Determining the effects of inositol supplementation and the opi1 mutation on ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important microorganism for the ethanol fuel industry. As with many microorganisms, the production and accumulation of certain metabolites, such as ethanol, can have a detrimental effect on cell growth and productivity. Yeast cells containing a higher concentration of phosphatidylinositol (PI) in the cellular membrane, due to inositol supplementation in the growth media, have been shown to tolerate and produce higher concentrations of ethanol.

Successful treatment of tardive lingual dystonia with botulinum toxin: case report and review of the literature.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a dreaded side effect of antipsychotic medication. Recommended treatments for TD may provide reliable improvement but can be, in turn, associated with additional adverse reactions. Recently, several reports have suggested that botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection in affected muscles may significantly improve TD.

Reversible disulfide bond formation of intracellular proteins probed by NMR spectroscopy.

Reversible oxidation of amino acids within intracellular proteins leads to local and/or global conformational changes in protein structure. Thus, the enzymatic activity or binding properties of a protein might be regulated by local changes in a cell's redox potential, mediated by the availability of reducing/oxidizing equivalents. Whereas it is well established that intracellular pools of oxidizable groups compensate for oxidative stress, far less is known about the molecular mechanisms that accompany transient and reversible oxidation of cytoplasmic proteins.

Chaperones specific for the membrane-bound [NiFe]-hydrogenase interact with the Tat signal peptide of the small subunit precursor in Ralstonia eutropha H16.

Periplasmic membrane-bound [NiFe]-hydrogenases undergo a complex maturation pathway, including cofactor incorporation, subunit assembly, and finally twin-arginine-dependent membrane translocation (Tat). In this study, the role of the two accessory proteins HoxO and HoxQ in the maturation of the membrane-bound [NiFe]-hydrogenase (MBH) of Ralstonia eutropha H16 was investigated. MBH activity was absent in soluble as well as membrane fractions of cells with deletions in the respective genes.

Successive action of meprin A and neprilysin catabolizes B-type natriuretic peptide.

Natriuretic peptides such as B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are important cardioprotective hormones with essential functions in sodium excretion, water balance and blood pressure regulation. Consequently, the catabolism of these peptides is in the focus of clinical research. In previous studies, we demonstrated that BNP, in contrast to the structurally related atrial and C-type natriuretic peptide, was not hydrolyzed by neprilysin (NEP).

Proteome analysis of chemically induced mouse liver tumors with different genotype.

Mouse liver tumors frequently harbor mutations in Ha-ras, B-raf, or Ctnnb1 (encoding beta-catenin). We conducted a proteome analysis with protein extracts from normal mouse liver and from liver tumors which were induced by a single injection of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) as initiator followed by multiple injections of two different polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as tumor promoters, or corn oil as a control. Liver tumors were stratified into two classes: they were either mutated in Ctnnb1 and positive for the marker glutamine synthetase (GS(+)), or they lacked Ctnnb1 mutations and were therefore GS-negative (GS(-)).

[Otogenic (labyrinthine) vertigo--when the ear fails to keep us in equilibrium].

The peripheral vestibular organ within the bony labyrinth of the inner ear is closely connected to the other parts of the equilibrium system. As a result of its constant active interaction with the other elements, it plays a major role in ensuring that we can maintain our balance. In the event of a disorder, otogenic vertigo can occur.

Combined endovascular stent-graft repair and adjunctive visceral vessel reconstruction for complex thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Aim: This study demonstrates the therapeutic value of the hybrid open and endovascular procedure in anatomically challenging thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) in high-risk patients.

Methods: Between January 2000 and February 2006, 8 patients were treated with open visceral vessel revascularization and endovascular repair for TAAAs. Patient data were available from medical records.

[The hard-of-hearing patient--what should the general practitioner do?].

When assessing hardness of hearing, the physician must in the first instance differentiate between an acute event--for example sudden loss of hearing--and chronic deafness. Otoscopy, tuning fork testing and measurement of hearing distance provide importance information for the differentiation of hardness of hearing. In the case of noise deafness, the general physician has a preventive task.

