Recently the bkd gene cluster from Enterococcus faecalis was sequenced, and it was shown that the gene products constitute a pathway for the catabolism of branched-chain alpha-keto acids. We have now investigated the regulation and physiological role of this pathway. Primer extension analysis identified the presence of a single promoter upstream of the bkd gene cluster. Furthermore, a putative ...

Background: Metabolic acidosis is a fatal finding in trauma patients that complicates the process of resuscitation. Case: The case was a 37-year-old man with open fracture in both legs and fracture in second lumbar vertebral (L2). The serial arterial blood gas (ABG) test results showed a pH value of 6.7 indicating a very severe and special case of metabolic acidosis. The rate of mortality f...

The effects of chronic metabolic acidosis, alkalosis and alloxan-induced ketoacidosis on G6PD activity of rat kidney, liver and erythrocytes were studied. Metabolic acidosis significantly increased the activity of kidney enzyme (55%) but decreased the liver (43%) and erythrocyte (38%) enzyme activities. Alkalosis did not make a significant change in the kidney or liver enzyme activity but ...

Glucose utilization by extracts of Pseudomonas jhwrescens involves its oxidation to gluconate and 2-ketogluconate (1, 2) by cytochrome-linked dehydrogenases (1). 2-Ketogluconate is phosphorylated by an inducible kinase, which is distinct from gluconokinase, and 2-keto-6-phosphogluconate, the phosphorylation product, has been isolated and identified (3). The conversion of 2-keto-6-phosphoglucona...

The effects of smoking, aspirin ingestion, and sex differences on bleeding times and bleeding time thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin (PG)F1 alpha production were examined. Nonsmoking men produced more thromboxane B2 (3.99 +/- 0.76 ng/ml) than nonsmoking women (2.13 +/- 0.24 ng/ml). Female smokers produced more thromboxane B2 (5.01 +/- 0.97 ng/ml) than nonsmoking women. Twenty-four hours a...

5-Keto-l-idionic acid ( identical with5-keto-d-gluconic acid, d-xylo-5-hexulosonic acid) was found as a metabolic product of l-ascorbic acid in slices of immature grapes, Vitis labrusca L. cv ;Delaware'. Specifically labeled compounds, recognized as metabolic products of l-ascorbic acid in grapes, were fed to young grape tissues to investigate the metabolic pathway from l-ascorbic acid to l-(+)...

Clinically, a decrease in blood pH may be due to either a reduction in bicarbonate concentration ([H[Formula: see text]], metabolic acidosis) or an increase in[Formula: see text] (respiratory acidosis). In mammals, metabolic acidosis induces a far greater increase in urine calcium excretion than respiratory acidosis. In cultured bone, metabolic acidosis induces a marked increase in calcium effl...

D-Lactic acidosis has been well documented in ruminants. In humans, D-lactic acidosis is very rare, but D-lactic acidosis may be more common than generally believed and should be looked for in a case of metabolic acidosis in which the cause of acidosis is not apparent. The clinical presentation of D-lactic acidosis is characterized by episodes of encephalopathy and metabolic acidosis. The entit...

It is well known that acidic microenvironment promotes tumorigenesis, however, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. In the present study, we show that acidosis promotes invasiveness of breast cancer cells through a series of signaling events. First, our study indicates that NF-κB is a key factor for acidosis-induced cell invasion. Acidosis activates NF-κB without affecting STAT3 ac...