Comparison of a transdermal contraceptive patch vs. oral contraceptives on hemostasis variables

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare effects of the transdermal contraceptive patch, a desogestrel/ethinyl estradiol (EE)-containing, monophasic combination oral contraceptive (COC) and a levonorgestrel/EE-containing, triphasic COC on hemostasis variables. Study Design: This was a randomized, open-label study of 104 young women who...

Expanded bed adsorption as a fast technique for the large-scale purification of the complete isoform pool of Ber e 1, the major allergen from Brazil nuts

A new, fast, large-scale purification method for Ber e 1, the major allergen from Brazil nuts, using expanded bed adsorption (EBA) chromatography, is presented. Using EBA, crude extracts can be applied to a fluidized column, which allows the unhindered passage of particulate impurities, thereby avoiding time-consuming centrifugation or...

Detection of a soluble form of BACE-1 in human cerebrospinal fluid by a sensitive activity assay

Background: Formation of deposits of the insoluble amyloid β-peptide is believed to be causally related with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease (AD). The β-peptide originates from a larger amyloid precursor protein (APP) by the action of proteolytic enzymes. The first proteolytic event leading to amyloid formation is the cleavage of APP by...

Reversible denaturation of Brazil nut 2S albumin (Ber e1) and implication of structural destabilization on digestion by pepsin

The high resistance of Brazil nut 2S albumin, previously identified as an allergen, against proteolysis by pepsin was examined in this work. Although the denaturation temperature of this protein exceeds the 110 °C at neutral pH, at low pH a fully reversible thermal denaturation was observed at ∼82 °C. The poor digestibility of the protein by...

The role of the Aspergillus niger furin-type protease gene in processing of fungal proproteins and fusion proteins: Evidence for alternative processing of recombinant (fusion-) proteins

We have characterized growth and protein processing characteristics of Aspergillus niger strains carrying a disrupted allele of the previously cloned and characterized kexB gene [Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66 (2000) 363] encoding a furin-type endoprotease. Deletion of the single-copy gene confirms it to be non-essential but disruptant strains...

Analysis by mass spectrometry of POMC-derived peptides in amphibian melanotrope subpopulations

We have previously shown that the melanotrope population of the pituitary intermediate lobe of Rana ridibunda is composed of two subpopulations, of low (LD) and high density (HD), that show distinct ultrastructural features and display different synthetic and secretory rates. To investigate whether LD and HD melanotrope cells also differ in...

No effect of unfractioned or low molecular weight heparin treatment on markers of vascular wall and hemostatic function in incipient diabetic nephropathy

OBJECTIVE - The high risk for cardiovascular disease in IDDM patients with nephropathy may be mediated by abnormal function of the vascular wall. We investigated whether heparin was able to modulate markers of vascular wall and hemostatic function in patients with incipient nephropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Thirty-five IDDM patients...

Characterization of O-glycosylated precursors of insulin-like growth factor II by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

High molecular weight precursors of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) were isolated from Cohn fraction IV of human plasma by ultrafiltration, affinity chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Molecular weight determination by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) of two...

Characterization of the import process of a transit peptide into chloroplasts

In order to get insight into the functioning of transit sequences in chloroplast protein transport, the import of the full-length transit peptide of ferredoxin (trfd) was investigated. trfd rapidly associated with chloroplasts under import conditions and becomes protected against externally added proteases. Import of radiolabeled trfd is...

Characterization and fibrinolytic properties of human omental tissue mesothelial cells. Comparison with endothelial cells

It has been reported that omental fat tissue is a good source of human microvascular endothelial cells. By characterization we demonstrate that the epithelioid cells isolated from omental tissue are not endothelial cells, but mesothelial cells. They contain abundant cytokeratins 8 and 18, which are absent in endothelial cells, and vimentin. No...

Endotoxin induction of plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 mRNA in rat tissues in vivo

The tissue-specific distribution of tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (t-PA and u-PA) and their inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) was analyzed at mRNA level in five major rat organ tissues. t-PA mRNA was detected in lung, kidney, heart, and liver. u-PA mRNA was detected in kidney and lung. Presence of PA mRNA correlated with the...