardiac troponin(c Tn)assays in AMI diagnosis.METHODS:This multicenter,observational study included 3,706 patients with acute chest pain from September 1,2015,to September 30,2017.We classified the participants into three groups according to the c Tn assays:the point-of-care c Tn(POC-c Tn)group,the contemporary c Tn(c-c Tn)group,and hs-c Tn group.The diagnostic value was quantified using sensitivity and the area under the curve(AUC).RESULTS:Compared to the single POC-c Tn/c-c Tn assays,combining CK-MB and POC-c Tn/c-c Tn increased the diagnostic sensitivity of AMI(56.1%vs.63.9%,P<0.001;82.7%vs.84.3%,P=0.025).In contrast,combining CK-MB and hs-c Tn did not change the sensitivity compared with hs-c Tn alone(95.0%vs.95.0%,P>0.999).In the subgroup analysis,the sensitivity of combining CKMB and c-c Tn increased with time from symptom onset<6 h compared with c-c Tn alone(72.8%vs.75.0%,P=0.046),while the sensitivity did not increase with time from symptom onset>6 h(97.5%vs.98.3%,P=0.317).The AUC of the combination of CK-MB and POC-c Tn significantly increased compared to the single POC-c Tn assay(0.776 vs.0.750,P=0.002).The AUC of the combined CKMB and c-c Tn/hs-c Tn assays did not significantly decrease compared with that of the single c-c Tn/hs-c Tn assays within 6 h.CONCLUSIONS:The combination of CK-MB and POC-c Tn or c-c Tn may be valuable for the early diagnosis of AMI,especially when hs-c Tn is not available.

Repellent Activity of Extracts of Wild Rice Species against Panonychus citri and Aphis citricola in Associated with Esterase Isoenzyme in Insests

Six species of wild rice with different ecophenotypes including Oryza grandiglumis （E6-1, E6-3 / 6-4）, O. minuta （E13-9, E13-13）, O. officinalis（E15-8, E15-13）, O. punctata （E16-1, E16-3, E16-13）, O. granulata（E7-4）, and O. latifolia（101392, E9-1, E9-10） were extracted with methnol and the repellent activity of the extracts against the two insects Aphis citricola and Panonychus citri were studied. The extracts of O. officinalis E15-8 showed higher repellent rate to the two insects than those of the other species. The repellent rates of the extracts of E15-8 to P. citriand A. citricola were 83.26% and 87.86% at 5×10^4 μg/mL in 24 h and 87.95% and 82.43% in 48 h, respectively. The extracts of O. officinalis E15-8 had the effect of inhibition to the esterase of the two insects.

Adenosine deaminase isoenzymes estimation - as a diagnostic tool for tuberculous pleural effusions

Objective:To assess the efficacy of ADA isoenzyme estimation over that of total ADA level in pleural fluid and serum as a more efficient diagnostic indicator in tuberculous pleural effusions in high prevalence country like India.Methods:The efficacy was analysed in total thirty four patients of pleural effusions.Total ADA was estimated by Guitsi and Galanti Calorimetric method and ADA isoenzymes with and without EHNA[Erythro-9-（2- hydroxy-3-nonyl） adenine]a potent ADA1 inhibitor using the same method.Results:The results demonstrated a statistically significant values of ADA2 in serum（P【0.001）,pleural fluid（P = 0.000） and significant value for the ratio of pleural fluid ADA2/serum ADA2（P【0.001） and pleural fluid ADA/ADA(2（P【0. 005）.The sensitivity and specificity values of pleural fluid ADA|2 is 81.8%and 91.6%（cut off value 60 IU/L for Tuberculous effusions）,serum ADA2 95.4%and 66%（cut off value 70 IU/L for tuberculous effusions）. ADA2 is an isoenzyme,which is significantly raised in tuberculous pleural effusions both in the serum and pleural fluid.Conclusion:Estimation of ADA isoenzymes is redundant as a diagnostic aid over total ADA estimation in view of the limited improvements both in specificity and sensitivity patterns and also in term of cost-benefit ratio.

Analysis of LDH activities and its isoenzyme patterns in colorectal cancer tissues

AIM To investigate the relationship between lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity or LDH isoenzyme pattern and the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.

