Esterase EstK from Pseudomonas putida mt-2 : an enantioselective acetylesterase with activity for deacetylation of xylan and poly(vinylacetate)

An extracellular esterase gene estK was identified in Pseudomonas putida mt-2, and was overexpressed to high levels in Escherichia coli. The recombinant EstK enzyme was purified and characterised kinetically against p-nitrophenyl ester and other aryl-alkyl ester substrates, and was found to be selective for hydrolysis of acetyl ester substrates, with high activity for p-nitrophenyl acetate (kcat 5.5 s-1, KM 285 µM). Recombinant EstK was found to catalyse deacetylation of acetylated beech xylan, indicating a possible in vivo function for this enzyme, and partial deacetylation of a synthetic polymer, poly(vinylacetate). EstK was found to catalyse enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic 1-phenylethyl acetate, generating 1R-phenylethanol with an enantiomeric excess of 80.4%

Interarm differences in systolic blood pressure and mortality among US army veterans:aetiological associations and risk prediction in the Vietnam experience study

Background Differences between the arms in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of ?10?mmHg have been associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients with hypertensive and chronic renal disease. For the first time, we examined these relationships in a non-clinical population. Design Cohort study. Methods Participants were 4419 men (mean age 38.37 years) from the Vietnam Experience Study. Bilateral SBP and diastolic BP (DBP), serum lipids, fasting glucose, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, metabolic syndrome, and ankle brachial index were assessed in 1986. Results Ten per cent of men had an interarm difference of ?10 and 2.4% of ?15?mmHg. A 15-year follow-up period gave rise to 246 deaths (64 from cardiovascular disease, CVD). Interarm differences of ?10?mmHg were associated with an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, HR, 1.49, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.04–2.14) and CVD mortality (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.01–3.69). After adjusting for SBP, DBP, lipids, fasting glucose, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, associations between interarm differences of ?10?mmHg and all-cause mortality (HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.94–1.95) and CVD mortality (1.62, 95% CI 0.84–3.14) were significantly attenuated. Conclusions In this non-clinical cohort study, interarm differences in SBP were not associated with mortality after accounting for traditional CVD risk factors. Interarm differences might not be valuable as an additional risk factor for mortality in populations with a low risk of CVD. <br/

Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome in childhood : incidence, clinical profile and risk factors in a national prospective population-based cohort study

Aim To investigate the epidemiology, clinical profile and risk factors of pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS) in children aged 1-16 years. Methods A national prospective population-based cohort study over 25 months. Newly diagnosed PTCS cases notified via British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) were ascertained using classical diagnostic criteria and categorised according to 2013 revised diagnostic criteria. We derived national age, sex and weight-specific annual incidence rates and assessed effects of sex and weight category. Results We identified 185 PTCS cases of which 166 also fulfilled revised diagnostic criteria. The national annual incidence (95% CI) of childhood PTCS aged 1-16 years was 0.71 (0.57- 0.87) per 100,000 population increasing with age and weight to 4.18 and 10.7 per 100,000 in obese 12-15 year old boys and girls respectively. Incidence rates under 7 years were similar in both sexes. From 7 years onwards, the incidence in girls was double that in boys, but only in overweight (including obese) children. In 12-15 year old children, an estimated 82% of the incidence of PTCS was attributable to obesity. Two subgroups of PTCS were apparent: 168 (91%) cases aged from 7 years frequently presented on medication and with headache, and were predominantly female and obese. The remaining 17 (9%) cases under 7 years often lacked these risk factors and commonly presented with new onset squint. Conclusions This uniquely largest population-based study of childhood PTCS will inform the design of future intervention studies. It suggests that weight reduction is central to the prevention of PTCS

Identification of candidate genes for calcium and magnesium accumulation in Brassica napus L. by association genetics

Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are essential plant nutrients and vital for human and animal nutrition. Biofortification of crops has previously been suggested to alleviate widespread human Ca and Mg deficiencies. In this study, new candidate genes influencing the leaf accumulation of Ca and Mg were identified in young Brassica napus plants using associative transcriptomics of bionomics datasets. A total of 247 and 166 SNP markers were associated with leaf Ca and Mg concentration, respectively, after false discovery rate correction and removal of SNPs with low second allele frequency. Gene expression markers at similar positions were also associated with leaf Ca and Mg concentration, including loci on chromosomes A10 and C2, within which lie previously identified transporter genes ACA8 and MGT7. Further candidate genes were selected from seven loci and the mineral composition of whole Arabidopsis thaliana shoots were characterized from lines mutated in orthologous genes. Four and two mutant lines had reduced shoot Ca and Mg concentration, respectively, compared to wild type plants. Three of these mutations were found to have tissue specific effects; notably reduced silique Ca in all three such mutant lines. This knowledge could be applied in targeted breeding, with the possibility of increasing Ca and Mg in plant tissue for improving human and livestock nutrition

Direct determination of enthalpies of sorption using pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry: CO2 sorption by Cu-HKUST

