4,920 research outputs found
Improper Supplementation Habits of Folic Acid Intake by Hungarian Pregnant Women: Improper Recommendations
Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are some of the most common congenital anomalies. Proper folic acid supplementation is a dominant risk factor, which has been shown to decrease the incidence of NTDs. In Canada, the incidence of neuroblastoma has presented a considerable decrease of 60% as a result of enrichment cereal grain flours with synthetic folic acid. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of folic acid intake by pregnant women on the incidence of NTDs and neuroblastoma. Methods: Regular folic acid intake has been recommended to pregnant women in Hungary since the eighties of the last century by health visitors eventually raking effect as an official protocol which had been released in 1997. During 2001, 2002 and 2003. folic acid intake habits of pregnant women were evaluated by health visitors, proving to be successful in collecting data front 95.06% of the pregnant women. The incidence of NTDs has been registered by the Hungarian National Centre of Epidemiology, Department of Human Genetics and Teratology. The Pediatric Cancer Registry provided the incidence of neuroblastoma in children. Results: Consistent findings revealed a regular intake of supplementary folic acid products by 68.71% of the pregnant women. Out of these. 93.13% of pregnant women who were taking folic acid, started the supplementation after their 7 weeks of pregnancies, a time designated as the completion period of the development of the neural tube. The dose of folic acid supplementation was evaluated as less than 5 mg/day in 84.75% of the pregnant women. In Hungary, the incidence of NTDs has remained constant, while the incidence of neuroblastoma has shown constant slight increase in spite of the introduction of folic acid supplementation in 1997. Conclusions: Based on our experience, folic acid supplementation was initiated after the recognition of pregnancy and its application in a dose of lower than 5 mg/day neither decreased the incidence of NTDs nor did it have an effect on the neuroblastoma incidence. It is implicated that proper folic acid supplementation, which is started front the conception. can be achieved only with the enrichment of cereal grain flours
Designer rhamnolipid production
Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants featuring surface-active properties that render them suitable for a broad range of applications, e.g., in detergents, food, bioremediation, medicine/pharmacology, and crop science. These properties include their emulsification and foaming capacities and their ability to lower the surface tension. Further, aspects like biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, both features of rhamnolipids [1] are becoming increasingly important. Rhamnolipids thus constitute suitable substitutes for synthetic surfactants produced from fossil resources. Native producers of rhamnolipids are mainly pathogenic bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We previously designed and constructed a recombinant Pseudomonas putida KT2440, which synthesizes rhamnolipids by decoupling production from host-intrinsic regulations and cell growth [2]. As most biosurfactants, rhamnolipids are synthesized in mixtures. We here show our approach to alter the native mixture of surfactant molecules to produce specific new-to-nature combinations. The molecular structure (Figure 1) can on the one hand be altered in the hydrophilic moiety by changing the number of rhamnose molecules. We achieved this by using only distinct genes from the native rhamnolipid synthesis pathway. On the other hand, we were also able to change the length of the fatty acids in the hydrophobic part. This chain length is determined by the acyl-transferase (RhlA). Using rhlA genes from different organisms enables our microbial cell factory to synthesize molecules with different chain lengths [3]. The different molecular structures have further been shown to feature diverse physico-chemical properties [4]. Exploiting the natural structural diversity will thus allow for the synthesis of designer rhamnolipids tailormade for specific applications. We thus present a novel approach to use biochemical engineering to create tailormade products for a more sustainable future.
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A global profile of replicative polymerase usage
Three eukaryotic DNA polymerases are essential for genome replication. Polymerase (Pol) α–primase initiates each synthesis event and is rapidly replaced by processive DNA polymerases: Polɛ replicates the leading strand, whereas Polδ performs lagging-strand synthesis. However, it is not known whether this division of labor is maintained across the whole genome or how uniform it is within single replicons. Using Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we have developed a polymerase usage sequencing (Pu-seq) strategy to map polymerase usage genome wide. Pu-seq provides direct replication-origin location and efficiency data and indirect estimates of replication timing. We confirm that the division of labor is broadly maintained across an entire genome. However, our data suggest a subtle variability in the usage of the two polymerases within individual replicons. We propose that this results from occasional leading-strand initiation by Polδ followed by exchange for Polɛ
Marginal States in Mean Field Glasses
We study mean field systems whose free energy landscape is dominated by
marginally stable states. We review and develop various techniques to describe
such states, elucidating their physical meaning and the interrelation between
them. In particular, we give a physical interpretation of the two-group replica
symmetry breaking scheme and confirm it by establishing the relation to the
cavity method and to the counting of solutions of the Thouless-Anderson-Palmer
equations. We show how these methods all incorporate the presence of a soft
mode in the free energy landscape and interpret the occurring order parameter
functions in terms of correlations between the soft mode and the local
magnetizations. The general formalism is applied to the prototypical case of
the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick-model where we re-examine the physical properties
of marginal states under a new perspective.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure
In vitro activation of NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases by Nudix hydrolases is more widespread than assumed
AbstractIn the Gram-positive methylotroph Bacillus methanolicus, methanol oxidation is catalyzed by an NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase (Mdh) that belongs to the type III alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) family. It was previously shown that the in vitro activity of B. methanolicus Mdh is increased by the endogenous activator protein Act, a Nudix hydrolase. Here we show that this feature is not unique, but more widespread among type III Adhs in combination with Act or other Act-like Nudix hydrolases. In addition, we studied the effect of site directed mutations in the predicted active site of Mdh and two other type III Adhs with regard to activity and activation by Act
Communication Patterns During Routine Patient Care in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: The Behavioral Impact of In Situ Simulation.
