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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[Azoospermia, asthenozoospermia and seminal biochemistry].

The biochemical analysis of human semen is based on assays of certain compounds in the ejaculate, which are secreted by the prostate (acid phosphatase, citrate, zinc), the seminal vesicles (fructose), and the epididymis (free carnitine). The information provided by seminal biochemistry is relevant not only for the investigation of male sterility, but also to endocrinology, urology and pharmacology. In the case of excretory azoospermia, the carnitine level is lower than 300 nmoles, which allows a differentiation between secretory and excretory azoospermia. Occlusions can be located by measuring prostatic and vesicular markers: they are normal if the occlusion is deferential or epididymal; if the fructose level is zero and the level of prostatic markers is high, there is an occlusion in the ejaculatory ducts or a bilateral deferential agenesia. The information provided by seminal biochemistry in the investigation of male sterility remains limited. It will probably be enhanced when spermatozoon biochemistry is better understood.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

[15 years' cancer research at the Department of Cancer Biology and Biochemistry].

This work makes a brief summary of the scientific research carried out during the last fifteen years (1968-1982) in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry of Cancer (AISN, Department of Health and Consumption), identified with the Coordinated Center of Oncological Biochemistry of the CSIC (Department of Education and Science), with the valuable help of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) the first five years 1968-1972), and of the Scientific Foundation of the AECC the following ten years (1973-1982). A brief mention of the research work carried out between 1945 and 1967 is made before referring to the work done between 1968-1982. The researchers of the Department have done important studies in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, virology and immunology of cancer. They described for the first time the existence of immunological processes in ontogenic evolution and cell differentiation; the transfection with DNA from several kinds of tumors, including a mouse sarcoma induced by 20-methylcholanthrene (now 3-methylcholanthrene) and a human lung carcinoma; the evolution of the humoral immunological response in SWR and AKR mice along the whole life; the isolation of a polytumoral DNA virus; the carcinogenic activity of viral DNA; the establishment of a virus-transformed cell line "in vitro", the incorporation of the viral genome to the cell genome; the reverse transcription; the antiblastogram, an "in vitro" predictive assay of anti-cancer chemotherapy agents; and the isolation of tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed2003

Culture collections and biochemistry.

This review describes the relationships and links between culture collections, which act as sources of genomes, transcriptomes, proteome, and metabolomes, and fields of research biochemistry that demand their support and help. In addition, the invaluable but not always rewarded efforts of these organizations as a source and conservator of organism diversity is discussed. Biological waste-water treatment, ethanol as a non-finite source of energy, Rhodococcus fascians as the source of a citrus-juice debittering agent, the sporulation of filamentous fungi in liquid medium, and biotransformation with growing and resting cells are processes developed by the authors that demonstrate some of the applications of organisms from culture collections in the general field of biotechnology and related areas, including industrial biochemistry and biocatalytic synthesis.

Biochemical Phenomena↗
PubMed2005

Differences in students' perceptions of learning compulsory foundation biochemistry in the health sciences professions.

Student approaches to learning vary from surface approaches to meaningful, deep learning practices. Differences in approach may be related to students' conceptions of the subject, perceptions of the learning environment, prior study experiences and performance on assessment. This study aims to explore entering students' conceptions of the unit they are about to study and how they intend to approach their studies. It involved a survey of 203 (of 250) first year students in a cross disciplinary unit in the Faculty of Health Sciences. They were asked to complete an open-ended response survey, including questions on what they thought they needed to do to learn biochemistry and what they thought the study of biochemistry was about. A phenomenographic methodology was used to identify categories of description for the questions. The paper will describe the categories in detail, the structural relationship between the categories and the distribution of responses within categories. The study reports a relationship between conception of the topic and approaches to learning. Students with more complex and coherent conceptions of the topic report that they were more likely to adopt deeper approaches to study than those with more fragmented conceptions. However, compared to previous studies, a surprisingly high proportion of students with more cohesive conceptions still intended to adopt more surface approaches. This may reflect the particular context of their learning, namely in a compulsory unit involving material for which most students have minimal background and difficulty seeing its relevance. Implications for teaching such foundation material are discussed.

Attitude↗
PubMed1994

The impact of clinical biochemistry on the pre-doctoral medical curriculum: an Italian viewpoint.

Clinical biochemistry can be viewed as a subdiscipline of laboratory medicine, but is not confined to the practical aspects of laboratory testing as clinical chemistry is. Since medical studies comprise both theoretical education and practical training, clinical (bio)chemistry must be taught by preceptors experienced in clinical laboratory operations. In Italy, where medical education traditionally has been separated into basic sciences and clinical sciences, clinical biochemistry has been added as a course to bridge between the two phases of the curriculum. However, the broader changes in Italian medical training will create a more cohesive pattern of teaching, and the integration of different material into a 'layer cake' curriculum. In such a structure, clinical (bio)chemistry will be considered a clinical discipline devoted mainly to teaching the use of laboratory tests, while the linkage between basic and clinical sciences falls to general pathology and pathophysiology. Nevertheless, to avoid overlap and lack of propaedeutical coordination, the content of the clinical (bio)chemistry-course must be coordinated with both the basic and the clinical sciences. This viewpoint is also supported by IFCC/IUPAC guidelines on teaching clinical chemistry to medical students.

