BACKGROUND Properly ruling in or out deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is important because of the risk of developing pulmonary embolism if untreated and the risk of bleeding when treated with anticoagulants. In primary care, the diagnosis in suspected DVT is non-specific and the physician has to decide which patients to refer for further diagnostic work-up on the basis of patient history and physical...

alpha-Lytic protease is a bacterial serine protease of the trypsin family that is synthesized as a 39-kD preproenzyme (Silen, J. L., C. N. McGrath, K. R. Smith, and D. A. Agard. 1988. Gene (Amst.). 69: 237-244). The 198-amino acid mature protease is secreted into the culture medium by the native host, Lysobacter enzymogenes (Whitaker, D. R. 1970. Methods Enzymol. 19:599-613). Expression experim...