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Biomedical subjects

P Smits

Publications and source records attributed to P Smits.

184 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

The complete amino-acid sequence of the sweet protein thaumatin I.

The primary structure of the sweet-tasting protein thaumatin has been elucidated. The protein consists of a single polypeptide chain of 207 residues. The sequence of the N-terminal part of the chain was determined by sequenator analysis. As the protein contains only one methionine residue, it was possible to deduce the N-terminal sequence of the C-terminal cyanogen bromide fragment by automatic sequencing of the cyanogen-bromide-cleaved, succinylated protein. To arrive at the sequence of the whole protein tryptic and Staphylococcus protease peptides, together with chymotryptic peptides and a 2-(2-nitrophenylsulfenyl)-3-methyl-3'-bromoindolenine (BNPS-skatole) fragment were also sequenced. Comparing the amino acid sequence of thaumatin with that of the other sweet-tasting protein, monellin, we have located five sets of identical tripeptides. Since immunological cross-reactivity of thaumatin antibodies with monellin has recently been described, one or more of these tripeptides might be part of a common antibody recombination site and possibly be involved in the interaction with the sweet-taste receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of coffee on cardiovascular responses to stress: a 14-week controlled trial.

We studied the cardiovascular responses to orthostatic and mental stress of 43 healthy subjects who daily received six cups of boiled or filtered coffee and of 21 healthy subjects who abstained from caffeine-containing beverages. All 64 subjects first received six cups of filtered coffee/day for 2 weeks. Then blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before, during, and after a "stand upright" test and a mental arithmetic test. Subjects were then randomized to either complete abstinence from caffeine-containing beverages (n = 21), or consumption of six cups of filtered coffee (n = 21), or consumption of six cups of boiled coffee/day (n = 22). The stress tests were repeated after subjects had been on these regimens for 8 weeks. Abstinence from coffee did not affect the responses of BP or HR to orthostatic stress, or the response of BP to mental stress. The increase in HR caused by mental stress was five beats/min less (p = 0.02) in the no-coffee group than in the filtered- (95% confidence interval -8.8 to -1.2) or boiled- (95% confidence interval -8.4 to -0.8) coffee group. It is concluded that elimination of caffeine decreases the HR response to mental stress.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anti-inflammatory effects of troglitazone in nondiabetic obese subjects independent of changes in insulin sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is characterised by insulin resistance and by elevated levels of proinflammatory markers. We investigated whether, in the absence of changes in glucose, thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have anti-inflammatory effects and whether improvement of insulin sensitivity correlates with suppression of inflammatory markers. METHODS: We performed a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with troglitazone (400 mg daily for eight weeks) in 15 normoglycaemic obese subjects. We measured plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) after each of the two treatment periods and in 13 age- and sex-matched lean individuals. RESULTS: Obese subjects were insulin resistant (decreased glucose infusion rate (GIR) during euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp) and had higher plasma levels of hsCRP, IL-6, leptin, tPA, and PAI-1 compared with lean subjects. TNF-alpha also tended to be higher. Troglitazone improved insulin sensitivity (mean increase in whole body glucose uptake 23.1 +/- 10.5% (p = 0.047)) and normalised plasma concentrations of hsCRP, tPA and TNF-alpha, whereas it did not significantly change IL-6, leptin and PAI-1. Changes in GIR did not correlate with changes in inflammatory markers. CONCLUSION: Troglitazone induces suppression of some of the inflammatory markers that are elevated in normoglycaemic obese subjects. The suppression of inflammatory markers, however, does not correlate with improvement in insulin sensitivity, suggesting involvement of partially differential mechanisms in these effects of TZDs.

Adult↗