Advancing Desulfurization in the Model Biocatalyst IGTS8 via an Combinatorial Approach.

Biodesulfurization poses as an ideal replacement to the high cost hydrodesulfurization of the recalcitrant heterocyclic sulfur compounds, such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives. The increasingly stringent limits on fuel sulfur content intensify the need for improved desulfurization biocatalysts, without sacrificing the calorific value of the fuel. Selective sulfur removal in a wide range of biodesulfurization strains, as well as in the model biocatalyst Rhodococcus qingshengii IGTS8, occurs via the 4S metabolic pathway that involves the operon, which encodes enzymes that catalyze the generation of 2-hydroxybiphenyl and sulfite from DBT.

The ERAP1 active site cannot productively access the N-terminus of antigenic peptide precursors stably bound onto MHC class I.

Processing of N-terminally elongated antigenic peptide precursors by Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is a key step in antigen presentation and the adaptive immune response. Although ERAP1 can efficiently process long peptides in solution, it has been proposed that it can also process peptides bound onto Major Histocompatibility Complex I molecules (MHCI). In a previous study, we suggested that the occasionally observed "ontο MHCI" trimming by ERAP1 is likely due to fast peptide dissociation followed by solution trimming, rather than direct action of ERAP1 onto the MHCI complex.

A systematic re-examination of processing of MHCI-bound antigenic peptide precursors by endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1.

Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) trims antigenic peptide precursors to generate mature antigenic peptides for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules and regulates adaptive immune responses. ERAP1 has been proposed to trim peptide precursors both in solution and in preformed MHCI-peptide complexes, but which mode is more relevant to its biological function remains controversial. Here, we compared ERAP1-mediated trimming of antigenic peptide precursors in solution or when bound to three MHCI alleles, HLA-B*58, HLA-B*08, and HLA-A*02.

Muscular strength and jumping performance after handball training versus physical education program for pre-adolescent children.

The purpose was to compare a 6-mo. specific handball training program and a typical physical education program on various strength and jumping skills. The participants (M age= 13.

Primary omental torsion in children: ten-year experience.

Primary omental torsion (POT), is a rare cause of acute abdomen commonly affecting obese male adults, whereas it is extremely rare in children. In this retrospective study, we present our experience regarding the management of five children with POT and discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of this entity. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children diagnosed for POT, from January 1996 to July 2006 at our department.

Multiple failed urethroplasties: definitive repair with the Duckett island-flap technique.

Background/purpose: The correction of postoperative complications after hypospadias repair presents frequently serious problems, and the results are not always satisfactory. The aim of this study is to present our experience with the tubularized island flap technique (Duckett procedure) in patients who had been submitted to repeated unsuccessful attempts for the repair of hypospadias and its complications.

Methods: During an 8-year period (1994 through 2001), 21 patients, aged 4 to 18 years, presented with severe recurrent hypospadias (3 to 13 times).