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- Jakobsson, Kristina, et al.
(author)
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Genetic polymorphism for glutathione-S-transferase mu in asbestos cement workers
- 1994
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In: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1470-7926. ; 51:12, s. 812-816
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE--To investigate whether a lack of glutathione-S-transferase mu (GSTM1) activity was related to an increased risk for adverse outcome after asbestos exposure. METHODS--A study was made of 78 male former asbestos cement workers, with retrospective cohort data on exposure, radiographical findings, and lung function. Venous blood samples were obtained for the analysis of GSTM1 polymorphism by the polymerase chain reaction technique. Chest x ray films were classified according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) 1980 classification. Vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume during 1 s (FEV1) were determined. Individual estimates of asbestos exposure were calculated, and expressed as duration of exposure, average exposure intensity, and cumulative dose. Data on smoking were obtained from interviews. RESULTS--The lung function in the study group was reduced, compared with reference equations. 23% of the workers had small opacities > or = 1/0, 29% circumscribed pleural thickenings, 14% diffuse thickenings, and 12% obliterated costophrenic angles. 54% of the workers were GSTM1 deficient. They were comparable with the other workers in age, follow up time (median 30 years), and duration of exposure (median 18 years), but had a slightly higher cumulated dose (median 18 v 10 fibre-years) than the others. Neither in radiographical changes nor lung function variables were there any differences between the different GSTM1 groups. The findings were similar when smoking habits and estimated asbestos exposure were taken into account. CONCLUSIONS--We could not show that lack of GSTM1 activity was related to an increased risk for radiographical or lung function changes in a group of asbestos cement workers, followed up for a long period after the end of exposure.
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- De Cossío, Maria E Fernández, et al.
(author)
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Human monoclonal antibodies against an epitope on the class 5c outer membrane protein common to many pathogenic strains of Neisseria meningitidis
- 1992
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In: Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0022-1899 .- 1537-6613. ; 166:6, s. 1322-1328
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neisseria meningitidis is a causative agent of meningitis. Despite vaccination programs, it still causes a large number of deaths in young children. Early diagnosis followed by passive immunization with human monoclonal antibodies could be an approach to effective therapy. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal, healthy blood donors and from vaccinated individuals were immunized in vitro, using outer membrane proteins purified from A. meningitidis B:4:P1,15. The immunized human B cells were Epstein-Barr virus transformed and fused to a heteromyeloma. Several stable human hybridoma cell lines were established and two, secreting antibodies against the 31-kDa class 5c outer membrane protein, were characterized further. The human antibodies were of IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes, with κ light chains. The recognized epitope was commonly found among pathogenic strains of N. meningitidis; thus, these human monoclonal antibodies may be important in the evaluation of N. meningitidis infections.
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- Heimgartner, U, et al.
(author)
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Purification and Partial Characterization of Milk Clotting Proteases from Flowers of Cynara cardunculus
- 1990
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In: Phytochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0031-9422 .- 1873-3700. ; 29:5, s. 1405-1410
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three proteases (cynarases 1, 2 and 3) with milk-clotting activity have been purified from dried flowers of Cynara cardunculus. The proteases are each composed of one large and one small subunit. The native Mr of the dimeric proteins is 49 000. The three proteases are glycoproteins containing N-linked high mannose type glycans. Cynarase 3 shows the highest proteolytic and milk-clotting activity. All three enzymes express maximum activity at pH 5.1. Inhibitor studies indicate that the cynarases are of the aspartic acid type. Antibodies raised against the large subunit of cynarase 3 cross-reacts with the large subunits of the other two cynarases after destruction of the glycan structure by periodate oxidation.
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4. |
- Jonsson, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Heterogeneity of outer membrane proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi : comparison of osp operons of three isolates of different geographic origins.
- 1992
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In: Infection and Immunity. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 60:5, s. 1845-53
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biochemical and immunochemical studies of the outer membrane proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi have shown that the OspA and OspB proteins from strains of different geographic origins may differ considerably in their reactivities with monoclonal antibodies and in their apparent molecular weights. To further characterize this variation in Osp proteins between strains, the osp operons and deduced translation products from two strains, one from Sweden (ACAI) and one from eastern Russia (Ip90), were studied. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot (immunoblot) analyses confirmed differences between ACAI, Ip90, and the North American strain B31 in their Osp proteins. The sequences of the ospA and ospB genes of ACAI and Ip90 were compared with that of the previously studied osp operon of B31 (S. Bergström, V. G. Bundoc, and A. G. Barbour, Mol. Microbiol. 3:479-486, 1989). The osp genes of ACAI and Ip90, like the corresponding genes of B31, were found on plasmids with apparent sizes of about 50 kb and are cotranscribed as a single unit. Pairwise comparisons of the nucleotide sequences revealed that the ospA genes of ACAI and Ip90 were 85 and 86% identical, respectively, to the ospA gene of strain B31 and 86% identical to each other. The ospB sequences of these two strains were 79% identical to the ospB gene of B31 and 81% identical to each other. There was significantly greater similarity between the ospA genes of the three different strains than there was between the ospA and ospB genes within each strain. These studies suggest that the duplication of osp genes in B. burgdorferi occurred before the geographical dispersion of strains represented by ACAI, Ip90, and B31.
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