Alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) is a highly toxic snake neurotoxin that binds to acetylcholine receptor (AChR) at the neuromuscular junction, and is a potent inhibitor of this receptor. In the following we review multi-phase research of the design, synthesis and structure analysis of peptides that bind alpha-BTX and inhibit its binding to AChR. Structure-based design concomitant with biological ...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A; Botox) in reducing saliva in patients with Parkinsonism. METHODS Fifteen patients with clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy were enrolled in this open clinical trial. A total of 40-unit dose of Botox was injected into the bilateral parotid and submandibula...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two concentrations of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) for the treatment of hemifacial spasm. We randomly divided 20 patients with hemifacial spasm into high- and low-concentration groups; they were administered 50 and 25 U/mL BTX-A injection, respectively. Further, we compared the curative effects and the occurrence of adverse reactions ...

Botulinum toxin A (Btx) injections and supervised exercise are often used concurrently to treat calf muscle spasticity in children. This study has analyzed the early effects of Btx-induced paralysis and increased activity by voluntary wheel running on cell growth-related processes in juvenile rat gastrocnemius muscle. Btx injection at 29 days of age prevented the normal increases in wet mass (5...

The botulinum toxins (BTX), type A and type B by blocking vesicle acetylcholine release at neuro-muscular and neuro-secretory junctions can result efficacious therapeutic agents for the treatment of numerous disorders in patients requiring neuro-rehabilitative intervention. Its use for the reduction of focal spasticity following stroke, brain injury, and cerebral palsy is provided. Although the...

Following stroke, decreased mobility and reduced function can be attributed in many cases to excessive muscle tone of the plantarflexors (Lamontagne et al., 2002). Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) is becoming a more common treatment in clinical practice to reduce muscle stiffness. However, the biomechanical effectiveness of BTX-A treatment in the ankle plantarflexors on gait has not been established. ...

In this paper, it is presented a review about applications of biofilms in the degradation of contaminants in industrial effluents. Biofilms are typically comprised of water, microorganisms, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), retained particles and dissolved and adsorbed substances. Water is the most significant fraction of the total mass of the biofilm, and it can vary from 70 to 95%. Po...

Acetylcholine receptors were inactivated in vivo at the mouse neuromuscular junction using alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX). It was found that neurally produced muscle contraction recovered within 4-8 days (halftime similar to 3 days). Actinomycin D interfered with this recovery, but did not affect normal nerve-stimulated muscle contraction. If the response was initially eliminated by [125-I]alph...

In this research, gasoline vapours including Benzene, Toluene, Xylene (BTX) and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) emitted from vent pipes of underground storage tanks (USTs) were measured at six gas stations in Tehran. Thereafter, gas station No. 29 was selected as a pilot station and equipped with a vapour control system. The vapours were measured during the summer of 2013 and winter of...

The R-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (RAChR) contains a binding site for R-bungarotoxin (R-BTX), a snake-venom-derived R-neurotoxin. Previous studies have established that the segment comprising residues 173-204 of RAChR contains the major determinant interacting with the toxin, but the precise boundaries of this determinant have not been clearly defined to date. In this study,...