ABSTRACT
A new esterase activity from Bacillus licheniformis was characterized from an Escherichia coli recombinant strain. The protein was a single polypeptide chain with a molecular mass of 81 kDa. The optimum pH for esterase activity was 8-8.5 and it was stable in the range 7-8.5. The optimum temperature for activity was 45 degrees C and the half-life was 1 h at 64 degrees C. Maximum activity was observed on p-nitrophenyl caproate with little activity toward long-chain fatty acid esters. The enzyme had a KM of 0.52 mM for p-nitrophenyl caproate hydrolysis at pH 8 and 37 degrees C. The enzyme activity was not affected by either metal ions or sulfydryl reagents. Surprisingly, the enzyme was only slightly inhibited by PMSF. These characteristics classified the new enzyme as a thermostable esterase that shared similarities with lipases. The esterase might be useful for biotechnological applications such as ester synthesis.
Subject(s)
Bacillus/enzymology , Esterases/chemistry , Esterases/metabolism , Bacillus/genetics , Chromatography, Gel , Cloning, Molecular , Enzyme Stability , Escherichia coli , Esterases/isolation & purification , Hot Temperature , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Kinetics , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Substrate Specificity , ThermodynamicsABSTRACT
The Romanian product Silimarina (synonym Legalon) was administered in a randomized double-blind trial, to a group of 180 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH), chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and hepatic cirrhosis (HC). The trial lasted for 40 days. The results showed favourable effects similar with those obtained with other preparations produced by foreign drug industries. The Romanian product proved to have no toxic effect. The authors discuss the present possibilities of estimating the evolution of chronic liver disease.
Subject(s)
Flavonoids/therapeutic use , Liver Diseases/drug therapy , Silymarin/therapeutic use , Chronic Disease , Clinical Trials as Topic , Double-Blind Method , Hepatitis, Chronic/blood , Hepatitis, Chronic/drug therapy , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/blood , Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy , Liver Diseases/blood , Random Allocation , Silymarin/adverse effectsABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to study the risks of developing a cardiovascular disease, under conditions of primary prevention. The risk factors were studied as a synthetic index, representing a linear weighted combination, called by us prognostic index. For the longitudinal study and prediction the multiple regression analysis was used.
Subject(s)
Cerebrovascular Disorders/etiology , Adult , Humans , Hypercholesterolemia/complications , Hypertension/complications , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Obesity/complications , Prognosis , Regression Analysis , Risk , Romania , SmokingABSTRACT
By means of the factor analysis and the discriminant analysis we studied the structure of the interrelations between the risk factor variables in cardiovascular diseases. The reduction of the dimensionality of data by extracting a small number of common factors has allowed us the identification of the three main factors whose structural change reflects the successive passage through the states of health, risk and illness. To estimate the effectiveness of the prevention action we calculated the D2 distance between the groups of subjects at the two extreme moments. In the last part of the study we determined the predictive value of the risk factor variables considering in turn the main risk factors as criterion variables in terms of the other risk factors taken as predictors.
Subject(s)
Coronary Disease/etiology , Age Factors , Blood Glucose/analysis , Blood Pressure , Body Weight , Cholesterol/blood , Humans , Risk , Smoking , Statistics as TopicABSTRACT
Data on a large, randomly selected population of apparently health subjects, aged 10 to 73 years, of both sexes were used to derive estimates of the reference intervals for serum levels of IgA, IgG, IgM, and IgD. The main effects of age and sex on the mean values were studied by the use of a two-way ANOVA model. Except for IgG that showed no sex dependencies, statistically significant sex and age-related differences in mean levels were found for each of the immunoglobulins studied. The mean concentrations of both IgA and IgD were higher in males than in females; an inverse relationship was identified for IgM. Serum levels of both IgG and IgA rose gradually with advancing age in either sex; by linear-regression analyses these age dependencies were found to be statistically significant for IgG in males and IgA in both sexes. The age-related changes in either IgM or IgD serum levels were more complex and fitteda quintic function better than a linear one. These results indicate that any interpretation of immunoglobulin values without appropriate consideration of the subject's age and sex is likely to be misleading.
Subject(s)
Immunoglobulins/biosynthesis , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Child , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin A/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin D/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin M/biosynthesis , Male , Middle Aged , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
The internal connections between the variables defined by the data obtained from viral hepatitis (VH) report records completed ih a Romanian county durihg 1973 are analysed. The mathematical model for linear factorial analysis allowed a simultaneous processing of all variables and the distinction of representative factors. The conclusions of the study suggest new possible approaches by the introduction of supplementary questions in the VH report records.
