BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACEUTICS

Question  Non-esterified fatty acids in the plasma a) circulate in an unbound state b) bind to lipoproteins and circulated c) bind to albumin and circulated d) bind to the fatty acid-binding protein and circulated Objective: The objective of the above question is to discuss - the function of non-esterified fatty acid and derivatives - the metabolism of non-esterified fatty acids. - the origin of non-esterified fatty acid in plasma - the role of non-esterified fatty acids in diabetes Answer and Explanation Fatty acids play critical roles in the energy metabolism of mammals. The bulk of fatty acids are stored in adipose tissues as triglycerides and mobilized during the energy-deprived state to tissues such as skeletal muscle, heart to fulfill their energy requirements. In addition, they are building blocks for phospholipids and other complex lipids which are a component of the cell membrane, a precursor for biologically active substances such as leukotrienes, pros...

Analytical Sensitivity: Analytical sensitivity is the ability of an analytical method to assess small variations of the concentration of analyte and they are often expressed as the slope of calibration curve. The analytical sensitivity depends on the ratio between the SD of calibration function (random error) and the slope. Analytical Specificity and Interference: The analytical specificity is the ability of an assay procedure to determine specifically the concentration of the target analyte in the presence of potentially interfering substances or factors in the sample matrix. The interference from hyperlipidemia, hemolysis, and bilirubin is generally concentration dependent and can be quantified as a function of the concentration of interfering compound. Diagnostic sensitivity The diagnostic/clinical sensitivity of an assay is the fraction of those with a specified disease that the assay correctly predicts. The sensitivity is also called the true positive rate. Simplifying the term, s...

Trueness and Accuracy The trueness of measurement can be defined as the closeness of agreement of between the average value obtained from large series of results of measurement and a true (actual) value. The difference between the average value and the true value is called the bias, which is inversely related to the trueness. Trueness can be evaluated by comparison of measurements by given method and a reference method. Such an evaluation may be carried out by parallel measurements of a set of test samples or by measurement of reference materials. The ISO has introduced the trueness expression as a replacement for the term “accuracy”. Accuracy is the closeness of the agreement between the result of measurement and a true concentration of the analyte. Accuracy is thus influenced by both bias and imprecision and in this way reflects the total error. Precision Precision may be defined as the clones of agreement between independent results of measurement obtained under specified conditions...