No abstract

PE was the underlying mechanism in one-fourth of STEMI. PE was characterized by eccentric fibrous plaque. CN was characterized by superficial large calcium and negative remodeling. PE was associated with less microvascular damage after PCI.

The functional characteristics of human proton coupled folate transporter (hPCFT)/heme carrier protein (HCP) 1 were investigated. hPCFT/HCP1 expressed transiently in human embryonic kidney 293 cells mediated the transport of folate at an acidic extracellular pH of 5.5 in a manner independent of Na ϩ and insensitive to membrane potential, but its transport activity was absent at near-neutral pH. Folate transport mediated by hPCFT/hHCP1 at pH 5.5 was saturable with a K m of 1.67 M and extensively inhibited by reduced folates, such as folinate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and methotrexate (MTX). Sulfobromophthalein and 4,4Ј-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2Ј-disulfonic acid were also found to be potent inhibitors of hPCFT/hHCP1, but hemin was found to exhibit only minimal inhibitory effect.When expressed stably as a protein fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP-hPCFT/HCP1) in MDCKII cells, GFP-hPCFT/ HCP1 was mainly localized at the apical membrane, and the cellular accumulation of MTX was higher from the apical side than from the basal side. These functional features of hPCFT/ HCP1 are consistent with those of the well characterized carrier-mediated folate transport system in the small intestine, suggesting that hPCFT/HCP1 is responsible for the intestinal absorption of folate and also MTX. We also found that sulfasalazine is a potent inhibitor of hPCFT/HCP1, which would interfere with the intestinal absorption of MTX when coadministered in therapy for rheumatoid arthritis as well as folate.

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA)-degrading Amycolatopsis sp. strains K104-1 and K104-2 were isolated by screening 300 soil samples for the ability to form clear zones on the PLA-emulsified mineral agar plates. Both of the strains assimilated >90% of emulsified 0.1% (wt/vol) PLA within 8 days under aerobic conditions. A novel PLA depolymerase with a molecular weight of 24,000 was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of strain K104-1. The purified enzyme degraded high-molecular-weight PLA in emulsion and in solid film, ultimately forming lactic acid. The optimum pH for the enzyme activity was 9.5, and the optimum temperature was 55 to 60°C. The PLA depolymerase also degraded casein and fibrin but did not hydrolyze collagen type I, triolein, tributyrin, poly(␤-hydroxybutyrate), or poly(⑀-caprolactone). The PLA-degrading and caseinolytic activities of the enzyme were inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride but were not significantly affected by soybean trypsin inhibitor, N-tosyl-L-lysyl chloromethyl ketone, N-tosyl-L-phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone, and Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor. Thus, Amycolatopsis sp. strain K104-1 excretes the unique PLA-degrading and fibrinolytic serine enzyme, utilizing extracellular polylactide as a sole carbon source.Polylactide, or poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA), is a promising material to be used as a renewable and biodegradable plastic, based on the following observations. (i) Lactic acid can be efficiently produced by fermentation of renewable resources such as starchy materials, cane molasses, and cellulose. (ii) PLA can be synthesized by conventional chemical engineering, and it has a higher melting point (170°C) and a higher glass transition temperature (60°C) than the other aliphatic polyesters. Advanced polymer processing technology can furnish the fibers and the sheets of PLA with high tensile strength and high transparency comparable to those of polyethylene terephthalate. (iii) Although PLA is an artificial polymer, it is hydrolyzable by some hydrolases such as proteinase K from Tritirachium album (6,23,29), the lipase from Rhizopus delemer (29), and the polyester polyurethane-degrading enzyme from Comamonas acidovorans strain TB-35 (1). (iv) Microbial degradation of PLA was implied by the efficient degradation that occurs under composting conditions