A scheme for the interpretation of primary and secondary disturbances of plasma and urinary amino acid profiles. A possible way to an expert system

A general scheme for the interpretation of primary and secondary abnormalities of plasma and urine amino acid concentrations is described. The key steps of this scheme are: analytical assessment of the measurements, comparison of results obtained with the reference values expressed in absolute and/or relative concentrations and identification of abnormally increased ninhydrin-positive compounds. The interpretation of results takes account of the various abnormalities induced by drugs or diet. The origins of these abnormalities are ordered by their frequency. A part of the proposed scheme is now computerized as the first step in the development of an expert system.