Variation of peroxidase isoenzyme and biofilm of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in continuous membrane bioreactor for Reactive Brilliant Red X3-B treatment

The influence of a Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B （RBR X-3B） dye on the peroxidase isoenzyme ofPhanerochaete chrysosporium was determined, and the biofilm structure in a white rot fungal continuous membrane bioreactor （MBR） was also investigated by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The variation of peroxidase isoenzyme and the decolorization rate in the continuous MBR were evaluated. The results showed that the 100 mg/L RBR X-3B could stimulate the production of the peroxidase isoenzyme in the shaking-flask culture. In addition, two new peroxidase isoenzyme bands with relative mobility （Rf） value of 0.27 and 0.28 appeared, but the activity was lower than the blank control of 11 d. In the continuous MBR, the system worked stably during the first 60 d, the main peroxidase isoenzyme bands existed and three new bands with Rf value of 0.10, 0.27, and 0.28 appeared. Meanwhile, the biofilm grew well and the average decolorization rate could reach 90.6%. But the bands of peroxidase isoenzyme decreased rapidly at day 65, only two bands with Rf value 0.24 and 0.26 existed, and the decolorization rate decreased to 78.3%. Therefore, 5 bottles of P. chrysosporium mycelial pellet were added into the MBR, and then the activity of the peroxidase isoenzyme and the decolorization rate had a slight recovery. Finally, the decolorization rate finally decreased to 75.2%. These results contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the variation of peroxidase isoenzyme and biofilm in continuous MBR by white rot fungi.

Purification of Active Peroxidase Isoenzymes and Their Responses to Nitrogen Fertilization and Rotation of Biomass Sorghum

Peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.7) participate in lignin biosynthesis. But peroxidation is not a tool for assaying lignocellulose metabolism because the active cannot yet be separated from the inactive peroxidases. A biochemical tool for assaying plant cell wall responses to agronomic practices is needed in the lignocellulosic feedstock renewable energy industry. Peroxidase of biomass sorghum was purified to 9 - 13 charge isomers by free solution IEF (Rotofor) technique. Free solution IEF was more effective than chromatographic purification of active peroxidase isoenzymes. Native PAGE separated each charge isomer to three anionic and three cationic isoenzymes. Hydrogen peroxide and o-dianisidine assays showed that only 20% - 30% of the isoenzymes displayed normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Sorghum planted without nitrogen fertilization induced the hydrogen peroxide noncompetitive inhibition of peroxidase, but 280 kg·ha–1 nitrogen fertilization and 100% sorghum mineral residue return to the soil tripled the concentration of active peroxidase and relieved the inhibition with concomitant increases of 350 kg lignin and 3532 kg·cellulose·ha–1. Nitrogen fertilization without crop rotation induced hydrogen peroxide inhibition of the peroxidase, but nitrogen fertilization and 25% sorghum rotation changed the PI of the active peroxidase from neutral to mildly acidic and relieved the inhibition with concomitant enormous increases of 690 kg lignin and 7151 kg·cellulose·ha–1. Hydrogen peroxide inhibition kinetics is consistent with the known peroxidase-substrate intermediate dead-end complex formation. Lignocellulosic yield was greatest under the agronomic management that combined 280 kg·ha–1 nitrogen fertilizer with 25% sorghum residue, which resulted in a shift of pI value of the active peroxidase due to a reduction in the Km value of the peroxidase. Therefore, up to 75% of sorghum biomass rather than only 50% can be harvested for conversion to bioenergy products.