Biochemistry↗
PubMed1994

Clinical biochemistry education in Spain.

Clinical biochemistry in Spain was first established in 1978 as an independent specialty. It is one of several clinical laboratory sciences specialties, together with haematology, microbiology, immunology and general laboratory (Clinical analysis, análisis clinicos). Graduates in Medicine, Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biological Sciences can enter post-graduate training in Clinical Chemistry after a nation-wide examination. Training in an accredited Clinical Chemistry department is 4 years. A national committee for medical and pharmacist specialties advises the government on the number of trainees, program and educational units accreditation criteria. Technical staff includes nurses and specifically trained technologists. Accreditation of laboratories is developed at different regional levels. The Spanish Society for Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SECQ), the national representative in the IFCC, has 1600 members, currently publishes a scientific journal (Química Clinica) and a newsletter. It organizes a continuous education program, a quality control program and an annual Congress.

Biochemistry↗
PubMed1996

Problems and perspectives of clinical biochemistry training, and the example of Italy.

Even though Laboratory Medicine is a firmly established science, the taxonomy of its various branches differs not only between countries but also within the same country, largely because of conflicting interests and views. Two criteria can be used to define Laboratory Medicine: (1) it encompasses the life sciences such as biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology and other scientific disciplines as applied to clinical practice, and (2) it involves solving clinical problems and making related decisions applied to preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic aspects of medicine. Thus, Laboratory Medicine is an integrated science that is clinically oriented, but it depends upon the basic sciences for its operational and intellectual aspects. The education and training of Clinical Biochemistry professionals can be either multidisciplinary, which is the traditional approach, or interdisciplinary whereby the "student' undergoes a "structured' complementary training. Again, there is much debate as to the pitfalls and benefits of each approach. We suggest the interdisciplinary educational approach can better incorporate the rapid turnover of knowledge and the continuous changes in the various lines of activity that are characteristic of Laboratory Medicine, thereby providing a unifying mechanism by which Laboratory Medicine can enter unequivocally into the scenario of Medical Sciences. In this article, the situation in Italy is taken as an example of the different opinions and philosophies that should be accommodated to reach a training system acceptable to both sides of the debate.

Biochemistry↗
PubMed1989

A program package for self-assessment and examination in biochemistry.

A BASIC program has been developed for self-evaluation and testing of an individual's knowledge of main categories in biochemistry. The computer tests permit sequential or random distribution of items, random distribution of answers in each item at each new run, effective feedback control with the student, use of a program clock to determine different time allowance, precise and quick analysis and grading of student's answer thus saving the time and labour of examiners. Editing, deleting and appending of new items is easily achieved. Information is obtained for verifying the quality of the test itself. Examination versions of tests in ten categories have been combined into an annual computer test in biochemistry.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Cy5.5-DTPA-galactosyl-dextran: a fluorescent probe for in vivo measurement of receptor biochemistry.

The high sensitivity of fluorescent reporters offers an opportunity to analytically probe the biochemistry of in vivo receptor systems with low target tissue concentration. We investigated the ability of an optical imaging system to acquire adequate signal for in vivo measurement of receptor biochemistry. The imaging system consisted of a small animal optical imager operating in the time domain (TD) and a fluorescent-labeled diagnostic probe of known receptor-binding properties. Optical imaging of mice (n = 4) using the targeted probe, Cy5.5-DTPA-galactosyl-dextran (2.2 Cy5.5, 4 DTPA, 68 galactose units per dextran, 124 kDa, 24 nmol/kg), demonstrated blood clearance and hepatic uptake. The mean and standard deviation for the time to reach 90% of the peak liver intensity were 15.4 +/- 1.6 min. Typical fluorescent intensities within a 10-pixel region-of-interest from a 30-s image acquired 30 min postinjection were in excess of 2.5 million counts. The nontargeted agent (Cy5.5-DTPA-dextran) did not demonstrate (n = 4) hepatic uptake. This uptake pattern was duplicated by nuclear imaging of rabbits using (99m)Tc-labeled Cy5.5-DTPA-galactosyl-dextran and Cy5.5-DTPA-dextran. This study demonstrated the feasibility of optically labeling a receptor-binding diagnostic probe and imaging in the TD with sufficient sensitivity and temporal resolution for pharmacokinetic analysis.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

From chemistry of life to chemistry of disease: the rise of clinical biochemistry.