Vertigo caused by a nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

A case of a 63 year-old woman with acute vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus caused by a nasopharyngeal carcinoma is reported. Despite a long-standing unilateral Eustachian tube dysfunction, only the occurrence of vertigo attacks lead to the diagnosis in this patient. Inner ear-related symptoms are rare in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the disease is uncommon in Europe.

Longitudinal factor structure of posttraumatic stress symptoms related to intimate partner violence.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) studies have suggested that a model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is characterized by 4 factors is preferable to competing models. However, the composition of these 4 factors has varied across studies, with 1 model splitting avoidance and numbing symptoms (e.g.

Richter and sodium appetite: from adrenalectomy to molecular biology.

Nearly three-quarters of a century ago, Curt Richter removed the adrenal glands from rats and noted that the animal's vitality was dependent on its increased consumption of sodium chloride. In doing so, Richter revealed an innate behavioral mechanism that serves to maintain the hydromineral balance of an animal faced with sodium deficit. This experiment and others like it, led to the development of a field of research devoted to the investigation of salt appetite.

First case of typical Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with miltefosine.

A 26-year-old man presented to our clinic for advice on treatment options regarding cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with multiple lesions. The biopsy revealed Leishmania amastigotes; Leishmania major was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).(11 )Leishmania serology (indirect immunofluorescence test) was positive at 1 : 160 (normal, < or = 1 : 40).

Oestrogen affects the cardiovascular and central responses to isoproterenol of female rats.

This study examined the influence of oestrogen on cardiovascular responses to hypotension produced by administration of isoproterenol (Isop) and on neural activation in hindbrain nuclei mediating these responses. We first measured mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) after administration of isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist that increases circulating levels of AngII, in ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with oestradiol benzoate (EB). We then evaluated EB effects on Isop-induced Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) in the hindbrain baroreflex circuit.

Activation of muscarinic receptors reduces store-operated Ca2+ entry in HEK293 cells.

In many cell types membrane receptors for hormones or neurotransmitters activate a signal transduction pathway which releases Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stores by the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. As a consequence store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) becomes activated. In the present study we addressed the question if receptor/agonist binding can modulate Ca2+ entry by mechanisms different from the store-operated one.

(-)-Adrenaline elicits positive inotropic, lusitropic, and biochemical effects through beta2 -adrenoceptors in human atrial myocardium from nonfailing and failing hearts, consistent with Gs coupling but not with Gi coupling.

Activation of either coexisting beta1- or beta2 -adrenoceptors with noradrenaline or adrenaline, respectively, causes maximum increases of contractility of human atrial myocardium. Previous biochemical work with the beta2 -selective agonist zinterol is consistent with activation of the cascade beta2 -adrenoceptors-->Gsalpha-protein-->adenylyl cyclase-->cAMP-->protein kinase (PKA)-->phosphorylation of phospholamban, troponin I, and C-protein-->hastened relaxation of human atria from nonfailing hearts. However, in feline and rodent myocardium, catecholamines and zinterol usually do not hasten relaxation through activation of beta2 -adrenoceptors, presumably because of coupling of the receptors to Gi protein.

[Oxcarbazepine in the treatment of epilepsy].

Background: Oxcarbazepine (OXC; Timox) is a new antiepileptic drug (AED) chemically related to carbamazepine (CBZ), with comparable efficacy but superior safety according to controlled clinical trials. In a prospective, post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study the efficacy and tolerability of OXC were investigated under conditions of daily routine practice.

Methods: The treatment of 1385 male and female epilepsy patients aged between 1 month and 94 years, who were newly stabilized on OXC or changed over from another AED, was documented in 362 centers over a period of 8 weeks.

Identification of tyrosines in the putative regulatory site of the Ca2+ channel TRPV6.