Expression and kinetic changes of alkaline phosphatase and its isoenzymes in experimental rat hepatoma

AIM To explore the expression and changes of hepatoma specific alkaline phospatase (ALP) in rats during canceration.METHODS The ALPs and isoenzymes of rat livers and sera were investigated in SD hepatomas induced with 0.05% 2-fluoenylacetamide (2-FAA).RESULTS By pathological examination and biochemical analysis. ALPs were overexpressed in rat livers during canceration and then were secreted into blood. Serum total ALP activities, liver ALP specific activities (U/g) including soluble and membrane-combined ALP activities of each group were all significantly higher (P＜0.01) than those of control group. The average ratios of soluble ALP to membrane-combined ALP were increased significantly after 6 weeks. ALP isoenzymes of rat sera and livers showed 5 bands on PAGE: ALP-Ⅰ and ALP-Ⅱ were specific for normal liver and rat hepatoma tissues, the ALP-Ⅱ appeared in rat liver after 6 weeks and in sera after 8 weeks.CONCLUSIONS ALP with carcino-embryonic protein was overexpressed in hepatoma tissues; the abnormal ALP-Ⅱ of ALP isoenzymes in sera and liver of rats can be used as a tumor marker for early diagnosis of rat hepatoma.

UV-B irradiation and allelopathy by Sargassum thunbergii affects the activities of antioxidant enzymes and their isoenzymes in Corallina pilulifera

Intertidal macroalgae can cope with the dual effects of UV-B irradiation and allelopathy.To study the impacts of the two stressors,we co-cultured Corallina pilulifera with Sargassum thunbergii in 1:1 and 1:10 ratios under different doses of UV-B radiation.The response of the antioxidant defense system,focusing on activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),peroxidase(POX)and glutathione reductase(GR),was monitored.In addition,isoenzyme patterns were analyzed using nondenaturing poly acry lamide gel electrophoresis.The results show that the activities of SOD,APX,and GR were all significantly affected by both UV-B radiation and allelopathy,and the effect of their interaction was significant.However,POX activity was only influenced by UV-B radiation.The enzymatic assay revealed four distinct bands of SOD.The SODⅢband weakened significantly when the co-cultures were exposed to extremely high dosage of UV-B irradiation under both co-culturing ratios of 1:1 and 1:10.When the coculturing ratio was 1:10,both POXⅡand APXⅡenzy me activities increased with different UV-B doses.GR activity was at its greatest when the co-culture ratio was 1:10 and exposure was to the higher UV-B doses.The activities of GRⅢand GRⅣwere elevated under all UV treatments whereas the activities of GRI and GRII were reduced under the lower UV-B treatments but were elevated under the higher UV-B treatments.However,lipid peroxidation,as indicated by the thiobarbituric acid-reacting substance(TBARS)assay,increased significantly under the dual stressors.Our data sugge st that allelopathy and UV-B radiation stre ss can each affect the antioxidant enzyme activities of C.pilulifera.Critically,the adverse effects of UV-B on C.pilulifera were intensified by the compounding effects of allelopathy.

Fractionation of gamma-glutamyltransferase in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease

AIM To assess how serum gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) fractions vary in patients with alcoholic liver disease(ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). METHODS Serum samples were obtained from 14 patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver diseases and 9 patients with biopsy proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In addition to these biopsy-proven cases, 16 obese(body mass index > 25) patients without any history of alcohol consumption but with a fatty liver on ultrasound examination and with elevated GGT were included for an additional analysis. Serum GGT fractionation was conducted by high-performance gel filtration liquid chromatography and was separated into the four fractions, big-GGT, medium-GGT, small-GGT(s-GGT), and free-GGT(f-GGT).RESULTS The results were expressed as a ratio of each fraction including the total GGT(t-GGT). The s-GGT/t-GGT ratioswere lowest for the control group and highest for the ALD group. The differences between the control and NAFLD groups and also between the NAFLD and ALD groups were statistically significant. In contrast, the f-GGT/t-GGT ratios were highest in the control group and lowest in the ALD group, with the differences being statistically significant. As a result, the s-GGT/f-GGT ratios were markedly increased in the NAFLD group as compared with the control group. The increase of the s-GGT/t-GGT ratios, the decrease of the f-GGT/t-GGT ratios, and the increase of s-GGT/F-GGT ratios as compared with the control group subjects were also found in obese patients with clinically diagnosed fatty change of the liver.CONCLUSION Serum GGT fractionation by high-performance gel filtration liquid chromatography is potentially useful for the differential diagnosis of ALD and NAFLD.

