The regulation of human factor XIIa by plasma proteinase inhibitors.

Studies of the inactivation of factor XIIa by plasma protease inhibitors in purified systems and in plasma were initiated to determine the relative importance of these inhibitors to the neutralization of factor XIIa. Factor XIIa was measured by the amidolysis of H-D-prolyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide dihydrochloride or by coagulant activity. C1 inhibitor (C1INH), alpha 2-antiplasmin (alpha 2AP), alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M), and antithrombin III (ATIII) inhibited factor XIIa with second-order rate constants of 2.2 X 10(5), 1.1 X 10(4), 5.0 X 10(3), and 1.3 X 10(3) M-1 min-1. Factor XIIa activity was not affected by alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor. Incubation of 125I-radiolabeled factor XIIa resulted in 1:1 stoichiometric complexes with C1INH (Mr 190,000), ATIII (Mr 125,000), and alpha 2AP (Mr 150,000 and 125,000) using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Incubation of 125I-Factor XIIa with alpha 2M resulted in a component of Mr 85,000 on a reduced sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, indicating that a subunit of factor XIIa was covalently bound to a proteolyzed portion of alpha 2M. The relative effectiveness of each inhibitor at plasma concentrations was 61:2:3:1 for C1INH, alpha 2AP, alpha 2M, and ATIII, respectively. Kinetic studies of the inactivation of purified factor XIIa added to various plasmas containing different concentrations of C1INH verified the predictions from the purified systems. Gel filtration of radiolabeled factor XIIa incubated with plasma confirmed that factor XIIa-C1INH was the major complex. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the complexes in plasma had the same molecular size as those with purified inhibitors. C1INH functions as the predominant inhibitor of factor XIIa in plasma

Twenty-five years of Marxist Biblical criticism

In the context of a renewed interest in Marxism outside biblical studies, this article surveys and critiques the background and current status of a similar renewal in biblical studies. It begins with a consideration of the background of current studies in liberation, materialist and political theologies, and moves on to note the division between literary and social scientific uses of Marxist theories. While those who used Marxist literary methods were initially inspired by Terry Eagleton and Fredric Jameson, more recent work has begun to make use of a whole tradition of Marxist literary criticism largely ignored in biblical studies. More consistent work, however, has taken place in the social sciences in both Hebrew Bible and New Testament studies. In Hebrew Bible studies, debates focus on the question of mode of production, especially the domestic or household mode of production, while in New Testament studies, the concerns have been with reconstructing the context of the Jesus movement and, more recently, the Pauline correspondence. I close with a number of questions concerning the division into different areas of what is really a holistic approach to texts and history

The Role of Diet in the Pathogenesis of Cholesterol Gallstones

Cholesterol gallstone disease is a major health problem in Westernized countries and depends on a complex interplay between genetic factors, lifestyle and diet, acting on specific pathogenic mechanisms. Overweigh, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and altered cholesterol homeostasis have been linked to increased gallstone occurrence, and several studies point to a number of specific nutrients as risk- or protective factors with respect to gallstone formation in humans, motivating a rising interest in the identification of common and modifiable dietetic factors that put the patients at risk of gallstones or that are able to prevent gallstone formation and growth. In particular, dietary models characterized by increased energy intake with highly refined sugars and sweet foods, high fructose intake, low fiber contents, high fat, consumption of fast food and low vitamin C intake increase the risk of gallstone formation. On the other hand, high intake of monounsaturated fats and fiber, olive oil and fish (ω-3 fatty acids) consumption, vegetable protein intake, fruit, coffee, moderate alcohol consumption and vitamin C supplementation exert a protective role. The effect of some confounding factors (e.g., physical activity) cannot be ruled out, but general recommendations about the multiple beneficial effects of diet on cholesterol gallstones must be kept in mind, in particular in groups at high risk of gallstone formation