The hepatic iron regulator hormone hepcidin consists, in its mature form, of 25 amino acids, but two other isoforms, hepcidin-20 and hepcidin-22, have been reported, whose biological meaning remains poorly understood. We evaluated hepcidin isoforms in sera from 57 control and 54 chronic haemodialysis patients using a quantitative proteomic approach based on SELDI-TOF-MS. Patients had elevated s...

premature rupture of membranes (prom) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy that has a major impact on neonatal outcomes. with respect to racial, nutritional and cultural differences between developed and developing countries, this study was conducted to detect the prevalence of neonatal complications following prom and the role of the duration of rupture of membranes in producin...

Dictyostelium discoideum grew and differentiated normally on cellulose dialysis membranes placed on agar plates. This permitted the examination of cells at various stages of development, including cells during aggregation. Cells were preserved well and fixed for electron microscopy by brief exposure to acrolein vapore followed by immersion in glutaraldehyde solution.

In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of membrane technology is the fact that it works without the addition of any chemicals, with rela...

The exquisite selectivity and unique transport properties of membrane proteins can be harnessed for a variety of engineering and biomedical applications if suitable membranes can be produced. Amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs), developed as stable lipid analogs, form membranes that functionally incorporate membrane proteins and are ideal for such applications. While high protein density and pl...

Chip-level integration of microdialysis membranes is described using a novel method for in situ photopatterning of porous polymer features. Rapid and inexpensive fabrication of nanoporous microdialysis membranes in microchips is achieved using a phase separation polymerization technique with a shaped UV laser beam. By controlling the phase separation process, the molecular weight cutoffs of the...

Ion-exchange membranes have been used in various industrial processes, e.g., in the electrodialytic concentration of seawater to produce edible salt, as a separator for electrolysis, in the desalination of saline water by electrodialysis, in the separation of ionic materials from non-ionic materials by electrodialysis, in the recovery of acid and alkali from waste acid and alkali solution by di...

1. Blood leptin levels are increased in obese subjects and seem to play a major role in the hypothalamic regulation of appetite and energy expenditure. 2. We measured plasma leptin levels in a cohort of 46 patients on maintenance haemodialysis treatment and 26 control subjects. 3. Higher body mass indices were associated with higher plasma leptin levels in both groups. 4. The increase was more ...

The etiopathology, clinical features, and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in long-term hemodialyzed patients, are discussed in the light of new clinical findings. Conclusions summarizing the specific characteristics of CTS in hemodialyzed patients include the following. 1) There is a relatively equal sex ratio of patients. 2) The pathogenesis is complex and includes a) the presence of...

Dialysis is the single most important therapy for chronic kidney disease. However, protein adsorption onto hemodialysis membranes promotes clot formation. The aim of the present study was to develop a surface-modified membrane which suppresses protein adsorption. Using plasma polymerization, hydrophilic N-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) and acryloyl morpholine (ACMO) were polymerized on hydrophobic poly...