BACKGROUND Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a heterogeneous metabolic disorder. The aim of this study was to examine associations among genetic polymorphisms, SstI polymorphism of apolipoprotein CIII (ApoCIII) and Hind III polymorphism of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), environmental factors and risks of HTG. METHODS AND RESULTS Two hundred and forty-nine southern Taiwanese aborigines were recruited f...

Starch fraction, which is resistant to enzymatic digestion, is produced during retrogradation. This fraction, termed resistant starch type III (RSIII), has health benefits such as pre-biotic effects, improving lipid and cholesterol metabolism, and reducing the risk of colon cancer. Since RSIII preserves its nutritional functionality during cooking processes, it may be used as a food ingredient....

BACKGROUND It is commonly assumed that some immunological disorder may play a part in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Previous studies by several groups have shown a significant association with HLA-DR antigens in patients with sarcoidosis. In this study, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the HLA-DR gene was designed to confirm the association at the gene level and to...

We have investigated the genetic relationships between the human decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and a group of complement components including the C3b/C4b receptor (CR1), C4-binding protein (C4bp), and factor H (H), to which DAF is structurally and functionally related. CR1, C4bp, and H were previously demonstrated to be encoded by a cluster of closely linked genes, which we have designated re...

Background: Sickle cell anemia is relatively common in Khuzestan province located in Southwest Iran. The characteristics of sickle cell disease in Iran are apparently different from other regions some of these characteristics might be related to β-chain haplotypes. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of β-chain haplotypes in 50 patients with homozygous sickle cell anemia in...

A generalized deficiency in the mitochondrial enzyme, ornithine aminotransferase (OAT: EC 2.6.1.13), is the hallmark of gyrate atrophy (GA), a hereditary degenerative disease of the choroid and retina of the eye that leads to blindness. A human OAT cDNA, previously constructed and characterized in our laboratory, and anti-human OAT antibody were used as probes to examine the OAT gene, mRNA and ...

Cytochrome c is an important electron transfer protein in the respiratory chain, shuttling electrons from cytochrome c reductase to cytochrome c oxidase. Extensive chemical modification studies indicate significant electrostatic interactions between these proteins and show that all structural and conformational changes of cytochrome c can influence the electron transport. In the present work we...

Cytochrome c is an important electron transfer protein in the respiratory chain, shuttling electrons from cytochrome c reductase to cytochrome c oxidase. Extensive chemical modification studies indicate significant electrostatic interactions between these proteins and show that all structural and conformational changes of cytochrome c can influence the electron transport. In the present work we...