The detector system of the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment

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Inhibition kinetics of hydrogen peroxide on beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase from prawn (Penaeus vannamei)

The effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on prawn NAGase activity for the hydrolysis of pNP-beta-D-GlcNAc have been studied. The results show that H2O2 can reversible inhibit the enzyme (IC50 similar or equal to 0.85 M) and the inhibition is of a mixed type. The kinetics show that k(+0) is much larger than k'(+0), indicating the free enzyme is more susceptible than the enzyme-substrate complex in the H2O2 solution. It is suggested that the presence of the substrate offers marked protection against inhibition by H2O2. Changes of activity and conformation of the enzyme in different concentrations of H2O2 have been compared by measuring the fluorescence spectra and residual activity and show that the change of conformation is more rapidly than that of the residual activity, which implies that the whole conformation of the enzyme changes more rapidly than the conformation of the active centre of the enzyme in the H2O2 solution

Effects of mercuric ion on the conformation and activity of Penaeus vannamei beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase

beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase, EC.3.2.1.52), a composition of the chitinases, catalyzes the cleavage of N-acetylglucosamine polymers into N-acetylglucosamine. In this paper, the effects of mercuric ion on the activity of NAGase from Penaeus vannamei for the hydrolysis of pNP-NAG have been studied. The results show that HgCl2 can lead to irreversible inactivation to this enzyme. The inactivation process follows a first-order reaction and the inactivation rate constants have been determined. The relationship between the inactivation rate constants and HgCl2 concentration has been studied and the result shows that only one molecule of HgCl2 binds to the enzyme molecule to lead the enzyme lose its activity. Moreover, the conformational changes of the enzyme inactivated by HgCl2 were studied by following changes in the intrinsic fluorescence emission and ultraviolet absorption spectra. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Inactivation kinetics of guanidinium chloride on Penaeus vannamei beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase and the relationship of enzyme activity and its conformation

The effects of guanidinium chloride (GuHCl) on the activity of Penaeus vannamei beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) have been studied. The results show that GuHCl, at appropriate concentrations, can lead to reversible inactivation of the enzyme, and the IC50 is estimated to be 0.6 M. Changes of activity and conformation of the enzyme in different concentrations of GuHCl have been studied by measuring the fluorescence spectra and its relative activity after denaturation. The fluorescence intensity of the enzyme decreases distinctly with increasing GuHCl concentrations, and the emission peaks appear red-shifted (from 339.4 to 360 nm). Changes in the conformation and catalytic activity of the enzyme are compared. The extent of inactivation is greater than that of conformational changes, indicating that the active site of the enzyme is more flexible than the whole enzyme molecule. The kinetics of inactivation has been studied using the kinetic method of the substrate reaction. The rate constants of inactivation have been determined. The value of k(+0) is larger than that of k(+0)(') which suggests that the enzyme is protected by substrate to a certain extent during guanidine denaturation

Acquired latent tuberculosis infection in psoriasis patients treated with etanercept in the People’s Republic of China

Cheng-Rang Li, Qiu-Xia Mao, Min Chen, Wei-Xue Jia, Xu Yao, Su-Ying Feng, Hong Jia, Juan-Qin Gong, Xue-Yuan Yang Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Background: TNF-α plays a key role in host defense against mycobacterial infection, and patients receiving TNF-α blocker treatment have increased susceptibility to tuberculosis disease. In the People’s Republic of China, an intermediate tuberculosis-burden country, the latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) risk in patients with psoriasis who are treated with etanercept, the safest kind of TNF-α blocker, is unknown.Objectives: This study reports the LTBI risk in patients with psoriasis after etanercept treatment and aims to answer the question of how often rescreening for LTBI should be done in order to reduce active tuberculosis infection of patients and further reduce the incidence of active tuberculosis disease.Patients and methods: This retrospective review evaluated patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis between 2009 and 2013. All patients were excluded tuberculosis infection and received etanercept 25 mg twice weekly, then the patients were checked for LTBI 3 months after etanercept treatment to observe the incidence of LTBI and assess the need for rescreening for LTBI every 3 months.Results: We retrospectively analyzed 192 patients with psoriasis with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque whose tuberculin skin test and chest X-rays were negative and who received etanercept 25 mg twice weekly. Eighteen of them were excluded because they received less than 3 months of etanercept therapy. After treatment with etanercept, four patients were found to have LTBI.Conclusion: In this study, the incidence of LTBI after 3 months was four in 192 (2.1%), which is higher than the annual incidence of LTBI in the People’s Republic of China (0.72%), so LTBI could be expected to occur within 3 months in psoriasis patients on etanercept. Periodic screening for LTBI in the therapy course, as well as before initiating treatment, is necessary in those patients who use a TNF-α blocker. We recommend rescreening for LTBI every 3 months. Keywords: TNF receptor, TNFR, fusion protein, treatment, LTBI, TB screenin