Patient Blood Management: transfusion appropriateness in the post-operative period.

Background: Within the context of Patient Blood Management (PBM) policy for the peri-operative period, the transfusion medicine unit of our institution adopted a series of strategies to support and enhance red blood cell (RBC) transfusion best practices. This study aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of RBC transfusion therapy in the post-operative period, before and after starting a multifactorial PBM policy.

Materials And Methods: A 2-phase observational study was conducted on patients who underwent major surgery.

Insights on the structure-activity relationship of peptides derived from Sticholysin II.

Sticholysin II (StII) is a pore-forming actinoporin from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. A mechanistic model of its action has been proposed: proteins bind to cell membrane, insert their N-termini into the lipid core and assemble into homo-tetramer pores responsible for host-cell death. Because very likely the first 10 residues of StII N-terminus are critical for membrane penetration, to dissect the molecular details of that functionality, we studied two synthetic peptides: StII and StII .

The solution structure of the outer membrane lipoprotein OmlA from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri reveals a protein fold implicated in protein-protein interaction.

The outer membrane lipoprotein A (OmlA) belongs to a family of bacterial small lipoproteins widely distributed across the beta and gamma proteobacteria. Although the role of numerous bacterial lipoproteins is known, the biological function of OmlA remains elusive. We found that in the citrus canker pathogen, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv.

Development of a bacterial cloning vector for expression of scorpion toxins for biotechnological studies.

Scorpion venoms contain toxic peptides that recognize K(+) channels of excitable and non-excitable cells. These toxins comprise three structurally distinct groups designated alpha-KTx, beta-KTx, and gamma-KTx. It is highly desirable to develop systems for the expression of these toxins for further physiological and structural studies.

Low resolution structure of the human alpha4 protein (IgBP1) and studies on the stability of alpha4 and of its yeast ortholog Tap42.

The yeast Tap42 and mammalian alpha4 proteins belong to a highly conserved family of regulators of the type 2A phosphatases, which participate in the rapamycin-sensitive signaling pathway, connecting nutrient availability to cell growth. The mechanism of regulation involves binding of Tap42 to Sit4 and PPH21/22 in yeast and binding of alpha4 to the catalytic subunits of type 2A-related phosphatases PP2A, PP4 and PP6 in mammals. Both recombinant proteins undergo partial proteolysis, generating stable N-terminal fragments.

Modeling the Trypanosoma cruzi Tc85-11 protein and mapping the laminin-binding site.

Trypanosoma cruzi expresses a set of glycoproteins encoded by the gp85/trans-sialidase gene superfamily. In this report a structure model is proposed for a cloned member of the superfamily, the Tc85-11 protein. The structure consists of an N-terminus beta-propeller and a C-terminus beta-sandwich interconnected by an alpha-helix.

Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II binds to actin, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and erythrocyte ghosts in a pH-dependent manner and undergoes coil-to-helix transitions in anionic micelles.

The recombinant histidine-rich protein II (HRPII) from Plasmodium falciparum was shown to bind actin and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) in vitro in a pH-dependent manner, very similar to hisactophilin, an actin-binding protein from ameba. Binding of HRPII to actin and PIP(2) occurred at pH 6.0 and 6.

Gene structure and M20T polymorphism of the Schistosoma mansoni Sm14 fatty acid-binding protein. Molecular, functioanl, and immunoprotection analysis.

The Schistosoma mansoni Sm14 antigen belongs to the fatty acid-binding protein family and is considered a vaccine candidate against at least two parasite worms, Fasciola hepatica and S. mansoni. Here the genomic sequence and the polymorphism of Sm14 have been characterized for the first time.