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There are no available enzyme determinations for the neonatal period taking in account the considerable changes during the first hours of life. Moreover, in former studies the number of probands has been small and no standardized and optimized methods have been used for the determinations. It was the aim of the presented study to evaluate reference ranges for these enzymes in healthy newborns for the first week of life.We realized a controlled-prospective study about the serum activities of CPK, GGT, GOT, GLDH, LAP, LDH, and HBDH in healthy newborns (n = 87). The enzyme determinations were done for the first time in a serial manner at five fixed times: post partum (cord), 12, 24, 72, and 144 hours post partum with optimized test-kits.The evaluated serum enzyme activities are stated with median, 25th, and 75th percentile by rank. We propose these results as reference ranges for these enzyme activities during the first 144 hours of life.For the first time reference ranges for serum enzyme activities concerning the striking activity changes during the first hours of life are evaluated for healthy newborn infants. These results enable comparative investigations in the case of newborn diseases.

The carnitine metabolism and some relations to the fatty acid metabolism were studied in Pseudomonas putida by means of control of growth, analysis of metabolites, and determination of enzyme activites. The strain grew on gamma-butyrobetaine, D,L- and L-carnitine, glycinebetaine, choline, D,L-norcarnitine, D,L-gamma-amino-beta-hydroxybutyrate, and D,L-beta-hydroxybuty-rate. Although the strain used straight-chain fatty acids of 2-16 C-atoms, it was only able to grow on O-acyl-L-carnitines of 10 or more C-atoms in the acyl-group. Addition of carnitine stimulated the growth on long-chain fatty acis. The formation of trimethylamine increased, if L-carnitine or gamma-butyrobetaine were the only carbon sources, and decreased, if these trimethylammonium compounds were carbon as well as nitrgen sources. L-Carnitine induced the carnitine dehydrogenase as well as the beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, gamma-Butyrobetaine as carbon and nitrogen source induced the carnitine dehydrogenase, too. In the crude extract the specific activiteis of beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were 0.7 or 1.6 mumoles.min-1.mg-1 after growth on L-carnitine and D,L-beta-hydroxybutyrate, respectively. The synthesis of both enzymes was repressed by glycinebetaine, glucose and long-chain fatty acis. Dependent on the nitrogen source L-carnitine was catabolized via two different pathways.

Some oxidative enzymes of undamaged sites of the left ventricle were examined with the aid of ultrastructural morphometric and quantified cytochemical methods 1, 2, 7 and 14 days after the ligature of the descending branch of the left coronary artery. A comparison of the ultrastrastructural morphometric data with the densitometric data showed that increases in the activities of some oxidative enzymes are accompanied by enlargements of the mitochondria.

Serum CK-MB is regarded as a specific indicator for myocardial diseases. Total CK and the isoenzyme CK-MB were measured in 69 patients with myocardial infarction. In 5 of the cases no pathological CK-MB-activities have been seen. Nevertheless, the clinical importance of CK-MB determination as a differential diagnostic aid remains.

Gamma-GT, which appears as a sensitive indicator in the enzyme pattern during postoperative examination, is especially recommended (besides the GOT and GPT enzymes) in detecting and watching the course of hepatocellular lesions. Distinction between parenchymatous and obstructive icterus can in some cases be made at an early stage by comparison with AP. Distinction between increases in biliary and ossal AP activity is possible with the help of Gamma-GT. Where liver metastases are suspected clinically, increased Gamma-GT activity makes metastization into the liver appear likely.

The activity of some enzymes of indirect metabolic rate in maternal and umbilical blood were measured in the cases of normal and complicated by the severe intrauterine foetal asphyxia labours. It is concluded that the severe foetal asphyxia caused by the umbilical conflict is reflecting in the changed levels of the majority of examined enzymes in the umbilical blood.

After ingestion of wild boar meat 58 patients developed typical clinical signs and symptoms of trichinosis. All patients had marked blood eosinophilia. In 45% of the patients GOT and GPT and in 62% HBDH were moderately increased, while in 76% LDH and in 86% creatine-kinase showed abnormally high values. CK-MB was increased in three patients. 92% of muscle biopsies showed typical morphological changes in skeletal muscles. Latexagglutination, complement-fixation and agar-gel diffusion tests were not reliable. In most of the examined cases clinical symptoms and histological results correlated well with the indirect haemagglutination test, the microprecipitation test with living larvae of Trichinella spiralis and evidence of specific antibodies (IgG, IgM, IgE) by indirect immunofluorescence and the ELISA technique. 25 patients were treated with thiabendazole (Minzolum), 19 of them successfully.

