Reactions of superoxide dismutases with HS(-)/H2S and superoxide radical anion: An in vitro EPR study.

Interactions of hydrogen sulfide (HS(-)/H2S), a reducing signaling species, with superoxide dimutases (SOD) are poorly understood. We applied low-T EPR spectroscopy to examine the effects of HS(-)/H2S and superoxide radical anion O2.- on metallocenters of FeSOD, MnSOD, and CuZnSOD. HS(-)/H2S did not affect FeSOD, whereas active centers of MnSOD and CuZnSOD were open to this agent. Cu(2+) was reduced to Cu(1+), while manganese appears to be released from MnSOD active center. Untreated and O2.- treated FeSOD and MnSOD predominantly show 5 d-electron systems, i.e. Fe(3+) and Mn(2+). Our study provides new details on the mechanisms of (patho)physiological effects of HS(-)/H2S.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rural area of Croatia.

Rural areas, where 47.6% of the Croatian population lives are not generally the focus of research; yet there are challenges which affect the rural population that often go unreported. These communities often exhibit disadvantages in many areas of health. The aim of this study is to examine the specific health needs and related determinants of rural populations influenced by transition that were affected by the consequences of war. The focus of the research is rural lifestyle, behaviour and cardiovascular risk factors in three villages of Sisacko-moslavacka County. Results show that participants generally understand that their own lifestyles influence their health, but they often neglect to change their behaviour to improve their health. This can be explained through complex socio-economic conditions and traditional values of their heritage. These results suggest a need for further research on health status, attitude, and behaviour of Croatia's rural population. Specific public health intervention and services for rural populations must be promoted.

Counseling on cardiovascular behavioral risk factors within the healthcare system: the CroHort study.

Eliminating four behavioral risk factors (tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and harmful use of alcohol) could contribute to a decrease of up to 80% in burden of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Primary healthcare providers have a unique position within the healthcare system, which allows them to actively contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular behavioral risk factors (CVBRFs) by providing individual counseling. The aim of this article is to show the change in frequency and the effects of counseling on CVBRFs by healthcare providers between two periods: up until 2003 and between 2003 and 2008. Results, obtained within the CroHort study, show a low frequency and undesired effects of counseling within the healthcare system in both studied periods. This points to a lack of consistency with which the healthcare system tackles prevention of behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

In vivo engineering of proteins with nitrogen-containing tryptophan analogs.

Recently, it has become possible to reprogram the protein synthesis machinery such that numerous noncanonical amino acids can be translated into target sequences yielding tailor-made proteins. The canonical amino acid tryptophan (Trp) encoded by a single nucleotide triplet (UGG) is a particularly interesting target for protein engineering and design. Trp-residues can be substituted with a variety of analogs and surrogates generated biosynthetically or by organic chemistry. Among them, nitrogen-containing tryptophan analogs occupy a central position, as they have distinct chemical properties in comparison with aliphatic amines and imines. They resemble purine bases of DNA and share their capacity for pH-sensitive intramolecular charge transfer. These special properties of the analogs can be directly transmitted into related protein structures via in vivo ribosome-mediated translation. Proteins expressed in this way are further endowed with unique properties like new spectral, altered redox and titration features or might serve as useful biomaterials. We present and discuss current works and future developments in protein engineering with nitrogen-containing tryptophan analogs and related compounds as well as their relevance for academic and applicative research.