Snake venom proteins affecting platelets and their applications to anti-thrombotic research

Snake venoms are very complex mixtures of biologically active proteins and peptides that may affect hemostasis in many ways, by activating or inhibiting coagulant factors or platelets, or by disrupting endothelium. They have been classified into various families, including serine proteases, metalloproteinases, C-type lectins, disintegrins and phospholipases. The various members of a particular family act selectively on different blood coagulation factors, blood cells or tissues. Venom proteins affect platelet function in particular by binding to and blocking or clustering and activating receptors or by cleaving receptors or von Willebrand factor. They may also activate protease-activated receptors or modulate ADP release or thromboxane A(2) formation. L-amino acid oxidases activate platelets by producing H(2)O(2). Many of these purified components are valuable tools in platelet research, providing new information about receptor function and signaling.

[Endobronchial ultrasound: practical aspects and clinical applications]

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) has become a major advance in bronchoscopy. Substantial scientific evidence has confirmed its usefulness in lung cancer diagnosis and staging, as well as in other clinical settings. It is of growing importance that endoscopists perform and interpret this imaging method accurately, in order to optimize diagnosis and treatment of their patients. The present article provides a practical and comprehensible review of the two EBUS systems currently available and its main clinical indications.

Dual energy subtraction: principles and clinical applications

Two technical solutions using single or dual shot offer different advantages and disadvantages for dual energy subtraction. The principles of these are explained and the main clinical applications with results are demonstrated. Elimination of overlaying bone and proof or exclusion of calcification are the primary aims of energy subtraction chest radiography, offering unique information in different clinical situations.

Endogenous and synthetic MMP inhibitors in CNS physiopathology.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, including the membrane-type MMPs (MT-MMPs)), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM), and ADAM with thrombospondin motifs belong to the metzincins, a subclass of metalloproteinases that contain a Met residue and a Zn(2+) ion at the catalytic site necessary for enzymatic reaction. MMP proteolytic activity is mainly controlled by their natural tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP). A number of synthetic inhibitors have been developed to control deleterious MMP activity. The roles of MMPs and some of their ECM substrates in CNS physiology and pathology are covered by other chapters of the present volume and will thus not be addressed in depth. This chapter will focus (i) on the endogenous MMP inhibitors in the CNS, (ii) on MMP and TIMP regulations in three large classes of neuropathologic processes (inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and infectious), and (iii) on synthetic inhibitors of MMPs and the perspective of their use in different brain diseases.

Bone Conditioned Medium: Preparation and Bioassay.

Autologous bone grafts are widely used in oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, and traumatology. Autologous bone grafts not only replace missing bone, they also support the complex process of bone regeneration. This favorable behavior of autografts is attributed to the three characteristics: osteoconductivity, osteogenicity, and osteoinductivity. However, there is another aspect: Bone grafts release a myriad of molecules, including growth factors, which can target mesenchymal cells involved in bone regeneration. The paracrine properties of bone grafts can be studied in vitro by the use of bone-conditioned medium (BCM). Here we present a protocol on how to prepare bone-conditioned medium from native pig cortical bone, and bone that underwent thermal processing or demineralization. Cells can be directly exposed to BCM or seeded onto biomaterials, such as collagen membranes, previously soaked with BCM. We give examples for in vitro bioassays with mesenchymal cells on the expression of TGF-β regulated genes. The presented protocols should encourage to further reveal the paracrine effects of bone grafts during bone regeneration and open a path for translational research in the broad field of reconstructive surgery.