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From elicitins to lipid-transfer proteins: a new insight in cell signalling involved in plant defence mechanisms.

Elicitins and lipid-transfer proteins are small cysteine-rich lipid-binding proteins secreted by oomycetes and plant cells, respectively, that share some structural and functional properties. In spite of intensive work on their structure and diversity at the protein and genetic levels, the precise biological roles of lipid-transfer proteins remains unclear, although the most recent data suggest a role in somatic embryogenesis, in the formation of protective surface layers and in defence against pathogens. By contrast, elicitins are known elicitors of plant defence, and recent work demonstrating that elicitins and lipid-transfer proteins share the same biological receptors gives a new perspective to understand the role played by lipid binding proteins, mainly the early recognition of intruders in plants.

Algal Proteins↗

The syndrome of carnitine deficiency: morphological and metabolic correlations in two cases.

Two cases of systemic carnitine deficiency are described. In both patients, carnitine concentration was lower than normal in serum and muscle tissue. In the first case, the illness began at age 35; the clinical manifestations were only muscular. In the second case, the illness began in childhood; there were intermittent episodes of hepatic enlargement and coma. An excessive lipid content was present in muscle tissue, especially in type 1 fibers, of both cases, and in the liver of the second patient. Ultrastructural studies of muscle tissue revealed important changes of mitochondria. During muscular exercise, aerobic and anaerobic metabolism were investigated. For a given relative work intensity, these patients showed abnormally high blood lactic acid concentration and lactic acid/pyruvic acid ratios. These data, together with the morphological alterations observed in mitochondria, suggest an impaired function of the respiratory chain, leading to a shift of the red/ox potential of the tissue towards a non reduced state.

Adult↗

[Differential diagnosis of chronic pain syndromes of the musculoskeletal system--coding according to ICD-10].

Primary care for patients suffering from chronic pain is regularly provided by either family physicians or inpatient medical wards. A delay in initiating specific pain treatment is associated with poor outcome in terms of pain intensity, work disability and diminished quality of life. We present a diagnostic classification scheme for chronic pain disorders following the biopsychosocial disease model. This classification may help primary care providers initiate appropriate treatment early in the course of chronic pain, and aid in referral of their patients to services familiar with the treatment of chronic pain. Given increasing requests for quality control in health care and for transparency in disease management by health insurance companies, we propose a coding system of chronic non-malignant pain syndromes with the ICD-10.

Adult↗

New concepts about graft-versus-host and graft-versus-leukaemia-reactions. A summary of the 5th International Symposium held in Munich, 21 and 22 March 2002.

The Fifth International Symposium on Graft-versus-Host and Graft-versus-Leukemia Reactions was held on 21 and 22 March 2002 in the University Hospital (Klinikum Grosshadern) of the University of Munich. As in previous years, it was dedicated to the encounter of scientists and clinicians involved in hematopoietic cell transplantation. This year's symposium focused on the characterization of stem cells potentially expanding the use of hematopoietic stem cells and on gene therapy. The immunology section dealt with mechanisms of tolerance, and the characterization of minor histocompatibility antigens presented by major histocompatibility molecules. Further important topics were cytokines and dendritic cells. In 1 and 1/2 days of intense work, the invited speakers, chairmen, authors and an active audience experienced an exciting exchange of ideas and collaboration. Again, new impulses were given for basic research and clinical transplantation. The authors would like to express their deep appreciation and thanks to all participants of this symposium.

Animals↗

Regulatory properties of AMP deaminase isoenzymes from rabbit red muscle.

We examined the kinetic and regulatory properties of the two isoenzymes of red muscle AMP deaminase, forms A and B, corresponding respectively to the single isoenzymes present in the heart and white skeletal muscle. At the optimal pH value, 6.5, both enzymes show hyperbolic substrate-velocity curves and are inhibited by GTP, inducing sigmoid kinetics. An effect similar to that of GTP is exerted on form B by ATP, whereas form A is almost insensitive to this nucleotide. At pH 7.1 both enzymes follow sigmoid kinetics. ATP enhances the sigmoidicity of the substrate-velocity curve of form B, but it stimulates form A, reverting sigmoidal to hyperbolic kinetics shown by the enzyme at optimal pH. At pH 7.1, form A is also less sensitive to the inhibitory action of Pi and GTP. These results suggest that, owing to the presence of form A, AMP deamination occurs in red muscle also at moderate work intensity. A possible role of this process in counteracting the production of adenosine by 5'-nucleotidase is hypothesized.

AMP Deaminase↗

Leg blood flow and muscle metabolism in occlusive arterial disease of the leg before and after reconstructive surgery.