Any young scientific discipline may experience difficulties in determining its position. For a young discipline placed at the juncture between potent branches of science with a long tradition, as is the case for Clinical Biochemistry, this is especially true. In such a situation, a look backwards to identify first origins and to follow trends of development can be helpful. Moreover, the close relationship between the history and the philosophy of science should provide insight into the nature of our present work and the potential for future work. Our discipline originated with the emergence of modern chemistry at the end of the 18th century. Methods for the chemical analysis of plant and animal material were developed first. The examination of chemical processes in living organisms followed. Only after these successes did chemical investigations of causes and mechanisms of human disease become possible. A few selected milestones in this evolution can illustrate the medical, philosophical, intellectual and social background which has shaped the rise of Clinical Biochemistry.

Biochemistry↗
PubMed2001

Ecological biochemistry and its development.

The concept that chemistry and biochemistry may play significant roles in ecological relationships is not a new one. It is only within the last quarter of a century, however, that this concept has gained general acceptance and ecological biochemistry has become a well defined interdisciplinary subject in its own right. Examples are given of different types of biochemical relationships involving plants and animals and reference to other areas of the subject are made.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Genomic and proteomic approaches in comparative biochemistry and physiology.

Emerging technologies in genomics (e.g., cDNA library screening, DNA arrays), proteomics (e.g., two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass-spectroscopy fingerprinting), and metabolic regulation (e.g., elucidating protein-protein binding associations or signal transduction pathways) offer powerful tools for comparative biochemistry that will greatly increase our understanding of how animals adapt to environmental stress. The power of these new technologies and their potential application for physiological and ecophysiological research are illustrated with examples of recent advances in key fields. These include hypoxia/anoxia-responsive gene expression, the actions and regulation of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor, the central role of the AMP-dependent kinase in mediating cellular responses to changing energy status, mammalian target of rapamycin mediation of nutrient signals in the control of protein synthesis and growth, proteomics approaches to identifying the physiological substrates of protein kinases, and the interactions of biochemistry and physiology in determining a net organismal response to high hematocrit values stimulated by erythropoietin. In particular, gene- and protein-screening technologies will drive a fundamental shift in the way that environmental stress effects on metabolism are evaluated by providing a holistic overview of the responses of a huge range of cell functions to stress and allowing researchers to identify multiple new areas of metabolic response that contribute to biochemical and physiological adaptation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New directions in comparative physiology and biochemistry: mechanisms, adaptations, and evolution.

Historically, the discipline of comparative physiology and biochemistry has had two major goals: (1) elucidation of mechanisms and their adaptative significance, and (2) understanding of the evolution of mechanisms and adaptations. In general, the first goal has dominated the field. In a mechanistic/adaptational approach, the diversity of organisms is an experimental parameter in the investigation. Lineage-specific characteristics reveal both how physiological systems work and how different kinds of animals are adapted to different kinds of environments. We believe that this approach is far from outdated, in part because many animal groups have been investigated superficially if at all, and in part because the incorporation of fundamentally new technologies into our discipline permits us to address previously intractable questions about even intensively studied animal groups. In evolutionary physiology and biochemistry, the diversity of lineage-specific physiological systems and how they came to be is the subject of investigation. Early attempts to employ the evolutionary approach were not only few in number, they were unsatisfying in outcome because neither phylogenetic nor mechanistic/adaptational knowledge was adequate to serve as a firm foundation. We agree with earlier authors that new and more sophisticated applications of this approach, together with progress in understanding both animal phylogeny and mechanisms/adaptations, all promise to allow us at last to fulfill our second historic goal. In our view, an integration of the two approaches seems to present the most productive trajectory into the next century.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1975

Anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology laboratory programs in the education of physicians.

The amount of laboratory time devoted to anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology has decreased substantially while lecture time has remained essentially unchanged. Most laboratories consist of student conduction of assigned exercises with a sprinkling of demonstrations, conferences, and seminars. Various objectives for laboratory programs are discussed. A great percentage of the student's final anatomy grade (approximately 40%) still depends on his laboratory performance, while in biochemistry and physiology, lab work contributes only 12% and 10%, respectively, toward his final grade. There is great reluctance to abandon the laboratory program, however, because of the significant role it is thought to play in medical education.

Anatomy↗
PubMed2006

Human development V: biochemistry unable to explain the emergence of biological form (morphogenesis) and therefore a new principle as source of biological information is needed.

