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We herein report a case of Klebsiella oxytoca-producing IMP-1 that was detected as a first isolate of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at our facility. Since K. oxytoca is an uncommon strain for CRE, we speculated that the resistant organism had already spread out inside the hospital. Metallo-β-lactamases promotes antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, which potentially yields problematic issues in clinical settings. Active surveillance of antibiotic resistant strains is important and should be repeatedly highlighted. Furthermore, appropriate methods should be established to detect highly resistant strains.

A novel method for the extraction of inosinic acid in Smoked Katsuwonus pelamis based on water was developed. The inosinic acid was extracted by 95 degrees C water for 5 min. The subsequent analysis of inosinic acid was achieved on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with the mobile phase of methanol-50 mmol/L ammonium acetate (5: 95, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at 30 degrees C. The detection wavelength was set at 254 nm. The results showed that the linear range for inosinic acid in Smoked Katsuwonus pelamis was between 1.0 mg/L and 120.0 mg/L with the limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 4 mg/kg and the limit of quantification (LOQ, S/N = 10) of 12 mg/kg. At the spiked levels of 0.40, 2.00, 4.00 g/kg (n = 3), the recoveries ranged from 84.6% to 100.2% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 1.00% and 6.12%. Compared with traditional extraction method by perchloric acid, the extraction efficiency was improved by 37.0%. The novel method is safe, stable and accurate for the determination of inosinic acid in Smoked Katsuwonus pelamis, which can also be applied to the determination of inosinic acid in other foods and deserved to be spread.

Trypanosomatid protozoan pathogens are purine auxotrophs that are highly dependent on the enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) for the synthesis of guanylate nucleotides. Enzymatic characterization of the Leishmania donovani IMPDH (LdIMPDH) overexpressed in E. coli revealed that this enzyme was highly specific for the substrates IMP and NAD(+) with K(m)(app) values of 33 and 390 microM, respectively. In contrast to other IMPDHs, LdIMPDH exhibits no substrate inhibition in high concentrations of NAD(+). Kinetic studies revealed that XMP and GMP were inhibitors with K(i) values of approximately 26 and 210 microM, respectively, suggesting that these nucleotides may regulate LdIMPDH activity. Mycophenolic acid was also a potent inhibitor of L. donovani IMPDH with a K(i) value of approximately 25 nM. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and subcellular fractionation localized LdIMPDH to the glycosome. Protein-protein interaction assays revealed that LdIMPDH associated tightly with glycosomal protein sorting receptor LdPEX5.

Previous work has shown that the crude venom of Parawixia bistriata induces convulsive seizures in rats after intracerebroventricular injection. In this work, the isolation of a bioactive fraction with ultraviolet absorption characteristics of nucleic acid and trace protein or amino acid content is described. NMR analysis demonstrated that the major component of the active fraction is the nucleoside inosine. An analogue of this component (inosine 5'-monophosphate) induced a delayed paralysis effect in termites.

A new method for the bonding of diethylamine(DEA) on the surface of silica to prepare novel hydrophilic packings for HPLC has been studied. After allyl glycidyl ether being synthesized, the Si-DEA anion-exchange bonded phase was prepared by the reaction of the double bond in allyl group with Si-H silica. The bonded phases obtained were characterized by elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform(DRIFT) spectroscopy and HPLC evaluation. The methods were used for both porous silica and monodisperse non-porous silica. The contents of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen of porous Si-DEA packing (MPS-DEA) were 3.31%, 0.95% and 1.34% respectively and those of monodisperse non-porous Si-DEA packing (NPS-DEA) were 2.55%, 0.97% and 0.96% respectively. The diethylamine absorption peak can be observed at 2970 cm-1 from the Si-DEA silica DRIFT spectrum. These data revealed that the diethylamine had been bonded on MPS-DEA and NPS-DEA packings. In HPLC tests, nucleotides and nucleosides such as cytosine, uracil, cytidine-5'-monophosphate, adenosine-5'-monophosphate, inosine-5'-monophosphate and guanosine-5'-monophosphate were satisfactorily separated on the porous anion-exchange packing (MPS-DEA), and a group of proteins (lysozyme, ribonuclease, ovalbumin, bovine serum albumin, insulin and gamma-globulin) were separated within 15 minutes successfuly. All test results indicated that the new method for preparing better anion-exchange silica packings is effective for both porous silica and monodiperse non-porous silica.