1. Leg blood flow, uptake of oxygen and glucose and release of lactate by the leg and changes in intramuscular concentrations of metabolites were studied at rest and during exercise of increasing work loads in thirteen patients with occlusive disease of the iliac or superficial femoral arteries. 2. Leg blood flow (dye-dilution technique) and oxygen uptake during exercise were low and levelled with increasing work load. Considerable increases were noted in muscle lactate concentration and in the net release of lactate from the exercising leg. Muscle content (needle-biopsy technique) of ATP and creatine phosphate decreased during exercise, with an almost complete depletion of creatine phosphate in three patients. The decrease in muscle glycogen during work did not differ significantly from that of control subjects. 3. Repeated exercise after reconstructive surgery showed a considerable improvement in physical working capacity. Leg blood flow and oxygen uptake during exercise were significantly higher than before surgery and increased linearly in relation to work intensity. The decrease in creatine phosphate and lactate concentration of the thigh muscle during exercise was less pronounced and the release of lactate was lower than before vascular reconstruction. 4. It is suggested that the onset of the severe muscle symptoms during exercise in patients with occlusive arterial disease of the leg may be related to a low concentration of ATP and creatine phosphate in the affected muscles.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Middle cerebral artery blood velocity and plasma catecholamines during exercise.

During dynamic exercise, mean blood velocity (Vmean) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) demonstrates a graded increase to work rate and reflects regional cerebral blood flow. At a high work rate, however, vasoactive levels of plasma catecholamines could mediate vasoconstriction of the MCA and thereby elevate Vmean at a given volume flow. To evaluate transcranial Doppler-determined Vmean at high plasma catecholamine levels, seven elite cyclists performed a maximal performance test on a bicycle ergometer. Results were compared with those elicited during five incremental exercise bouts and during rhythmic handgrip when plasma catecholamines are low. During rhythmic handgrip the Vmean was elevated by 21 +/- 3% (mean +/- SE), which was not statistically different from that established during moderate cycling. However, at the highest submaximal and maximal work intensities on the bicycle ergometer. Vmean increased by 31 +/- 3% and 48 +/- 4%, respectively, and this was significantly higher compared to handgrip (P < 0.05). During maximal cycling, plasma adrenaline increased from 0.21 +/- 0.04 nmol L-1 at rest to 4.18 +/- 1.46 nmol L-1, and noradrenaline increased from 0.79 +/- 0.08 to 12.70 +/- 1.79 nmol L-1. These levels were 12- to 16-fold higher than those during rhythmic handgrip (adrenaline: 0.34 +/- 0.03 nmol L-1; noradrenaline: 0.78 +/- 0.05 nmol L-1). The increase in Vmean during intense ergometer cycling conforms to some middle cerebral artery constriction elicited by plasma catecholamines. Such an influence is unlikely during rhythmic handgrip compared with low intensity cycling.

Adult↗

Large-scale monitoring of pleiotropic regulation of gene expression by the prokaryotic nucleoid-associated protein, H-NS.

Despite many years of intense work investigating the function of nucleoid-associated proteins in prokaryotes, their role in bacterial physiology remains largely unknown. The two-dimensional protein patterns were compared and expression profiling was carried out on H-NS-deficient and wild-type strains of Escherichia coli K-12. The expression of approximately 5% of the genes and/or the accumulation of their protein was directly or indirectly altered in the hns mutant strain. About one-fifth of these genes encode proteins that are involved in transcription or translation and one-third are known to or were in silico predicted to encode cell envelope components or proteins that are usually involved in bacterial adaptation to changes in environmental conditions. The increased expression of several genes in the mutant resulted in a better ability of this strain to survive at low pH and high osmolarity than the wild-type strain. In particular, the putative regulator, YhiX, plays a central role in the H-NS control of genes required in the glutamate-dependent acid stress response. These results suggest that there is a strong relationship between the H-NS regulon and the maintenance of intracellular homeostasis.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Effects of resistance training on bone parameters in young and mature rats.

1. Osteoporosis is a major public health problem that is predicted to worsen over the next decade and preventative strategies that increase bone strength have become the focus of substantial research. 2. Although mechanical load is a primary factor in the acquisition and maintenance of skeletal tissue, the type of exercise used and when in life it is most effectively prescribed remain inconclusive. 3. The present study compared 10 weeks of resistance training in both young and mature female Sprague-Dawley rats and measured bone density and body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and biomechanical properties by three point bending tests of the tibia and femur. 4. No significant differences were observed for any of the bone parameters when comparing exercise and control groups at either age. This was despite using a comparable training protocol to that in humans and using loads of approximately 150% bodyweight. 5. The present study concludes that more intensive work programmes of resistance training or different outcome measures are required when using animal models for skeletal research.

