We evaluated the Du Pont Axial Separation Technology (AST) system, which permanently separates a blood specimen into serum or plasma and cells in 1 min. Blood was collected in axial processing containers by standard venipuncture techniques and processed in an Axial Separation Module. Paired patient samples (n = 48 serum pairs, n = 50 plasma pairs) revealed no clinically significant differences ...

1. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from eight healthy volunteers were cultured, with or without concanavalin A (Con A), in a medium containing (ml/l) 100 normal autologous serum, 100 experimental autologous serum or 100 heterologous (fetal calf) serum. 2. The control and experimental autologous sera were obtained from the volunteers, before and after 15 d supplementation with 15 g fish oil (...

Chronic alcohol use is a common problem globally among the HIV-infected patients on ARV treatment regimens, leading to severe liver damage and increase in serum enzymes. The study determined effect of chronic alcohol intake on serum enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT)) in HIV-infected patients on d4T/3TC/NVP treatment regime...

An accelerated progressive decline in renal function is a frequent accompaniment of myocardial infarction (MI). Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin that accumulates from the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), is contributory to both renal and cardiac fibrosis. IS levels can be reduced by administration of the oral adsorbent AST-120, which has been shown to ameliorate pathological re...

We determined the association between various clinical parameters and significant liver necroinflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) related cirrhosis. Two hundred patients with CHB related cirrhosis were recruited in the final analysis. Clinical laboratory values and characteristics were obtained from the medical record. We performed analyses of the relationships between indepe...

BACKGROUND We investigated the long-term effect of AST-120, which has been proposed as a therapeutic option against renal disease progression, in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS We performed post-hoc analysis with a per-protocol group of the K-STAR study (Kremezin study against renal disease progression in Korea) that randomized participants into an AST-120 and a ...

Background: Tubal ectopic pregnancy is potentially life-threatening with an estimated incidence of 1% to 2% all pregnancies the wide availability transvaginal ultrasound and quantitative serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) assay; can be diagnosed early, leading successful management without resort surgery. Objective: Evaluation β-hCG levels between days 4 7 as a predictor methotrexa...

Objective. Objective. Previous studies showed that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) was associated with liver diseases such as elevated liver enzyme levels and hepatic steatosis. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and OSAS and its severity. Methods. A total of 617 patients who under...

Hepatic fibrosis; chronic hepatitis C; HCV genotype 4; serum hyaluronic acid (HA); serum Collagen type IV (Coll-IV); AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) and Receiver operating characteristics

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with various factors, including immunological abnormalities and exposure to allergens. Astaxanthin (AST) is a xanthophyll carotenoid that has recently been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory effects and to regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, we investigated whether AST could improve the derm...