Galanthamine hydrobromide (Nivalin), an alkaloid from the bulbs of snowdrops, is widely used in Bulgaria as an antagonist to non-depolarizing muscle relaxants. The pharmacology is reviewed and experiences in the use of galanthamine in 24 patients are described. It is about one-tenth as potent as neostigmine. As changes in pulse rate and blood pressure were slight, it is rarely necessary to inje...

The alkaloids characteristically produced by the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the Amaryllidaceae, bulbous plant species that include well know genera such as Narcissus (daffodils) and Galanthus (snowdrops), are a source of new pharmaceutical compounds. Presently, only the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid galanthamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, is pr...

We cloned the AFMP1 gene, which encodes the first antigenic cell wall galactomannoprotein in Aspergillus fumigatus. AFMP1 codes for a protein, Afmp1p, of 284 amino acid residues, with a few sequence features that are present in Mp1p, the antigenic cell wall mannoprotein in Penicillium marneffei that we described previously, as well as several other cell wall proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae...

The impact of seminal plasma components on the fertilization outcomes in humans is still under question. The increasing number of couples facing problems with conception raises the need for predictive biomarkers. Detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms accompanying fertilization remains another challenge. Carbohydrate-protein recognition may be of key importance in this complex field...

We have developed transgene pyramided rice lines, endowed with enhanced resistance to major sap-sucking insects, through sexual crosses made between two stable transgenic rice lines containing Allium sativum (asal) and Galanthus nivalis (gna) lectin genes. Presence and expression of asal and gna genes in pyramided lines were confirmed by PCR and western blot analyses. Segregation analysis of F₂...

BACKGROUND A very common protein modification in multicellular organisms is protein glycosylation or the addition of carbohydrate structures to the peptide backbone. Although the Class of the Insecta is the largest animal taxon on Earth, almost all information concerning glycosylation in insects is derived from studies with only one species, namely the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. METHO...

Ovo istraživanje potaknuto je istraživačkim pitanjem postoje li neki konkretni problemi pri provođenju Zakona o zaštiti prirode i Plana upravljanja u samom Parku Medvednica, koji ujedno sastavni dio ekološke mreže Natura 2000. U radu su prikazani rezultati istraživanja stavova predstavnika Javne ustanove PP Medvednica te anketirani stanovnici rubnih zona vezano uz tematiku korištenja gospodaren...

BACKGROUND Broadly cross-reactive, neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies, including 2F5, 2G12, 4E10 and IgG1 b12, can inhibit HIV-1 infection in vitro at very low concentrations. We examined the ability of these antibodies to inhibit cell-cell fusion between Clone69TRevEnv cells induced to express the viral envelope proteins, gp120/gp41 (Env), and highly CD4-positive SupT1 cells. The cells w...

The rice brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens) is a serious pest of rice crops throughout Asia, damaging plants both through its feeding behavior and by acting as a virus vector. Like many homopteran pests of crops, it is primarily a phloem feeder, abstracting sap via specially adapted mouthparts. An artificial diet bioassay system for this pest was developed to allow the effects of poten...

Evidence is accumulating that commonly used pesticides are linked to decline of pollinator populations; adverse effects of three neonicotinoids on bees have led to bans on their use across the European Union. Developing insecticides that pose negligible risks to beneficial organisms such as honeybees is desirable and timely. One strategy is to use recombinant fusion proteins containing neuroact...