Deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a common but underdiagnosed genetic disorder. Severe AAT deficiency may be detected by the absence of alpha1-globulin protein fraction by serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP). Routine SPEP may represent an underused resource for the identification of AAT deficiency. Total alpha1-globulin protein was measured in 47 MM, 24 MZ, and 19 ZZ phenotype serum sa...

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been used as a therapeutic tool in various psychiatric populations, but there have been no published studies with elderly schizophrenic patients. The authors evaluated, in a blinded, controlled manner, the effects of AAT in a closed psychogeriatric ward over 12 months. Subjects were 10 elderly schizophrenic patients and 10 matched patients (mean age: 79.1 6.7 y...

Aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) catalyzes amino group transfer from glutamate (Glu) or aspartate (Asp) to a keto acid acceptor-oxaloacetate (OA) or alpha-ketoglutarate (KG), respectively. Data presented here show that AAT catalyzes two partial reactions resulting in isotope exchange between 3H-labeled Glu or 3H-labeled Asp and the cognate keto acid in the absence of the keto acid acceptor requ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate expression by translational repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation. Although numerous bioinformatic prediction models exist to identify miRNA-mRNA interactions, experimental validation of bona fide interactions can be difficult and laborious. Few methods can comprehensively identify miRNAs that target a single mRNA. We have deve...

In single-gene disorders, like alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a gene mutation causes missing or dysfunctional protein synthesis. This, in turn, can lead to serious complications for the patient affected. Furthermore, single-gene disorders are associated with severe early-onset conditions and necessitate expensive lifelong care. Until nowadays, therapeutic treatment options are still lim...

BACKGROUND Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is gaining popularity as part of therapy programs in residential aged care facilities. Humans and pet dogs respond to quiet interaction with a lowering of blood pressure and an increase in neurochemicals associated with relaxation and bonding. These effects may be of benefit in ameliorating behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). METH...

Objective— 1-Antitrypsin (AAT) protects elastic tissue and may play a role in atherogenesis. The association of atherosclerosis progression with common AAT variants was considered in 2 clinical trials. Methods and Results—We examined the association of AAT V213A, S and Z deficiency alleles, and the functional 3 UTR 11478G A with change in minimal luminal diameter, a measure of focal disease, in...

The activity of α1-antitrypsin (AAT) and the lysosomal enzymes, cathepsin D (CTS D), arylsulfatase (ASA), and acid phosphatase, (AcP) was determined in patients with COPD (GOLD category A). Moreover, the diagnostic usefulness of these parameters in blood serum was assessed along with establishing whether smoking cessation affects these parameters. The study included 70 patients with COPD who ce...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) using dogs is an effective treatment for positive and negative symptoms for adult inpatient schizophrenics. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of 3 articles published in English in peer reviewed journals between 2005-2009 DATA SOURCES: Two randomized controlled trials and one allocati...

Correspondence to: Dr D L DeMeo, Channing Laboratory and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02446, USA; dawn. [email protected]. edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T he susceptibility to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results from a combination of geneti...