Myoglobin inhibition of most protease activities measured with fluorescent substrates is an artifact!

Myoglobin has been suggested to be a potential inhibitor of endogenous muscle proteases as different as cathepsin B, cathepsin L, cathepsin H and calpains all being supposed to be important in post-mortem muscle. The present work aimed at verifying the ability of myoglobin and its prosthetic group, hemin, to inhibit a series of endopeptidases including papain, cathepsin B, trypsin, calpains as well as two activities of the 20S proteasome. The conclusion of the present work was that inhibition of proteolytic activities of endopeptidases by myoglobin is an artifact.

[Psychological correlates of self-help group membership in patients with rheumatic diseases].

This study focuses on the significance of psychological correlates of membership in self-help groups for rheumatic diseases. 138 patients suffering from rheumatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and arthrosis participated in the study. Self-help group members show specific control beliefs which differ from the non-self-help group members.