Age Factors↗

Comparison of primary care resident physicians' practice styles during initial and return patient visits.

New adult patients (n = 212) were randomly assigned to 58 primary care resident physicians. Physician practice styles during initial and return visits were analyzed using the Davis Observation Code. Compared with initial patient visits, return visits were shorter, but more work-intensive. Return visits displayed significantly less technically oriented behavior (including history taking, physical examination, and treatment planning) and fewer discussions regarding use of addictive substances; however, there was more emphasis on health behaviors and active involvement of patients in their own care. These physicians' practice style differences between initial and return patient visits suggest that physician-patient familiarity affects what happens during the medical interview.

Adult↗

Locomotor, cardiocirculatory and metabolic adaptations to training in Andalusian and Anglo-Arabian horses.

The effects of two training programmes in 20 Andalusian and 12 Anglo-Arabian horses were evaluated by an increasing intensity work test at velocities of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 m sec(-1). Heart rate was monitored and blood samples were drawn at rest and after each velocity to analyse packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, plasma lactate and potassium levels. Furthermore, the programmes were video-taped and stride length, duration and frequency, stance (restraint and propulsion), swing phase durations and stride vertical component were measured. The training protocol of the Andalusian horses produced significant decreases in the cardiovascular, haematological and metabolic responses to exercise. Locomotory training adaptation consisted of an increased stride frequency and a reduced stride length and vertical stride component. The last variable was the limiting factor of stride length both before and after training in the Andalusian horses. A different training protocol for show-jumping competition in Anglo-Arabian horses failed to show significant differences in the studied parameters to the work test, although an increase in stride length at velocities of over 6 m sec(-1) was observed. Stride vertical component did not have an effect on the physiological response to exercise, either before or after training.

Animals↗

Pathophysiology of cardiac transplantation and the challenge of exercise.

Heart transplantation is now currently performed in adult (A-HTR) as well as in pediatric cardiac patients (P-HTR). In A-HTR, heart denervation results in a delayed, blunted heart rate (HR) response to exercise onset, mainly sustained by the level of circulating catecholamines. At the offset of exercise HR resumes the pre-exercise level in 5-25 min, depending on the absolute work intensity. Peak HR is approximately 140 beats/min. Maximal aerobic power is 19 O2/kg x min, i.e., approximately 60% than that of healthy age-matched sedentary subjects and exercise tolerance is therefore reduced. A functional impairment at the muscle level may also be present, as suggested by the slow kinetics of the VO2 readjustment (phase II) at the onset of submaximal aerobic exercise. P-HTR generally behave as A-HTR. However, recently, in a few P-HTR a fast HR response to exercise and greater peak HR values (172 +/- 22 beats/min) were demonstrated. Maximal aerobic power of P-HTR was 32 +/- 7 ml O2/kg x min, greater than that of A-HTR, but yet approximately 60% of that of healthy age-matched controls. It may be concluded that occasionally P-HTR may resume an almost normal cardiovascular response to exercise; nevertheless, their exercise tolerance is limited, likely by functional impairment at the muscle level, whose origin is still unknown.

Child↗

Comparison of muscle oxygen consumption measured by near infrared continuous wave spectroscopy during supramaximal and intermittent pedalling exercise.

The two purposes of the present study were 1) to determine the oxygen consumption in working skeletal muscle from the oxygenation measured by near-infrared continuous-wave spectroscopy (NIRcws) with the arterial occlusion method during the resting condition, INT(VT), and INT(MAX) and 2) to examine whether the decline rate of oxygenation is related to maximal oxygen uptake. Eight healthy males (aged 19.8 +/- 0.4 yr, height 166.9 +/- 17.4 cm, weight 62.1 +/- 2.5 kg, and maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max] 55.9 +/- 1.9 ml/kg x min(-1)) took part in this study. The oxygenation was measured by NIRcws during the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) and two intermittent pedalling exercises of VT (INT(VT)) and maximal (INT(MAX)) work intensity. The decline rates of oxygenation obtained during the resting condition, INT(VT), and INT(MAX) with arterial occlusion were 0.43 +/- 0.05%/sec, 4.94 +/- 0.31%/sec, and 8.16 +/- 0.38%/sec, respectively, and that during the WAnT without arterial occlusion was 8.73 +/- 0.49%/sec. The decline rate of oxygenation during the WAnTwas significantly (p < 0.0001) related to maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). These findings indicate that O2 is utilized from the early phase, even during a supramaximal pedalling exercise, and that the oxidative metabolic capacity may be a factor contributing to supramaximal exercises. Therefore the arterial occlusion method with NIRcws is suitable for the evaluation of the muscle O2 consumption during exercise noninvasively.