Tissue-Specific Isoenzyme Variations in Tilapia Fish, <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i>

Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis have been used to analyze malate dehydrogenase (MDH), acid phosphatase (Acph) and peroxidase (Px) isoenzymes in different tissues (liver, kidney, muscle and heart) of the tilapia fish, Oreo- chromis niloticus in order to study the tissue specificity of these isoenzymes. Three, two and one fractions have been recorded respectively for the three isoenzymes in different studied tissues. The MDH-1 and MDH-2 have been ex- pressed only in muscle and heart while MDH-3 has been expressed in all studied tissues. The percentage amount of MDH in general varied significantly between muscle and different studied tissues. With respect to acid phosphatase, the percentage amount of the total enzyme showed significant difference between liver and muscle and that this variation may be due to higher gene activity in liver. Peroxidase isoenzyme was recorded in liver and heart only with significant increase in liver. The kidney was the least among the studied tissues in showing gene expression for the studied isoenzymes and therefore, liver, heart and muscle tissues are better applicable in studying the isoenzymatic profiles for fish physiology and systematics.

Purification, Immobilization and Characterization of Lipase Isoenzyme from <i>Aspergillus niger</i>with C8 Magnetic Particles

The purification of a lipase isoenzyme from an Aspergillus niger lipase A is reported in this manuscript. Purification was carried out in a simple adsorption step, in which the lipase was offered at low ionic strength to the commercially available C8 modified magnetic particles, MaKProt C8. When the isoenzyme was desorbed with a 0.2% solution of Triton X-100, the SDS-PAGE gel showed a single pure band with a molecular weight of 35 KDa. The purified fraction showed 66.75-fold purification compared with the crude extract. The pure fraction was characterized along with the crude extract and the lipase adsorbed on the MaKProt C8. The purified and the adsorbed lipase showed better activity for the tested substrates (p-nitrophenyl acetate, decanoate, myristate and palmitate) than the crude extract, the preferred substrates being myristate (26.7 μmol·min-1·mg-1) and decanoate (17.4 μmol·min-1·mg-1), respectively. The temperature and pH profiles showed no change for the three enzymes, the optimum temperature being 37°C and the best pH 7.0.

Faecal pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M2 for colorectal cancer screening:A meta-analysis

AIM:To present a critical discussion of the efficacy of the faecal pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M2(faecal M2-PK) test for colorectal cancer(CRC) screening based on the currently available studies.METHODS:A literature search in PubMed and Embase was conducted using the following search terms:fecal Tumor M2-PK,faecal Tumour M2-PK,fecal M2-PK,faecal M2-PK,fecal pyruvate kinase,faecal pyruvate kinase,pyruvate kinase stool and M2-PK stool.RESULTS:Stool samples from 704 patients with CRC and from 11 412 healthy subjects have been investigated for faecal M2-PK concentrations in seventeen independent studies.The mean faecal M2-PK sensitivity was 80.3%;the specificity was 95.2%.Four studies compared faecal M2-PK head-to-head with guaiacbased faecal occult blood test(gFOBT).Faecal M2PK demonstrated a sensitivity of 81.1%,whereas the gFOBT detected only 36.9% of the CRCs.Eight independent studies investigated the sensitivity of faecal M2-PK for adenoma(n = 554),with the following sensitivities:adenoma < 1 cm in diameter:25%;adenoma > 1 cm:44%;adenoma of unspecified diameter:51%.In a direct comparison with gFOBT of adenoma > 1 cm in diameter,47% tested positive with the faecal M2-PK test,whereas the gFOBT detected only 27%.CONCLUSION:We recommend faecal M2-PK as a routine test for CRC screening.Faecal M2-PK closes a gap in clinical practice because it detects bleeding and nonbleeding tumors and adenoma with high sensitivity and specificity.

RESEARCH ON THE HEREDITY AND VARIATION OF THE PERUXIDASE ISOENZYME OF NEEDLES OF PINUS KORAIENSIS

Through the polyacrylamide gel clectrophoresis analysis of thirty-two needle samples of ninty-years old pinus koraiensis in Harbin, seven typies of zone and distribution of the zone frequency, and some objective fact of heredity and variation were determined. These informations can be used as reference materials in the research of heredity and variation of pinus koraiensis.