Characterization of human liver cytochromes P450 by combining the biochemical and proteomic approaches.

Highly purified human liver microsomes were processed by a combination of the biochemical and proteomic methods. Microsomes were purified from the morphologically normal liver tissue obtained from the resected and discarded masses of surrounding liver upon surgical treatment for hemangioma (control) or hepatic metastases arising from colon cancer (pathology). Proteins of each sample were separated by two-dimensional (2-DE) and one-dimensional electrophoresis (1-DE); selected gel regions were excised, in-gel digested and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry.

Plasmapheresis in the treatment of posttransplant cardiomyopathy.

After heart transplantation a number of factors such as pre- and postoperative hypoxia of the myocardium, myocardial failure of the early postoperative period, acute rejection episodes, cytomegalovirus infection, and finally the progressive atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries lead to the development of transplanted heart failure. Severe alterations of the myocardial function at this end stage of the process correspond to incurable cardiomyopathy. The target of plasmapheresis in this case is to decrease the extent of the disturbances in the lipoprotein contents and blood rheology for the improvement of the coronary perfusion of the transplanted heart.