1. Rat tissue homogenates convert dl-1-aminopropan-2-ol into aminoacetone. Liver homogenates have relatively high aminopropanol-dehydrogenase activity compared with kidney, heart, spleen and muscle preparations. 2. Maximum activity of liver homogenates is exhibited at pH9.8. The K(m) for aminopropanol is approx. 15mm, calculated for a single enantiomorph, and the maximum activity is approx. 9mm...

BACKGROUND Biodegradable polyesters are candidates for the development of environmental friendly plastics. Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a type of polyester from the hydroxyalkanoates family, synthesized by bacteria as an intracellular material and accumulated as granules in the cytoplasm. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to isolate Poly β-hydroxybutyrate over producing bacteria and opt...

BACKGROUND Ketogenic diets are used therapeutically to treat intractable seizures. Clinically, it appears that the maintenance of ketosis is crucial to the efficacy of the diet in ameliorating seizures. To understand how ketosis and seizure protection are related, a reliable, noninvasive measure of ketosis that can be performed frequently with minimal discomfort is needed. OBJECTIVE The objec...

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has become an increasingly dangerous, illicitly marketed substance with numerous potential health hazards. 1-8 GHB was originally developed as an anesthetic but was withdrawn as a result of unwanted side effects.4 Marketed for the treatment of narcolepsy and alcohol withdrawal, it was used illicitly as a growth hormone and fat-burning drug by body builders. It has al...

The main objective of the present study is to assess and improve fermentation conditions produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), such as homopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), from renewable inexpensive industrial waste by wild type Cupriavidus necator. Untreated residual glycerol, a byproduct generated biodiesel industry, was used...

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is an intracellular parasite of eukaryotic cells. In the environment, it colonizes amoebae. After being inhaled into the human lung, the bacteria infect and damage alveolar cells in a way that is mechanistically similar to the amoeba infection. Several L. pneumophila traits, among those the Dot/Icm type IVB protein secretion ...

We have developed a highly sensitive and specific method for quantification of salivary 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 3-hydroxyisobutyrate (3HIB), 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate (3HMB) and 2-hydroxybutyrate (2HB), which could be new non-invasive biomarkers for catabolic pathways of fatty acids/ketogenic amino acids, valine, leucine, and methionine/threonine/α-ketobutyrate, respectively. The four hydroxy...

OBJECTIVE An integrated sensor-augmented pump system has been introduced that interrupts basal insulin infusion for 2 h if patients fail to respond to low-glucose alarms. It has been suggested that such interruptions of basal insulin due to falsely low glucose levels detected by sensor could lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. We hypothesized that random suspension of basal insulin for 2 h in the ov...

OBJECTIVE We examined whether ingestion of medium-chain triglycerides could improve cognition during hypoglycemia in subjects with intensively treated type 1 diabetes and assessed potential underlying mechanisms by testing the effect of beta-hydroxybutyrate and octanoate on rat hippocampal synaptic transmission during exposure to low glucose. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 11 intensiv...