The activities of the enzymes LDH (Lactatdehydrogenase), HBDH (Hydroxybutyratdehydrogenase), and GIDH (Glutamate dehydrogenase), as well as LAP (Leucine aryl peptidase) were measured in the serum of 934 children in order to get normal values of these enzyme activities in dependence on the age. We used again the optimized methods (Boehringer und Merck). The form of the distribution of the single values of these 4 enzymes can be described by a lognormal distribution. This applies not to newborns and young sucklings. All measured enzyme activities were depended on the age of the children; newborn and sucklings had significantly higher enzyme activities than infants. After the second year of life the enzyme activities for LDH, HBDH, GlDH and LAP remained constantly. The physiological variations are very high in the newborns. The diagnostic selectivity of the enzyme GIDH is very good, this of LDH and HBDH turned out unspecifically. No difference could be supplied for the sex of the children.

Comparative histochemical investigations of the livers and kidneys of female Sprague-Dawley rats were made: 1. after intoxication with O-pinacolyl-methyl-phosphonylfluoride (Soman), O,O-diethyl-O-p-nitrophenylphosphate (Paraoxon, E 600); 2. after starvation of 24 to 36 h; 3. after hypoxia for 24 h. From the results it is concluded that the fatty degeneration of liver and kidney after PE.-intoxication is caused by intracellular hypoxia. No fatty degeneration of the organs was observed following deprivation of food for 36 h. A decreased level of cholin which might be caused by the intoxication with PE., and which could be the reason for the fatty degeneration was not found. This was indicated by the unaltered evidence of phosphatids in the intoxicated animals.

The serum activities of muscular enzymes are important for the diagnosis and follow-up of muscular diseases. They reflect the degeneration of muscular tissue. The serum enzyme activities (creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB (CKMB), Aldolase (ALD), Lactat-dehydrogenase (LDH), a hydroxy-buty-rat-dehydrogenase (a-HBDH), glutamat-oxalacetat-transaminase (GOT), and glutamat-pyruvat-transaminase (GPT) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy show an increase during the first three years of life, a maximum between the age of 3 and 4 and an asymptotic decline thereafter. Taking the blood samples under non-standardised conditions the coefficients of variation (VK) differed considerably. For a -HBDH the lowest value was obtained (VK = 0.37). The VK-value of ALD was comparatively high (VK = 0.68). The correlation among the enzymes themselves was high and a-HBDH correlated closest to LDH and a-HBDH also to GPT. Thus we conclude that LDH, ALD- and GPT-determinations may be abandoned in Duchenne dystrophy. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy the course of the different enzyme activities can be described by an heuristic mathematical formula (y = Ae-at + bte-ct). With its aid it is possible to calculate the value of the constant c individually for each patient, if at least 4 enzyme values distributed over 3 or more years are available. The evaluation of the enzymes and clinical data of 88 Duchenne patients has shown that the value of constant c is individually correlated to the speed of progression of the disease. This proved most reliable in the case of the CK (r = 0.43 resp. 0.76) and CKMB (r = 0.45). The mean of the constant c in the group of Duchenne patients (n = 88) was -0.29/year, in Beckers dystrophy (n = 7) -0.14/year and in limb girdle dystrophy (n = 12) -0.21/year. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy the calculation of constant c renders it possible to select patients with similar velocity of progression to reinforce the "power of therapeutic studies". The evaluation of pilot studies may be more objective, if the enzyme values actually measured under therapy are compared with those prospectively estimated by mathematical analysis of the course of the enzyme values before treatment.

In 58 patients subjected to urological surgery a statistically significant correlation was found between the repolarization disorder of ischaemic origin on the ECG and the changes in the alpha-HBDH/LDH ratio. After extensive interventions and particularly in aged subjects, the level of the LDH iso-enzyme of myocardial origin may rise without myocardial infarction. The rise is due to myocardial ischaemia, as proved by the ECG.

It was concluded, that the enzymatic control of the development of early pregnancy [equal to of normal course] by the estimation of the activity of GOT, GPT, Ald, ChE, alpha-HBDH and CPK in plasma has no clinical significance. However the different activity of some enzymes in abortion and early gestosis confirm the practical value of these estimations. The obtained results were discussed.

