Refolding Increases the Chaperone-like Activity of α-Crystallin and Reduces Its Hydrodynamic Diameter to That of α-Crystallin.

α-Crystallin, a high molecular weight form of α-crystallin, is one of the major proteins in the lens nucleus. This high molecular weight aggregate (HMWA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cataracts. We have shown that the chaperone-like activity of HMWA is 40% of that of α-crystallin from the lens cortex.

Oxidative damage to β-crystallin in vitro by iron compounds formed in physiological buffers.

β-crystallin aggregation due to oxidative damage in the presence of HO and ferric chloride was studied in-vitro under conditions close to physiological. It was shown that the protein aggregation characterized by the nucleation time and the aggregation rate significantly depended on the composition of the isoosmotic buffers used, and decreased in the series HEPES buffer > Tris buffer > PBS. Ferric chloride at neutral pH was converted into water-insoluble iron hydroxide III (≡FeOH).

The mechanism of the interaction of α-crystallin and UV-damaged β-crystallin.

α-Crystallin maintains the transparency of the lens by preventing the aggregation of damaged proteins. The aim of our work was to study the chaperone-like activity of native α-crystallin in near physiological conditions (temperature, ionic power, pH) using UV-damaged β-crystallin as the target protein. α-Crystallin in concentration depended manner inhibits the aggregation of UV-damaged β-crystallin.

Discrimination between chewing of coca leaves or drinking of coca tea and smoking of "paco" (coca paste) by hair analysis. A preliminary study of possibilities and limitations.

Background: Hair analysis is a suitable way to discriminate between coca chewers and consumers of manufactured cocaine using the coca alkaloids hygrine (HYG) and cuscohygrine (CUS) as markers. In the present preliminary study it was examined whether CUS and HYG can be detected in hair of occasional and moderate coca chewers or coca tea drinkers, whether CUS and HYG appear in hair of PACO consumers (smoking coca paste waste), and whether anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) is a useful cocaine smoking marker in this context.

Method: Three groups were included: 10 volunteers from Buenos Aires with occasional or moderate chewing of coca leaves or drinking coca tea, 20 Argentinean PACO smokers and 8 German cocaine users.

The CHILD Intervention for Living Drug-free Comprehensive Assessment of Risk, Resilience, and Experience (CHILD CARRE) Measure: Initial Findings.

This paper summarizes the development and evaluation of an assessment instrument for children ages 7-12. The CHILD CARRE measure is a semi-structured interview with 7 domains. Children from the USA and Argentina (=134) completed baseline and follow-up assessments.