Today's biomedicine builds on the conviction that biochemistry can explain the creation of the body, its anatomy and physiology. Unfortunately there are still deep mysteries strangely "fighting back" when we try to define and understand the organism and its creation in the ontogenesis as emerging from biochemistry. In analysing this from a theoretical perspective using a mathematical model focusing on the noise in complex chemical systems we argue that evolving biological structure cannot in principle be a product of chemistry. In this paper we go through the chemical gradient model and argue that this is not able to explain the ontogenesis. We discuss the used gradients as information carriers in chemical self-organizing systems and argue that by use of the "Turing structures" we are only able to modelling the mostly simple biological systems. The bio-chemical model is only able to model simple organization but not to explain the complexity of biological phenomena. We conclude that we seemingly have presented a formal proof (a NO-GO theorem) that the self-organizing chemical systems that are using chemical gradients are not able to explain complex biological matters as the ontogenesis. We need a fundamentally new, information-carrying principle to understand biological information and biological order.

Biochemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1994

Regional and supraregional biochemistry services in Scotland: a survey of hospital laboratory users.

AIM: To ascertain the views of Scottish hospital laboratory users on aspects of regional and supraregional biochemical services offered by the Institute of Biochemistry at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. METHODS: A questionnaire was circulated asking questions or inviting opinions under various headings, including current patterns of usage of the services provided, availability of information on specimen collection requirements and reference ranges, current arrangements for transport of specimens, turnaround times for delivery of reports, layout and content of request and report forms, quantity and quality of interpretive advice, potential changes in laboratory services, and overall impression of the services provided. Opportunities were provided for free text comment. The questionnaire was circulated in 1992 to heads of department in 23 Scottish hospital biochemistry laboratories. RESULTS: Twenty one replies were received. Services used widely included trace metals/vitamins (n = 20) and specialised endocrine tests (n = 19). Other services also used included specialised lipid tests (n = 13), toxicology (n = 12), thyroid function tests (n = nine), and tumour markers (n = eight). Fifteen laboratories used one or more of the services at least weekly. Most (n = 20) welcomed the idea of a handbook providing information on specimen collection and reference ranges. Nine identified loss of specimens as a problem. Other perceived problems included the absence of reference ranges from report forms, quantity and quality of interpretive advice, and turnaround times of some tests. Overall impressions of the service(s) offered were very good (n = 12); adequate (n = seven); poor (n = one). CONCLUSIONS: Useful information was obtained about patterns of use and transport arrangements. Areas identified as requiring follow up included provision of information, alternative ways of communicating reports, and improvement in quantity and quality of interpretive advice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

From "butyribacterium" to "E. coli": an essay on unity in biochemistry.

New ideas in science frequently arise from neglected or distorted antecedents. This essay deals with the idea of biochemical unity, encapsulated in Jacques Monod's well-known phrase, dating from 1954: "Anything found to be true of E. coli must also be true of elephants." An earlier version of this phrase,--"From the elephant to butyric acid bacterium--it is all the same!"--was coined in 1926 by the Dutch microbiologist Albert Jan Kluyver. In that year Kluyver and his associate Hendrick Jean Louis Donker published a celebrated paper, "Unity in Biochemistry." The concept of biochemical unity had many antecedents, but these had never caught on. The Kluyver-Donker paper has often been regarded to provide a boost to biochemical and especially to microbiological thinking. Its interpretations and misinterpretations represent an encapsulated history of biochemistry. The present paper examines the history of the concept of biochemical unity from before to beyond Kluyver, investigates the two "elephant" phrases and their possible relationships, and ends with a discussion of the attractiveness of unifying ideas in science.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Recent advances in amelogenin biochemistry.

This paper reviews advances in amelogenin biochemistry in three areas; (i) amelogenin expression; (ii) amelogenin post-translational and post-secretory processing, and (iii) amelogenin structure and function. Recent studies of amelogenin expression have demonstrated that alternative-splicing of mouse amelogenin RNA generates seven distinct mRNAs, coding for amelogenin proteins from 194 to 44 amino acid residues in length. A polyclonal antibody to a sequence of the 194-residue murine amelogenin identified this protein in vivo. While several studies have reported that amelogenins are post-translationally phosphorylated, it has proved difficult to confirm this view. Mass spectrometry studies of bovine and porcine TRAP and LRAP amelogenins have established a phosphoserine residue at position-16 as originally reported by Takagi et al. for a 180-residue bovine amelogenin. Also, we discovered that the detailed mechanism(s) of carboxy-terminal amelogenin proteolytic processing appear different than previously reported. In terms of amelogenin structure, it is well known that amelogenins form aggregated structures. Studies employing a recombinant amelogenin and dynamic light-scattering instrumentation demonstrated aggregate structures of 15-20 nm in radius, corresponding to a mass of 2-3 million daltons. Imaging these aggregates by transmission electron and atomic force microscopy suggested that these structures are equivalent to the "stippled" or "granular" material seen in electron photomicrographs of developing enamel. Collectively, these advances in amelogenin biochemistry lead to a new view of amelogenin structure, processing and functions in enamel biomineralization.

Alternative Splicing↗