Polyphosphate kinase (PPK), the principal enzyme required for the synthesis of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) from ATP, also exhibits other enzymatic activities, which differ significantly in their biochemical optima and responses to chemical agents. These several activities include: polyP synthesis (forward reaction), nATP --> polyP(n) + nADP (Equation 1); ATP synthesis from polyP (reverse re...

Recently two approaches were reported that addressed a vitally important problem in regenerative medicine, i. e. the successful treatment of wounds even under diabetic conditions. Accordingly, these studies with diabetic rabbits [Sarojini et al. PLoS One 2017, 12(4):e0174899] and diabetic mice [Müller et al. Polymers 2017, 9, 300] identified a novel (potential) target for the acceleration of wo...

Inorganic polyphosphates (polyp) are naturally occurring linear polymers of orthophosphate that are found in microorganisms, lower eukaryotes such as yeast, and animals (Harold 1966, Kulaev and Vagabov 1983; Wood and Clark 1988). In certain cases, polyp can accumulate to more than 10% of total dry mass. The ubiquitous presence of polyp suggests that they may have important physiological functio...

A 47 year old female with papillary thyroid carcinoma was referred to our department for post-treatment whole body iodine scanning. The acquired images revealed a focal zone of intense radiotracer uptake in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. SPECT/CT fused slices showed a focal zone of the radioiodine (131I) uptake in the right colon wall. Colonoscopy revealed a pedunculated po...

Platelets play a central role in thrombosis, hemostasis, and inflammation. We show that activated platelets release inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a polymer of 60-100 phosphate residues that directly bound to and activated the plasma protease factor XII. PolyP-driven factor XII activation triggered release of the inflammatory mediator bradykinin by plasma kallikrein-mediated kininogen process...

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is composed of linear chains of phosphate groups linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. However, this simple, ubiquitous molecule remains poorly understood. The use of nonstandardized analytical methods has contributed to this lack of clarity. By using improved polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis we were able to visualize polyP extracted from Dictyostelium ...

INTRODUCTION Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the large intestine is uncommon. To our knowledge, this condition has not been reported in a patient with neurofibromatosis. CLINICAL PICTURE In this report, a 66-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis was found to have a large polyp in the caecum. TREATMENT Right hemicolectomy was performed because of the size of the polyp. OUTCOME Pathological e...

Myiasis is the infestation of live vertebrates with dipterous larvae. Aural myiasis involves infestation of the external ear and/or middle ear. It is a rare clinical state that usually occurs in patients who have mental or physical disabilities. Although myiasis is a self-limiting disease, it can be associated with fatal complications like penetration within the central nervous system. We prese...

Background: Congenital lobar emphysema, also called infantile lobar emphysema, is a respiratory disease that occurs in infants when air enters the lungs and cannot leave easily. It results from cartilage deficiency and bronchomalacia causing distal air trapping and respiratory distress. In this study, we present a case of endobronchial polyp mimicking congenital lobar emphysema. Case presentati...