BACKGROUND Urinary excreton of low molecular weight proteins such as beta2-microglobulin and retinol binding protein (RBP), and enzymes such as N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), may be useful as indicators of renal tubular dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE To describe the profile of urinary protein and enzyme excretion in 240 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Si...

In the course of screening for the anti-Parkinsonian drugs from a library of traditional herbal medicines, we found that the extracts of choi-joki-to and daio-kanzo-to protected cells from MPP+-induced cell death. Because choi-joki-to and daio-kanzo-to commonly contain the genus Glycyrrhiza, we isolated licopyranocoumarin (LPC) and glycyrurol (GCR) as potent neuroprotective principals from Glyc...

In this paper, we study the two-player generalized cops and robbers (GCR) games introduced by Bonato MacGillivray. Our main goals are to provide: (a) a game-theoretic formulation of GCR (b) self-contained proof that has value an optimal strategy profile. To achieve our goals, first formulate (and CR as special case) zero-sum stochastic game. Then Vertex Labeling (VL) algorithm prove it computes...

Background Deficiency of the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GCR) enzyme results in Gaucher disease, the most common inherited storage disorder [1]. Current treatment consists of enzyme replacement therapy by administration of exogenous GCR. Although effective, it is exceptionally expensive [2]. In Brazil, the public healthcare system provides the drug free of charge for all Gaucher’s patients, w...

If a graph embeds in a surface with k crosscaps, does it always have an embedding in the same surface in which every edge passes through each crosscap at most once? This well-known open problem can be restated using crossing numbers: the degenerate crossing number, dcr(G), of G equals the smallest number k so that G has an embedding in a surface with k crosscaps in which every edge passes throu...

Impaired activity of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCR) results in the inherited metabolic disorder known as Gaucher disease. Current treatment consists of enzyme replacement therapy by administration of exogenous GCR. Although effective, it is exceptionally expensive, and patients worldwide have a limited access to this medicine. In Brazil, the public healthcare system provides the ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a malignant tumor influences energy metabolism of the host. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured in 104 gastric and colorectal (GCR) cancer patients and in 47 non-small cell lung cancer patients and was compared with REE values in 40 healthy controls. REE expressed per kilogram of fat-free mass (FFM) in lung cancer pa...

Planetary boundaries (PBs) and global catastrophic risk (GCR) have emerged in recent years as important paradigms for understanding and addressing global threats to humanity and the environment. This article compares the PBs and GCR paradigms and integrates them into a unified PBs-GCR conceptual framework, which we call Boundary Risk for Humanity and Nature (BRIHN). PBs emphasizes global enviro...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) stimulate oxytocin secretion from bovine granulosa and luteal cells. Since oxytocin on the one hand is released from ovarian cells by cortisol and on the other hand PCBs can be bound by glucocorticoid receptors (GCr), we have tested the hypothesis that PCBs acting via GCr can stimulate oxytocin secretion. In preliminary studies the effect of RU486 (GCr blocker) ...