Creatine kinase isoenzyme activity during and after an ultra-distance (200 km) run

It is commonly assumed that creatine kinase (CK) activity in plasma is related to the state of an inflammatory response at 24-48 h, and also it has shown biphasic patterns after a marathon run. No information is available on CK isoenzymes after an ultra-marathon run. The purpose of the present study is to examine the CK isoenzymes after a 200 km ultra-marathon run and during the subsequent recovery. Blood samples were obtained during registration 1 2 h before the 200-km race and during the race at 100 km, 150 km and at the end of 200 km, as well as after a 24 h period of recovery. Thirty-two male ultra-distance runners participated in the study. Serum CPK showed a marked increase throughout the race and 24 h recovery period (p < 0.001). Serum CK during the race occurs mostly in the CK-MM isoform and only minutely in the CK-MB isoform and is unchanged in the CK-BB isoform. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), oestradiol, AST and ALT increased significantly from the pre-race value at 100 km and a further increase took place by the end of the 200 km run. The results of our study demonstrate a different release pattern of creatine kinase after an ultra-distance (200 km) run compared to the studies of marathon running and intense eccentric exercise, and changes in several biomarkers, indicative of muscle damage during the race, were much more pronounced during the latter half (100–200 km) of the race. However, the increases in plasma concentration of muscle enzymes may reflect not only structural damage, but also their rate of clearance.     

Motif kernel generated by genetic programming improves remote homology and fold detection

Background  

Protein remote homology detection is a central problem in computational biology. Most recent methods train support vector machines to discriminate between related and unrelated sequences and these studies have introduced several types of kernels. One successful approach is to base a kernel on shared occurrences of discrete sequence motifs. Still, many protein sequences fail to be classified correctly for a lack of a suitable set of motifs for these sequences.     

Cell free translation of rat epidermal calcium-binding protein (EP-12) messenger RNA

The primary step in the biosynthesis of 12 KDa rat epidermal calcium binding protein was studied by cell-free protein synthesis. Poly(A)+ rich RNA was extracted and purified from whole newborn rat skin and translated in a lysate system in the presence of labeled methionine. Immunoprecipitation of translation products with a monospecific antibody directed against this protein, which did not react with parvalbumin yielded a product migrating as a single band of molecular weight 12 KDa on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Thus, a mRNA coding for this protein is present in rat skin. The presence of this messenger RNA opens the way for further studies on the regulation of epidermal expression during epidermal cell proliferation and differentiation.     

Rituximab treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: how does it work?

Treatment with the chimerical monoclonal antibody rituximab results in CD20-directed B cell depletion. Although this depletion is almost complete in the peripheral blood of nearly all patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a proportion of patients does not exhibit a clinical response. The paper by Nakou and colleagues suggests that a decrease in CD19+CD27+ memory B cells in both peripheral blood and bone marrow precedes the clinical response to rituximab. This finding adds to the emerging evidence that lack of response to rituximab is associated with persistence of B lineage cells in specific body compartments.     

Molecular docking of alkaloid compounds with the matrix metalloproteinase 2

Matrix metalloproteinase protein-2 (MMP-2) is linked to the human oral squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, it is of interest to design new inhibitors for MMP-2 to combat the disease. Thus, we document the molecular docking features of Aristolochic acid, Cryptopleurine, Epipodophyllotoxin, and Fagaronine with MMP-2 for further consideration.     

OntologyWidget – a reusable,embeddable widget for easily locating ontology terms

Background  

Biomedical ontologies are being widely used to annotate biological data in a computer-accessible, consistent and well-defined manner. However, due to their size and complexity, annotating data with appropriate terms from an ontology is often challenging for experts and non-experts alike, because there exist few tools that allow one to quickly find relevant ontology terms to easily populate a web form.     

Solution-based targeted genomic enrichment for precious DNA samples

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Solution-based targeted genomic enrichment (TGE) protocols permit selective sequencing of genomic regions of interest on a massively parallel scale. These protocols could be improved by: 1) modifying or eliminating time consuming steps; 2) increasing yield to reduce input DNA and excessive PCR cycling; and 3) enhancing reproducible. RESULTS: We developed a solution-based TGE method for downstream Illumina sequencing in a non-automated workflow, adding standard Illumina barcode indexes during the post-hybridization amplification to allow for sample pooling prior to sequencing. The method utilizes Agilent SureSelect baits, primers and hybridization reagents for the capture, off-the-shelf reagents for the library preparation steps, and adaptor oligonucleotides for Illumina paired-end sequencing purchased directly from an oligonucleotide manufacturing company. CONCLUSIONS: This solution-based TGE method for Illumina sequencing is optimized for small- or medium-sized laboratories and addresses the weaknesses of standard protocols by reducing the amount of input DNA required, increasing capture yield, optimizing efficiency, and improving reproducibility.