Adult↗

[Can data from quality assurance programs such as peri-/neonatal compilations be used for secondary epidemiological studies?].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore whether population-based data from a regional quality control program can be utilized to compare the neonatal outcome of small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate size for gestational age (AGA) new-borns. METHODS: The Center for Quality Management in Health Care maintains perinatal data for almost all births in Lower Saxony (Germany). Neonatal data are collected for all infants admitted to hospital within 10 postnatal days. We evaluated linked perinatal and neonatal datasets of 4126 very low birthweight infants (VLBW; < 1500 g), born in 1991 - 1996. After checking for completeness, representativeness, and validity, exclusion criteria were defined to minimize bias and to yield similar proportions of SGA- and AGA-neonates. Since inclusion of all multiple births would lead to an overestimation of maternal risk factors, one sibling was randomly selected from each set of multiples. Bias arising from not well defined study populations should be shown based on univariable mortality analyses (Kaplan-Meier survival curves). RESULTS: Application of exclusion criteria resulted in a final study population of 1623 independent (disjunctive) new-borns from 25 - 29 weeks gestation, 173 of whom were SGA, 1450 AGA. Kaplan-Meier curves from the initial study population and the well defined study base differed significantly. Trend analysis revealed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in proportions of both VLBW (from 0.95 % in 1991 to 1.11 % in 1996; + 17 %) and SGA infants (from 22.7 % to 27.4 %; + 21 %) within the observational period. A well defined data selection process is necessary if data collected for other purposes are to be used for epidemiological studies. Neglecting this labour-intensive work may be one reason for the varying results on the outcome of SGA and AGA infants.

Bias↗

Dopamine and catecholamines in cystic fibrosis in response to a marathon race.

The excretions of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) metabolites and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were followed before, during, and after a marathon race in three patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and three healthy controls. Moderately increased DOPA excretions in CFs compared with controls before, during, and after the race support the idea that there is an altered metabolism of DOPA in CF. Noradrenaline, adrenaline, homovanillic acid, and vanilmandelic acid were increased in CFs compared with controls mainly during and after the race, which might be a reflection of the heavier working intensity that the CF patients had in comparison with their healthy controls. 5-HIAA, the breakdown product of serotonin, was higher in CFs in comparison with controls before and during the run, but equal thereafter. This reflects an ameliorated serotonin metabolism after the run.

Catecholamines↗

Comparison of the anaerobic threshold and mechanical efficiency of running in young and adult athletes.

We determined noninvasively in a laboratory on the treadmill the anaerobic threshold (AT) (ventilatory threshold) and mechanical efficiency (ME) of running in 7 adult male long-distance runners (mean age = 24.1 yrs) and 17 adolescents (17.0 yrs), in 8 adult female middle-distance runners (23.2 yrs), in 12 young (16.1 yrs) and in 28 adult male canoeists (22.8 yrs), and in 10 juniors (17.4 yrs). We did not find significant differences in the metabolic adaptation characterized with the help of % VO2max on the AT level between relatively equally trained juniors and adults. In long-distance runners the % of VO2max on the AT level was 85.3% for adults and 85.2% for adolescents, in female middle-distance runners 82.8% and 82.7%, respectively, in adult canoeists 78.9%, and in juniors 79.8%. In ME which characterizes the degree of adaptation to the running and depends on the years of training and thus on the differences in racing performance, the values were lower for young athletes than for adults. The ME found in long-distance runners was 25.4% for young athletes and 32.4% for adults, in middle-distance runners 28.4% and 30.3%, respectively, and in canoeists 24.5% and 26.7%, respectively. The difference was significant only in long-distance runners where the greatest difference in racing performance (about 15%) is also found. The close similarity in responses to submaximal work intensities in adults and young sportsmen or subjects of equivalent fitness suggests caution in the interpretation of agewise decrements observed in physiologic variables which may be sensitive to physical fitness status.

Adolescent↗

[Load factors at visual display terminals (author's transl)].

A medical examination and questionnaire in various office workplaces (N = 295) shows that in intensive work at visual display terminals rheumatic and asthenopic disorders are very frequent. Muscle pain and eye complaints are correlated. The incidence of eye disorders and visual acuity are related to lighting conditions (local and temporal oscillation of characters on the visual display) at the individual workplaces.

Adult↗

If "discrete breathers" is the answer, what is the question?

Intense work on discrete breathers or intrinsic localized modes in recent years has revealed a wealth of new properties of classical energy localization. Relaxation and mobility in particular may be two of the critical links with biomolecular processes. We review some of the basic discrete breather properties that we think are pertinent to biomolecules and make conjectures as to their possible biological utility.

Biopolymers↗