1. A rapid method for the determination of AMP and IMP by HPLC is described. 2. Its application to the assay of AMP deaminase allows the specific determination of enzyme activities in crude extracts, eliminating any interference by other enzyme systems (5'-nucleotidase and adenosine deaminase). 3. The method was routinely used for the determination of the AMP deaminase activity in the muscles of marine animals.

A low molecular weight factor with pronounced vasoactive properties has been isolated from rabbit muscle. The procedure for lyophilized tissue extract purification included fractional methanol extraction with subsequent column chromatography on TSK-GEL Toyopearl, DEAE-Toyopearl 650 ion-exchanger and Sephadex G-10. The resulting preparation was homogeneous as evidenced from reversed phase HPLC. The structure of the factor was examined by using UV- and IR-spectrophotometry as well as by PMR and 13C-NMR. It was found that the vasoactive factor includes an inosine nucleotide structure covalently bound to a di- or tri-alanine peptide while the phosphate group is free. It is suggested that the binding of the peptide to the inosine moiety occurs via a C-terminal carboxyl of the peptide and pentose hydroxyls. It seems probable that the vasoactive effect is a result of esterification of the purine nucleotides with the peptide.

The effect of variation in the concentration of inorganic phosphate and of the pyridine precursors nicotinamide (NAm) and nicotinic acid (NA) on pyridine nucleotide synthesis was studied using intact human erythrocytes. A wide range of incubation times was employed. The results showed that under physiological conditions the rate of synthesis of NAD from NAm exceeded that from NA twofold, while the reverse situation pertained at higher and unphysiological substrate levels. The two pathways had different regulation points. For NAm the rate-limiting factor was the initial step, namely its conversion into the mononucleotide, while for NA it lay at the second step, conversion of NA mononucleotide (NAMN) to its adenine dinucleotide. At physiological substrate levels the uptake of NA and conversion to NAMN were rapid, while the uptake and conversion of NAm were time dependent. This process was stimulated significantly by inorganic phosphate only for NAm. These results indicate that while NA is the predominant precursor of human erythrocyte NAD at high (unphysiological) substrate and phosphate levels, NAm is more efficient as an NAD precursor under physiological conditions, suggesting an important and hitherto unrecognized role for nicotinamide in NAD synthesis in vivo.

This study examined the dynamics for ammonia (NH3) metabolism in human skeletal muscle during and after intense one-legged exercise. Subjects (n = 8) performed dynamic leg extensor exercise to exhaustion (3.2 min). Muscle NH3 release increased rapidly to a maximum of 314 +/- 42 mumol/min and declined immediately on cessation of exercise. Recovery was complete in approximately 20 min. Arterial [NH3] increased less rapidly and reached its maximum 2-3 min into recovery. These data demonstrate that NH3 clearance is more sensitive to the cessation of exercise than is NH3 release from skeletal muscle. Muscle [NH3] increased three to fourfold during exercise and represented 74 +/- 8% of the total net NH3 formation. Thus the change in muscle [NH3] alone underestimates the NH3 production. There was no evidence that the muscle-to-venous blood NH3 ratio shifts in accordance with the H+ data. Thus other factors must contribute to the NH3 release from active muscle. The total net NH3 formed corresponded with the intramuscular inosine 5'-monophosphate accumulation, suggesting that the NH3 was derived from AMP deamination. Changes in the known modulators of AMP deaminase (ATP, ADP, H+) were moderate, so the mechanisms initiating the deamination remain obscure.

Conditions for transformation of tissue adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP) into inosine-5'-monophosphate (IMP) with the aid of endogenic AMP-aminohydrolase are developed resting on the studied properties of AMP-aminohydrolase (EC 3.5.4.6) from saltwater fish muscles (one of the enzymes participating in the nucleotide metabolism). Sorption of the nucleotide is performed on the activated charcoals A gamma-3 A gamma-5 which eluate IMP from acid solutions. It reduces the process of isolation, permits application of the acid wash solutions to remove salts; the alkaline ethyl alcohol-aid elution at the subsequent stages accelerates the process of nucleotide concentration by means of vacuum evaporation. The suggested approaches allow developing a simple method of IMP production from fish tissues which diminishes the cost of preparation.