OBJECTIVE
Effective communication minimizes medical errors and leads to improved team performance while treating critically ill patients. Closed-loop communication is routinely applied in high-risk industries but remains underutilized in healthcare. Simulation serves as an educational tool to introduce, practice, and appreciate the efficacy of closed-loop communication.
METHODS
This observational before-and-after study investigates behavioral changes in communication among nurses brought on by simulation team training in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The communication patterns of PICU nurses, who had no prior simulation experience, were observed during routine bedside care before and after undergoing in situ simulation.One month before and 1 and 3 months after simulation (intervention), 2 trained raters recorded nurse communications relative to callouts, uttered by the sender, and callbacks, reciprocated by the recipient. The impact of simulation on communication patterns was analyzed quantitatively.
RESULTS
Among the 15 PICU nurses included in this study, significant changes in communication behavior were observed during patient care after communication-focused in situ simulation. The PICU nurses were significantly less likely to let a callout go unanswered during clinical routine. The effect prevailed both 1 month (P = 0.039) and 3 months (P = 0.033) after the educational exposure.
CONCLUSIONS
This observational before-and-after study describes the prevalence and pattern of communication among PICU nurses during routine patient care and documents PICU nurses transferring simulation-acquired communication skills into their clinical environment after a single afternoon of in situ simulation. This successful transfer of simulation-acquired skills has the potential to improve patient safety and outcome
Rotational and high-resolution infrared spectrum of HCN: global ro-vibrational analysis and improved line catalogue for astrophysical observations
HCN is an ubiquitous molecule in interstellar environments, from external
galaxies, to Galactic interstellar clouds, star forming regions, and planetary
atmospheres. Observations of its rotational and vibrational transitions provide
important information on the physical and chemical structure of the above
environments. We present the most complete global analysis of the spectroscopic
data of HCN. We have recorded the high-resolution infrared spectrum from
450 to 1350 cm, a region dominated by the intense and
fundamental bands, located at 660 and 500 cm, respectively, and their
associated hot bands. Pure rotational transitions in the ground and
vibrationally excited states have been recorded in the millimetre and
sub-millimetre regions in order to extend the frequency range so far considered
in previous investigations. All the transitions from the literature and from
this work involving energy levels lower than 1000 cm have been fitted
together to an effective Hamiltonian. Because of the presence of various
anharmonic resonances, the Hamiltonian includes a number of interaction
constants, in addition to the conventional rotational and vibrational l-type
resonance terms. The data set contains about 3400 ro-vibrational lines of 13
bands and some 1500 pure rotational lines belonging to 12 vibrational states.
More than 120 spectroscopic constants have been determined directly from the
fit, without any assumption deduced from theoretical calculations or
comparisons with similar molecules. An extensive list of highly accurate rest
frequencies has been produced to assist astronomical searches and data
interpretation. These improved data, have enabled a refined analysis of the
ALMA observations towards Sgr B2(N2).Comment: 35 pages, 14 figures, accepted for pubblication in ApJ Supplemen
A missing high-spin molecule in the family of cyano-bridged heptanuclear heterometal complexes, [(LCuII)6FeIII(CN)6]3+, and its CoIII and CrIII analogues, accompanied in the crystal by a novel octameric water cluster
Three isostructural cyano-bridged heptanuclear complexes,
[{CuII(saldmen)(H2O)}6{MIII(CN)6}](ClO4)38H2O (M = FeIII 2; CoIII, 3;
CrIII 4), have been obtained by reacting the binuclear copper(II) complex,
[Cu2(saldmen)2(mu-H2O)(H2O)2](ClO4)22H2O 1, with K3[Co(CN)6],
K4[Fe(CN)6], and, respectively, K3[Cr(CN)6] (Hsaldmen is the Schiff base
resulted from the condensation of salicylaldehyde with
N,N-dimethylethylenediamine). A unique octameric water cluster, with
bicyclo[2,2,2]octane-like structure, is sandwiched between the heptanuclear
cations in 2, 3 and 4. The cryomagnetic investigations of compounds 2 and 4
reveal ferromagnetic couplings of the central FeIII or CrIII ions with the CuII
ions (JCuFe = +0.87 cm-1, JCuCr = +30.4 cm-1). The intramolecular Cu-Cu
exchange interaction in 3, across the diamagnetic cobalt(III) ion, is -0.3
cm-1. The solid-state1H-NMR spectra of compounds 2 and 3 have been
investigated
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