OBJECTIVE:: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of moderate endurance training on a set of physiological parameters accompanying menopausal transition. METHODS:: One hundred sixty-eight women participated in the study. The cohort was divided into three subgroups: premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal. A 12-week moderate intensity Nordic Walking program was administered to the cohort. The changes in body mass index (BMI), total fat mass (TF), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TGs), and waist circumference (WC) were assessed by means of appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS:: Significant differences are observed in V(dot)O2max and cholesterol levels as a function of age, both ovarian and chronological. BMI, TF, LDL, HDL, TGs, and WC also fluctuate, however insignificantly, as a function of age. Administration of a 12-week Nordic Walking program results in significant changes in the parameters studied. The only exception is HDL level in postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS:: Significant decreases in BMI, TF, LDL, TGs, and WC and increase in HDL in premenopausal and perimenopausal women indicate the outstanding role the appropriately chosen moderate endurance training may play in the quality of daily life in perimenopausal women.

Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of human acid beta-glucosidase. Recent x-ray structural elucidation of the enzyme alone and in the presence of its inhibitor was done, which provided an excellent template for further studies on the binding of substrate, product and inhibitor. To draw correlations between the clinical manifestation of the disease driven by point mutations, L444P and L444R, and the placement and function of putative S-binding sites, the presented theoretical studies were undertaken, which comprised of molecular dynamics and molecular docking methods. The obtained results indicate the D443 and D445 residues as extremely important for physiological functionality of an enzyme. They also show, although indirectly, that binding of the substrate is influenced by an interplay of E235 and E334 residues, constituting putative substrate binding site, and the region flanked by D435 and D445 residues. Figure The binding of an arbitrarily chosen structure of glucosylceramide (A), conduritol-beta-epoxide (B), glucose (C) to the active site D443/D445 (A1, B1, C1) and E320/E340 (A2, B2, C2) of the wild-type structure of human acid-beta-glucosidase. A1, B1, C1 blue mask represents the residues D443-D445; red mask represents the residue D444; A2, B2, C2 blue mask represents loop1 (Ser(345)-Glu(349)) and loop2 (Val(394)-Asp(399)), whereas red mask the residues E235 and 340.

The PEDANT genome database (http://pedant.gsf.de) provides exhaustive automatic analysis of genomic sequences by a large variety of established bioinformatics tools through a comprehensive Web-based user interface. One hundred and seventy seven completely sequenced and unfinished genomes have been processed so far, including large eukaryotic genomes (mouse, human) published recently. In this contribution, we describe the current status of the PEDANT database and novel analytical features added to the PEDANT server in 2002. Those include:(i) integration with the BioRS data retrieval system which allows fast text queries,(ii) pre-computed sequence clusters in each complete genome,(iii) a comprehensive set of tools for genome comparison, including genome comparison tables and protein function prediction based on genomic context, and (iv) computation and visualization of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks based on experimental data. The availability of functional and structural predictions for 650 000 genomic proteins in well organized form makes PEDANT a useful resource for both functional and structural genomics.

OBJECTIVE:: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of moderate endurance training on a set of physiological parameters accompanying menopausal transition. METHODS:: One hundred sixty-eight women participated in the study. The cohort was divided into three subgroups: premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal. A 12-week moderate intensity Nordic Walking program was administered to the cohort. The changes in body mass index (BMI), total fat mass (TF), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TGs), and waist circumference (WC) were assessed by means of appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS:: Significant differences are observed in V(dot)O2max and cholesterol levels as a function of age, both ovarian and chronological. BMI, TF, LDL, HDL, TGs, and WC also fluctuate, however insignificantly, as a function of age. Administration of a 12-week Nordic Walking program results in significant changes in the parameters studied. The only exception is HDL level in postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS:: Significant decreases in BMI, TF, LDL, TGs, and WC and increase in HDL in premenopausal and perimenopausal women indicate the outstanding role the appropriately chosen moderate endurance training may play in the quality of daily life in perimenopausal women.