The most frequently estimated enzyme-activities in the serum of children are discussed; these are the serum transaminases GOT and GPT, gamma-GT, alkaline phosphatase, lactate and hydroxy-butyrate dehydrogenase, as well as the creatinkinase and the alpha-amylase. The limited significance of these results for the diagnosis or prognosis is shown. A pattern of several enzyme-activities allows for a better judgement of a situation than the measurement of only one enzyme. Nowadays easier isoenzyme determinations allow for an organ-specific diagnosis. The inherited rise of alkaline phosphatase activity in the absence of disease is known, equally the idiopathic rise of creatinkinase and alpha-amylase. All results of enzyme-activity measurements should be judged in the context if the clinical situation.

The serum activities of LDH, alpha-HBDH, CK, GOT and GPT wer investigated in 124 patients who had undergone cardiac catheterization with angiocardiography or coronary angiography. The determinations were made before and 2, 16 and 40 hours after the investigation. There was no significant influence on the enzyme activities. Lengthy intracardial catheter manipulation, trans-septal puncture and ventriculography may cause transient clinically unimportant increases in activity, especially of CK within normal limits. Distinctly pathological enzyme values were only measured in individual cases of intramyocardial contrast media depots after ventriculogram.

In 40 male adult rats on unilateral torsion of the spermatic cord was initiated by operation. In the first group (4 x 5 animals) the testes were removed after 3, 6, 12, 24 hours. The treatment of the animals in the second group (4 x 5 animals) was untwisting of the torsion after 3, 6 12, 24 hours. Three months later both testes were removed. Histological and enzymehistochemical results are as follows: 1. The extend of acute damage to the affected testis depends on the length the torsion lasted. 2. The delay of time of untwisting the testis probably does not influence the degree of later regeneration. 3. Even short duration of torsion of the affected testis results in damage to the contralateral testies.

Two cases of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia in disseminated carcinoma are reported. Both showed the classical features of this illness, namely acute generalized hemorrhagic diathesis, severe hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fragmentation of erythrocytes in the peripheral blood smear, increased erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis or tumor cell invasion in the bone marrow, tumor cell emboli in venules and disseminated intravascular coagulation. In both cases the microangiopathic hemolytic anemia was the first sign of the disseminated carcinoma. Differential diagnosis, pathogenesis and therapy are discussed.

NAD-beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase activity was investigated in the kidneys of male and female adult Wistar rats using membrane incubating technique. In this connection the enzyme activity presents an other topochemical pattern as in comparison with conventional incubating technique. In the kidney cortex an additional reaction was demonstrated in the convoluted portion of proximal tubules. In connection with the results of biochemical investigations the soluble enzyme is characterized as a nonmitochondrial beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase of proximal kidney tubules (brush border membrane enzyme?).

The enzymic methods for the quantitative determination of acetoacetate and D(--)-3-hydroxybutyrate in blood were modified for the routine determination of these compounds in urine for clinical purposes. Preliminary normal values are reported for children.

The following enzymes were determined in the serum and plasma of man, dog and rat: alanine aminotransferase, asparate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. The enzyme assays were performed on an Eppendorf-Enzymautomat 5010 using optimised conditions at 25 degrees C. The enzyme-activities changed by variable amounts during standing of the blood. This concerned mainly lactate dehydrogenase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase in the serum of the rat. In human serum and in dog serum, and in the plasma of man, dog and rat this effect was only less pronounced.

In 342 patients undergoing open heart surgery we determined the serum enzyme levels of GOT, GPT, LDH, alpha-HBDH, LAP, CK and CK-MB from the beginning of the operation up to the 14 th postoperative day. There was an elevation of serum enzymes depending on the type of operation, the duration of extracorporal circulation and the postoperative course. A pattern of enzyme changes for uncomplicated cases is described. The investigations demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between the elevation of "liver specific enzymes" and right heart failure on one hand and of "heart specific enzymes" and myocardial ischemia on the other hand. It is concluded that only repeated determinations beginning with the operation enable to evaluate serum enzyme levels.

Blood sampling by catheterisation of the abdominal aorta to test plasma haemoglobin and various plasma enzyme activities was compared with two other blood sampling techniques and their application to farm-kept minks under general anaesthesia, cardiac puncture and tail-tip amputation. The plasma haemoglobin values in plasma obtained from the abdominal aorta were significantly lower than those recorded from the two other blood sampling techniques, which applied to plasma enzyme activities, as well. Those findings were equal for males and females. The plasma enzyme activities tested were glutamate oxalo-acetate transaminase, glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and malic dehydrogenase. Some plasma enzyme actvities were tested from a random sample of 164 animals for sex-dependence (88 males and 76 non-pregnant unserved females), with no consideration being given to blood sampling techniques. The standards or physiological indices derived from those tests are reported.