摘要:
Symptoms of stress such as elevated blood pressure in mammals are treated, and mammalian bodies are preconditioned to manifest reduced adverse reactions to subsequently encountered stresses, by injecting into the mammalian patient a small quantity of the patient's own blood which has been previously extracted and subjected extracorporeally to at least one stressor, such as ultraviolet radiation, an oxidative environment, ozone-oxygen and mild heating, especially infra-red radiation causing mild heating. Particularly beneficial combinations of stressors are simultaneous applications of UV radiation and an ozone-oxygen gas mixture bubbled through the blood sample to provide the oxidative environment, or simultaneous application of UV radiation, ozone-oxygen gas mixtures and mild heating. One specific use of the invention is in preconditioning against ischemic-reperfusion injury, e.g. prior to surgery.
摘要:
The R1 subunit of herpes simplex virus (HSV) ribonucleotide reductase, which is expressed very early after viral reactivation, possesses an N-terminal domain of about 350 amino acids of unknown function. Using an adenovirus (Ad) inducible system we had demonstrated that a complete deletion of this domain produces a cytotoxic protein. We now report that apoptotic death induced by this truncated R1 could be completely prevented by coexpression of the full-length R1. The R1 antiapoptotic activity was further substantiated by showing that expression of this protein at low level can completely block apoptosis induced either by TNF-receptor family triggering in the presence of cycloheximide (CHX) or by Fas-L coexpression with an Ad recombinant. In both cases, the protection was lost when inhibiting tTA function with the tetracycline analog doxycycline shut down R1 expression. A level of R1 of 0.005 % total cell protein was sufficient for half-maximal protection against TNFα+CHX. By monitoring caspase 8 activation either by immunoblot with an antiserum visualizing the inactive 56-kDa proform and the active 18-kDa species or by an in vitro assay using ETD-AFC as caspase 8 specific fluorescent substrate, we found that the strong activation of caspase 8 induced either by TNF-α+CHX or Fas-L expression was prevented by the R1 protein. Finally, using an HSV-1 R1 deletion mutant, ICP6Δ, we obtained direct evidence for the importance of HSV-R1 in protecting HSV-infected cells against cytokine-induced apoptosis. These results show that, in addition to its reductase function which is essential for viral reactivation, the HSV R1 could contribute to viral propagation by preventing apoptosis induced by the immune system. The N-terminal domain by itself is as anti-apoptotic as the whole RI protein. An anti-apoptotic agent and a composition derived therefrom are described and claimed.
摘要:
This invention is a new method of assaying compounds that modulate the activity of G protein-coupled receptors based on measurement of changes in the relative proportions of monomeric to multimeric receptor polypeptides. More specifically, techniques are described herein which permit the prediction of the pharmacological efficacy of drug candidates based solely on the ability of the candidate compounds to alter the ratio of receptor monomer to homo-oligomeric forms of the receptor. This method provides a novel means of assaying compounds as potential therapeutic drugs at G protein-coupled receptors which is greatly simplified and more generally applicable than existing methods.
摘要:
Apoptosis and/or necrosis related disorders in the mammalian body, namely radiation exposure disorders, chemical exposure and ingestion disorders, neurological disorders and physical trauma disorders, are treated, and their onset is counteracted by pre-conditioning, by extracting from the mammalian body an aliquot of blood, subjecting the extracted aliquot, ex vivo, to an oxidative stressor such as exposure to ozone gas, a temperature stressor, i.e. temperatures above or below body temperatures, and ultraviolet light, and re-injecting the treated blood aliquot into the mammalian body. The treatment has the effect of decreasing apoptosis/necrosis in the body, and of pre-conditioning the body better to withstand subsequently encountered apoptosis-inducing events.
摘要:
This invention relates to peptides and peptidomimetic compounds that modulate the function of G-protein-coupled receptors by affecting the ratio of receptor monomer to homo-oligomeric forms. Novel short peptides of a preferred length of up to about 15-20 amino acid residues are modeled on transmembrane domains of G-protein-coupled receptors, whose activities are affected by the formation of oligomers. These novel peptides and peptidomimetic compounds can be used to selectively affect the activity of G-protein-coupling receptors, thereby functioning as potential therapeutic drugs, etc.. A preferred peptide is GIIMGTFTLCWLPFFIVNIV.
摘要:
This invention relates to peptides and peptidomimetic compounds that act as antagonists against G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Novel short peptides, derived from the transmembrane domains of GPCRs, ranging in size from about 15-20 amino acid residues, can be used as model peptides (peptide-leads) to design novel peptides and peptidiomimetic compounds that antagonize the activity of the same or closely related GPCRs from which they are derived. A lead peptide which may also be a preferred peptide antagonist for the human β2-adrenergic receptor is NH2-GIIMGTFTLCWLPFFIVNIVH-COOH.
摘要:
The method for vascular elastography comprises: i) obtaining a sequence of radio-frequency (RF) images including pre-tissue-motion and post-tissue-motion images in digital form of a vessel delimited by a vascular wall; the pre-tissue-motion and post-tissue-motion images being representative of first and second time-delayed configuration, of the whole vessel; ii) partitioning both the pre-tissue-motion and post-tissue-motion images within the vascular wall into corresponding data windows; approximating a trajectory between the pre- and post-tissue-motion for corresponding data windows; and using the trajectory for each data window to compute the full strain tensor in each data window, which allow determining the Von Mises coefficient. The method can be adapted for non-invasive vascular elastography (NIVE), for non-invasive vascular micro-elastography (MicroNIVE) on small vessels, and for endovascular elastography (EVE).
摘要:
The inventation describes the use of ouabain or an ouabain-like molecule for protection against apoptosis in various organs or tissues. The compound acts by inhibiting the Na+, k+ pump, thereby inverting the physiologically low intracellular Na+/k+ ratio required for progression of apoptosis (e.g. in VSMC). Therefore, the molecule can be used to treat disorders of diseases due to increased apoptosis, such as cardiopathies myocardial ischemia/angina, infarct or infection, congestive heart failure, cns or neurodegenerative disorders, trauma, reperfusion injury, severe burn or renal failure.
摘要:
Symptoms of stress such as elevated blood pressure in mammals are treated, and mammalian bodies are preconditioned to manifest reduced adverse reactions to subsequently encountered stresses, by injecting into the mammalian patient a small quantity of the patient's own blood which has been previously extracted and subjected extracorporeally to at least one stressor, such as ultraviolet radiation, an oxidative environment, ozone-oxygen and mild heating, especially infra-red radiation causing mild heating. Particularly beneficial combinations of stressors are simultaneous applications of UV radiation and an ozone-oxygen gas mixture bubbled through the blood sample to provide the oxidative environment, or simultaneous application of UV radiation, ozone-oxygen gas mixtures and mild heating. One specific use of the invention is in preconditioning against ischemic-reperfusion injury, e.g. prior to surgery.
摘要:
A method for the prediction of the risk and/or the diagnosis of vascular damage such as acute vascular rejection in a subject, based on the determination of anti-LG3 antibodies levels in a sample from the subject, is disclosed.