A rapid method for assessing the lytic activity of antimicrobial agents against yeast and fungi has been developed. The assay is based on the release of the intracellular enzyme, maltase (alpha-glucosidase). The released maltase activity was measured colorimetrically by the production of p-nitrophenol from p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG). The lytic activity of different antimicrobi...

Mesenteric vascular occlusion and intestinal obstruction are difficult-to-diagnose medical emergencies. We evaluated a large panel of biochemical markers as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in a rat model of intestinal infarction and partial, complete, and strangulated intestinal obstruction. After intestinal infarction and obstruction, laboratory data are distinctly abnormal. Serum urea ni...

OBJECTIVE The root of Helicteres angustifolia L. (Sterculiaceae) has been used as tea to treat diabetics effectively by local people in Laos. However, no scientific evidence is available for this ethnomedicinal usage. This study was undertaken to explore the hypoglycemic effect of aqueous extract from Helicteres angustifolia root. PATIENTS AND METHODS The effect of aqueous extract from Helict...

The domestic cat (Felis catus), a carnivore, naturally eats a very low carbohydrate diet. In contrast, the dog (Canis familiaris), a carno-omnivore, has a varied diet. This study was performed to determine the expression of the intestinal brush border membrane sodium/glucose cotransporter, SGLT1, sweet receptor, T1R2/T1R3, and disaccharidases in these species adapted to contrasting diets. The e...

Regional distribution of intestinal enzymes in Nile tilapia was investigated using enzyme histochemistry. Samples from adult fish were obtained from the five major intestinal segments. Activities of maltase, leucine aminopeptidase, dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV, lipase, non-specific esterases, and alkaline phosphatase were examined in each segment. All enzymes were present at specific sites alon...

The digestive tract of lepidopteran insects is unique given its highly alkaline pH. The adaptive plasticity of digestive enzymes in this environment is crucial to the highly-efficient nutritional absorption in Lepidoptera. However, little is known about the molecular adaptation of digestive enzymes to this environment. Here, we show that lepidopteran α-glucosidase, a pivotal digestive enzyme, d...

Trehalose is a disaccharide, the main dietary source being mushrooms. It has been approved as an additive in the preparation of dried food. Isolated intestinal trehalase deficiency is found in 8% of Greenlanders, but is rare elsewhere. The normal range of trehalase activity and the incidence of isolated trehalase deficiency in the UK have not been reported. Patients (n 400) were investigated fo...