Therefore, to understand its physiological role, further characterization of this cytochrome expressed in Escherichia coli

was performed. The yield of the recombinant protein reached 2.8 mg/l of culture, which was 76.4-fold larger than that of native cells. Analytical data of the recombinant protein exactly agreed with that of native cytochrome c-552. The recombinant cytochrome c-552 was oxidized by partially purified cb-type cytochrome c oxidase from P. alcaliphila AL15-21(T) at a rate of 9.6 mu mol min(-1) mg oxidase(-1). Unlike reported cytochromes c from other Pseudomonas spp., the E-o values between pHs 5.0 and 10.0 were nearly unchanged. Cytochrome c-552 oxidized very slowly at pHs 8.0 (6.1 x 10(-4) h(-1)), 9.0 (1.4 x 10(-3) h(-1)) and 10.0 (1.6 x selleck inhibitor 10(-3) h(-1)), whereas it oxidized more rapidly at pH 7.0 (2.5 x 10(-3) h(-1)). On the other hand, horse heart cytochrome c showed higher oxidation rates at pHs 6.0-10.0 than cytochrome c-552. It is considered that the high electron-retaining ability of cytochrome c-552 at high pHs is important for its physiological function

in the environmental adaptation of this bacteria for superior growth at high pHs under air-limited conditions. (C) 2009, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Stroke is a major complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). In an era of chronic red cell transfusions for stroke prophylaxis in children and greater life expectancy, nationwide data on stroke rates among pediatric and adult patients with SCD are scarce. We evaluated recent time trends in stroke hospitalization selleck compound learn more among children (0-17 years) and adults (>17 years) with SCD in the United States.\n\nMethods: Data were obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient

Sample. Pediatric (n=26,380) and adult (n=9,638,507) patients admitted to hospitals between 1997 and 2006 with a primary stroke discharge diagnosis (identified by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision procedure codes) were included. Time trends in the proportion of stroke patients with SCD were computed.\n\nResults: Pediatric stroke patients with co-morbid SCD constituted 8.7% in 1997 vs. 4.8% in 2006 (p = 0.04), with 81 fewer actual hospitalizations. Adult stroke patients with SCD were 0.3% in 1997 vs. 0.5% in 2006 (p = 0.01), with 157 more actual hospitalizations. Factors that changed substantially and significantly across the decade among pediatric stroke patients with SCD included a drop in ischemic stroke type (74.2% vs. 56.3%) and a rise in comorbid hypertension (1.5% vs. 11.5%), while among adult stroke patients with SCD there was a rise in other stroke type (20.4% vs. 35.6%).\n\nConclusions: In an era of increasing prophylactic red cell transfusions, the proportion of SCD diagnoses among pediatric stroke patients significantly decreased in the United States.