Digital information evolution: the AIDS Library experience.

The AIDS Library evolved out of consumer health activism in response to the need for the latest HIV information, materials, and technology. In 1998, staff implemented a microcomputer-based integrated automated library system with Web publishing capability to link catalogs, databases of Philadelphia regional services, online publications, and fact sheets. The Web site, View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Association of a 12.5-kilobase allele of the MspI restriction fragment length polymorphism of the C6 gene in patients with total deficiency of the sixth component of complement.

The distribution of MspI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) alleles was investigated using the C6-PVX probe of the sixth component of complement (C6) and DNA from lymphocytes of 11 patients with homozygous C6 deficiency (C6Q0), 18 of their family members, 3 patients with subtotal C6 deficiency (C6SD) and 28 normal C6-sufficient controls. A biallelic polymorphism of 12.5- and 8.

Activation of human factor IX (Christmas factor).

Human Factor IX (Christmas factor) is a single-chain plasma glycoprotein (mol wt 57,000) that participates in the middle phase of the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. It is present in plasma as a zymogen and is converted to a serine protease, Factor IXabeta, by Factor XIa (activated plasma thromboplastin antecedent) in the presence of calcium ions. In the activation reaction, two internal peptide bonds are hydrolyzed in Factor IX.

Interaction of vitamin K dependent proteins with membranes.

The membrane-binding characteristics of six vitamin K dependent plasma proteins, which have homologous amino acid sequences, were compared. All of these proteins display calcium-dependent membrane binding and the identified equilibria for protein-membrane binding are qualitatively the same for all proteins. Quantitative characteristics of these protein-membrane interactions allow organization into distinct subgroups.

A comparison of human prothrombin, factor IX (Christmas factor), factor X (Stuart factor), and protein S.

Human prothrombin, factor IX, and factor X have been idolated in high yield and characterized as the their amino-terminal sequence, molecular weight, amino acid composition, and migration in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An additional human plasma protein, called protein S, has also been purified and its properties have been compared with those of prothrombin, factor IX, and factor X. Prothrombin (mol wt 72 000), factor IX (mol wt 57 000), and protein S (mol wt 69 000) are single-chain glycoproteins, while factor X (mol wt 59 000) is a glycoprotein composed of two polypeptide chains held together by a disulfide bond(s).