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The automated continuous alpha-amylase assay using p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoheptaoside (Boehringer Mannheim) as substrate on the Hitachi 705 clinical chemical analyzer, was compared with the Phadebas Kinetic Amylase Assay (Pharmacia Diagnostics) on the Hitachi 705. The two methods showed good correlation. The precision varied from 1.0 to 2.5% (CV) within-day and from 1.1 to 5.6% (CV) day-to-day. The substrate, p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoheptaoside, was also applied to an automated isoamylase assay. The amylase inhibitor from wheat was used to determine the ratio of pancreatic and salivary amylase activities of serum. About 80% of salivary type amylase was inhibited up to an activity level of 1000 U/l, while inhibition of pancreatic type amylase activity was only 10-15%. Ratios of pancreatic to salivary amylase from 0.1 to 10 can be evaluated in serum with wheat inhibitor. The precision of the isoamylase determination by the Boehringer amylase method was acceptable.

We studied the occurrence of asthma, bronchial wheezing, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in 295 young men aged 18-19 years. The relationship of these symptoms to the immediate skin test reactivity was also determined. Symptoms indicating past or current allergy and bronchial wheezing were observed in 36%. The cumulative prevalence of asthma was 2.7%, bronchial wheezing 9% in addition, allergic rhinitis (including allergic conjunctivitis) 20%, and atopic dermatitis (including allergic urticaria) 20%. Positive immediate skin prick test reactions were observed in 50% of the population. Allergic rhinitis was most clearly connected with a positive skin test. This study shows that the respiratory disorders, generally considered to be allergic in origin, and atopic dermatitis are more common in Finland than has been assumed. The results are, however, in accordance with the observations made in other industrialized countries. Susceptibility to asthmatic reactions and allergic symptoms should be taken into account, more so than at present, when mudging the capability of a young man to manage compulsory military service.

A rapid immunochemical method for transferrin determination is described. The method is based on measuring turbidity caused by antigen-antibody complexes with an enzyme analyser using diluted antiserum as a starting reagent. This immunoturbidimetric method correlates well with TIBC (r=0.979; n=36). A comparison with the radial immunodiffusion method gave the correlation coefficient 0.984 and the regression line y=1. 20x-0.54 (n=36).

Abstract —Oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) obviously plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The purpose of the study was to determine whether antibodies against oxidized LDL are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We determined the serum levels of antibodies against copper-oxidized LDL by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 58 patients with angiographically verified CAD and 34 controls without CAD. The mean antibody level, expressed in optical density units, was significantly higher in patients than in controls (0.150±0.088 versus 0.094±0.054, respectively; P =0.00089). In logistic regression analysis, high antibody level against oxidized LDL was associated significantly with CAD ( P =0.0114), independent of age ( P =0.00137), gender ( P =0.0021), body mass index ( P =0.5947), triglyceride concentration ( P =0.9813), and total cholesterol–high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ( P =0.0080) group. Similar analysis in nondiabetic subjects (n=79) and in men only (n=75) showed analogous results, with only minor changes in P values. The antibody level against oxidized LDL differed significantly between nonsmokers and smokers in CAD patients ( P P =NS). In addition, the antibody level against oxidized LDL differed significantly between nonsmokers and smokers in subjects with low HDL cholesterol (≤0.9 mmol/L) but not in subjects with high HDL cholesterol (>0.9 mmol/L). In conclusion, elevated levels of antibodies against oxidized LDL were associated with CAD. The data suggest that oxidized LDL plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and suggest a protective function for HDL against LDL oxidation.

The missense mutation in the 677th nucleotide (C677T) of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene causes substitution of valine (V) for alanine (A) resulting in three genotypes VV, VA and AA. The VV genotype causes hyperhomocysteinemia and may be a risk factor for coronary artery disease. We determined genotypes by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent restriction fragment length analysis and compared them in 84 patients with type 2 diabetes and in 115 non-diabetic subjects with and without coronary disease. Fractional urinary excretion rate of albumin was assessed by nephelometry. The VV, VA, and AA frequencies in the diabetic and in the control groups were 0.095, 0.357, 0.548 and 0.061, 0.417, 0.522, respectively (p = NS, diabetic vs. controls, χ2 test). Genotype frequencies did not differ in either diabetic or control subjects between those with or those without coronary disease (χ2 test). The fractional urinary excretion rate of albumin (mean ±SD) in diabetic patients with the VV genotype i.e. 1.59 ± 0.71 was lower (Kruskall-Wallis test p = 0.002) than in the other genotypes i.e. VA 5.98 ± 9.75 and AA 3.75 ± 4.77, respectively (post-hoc Mann-Whitney test VV vs. VA p = 0.005 and VV vs. AA p = 0.054, respectively). We found that in patients with type 2 diabetes the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase VV genotype was associated with a low urinary albumin excretion but not with coronary artery disease or diabetes per se.