Chemoenzymatic elaboration of monosaccharides using engineered cytochrome P450_(BM3) demethylases

Polysaccharides comprise an extremely important class of biopolymers that play critical roles in a wide range of biological processes, but the synthesis of these compounds is challenging because of their complex structures. We have developed a chemoenzymatic method for regioselective deprotection of monosaccharide substrates using engineered Bacillus megaterium cytochrome P450 (P450_(BM3)) demethylases that provides a highly efficient means to access valuable intermediates, which can be converted to a wide range of substituted monosaccharides and polysaccharides. Demethylases displaying high levels of regioselectivity toward a number of protected monosaccharides were identified using a combination of protein and substrate engineering, suggesting that this approach ultimately could be used in the synthesis of a wide range of substituted mono- and polysaccharides for studies in chemistry, biology, and medicine

Japan: Die alternde Gesellschaft braucht Technologie-und Communityentwicklung

Angesichts des stark ausgeprägten Fachkräftemangels, die an sich keine japanische Besonderheit darstellt, ist das Interesse an der Forschung über Robotik und Smart Systemen besonders gross. In Japan werden Roboter seit längerem eingesetzt und scheinen akzeptierter als in der Schweiz. Besonders interessant ist deswegen der japanischen Einsatz von Smart Technologien in Bezug der Frage der Alterung der Bevölkerung

Editorial : Recent advances in the ecology and evolution of the Bathyergidae

No abstract available.http://frontiersin.org/Ecology_and_Evolutiondm2022Zoology and Entomolog

LHC / ILC / Cosmology Interplay

There is a strong and growing interplay between particle physics and cosmology. In this talk, I discuss some aspects of this interplay concerning dark matter candidates put forth by theories beyond the Standard Model. In explaining the requirements for collider tests of such dark matter candidates, I focus in particular on the case of the lightest neutralino in the MSSM.Comment: 7 pages, contribution to the proceedings of the IX Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-9), 3-14 Jan 2006, Bhubaneswar, Indi

Prevalence of Antibodies Against Virus-Like Particles of Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis-Associated HPV8 in Patients at Risk of Skin Cancer

There is increasing evidence for widespread occurrences of infection with Epidermodysplasia verruciformis-related human papillomaviruses, both in the general population and in immunosuppressed patients. In order to test for the prevalence of antibodies directed against the native L1 epitopes exposed on the surface of the virions, we have established an IgG-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with L1 virus-like particles of the Epidermodysplasia verruciformis-specific human papillomavirus 8 as antigen to screen 567 representative serum samples from the general population and immunosuppressed/dermatologic patients. Among healthy European donors (n = 210), 7.6% were found to be seropositive. In a group of renal transplant recipients (n = 185) the antibody prevalence was elevated to 21.1%, irrespective of the presence or absence of skin cancer. High positivity rates could be detected among (i) immunocompetent patients with nonmelanoma skin tumors (45.6%, n = 79) and (ii) Psoralene/UVA treated psoriasis patients (42.9%, n = 42). In contrast, anti-human papillomavirus 8-virus-like particle antibodies were found in only 6.8% of Hodgkin lymphoma patients (n = 44)

Convergence and translation: attitudes to inter-professional learning and teaching of creative problem-solving among medical and engineering students and staff

Background: Healthcare worldwide needs translation of basic ideas from engineering into the clinic. Consequently, there is increasing demand for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel solutions for healthcare. The literature provides little guidance regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, effective interdisciplinary learning for engineering and medical students in a team-based project context. Methods: A quantitative survey was distributed to engineering and medical students and staff in two universities, one in Ireland and one in Belgium, to chart knowledge and practice in interdisciplinary learning and teaching, and of the teaching of innovation. Results: We report important differences for staff and students between the disciplines regarding attitudes towards, and perceptions of, the relevance of interdisciplinary learning opportunities, and the role of creativity and innovation. There was agreement across groups concerning preferred learning, instructional styles, and module content. Medical students showed greater resistance to the use of structured creativity tools and interdisciplinary teams. Conclusions: The results of this international survey will help to define the optimal learning conditions under which undergraduate engineering and medicine students can learn to consider the diverse factors which determine the success or failure of a healthcare engineering solution

First aid for children's burns in the US and UK: An urgent call to establish and promote international standards

Introduction Appropriate first aid can reduce the morbidity of burns, however, there are considerable variations between international first aid recommendations. We aim to identify, and compare first aid practices in children who present to Emergency Departments (ED) with a burn. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study of 500 children (0–16 completed years) presenting with a burn to a paediatric ED in the UK (Cardiff) and the USA (Denver, Colorado), during 2015–2017. The proportion of children who had received some form of first aid and the quality of first aid were compared between cities. Results Children attending hospital with a burn in Cardiff were 1.47 times more likely (RR 1.47; CI 1.36, 1.58), to have had some form of first aid than those in Denver. Denver patients were 4.7 time more likely to use a dressing and twice as likely to apply ointment/gel/aloe vera than the Cardiff cohort. First aid consistent with local recommendations was only administered to 26% (128/500) of children in Cardiff and 6% (31/500) in Denver. Potentially harmful first aid e.g. application of food, oil, toothpaste, shampoo or ice was applied to 5% of children in Cardiff and 10% in Denver. Conclusion A low number of children received optimal burns first aid, with potentially harmful methods applied in a considerable proportion of cases. There is an urgent need for internationally agreed, evidence-based burn first aid recommendations

A preliminary investigation into the restorative potential of public aquaria exhibits: a UK student-based study

peerreview_statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope. aims_and_scope_url: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=clar2

Individual common variants exert weak effects on the risk for autism spectrum disorders.

While it is apparent that rare variation can play an important role in the genetic architecture of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), the contribution of common variation to the risk of developing ASD is less clear. To produce a more comprehensive picture, we report Stage 2 of the Autism Genome Project genome-wide association study, adding 1301 ASD families and bringing the total to 2705 families analysed (Stages 1 and 2). In addition to evaluating the association of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we also sought evidence that common variants, en masse, might affect the risk. Despite genotyping over a million SNPs covering the genome, no single SNP shows significant association with ASD or selected phenotypes at a genome-wide level. The SNP that achieves the smallest P-value from secondary analyses is rs1718101. It falls in CNTNAP2, a gene previously implicated in susceptibility for ASD. This SNP also shows modest association with age of word/phrase acquisition in ASD subjects, of interest because features of language development are also associated with other variation in CNTNAP2. In contrast, allele scores derived from the transmission of common alleles to Stage 1 cases significantly predict case status in the independent Stage 2 sample. Despite being significant, the variance explained by these allele scores was small (Vm< 1%). Based on results from individual SNPs and their en masse effect on risk, as inferred from the allele score results, it is reasonable to conclude that common variants affect the risk for ASD but their individual effects are modest