The utility of speckle-tracking echocardiography in early and midterm follow-up after anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery repair.

Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a reversible cause of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in infants. The LV function is expected to improve serially and return to normal by 1 year after surgical repair. The pattern of improvement in LV function has not been serially analyzed after ALCAPA repair.

Malabarase, a serine protease with anticoagulant activity from Trimeresurus malabaricus venom.

In the present study we describe the purification and characterization of Malabarase, a serine protease from Trimeresurus malabaricus venom. Purification was achieved by gel-permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-75 followed by ion-exchange chromatography on CM Sephadex C-25. Homogeneity of Malabarase was confirmed by RP-HPLC.

Anti-inflammatory activity of oleanolic acid by inhibition of secretory phospholipase A2.

Oleanolic acid, a triterpenoid known for its anti-inflammatory properties, is commonly present in several medicinal plants. The present study evaluated the effect of oleanolic acid on sPLA (2), a key enzyme in inflammatory reactions. Oleanolic acid inhibited sPLA (2) activities of human synovial fluid (HSF), human pleural fluid (HPF) and VIPERA RUSSELLI (VRV-PL-V) and NAJA NAJA (NN-PL-I) snake venoms in a concentration-dependent manner.