In HEK293 cells, transfected with the Ca2+ channel protein TRPV6, Ca2+ influx is increased and TRPV6 is tyrosine phosphorylated following addition of the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor N,N-dimethyl-hydroxamido hydroxovanadate to cells. This effect of DMHV is enhanced by co-transfection of cells with the tyrosine kinase Src and the tyrosine phosphatase 1B. It is abolished when cells had been treated with PP1, an inhibitor of Src family tyrosine kinases.

Mass-spectrometric identification of a novel angiotensin peptide in human plasma.

Objective: Angiotensin peptides play a central role in cardiovascular physiology and pathology. Among these peptides, angiotensin II (Ang II) has been investigated most intensively. However, further angiotensin peptides such as Ang 1-7, Ang III, and Ang IV also contribute to vascular regulation, and may elicit additional, different, or even opposite effects to Ang II.

Compartmentalization of cAMP-dependent signaling by phosphodiesterase-4D is involved in the regulation of vasopressin-mediated water reabsorption in renal principal cells.

The cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent insertion of water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2)-bearing vesicles into the plasma membrane in renal collecting duct principal cells (AQP2 shuttle) constitutes the molecular basis of arginine vasopressin (AVP)-regulated water reabsorption. cAMP/PKA signaling systems are compartmentalized by A kinase anchoring proteins (AKAP) that tether PKA to subcellular sites and by phosphodiesterases (PDE) that terminate PKA signaling through hydrolysis of localized cAMP. In primary cultured principal cells, AVP causes focal activation of PKA.

Evaluation of the titanium dioxide approach for MS analysis of phosphopeptides.

The affinity of titanium dioxide for phosphate groups has been successfully used for enrichment of phosphopeptides from complex mixtures. This paper reports the relationship between the occurrence of some amino acids and the phospho-specific and nonspecific binding of peptides that occurs during titanium dioxide enrichment. In order to perform a systematic study, two well-characterized peptide mixtures consisting of either 33 or 8 synthetic phosphopeptides and their nonphosphorylated analogs, which differed in charge and hydrophobicity, were synthesized and analyzed by ESI-MS and MALDI-MS.

Role of lipid rafts in membrane delivery of renal epithelial Na+-K+-ATPase, thick ascending limb.

Lipid rafts are cholesterol- and shingolipid-enriched membrane microdomains implicated in membrane signaling and trafficking. To assess renal epithelial raft functions through the characterization of their associated membrane proteins, we have isolated lipid rafts from rat kidney by sucrose gradient fractionation after detergent treatment. The low-density fraction was enriched in cholesterol, sphingolipid, and flotillin-1 known as lipid raft markers.

Proteomic analysis of Entamoeba histolytica.

In this study, the proteome of axenically grown Entamoeba histolytica parasites was explored by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), employing a practical and effective procedure for the solubilization of E. histolytica proteins. Approximately 900 protein species in the pH range between 4 and 7 were detected by Coomassie Blue staining.

Oxidative stress employs phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase and ERK signalling pathways to activate cAMP phosphodiesterase-4D3 (PDE4D3) through multi-site phosphorylation at Ser239 and Ser579.

RAW macrophages, which express the PDE4D3 and PDE4D5 cAMP phosphodiesterase isoforms, exhibited increased PDE4 activity when challenged with H2O2 in a fashion that was negated by treatment with the cell permeant antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine and by diphenyleneiodonium chloride, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase. In Cos1 cells transfected to express PDE4D3, challenge with H2O2 caused a rapid increase in both the activity and phosphorylation of PDE4D3. Lysates from H2O2-treated COS cells caused the phosphorylation of purified, recombinant PDE4D3 at two sites.

A K+-selective cGMP-gated ion channel controls chemosensation of sperm.

Eggs attract sperm by chemical factors, a process called chemotaxis. Sperm from marine invertebrates use cGMP signalling to transduce incident chemoattractants into changes in the Ca2+ concentration in the flagellum, which control the swimming behaviour during chemotaxis. The signalling pathway downstream of the synthesis of cGMP by a guanylyl cyclase is ill-defined.