Some proteins of E. coli are stable at temperatures significantly higher than 49 o C, the maximum temperature at which the organism can grow. The heat stability of such proteins would be a property which is inherent to their structures, or it might be acquired by evolution for their specialized functions. In this study, we describe the identification of 17 heat-stable proteins from E. coli. Approximately one-third of these proteins were recognized as having functions in the protection of other proteins against denaturation. These included chaperonin (GroEL and GroES), molecular chaperones (DnaK and FkpA) and peptidyl prolyl isomerases (trigger factor and FkpA). Another common feature was that five of these proteins (GroEL, GroES, Ahpc, RibH and ferritin) have been shown to form a macromolecular structure. These results indicated that the heat stability of certain proteins may have evolved for their specialized functions, allowing them to cope with harsh environments, including high temperatures. [BMB reports 2008; 41(2): 108-111]
ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to explore the effects of injection laryngoplasty (IL) with hyaluronic acid in patients with vocal fold paralysis (VFP).MethodsA total of 50 patients with VFP participated in this study. Pre- and post-IL assessments were performed, which included analyzing the sustained vowel /a/ phonation, and the patient reading 1 Korean sentence from the “Walk” passage that comprised 25 syllables in 10 words. To investigate the effect of IL on vocal fold function, acoustic analysis (acoustic voice quality index, cepstral peak prominence, maximum phonation time, speaking fundamental frequency) was conducted and auditory-perceptual (grade and overall severity), visual judgment (gap), and self-questionnaire (voice handicap index-10) assessments were performed.ResultsThe patients with VFP showed statistically significant differences between pre-and post-IL assessments for acoustic and auditory-perception, visual judgment, and self-questionnaire assessments.ConclusionThe patients with VFP showed positive change in vocal fold function between pre- and post-IL measurements. The findings showed that IL with hyaluronic acid is an effective method to improve vocal fold function in patients with VFP.
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