The group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes the majority of life-threatening bacterial infections in newborn children. Most GBS strains isolated from such infections express a surface protein, designated Rib, that confers protective immunity and therefore is of interest for analysis of pathogenetic mechanisms. Sequence analysis demonstrated that Rib has an exceptionally long signal peptide (55 amino acid residues) and 12 repeats (79 amino acid residues each) that account for >80% of the sequence of the mature protein. The repeats are identical even at the DNA level, indicating that an efficient mechanism operates to maintain a highly repetitive structure in Rib. The structure of Rib is similar to that of alpha, a previously characterized surface protein that is common among GBS strains lacking Rib. However, highly purified preparations of Rib and alpha did not cross-react immunologically, although the two proteins show extensive amino acid residue identity (47% in the repeat region). When analyzed in Western blots, Rib and alpha give rise to a regularly spaced ladder pattern, apparently due to hydrolysis of acid-labile Asp-Pro bonds in the repeats. We conclude that Rib and alpha are members of a novel family of streptococcal surface proteins with unusual repetitive structure.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.271.31.18892 | DOI Listing |
Zhongguo Gu Shang
January 2025
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hanyang Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430050, Hubei, China.
Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of thoracoscopic minimally invasive surgery with nickel-titanium shape memory alloy wrap bone plate versus rib periosteal internal fixation in patients with multiple rib fractures (MRF) and flail chest.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 100 patients with MRF and flail chest treated with thoracoscopic minimally invasive surgery and internal fixation with rib fracture preservation between January 2019 and December 2022, including 54 males and 46 females, aged from 20 to 65 years old, with an average age of (38.0±18.
Medicine (Baltimore)
January 2025
Department of Trauma Surgery, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea.
Rationale: Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature below 35°C, is a common and serious complication in severe trauma patients, often worsened by hemorrhage and medical interventions. Dexmedetomidine, an α2-adrenergic agonist used for sedation in intensive care units, has known thermoregulatory effects; however, its association with hypothermia in trauma patients remains insufficiently explored.
Patient Concerns: A 40-year-old male with severe polytrauma from a motor vehicle accident presented in distress, with hypotension, tachycardia, and a baseline temperature of 35.
J Infect Dis
December 2024
Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis and sepsis and an important cause of disease in adults. Capsular polysaccharide and protein-based GBS vaccines are currently under development.
Methods: Through national laboratory-based surveillance, invasive GBS isolates were collected from patients of all ages between 2019 and 2020.
Fitoterapia
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China; Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China. Electronic address:
Prunella vulgaris is a medicinal and edible homologous plant, commonly used as a folk medicine to treat diseases. The Prunella vulgaris polysaccharides (PVPs) are reported with the antioxidant activity. This work was designed to isolate, characterize, and test the antioxidant activity of purified PVPs from P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
November 2024
Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, IRL.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!