Structural and functional properties of the Kunitz-type and C-terminal domains of Amblyomin-X supporting its antitumor activity.

Amblyomin-X is a Kunitz-type FXa inhibitor identified through the transcriptome analysis of the salivary gland from tick. This protein consists of two domains of equivalent size, triggers apoptosis in different tumor cell lines, and promotes regression of tumor growth, and reduction of metastasis. To study the structural properties and functional roles of the N-terminal (N-ter) and C-terminal (C-ter) domains of Amblyomin-X, we synthesized them by solid-phase peptide synthesis, solved the X-Ray crystallographic structure of the N-ter domain, confirming its Kunitz-type signature, and studied their biological properties.

Micronutrient supplementation in pregnancies following bariatric surgery: a practical review for clinicians.

Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery are at high risk for nutritional deficiencies before and after surgery if no proper supplementation and close follow-up are maintained. As pregnancies after these surgeries are occurring more frequently, deficiencies imply risks for both mother and child. Nutritional needs for this specific population are different from that of patients with obesity or a non-bariatric population.

Periconceptional Folate Supplementation in Women after Bariatric Surgery-A Narrative Review.

The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally, and along with it, there is a growing number of patients opting to undergo bariatric surgery to treat this condition. Whilst it has many advantages, bariatric surgery is known to induce micronutrient deficiency, with possible deleterious effects on overall health. This topic becomes even more relevant during pregnancy, where deficiencies can also affect the developing fetus, possibly being the cause of an increase in congenital anomalies.

Do Probiotics During In-Hospital Antibiotic Treatment Prevent Colonization of Gut Microbiota With Multi-Drug-Resistant Bacteria? A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Comparing to a Mixture of , and .

Most infections with producing AmpC β-lactamase (AmpC)-, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-, and carbapenemase-producing bacteria, vancomycin-resistant as well as naturally resistant non-fermenting bacteria such as , are related to a prior colonization of the gut microbiota. The objective of this study was to determine whether treatment with probiotics during an antibiotic treatment could prevent the colonization of the gut microbiota with multi-drug resistant bacteria. In total, 120 patients treated for 10 days with amoxicillin-clavulanate antibiotics were included in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial, comparing the effects of a 30 days treatment with placebo CNCM I-745® and a probiotic mixture containing NCFM, Lpc-37, Bl-04, and Bi-07 (Bactiol duo®).

Eplet Mismatch Load and Occurrence of Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibodies, Rejection, and Graft Failure after Kidney Transplantation: An Observational Cohort Study.

Background: In kidney transplantation, evaluating mismatches of HLA eplets-small patches of surface-exposed amino acids of the HLA molecule-instead of antigen mismatches might offer a better approach to assessing donor-recipient HLA incompatibility and improve risk assessment and prediction of transplant outcomes.

Methods: To evaluate the effect of number of eplet mismatches (mismatch load) on formation of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSAs) and transplant outcomes, we conducted a cohort study that included consecutive adult kidney recipients transplanted at a single center from March 2004 to February 2013. We performed retrospective high-resolution genotyping of HLA loci of 926 transplant pairs and used the HLAMatchmaker computer algorithm to count HLA eplet mismatches.