Cryoprecipitate transfusions in the neonatal intensive care unit: a performance improvement study to decrease donor exposure.

Background: The objective of this study was to determine if a change in cryoprecipitate transfusion policy impacts donor exposure and fibrinogen level in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population.

Study Design And Methods: The cryoprecipitate policy was changed from transfusing 10ml/kg to a maximum of 1 unit per transfusion in January 2013. Data were obtained via retrospective chart review of all infants receiving cryoprecipitate transfusions from January 2008 to February 2015 in the NICU at Christiana Hospital.

New strategy for high-level expression and purification of biologically active monomeric TGF-β1/C77S in Escherichia coli.

Mature transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) is a homodimeric protein with a single disulfide bridge between Cys77 on the respective monomers. The synthetic DNA sequence encoding the mature human TGF-β1/C77S (further termed TGF-β1m) was cloned into plasmid pET-32a downstream to the gene of fusion partner thioredoxin (Trx) immediately after the DNA sequence encoding enteropeptidase recognition site. High-level expression (~1.

Structure and functional studies of the ribonuclease binase Glu43Ala/Phe81Ala mutant.

Ribonuclease from Bacillus intermedius (binase) is a small basic protein with antitumour activity. The three-dimensional structure of the binase mutant form Glu43Ala/Phe81Ala was determined at 1.98 Å resolution and its functional properties, such as the kinetic parameters characterizing the hydrolysis of polyinosinic acid and cytotoxicity towards Kasumi-1 cells, were investigated.

[Bacterial synthesis, purification, and solubilization of transmembrane segments of ErbB family members].

A family of epidermal growth factor receptors, ErbB, represents an important class of receptor tyrosine kinases, playing a leading role in cellular growth, development and differentiation. Transmembrane domains of these receptors transduce biochemical signals across plasma membrane via lateral homo- and heterodimerization. Relatively small size of complexes of ErbB transmembrane domains with detergents or lipids allows one to study their detailed spatial structure using three-dimensional heteronuclear high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

Dimeric structure of the transmembrane domain of glycophorin a in lipidic and detergent environments.

Specific interactions between transmembrane α-helices, to a large extent, determine the biological function of integral membrane proteins upon normal development and in pathological states of an organism. Various membrane-like media, partially those mimicking the conditions of multicomponent biological membranes, are used to study the structural and thermodynamic features that define the character of oligomerization of transmembrane helical segments. The choice of the composition of the membrane-mimicking medium is conducted in an effort to obtain a biologically relevant conformation of the protein complex and a sample that would be stable enough to allow to perform a series of long-term experiments with its use.

[X-ray diffraction and biochemical studies of W34F mutant ribonuclease binase].

The structures of two crystal modifications of the W34F mutant ribonuclease from the bacterium Bacillus intermedius (binase) were solved and refined at 1.7 and 1.1 A resolution.

Endorectal pull-through for Hirschsprung's disease-a multicenter, long-term comparison of results: transanal vs transabdominal approach.

Purpose: Previous studies have reported decreased continence in patients undergoing transanal endorectal pull-through (TERP) for Hirschsprung's disease compared to the older transabdominal approach (TAA). To address this, we examined long-term stooling outcomes in a large, multicenter cohort of patients undergoing either TERP or TAA.

Methods: Data were collected from 5 large pediatric institutions.

Left-handed dimer of EphA2 transmembrane domain: Helix packing diversity among receptor tyrosine kinases.

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their membrane-bound ephrin ligands control a diverse array of cell-cell interactions in the developing and adult organisms. During signal transduction across plasma membrane, Eph receptors, like other receptor tyrosine kinases, are involved in lateral dimerization and subsequent oligomerization presumably with proper assembly of their single-span transmembrane domains. Spatial structure of dimeric transmembrane domain of EphA2 receptor embedded into lipid bicelle was obtained by solution NMR, showing a left-handed parallel packing of the transmembrane helices (535-559)(2).

Simultaneous measurement of residual dipolar couplings for proteins in complex using the isotopically discriminated NMR approach.

One-bond residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) measured for the amide groups of proteins partially aligned in a magnetic field provide valuable information regarding the relative orientation of protein units. In order for RDCs obtained for individual proteins to be useful in the structure determination of heterodimer complexes, they should be measured for exactly the same alignment of the complex. Here, an isotopically discriminated IDIS-RDC-TROSY NMR experiment is proposed, which enables the measurement of HN RDCs for two proteins simultaneously and independently, but in the same sample, while they are part of the same complex.

[Complex influence of chemo- and ozonotherapy on the immunity of patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis].

The impact of standardized antimycobacterial treatment versus a complex combination of chemo- and ozonotherapy on the T and B links and specific antituberculous immunity was studied in patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis. A course of ozonotherapy was performed in the early intensive phase of antimycobacterial therapy via endovascular injection of ozonized 0.9% NaCl solution.

Determination of protein rotational correlation time from NMR relaxation data at various solvent viscosities.

An accurate determination of the overall rotation of a protein plays a crucial role in the investigation of its internal motions by NMR. In the present work, an innovative approach to the determination of the protein rotational correlation time tau(R) from the heteronuclear relaxation data is proposed. The approach is based on a joint fit of relaxation data acquired at several viscosities of a protein solution.

[Telangiectasis: arterial or venous?].

In this work we have tried to elucidate whether telangiectases are dilatations of the arteriolar or the venular sections of the circulation system. To this end, we have made use of resources which have allowed us to study in the first place, the wall of these small vascular dilatations and, in the second place, their content. Through our studies we could determine that telangiectases are originated by dilatation of the venular sector of the circulatory system.

[Characteristics of the effect of a constant electromagnetic field on reparative processes in spinal cord injuries].

In 171 white rats the spinal cord was completely sectioned in the upper thoracic region. In 46 control rats an early crude spinal cord scar was identified which precluded the growth of nervous fibers. On the contrary, in animals exposed to constant magnetic field a smooth spinal cord scar was found with collaterals of anterior spinal arteria, recrease of the destruction zone and nervous fiber growth across the scar, This resulted in restored hind paw motility by 56 +/- 4.

[Interrelationships between the tissue link of the hemostatic system and the sympatho-adrenal system following transfusion of heterogenous blood].

In an experiment using 86 white rats it was found that during incompatible hemotransfusion shifts take place not only in the humoral but also in the tissue link of the hemostatic system. It was also seen that the rise of the functional condition of sympatho-adrenal system precedes those changes of hemostatic figures of the tissues. The interrelationships between a tissue link of the hemostatic system and sympatho-adrenal system under the incompatible hemotransfusion were demonstrated.