BACKGROUND Human iron status is influenced by environmental and genetic factors. We hypothesized that the genetic polymorphism of haptoglobin (Hp), a hemoglobin-binding plasma protein, could affect iron status. METHODS Reference values of serum iron status markers were compared according to Hp phenotypes (Hp 1-1, Hp 2-1, Hp 2-2; determined by starch gel electrophoresis) in 717 healthy adults....

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine whether the haptoglobin (Hp) genotype was predictive of restenosis and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in individuals with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A consecutive series of 935 diabetic patients treated with oral agents and/or insulin were followed for 1 year after PT...

The orally active, α-hemoglobin derived hemopressin (PVNFKFLSH, Hp(1-9)) and its truncated (PVNFKFL, Hp(1-7) and PVNFKF, Hp(1-6)) and extended ((R)VDPVNFKFLSH, VD-Hp(1-9) and RVD-Hp(1-9)) derivatives have been postulated to be the endogenous peptide ligands of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1). In an attempt to create a versatile peptidic research tool for the direct study of the CB1 recept...

The antioxidant haptoglobin (Hp) is an acute-phase protein responsive to infectious and inflammatory diseases. Hp and somatic cell counts (SCC) are sharply elevated in bovine milk following intramammary administration of endotoxin or bacteria. However, the sources of milk Hp responsible for such increases are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to define the source of milk Hp fr...

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate enamel microhardness following bleaching treatments using either high- or low-concentration hydrogen peroxide (HP) agents containing calcium and/or fluoride. Sixty enamel blocks were bleached with 1 of 6 different bleaching agents (n = 10). The high-concentration HP agents were Whiteness HP Maxx (35% HP), Whiteness HP Blue (35% HP, 2% calcium gluco...

Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is one of the most frequent bacterial infections in humans. The studies performed in the last 30 years showed that this bacterium is the main cause of chronic gastritis and the main etiological agent of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. We investigated the prevalence of HP infection in a group of 1525 patients who addressed a gastroenterology medical center bet...

BACKGROUND Ongoing Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection triggers a chronic active gastritis. Eradicating HP reduces gastric inflammation, but does not eliminate it. We sought to characterize this persistent gastritis, and demonstrate the persistence of HP-specific Th17 responses in individuals previously infected with HP but who no longer had evidence of ongoing infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL...

The study was conducted to detect haptoglobin in seminal plasma (SP-Hp) of Awassi rams and the effect of the breeding season on its concentration, along with determining the correlation with its concentration in serum (S-Hp) and main semen variables. Pre-warmed artificial vagina was used to collect semen samples biweekly from five Awassi rams. Semen samples were evaluated for volume, concentrat...

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP) is involved in H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation. Due to its immunogenic and immunomodulatory properties, HP-NAP has been used for developing vaccines against H. pylori infection and new drugs for cancer therapy. RESULTS Here, we provide a simple process for high-yield production of HP-NAP by applying one-step negative...

Honey bees use propolis to defend against invaders and disease organisms. As some colonies produce much more propolis than others, we investigated whether propolis collecting is associated with disease resistance traits, including hygienic behavior and resistance to the parasitic bee mite, Varroa destructor. The three highest (HP) and three lowest propolis-producing (LP) colonies among 36 Afric...