context advanced glycation end-products (ages) are signaling proteins associated to several vascular and neurological complications in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. ages proved to be a marker of negative outcome in both diabetes management and surgical procedures in these patients. the reported role of ages prompted the development of pharmacological inhibitors of their effects, giving ri...

The receptor of advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is a multiligand receptor that upon activation causes sustained activation of multiple inflammatory pathways. Recent evidence, summarized in a review by Bopp and colleagues in this issue of Critical Care, has implicated RAGE as a potential therapeutic target in sepsis. Here, we discuss several open issues that need to be addressed before ant...

A new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone related to pig and cattle farming was detected in the Netherlands. We investigated the extent of S. aureus presence in meat and found 36 S. aureus strains in 79 samples. Two strains were MRSA; 1 was multilocus sequence type 398, the clone related to farming.

Cross-linking of proteins by advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) causes a host of pathological conditions but their exact roles are unknown. Cross-linking lysyl AGEs were synthesized and incorporated into two types of collagen peptides. The utility of these cross-linked peptides for biochemical investigations was demonstrated by proteolysis studies and circular dichroism.

Glycation and fluorescence at 440 nm (excitation at 370 nm) were found to be increased in immunoglobulin G (IgG) from diabetics, strongly indicating the presence of IgG-linked advanced glycosylation end products. In contrast, levels of IgG-linked advanced glycosylation end products were low or undetectable in both normal and diabetic subjects when an advanced glycosylation end products specific...

We isolated and identified the glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation product (AGE) formed from glyceraldehyde and N(alpha)-acetylarginine. A major product was identified as N(alpha)-acetyl-N(delta)-(5-methyl-imidazolin-4-one-2-yl)-ornithine. The compound has been reported as methylglyoxal-derived AGE, MG-H1. This study suggests that MG-H1 is formed through both glyceraldehyde-related and me...

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a natural inhabitant of mammalian gastrointestinal systems and is used in dairy and pharmaceutical products. Five draft genome sequences, covering 1,995,790 nucleotides (nt) on average, are divided into 19 to 34 scaffolds covering 1,995 to 2,053 genes. The draft genome sequences were compared to the sequence of the L. acidophilus NCFM dairy strain.

Glycation and its products cause a host of pathological conditions but their exact roles are yet to be determined. Pyrraline, a key product of glycation, and a novel pyrraline-derived cross-link have been incorporated into collagenous peptides via Maillard condensations performed on resin-bound peptide sequences.