Osteosarcoma and other bone cancers

Streptokinase (SK), an extracellular protein from Streptococcus equisimilis, is secreted post-translationally by Escherichia coli using both its native and E. coli-derived transport signals. In this communication we report that cleavage specificity of signal peptidase I, and thus efficiency of secretion, varies in E. coli when SK export is directed by different transport signals. The native (+1) N-terminus of mature SK was retained when it was transported under the control of its own, PelB or LamB signal peptide. However, when translocation of SK was controlled by the OmpA or MalE signal peptide, Ala2 of mature SK was preferred as a cleavage site for the pre-SK processing. Our results indicate that compatibility of the leader peptide with the mature sequences of SK, which fulfills the requirement for a given secondary structure within the cleavage region, is essential for maintaining the correct processing of pre-SK. An OmpA-SK fusion, which results in the deletion of two N-terminal amino acid residues of mature SK, was further studied with respect to the recognition of alternative cleavage site in E. coli. The alanine at +2 in mature SK was changed to glycine or its relative position was changed to +3 by introducing a methionine residue at the +1 position. Both alterations resulted in the correct cleavage of pre-SK at the original OmpA fusion site. In contrast, introduction of an additional alanine at +4, creating three probable cleavage sites (Ala-x-Ala-x-Ala-x-Ala), resulted in the recognition of all three target sites for cleavage, with varying efficiency. The results indicate that the nature of the secondary structure generated at the cleavage junction of pre-SK, resulting from the fusion of different signal peptides, modulates the cleavage specificity of signal peptidase I during extracellular processing of SK. Based on these findings it is proposed that flexibility in the interaction of the active site of signal peptidase I with the cleavage sites of signal peptides may occur when it encounters two or more juxtaposed cleavage sites. Preference for one cleavage site over another, then, may depend on fulfillment of secondary structure requirements in the vicinity of the pre-protein cleavage junction.     

The Veterans Affairs Implantable Insulin Pump Study: effect on cardiovascular risk factors

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether implantable insulin pump (IIP) and multiple-dose insulin (MDI) therapy have different effects on cardiovascular risk factors in insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted at seven Veterans Affairs medical centers in 121 male patients with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 40 and 69 years receiving at least one injection of insulin per day and with HbA1c, levels of > or =8% at baseline. Weights, blood pressures, insulin use, and glucose monitoring data were obtained at each visit. Lipid levels were obtained at 0, 4, 8, and 12 months, and free and total insulin levels were obtained at 0, 6, and 12 months. All medications being taken were recorded at each visit. RESULTS: No difference in absolute blood pressure, neither systolic nor diastolic, was seen between patients receiving MDI or IIP therapy, but significantly more MDI patients required anti-hypertensive medications. When blood pressure was modeled against weight and time, IIP therapy was significantly better than MDI therapy for systolic blood pressure in patients with BMI <33 and for diastolic blood pressure in patients with BMI >34 kg/m2. Total cholesterol levels decreased in the overall sample, but IIP patients exhibited significantly higher levels than MDI patients. Triglyceride levels increased over time for both groups, with IIP patients having significantly higher levels than patients in the MDI group. BMI was a significant predictor of, and inversely proportional to, HDL cholesterol level. No difference in lipid-lowering drug therapy was seen between the two groups. Free insulin and insulin antibodies tended to decrease in the IIP group as compared with the MDI group. C-peptide levels decreased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: IIP therapy in insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes has advantages over MDI therapy in decreasing the requirement for antihypertensive therapy and for decreasing total and free insulin and insulin antibodies. Both therapies reduce total cholesterol and C-peptide levels.     

Metabolism of 20beta-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one in uterine tissue of non-pregnant rats in vitro

The metabolism of labelled progesterone was studied in vitro in uterine tissue of non-pregnant rats with particular emphasis on the influence of substrate concentration. Neither a qualitative nor quantitative difference was found for a steroid tissue ratio between 15 X 10(-6) and 4.2 X 10(-9) to 1 g (substrate amounts between 57.73 and 0.02 nmol); with both concentrations 42 to 44 per cent of progesterone was metabolized to about 35 per cent monohydroxymonoketonic steroids and 4-6 per cent dihydroxylated C21O2-compounds. In both sets of incubations we have isolated and identified the following steroids: 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one, 3beta-hydroxy-4-pregnen-20-one, 3alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-20-one, 20alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one, 5alpha-pregnane-3alpha,20alpha-diol and 4-pregnene-3alpha,20alpha-diol. The most abundant metabolite formed in these incubations was 3alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-20-one which corresponds to about 30 per cent of the total activity recovered. It is the first time that the presence of 20alpha-hydroxysteroid-oxidoreductase activity is definitely established in this type of tissue. The identification of three allylic alcohols as progesterone metabolites in the rat uterus confirms that delta4-3-hydroxysteroids are important intermediates in the in vitro uterine metabolism of steroids.     

Initial experience of clinical pharmacology and clinical pharmacy interactions in a clinical pharmacokinetics consultation service

International statistics indicate that there is a close correlation between the consumption of saturated fats (dairy fats and meat fats) and the mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), and this conception has been confirmed by many epidemiological studies. Such studies alone, however, cannot prove the existence of a cause-and-effect relationship between these two variables; dietary intervention trials are needed. The Finnish Mental Hospital Study was such a trial, conducted in two hospitals near Helsinki in 1959--1971. Practically total replacement of dairy fats by vegetable oils in the diets of these hospitals was followed by a substantial reduction in the mortality of men from CHD. Total mortality also appeared to be reduced. As to the causes of death other than CHD, none was significantly influenced by dietary change. This was also true for malignant neoplasms. To alleviate the burden of CHD on public health, many investigators have recommended important changes in the quantity and quality of dietary fats.     

Further comments on "On parameter and structural identifiability: Nonunique observability/reconstructibility for identifiable systems, other ambiguities, and new definitions"

Some disadvantages of the proposed identifiability definitions are shown and relationships with the classical terminology are discussed.     

SDU: A Semidefinite Programming-Based Underestimation Method for Stochastic Global Optimization in Protein Docking

This paper introduces a new stochastic global optimization method targeting protein-protein docking problems, an important class of problems in computational structural biology. The method is based on finding general convex quadratic underestimators to the binding energy function that is funnel-like. Finding the optimum underestimator requires solving a semidefinite programming problem, hence the name semidefinite programming-based underestimation (SDU). The underestimator is used to bias sampling in the search region. It is established that under appropriate conditions SDU locates the global energy minimum with probability approaching one as the sample size grows. A detailed comparison of SDU with a related method of convex global underestimator (CGU), and computational results for protein-protein docking problems are provided