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Clinical chemistry reagents intended to perform qualitative and/or quantitative chemical analysis in a sample of a body fluid (typically plasma or serum) to determine the level of ammonia (NH3), which is usually in a pH-dependent equilibrium with the ammonium electrolyte (NH4+) in blood. A high level of ammonia (i.e., hyperammonemia) causes toxic effects in the central nervous system, and may be caused by inherited metabolic diseases (e.g., deficiency of urea cycle enzymes in children) or by acquired diseases, such as hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients.
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