CITATION: Feldmann, W. K. et al. 2020. Direct Determination of Enthalpies of Sorption Using Pressure-Gradient Differential Scanning Calorimetry: CO2 Sorption by Cu-HKUST. ChemSusChem, 13(1): 102-105. doi:10.1002/cssc.201902990The original publication is available at https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1864564xEnthalpy of sorption (ΔH) is an important parameter for the design of separation processes using adsorptive materials. A pressure-ramped calorimetric method is described and tested for the direct determination of ΔH values. Combining a heatflow thermogram with a single sorption isotherm enables the determination of ΔH as a function of loading. The method is validated by studying CO2 sorption by the well-studied metal–organic framework Cu-HKUST over a temperature range of 288–318 K. The measured ΔH values compare well with previously reported data determined by using isosteric and calorimetric methods. The pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry (PGDSC) method produces reliable high-resolution results by direct measurement of the enthalpy changes during the sorption processes. Additionally, PGDSC is less labor-intensive and time-consuming than the isosteric method and offers detailed insight into how ΔH changes over a given loading range.https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cssc.201902990Publishers versio

Applying an ecosystem services framework on nature and mental health to recreational blue space visits across 18 countries

The effects of ‘nature’ on mental health and subjective well-being have yet to be consistently integrated into ecosystem service models and frameworks. To address this gap, we used data on subjective mental well-being from an 18-country survey to test a conceptual model integrating mental health with ecosystem services, initially proposed by Bratman et al. We analysed a range of individual and contextual factors in the context of 14,998 recreational visits to blue spaces, outdoor environments which prominently feature water. Consistent with the conceptual model, subjective mental well-being outcomes were dependent upon on a complex interplay of environmental type and quality, visit characteristics, and individual factors. These results have implications for public health and environmental management, as they may help identify the bluespace locations, environmental features, and key activities, that are most likely to impact well-being, but also potentially affect recreational demand on fragile aquatic ecosystems

"Preferred reading" of Legal Texts

In the 1970s, British cultural theorist Stuart Hall introduced a concept known as preferred reading. It combines the ideological influence of mass media and dominant ways of understanding any text. This article focuses on mass media as a source of ideological background or context of legal interpretation and of any reading of legal texts. Law operates in culture and culture represents limitations in the law, according to the needs of dominant ideology. Culture introduces structures of domination which manipulate law. An important role is also given to popular culture and mass culture. These parts of the culture industry create borders in which the recipients (audience) think of law. Through mass media – rather than through other channels – dominant ideology infiltrates law. Legal consciousness is formed by dominant cultural frames formed by dominant ideology. Through this formation of mass media, law becomes a commodity. It shares the same values or contents as that of cultural industry and is the place where the theory of preferred reading can be introduced. According to the aforementioned theory, there are methods of interpretation that are more accurate than others are. This is simply because they lead to a result that is more preferred by ‘common opinion’ disseminated by mass culture.V roce 1970, britský kulturní teoretik Stuart Hall představil koncept známý jako preferovaného čtení. Ten v sobě spojuje ideologický vliv masových médií a dominantní způsoby chápání jakéhokoli textu. Tento článek se zaměřuje masová média jako zdroj ideologického pozadí nebo kontextu právního výkladu. Právo působí v kultuře a kultura představuje omezení právo dle potřeb dominantní ideologie. Kultura vytváří struktury dominace, které manipulují právem. Důležitou roli také sehrává populární a masová kultura. Tyto části kulturního průmyslu vytváří hranice, ve kterých příjemci (publikum) uvažují o právu. Prostřednictvím masových médií - spíše než prostřednictvím jiných kanálů - dominantní ideologie infiltruje právo. Právní vědomí je tvořeno dominantními kulturními rámci vytvořenými dominantní ideologií. Prostřednictvím této formace vytvářené masovými médii se právo stává komoditou. Sdílí proto stejné hodnoty, nebo obsah jaké definuje kulturní průmysl. Proto lze i v právním kontextu uvažovat o tzv. preferovaném čtení. Proto lze identifikovat paradigmata výkladu, které jsou mnohem "použeitelnější" než jiné, protože vedou k očekávaným výsledkům. K výsledkům, které odpovídají očekávání masového publika.In the 1970s, British cultural theorist Stuart Hall introduced a concept known as preferred reading. It combines the ideological influence of mass media and dominant ways of understanding any text. This article focuses on mass media as a source of ideological background or context of legal interpretation and of any reading of legal texts. Law operates in culture and culture represents limitations in the law, according to the needs of dominant ideology. Culture introduces structures of domination which manipulate law. An important role is also given to popular culture and mass culture. These parts of the culture industry create borders in which the recipients (audience) think of law. Through mass media – rather than through other channels – dominant ideology infiltrates law. Legal consciousness is formed by dominant cultural frames formed by dominant ideology. Through this formation of mass media, law becomes a commodity. It shares the same values or contents as that of cultural industry and is the place where the theory of preferred reading can be introduced. According to the aforementioned theory, there are methods of interpretation that are more accurate than others are. This is simply because they lead to a result that is more preferred by ‘common opinion’ disseminated by mass culture

Shared medical appointments and mindfulness for Type 2 diabetes : a mixed-methods feasibility study

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a major health concern with significant personal and healthcare system costs. There is growing interest in using shared medical appointments (SMAs) for management of T2DM. We hypothesize that adding mindfulness to SMAs may be beneficial. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of SMAs with mindfulness for T2DM within primary care in Australia. Materials and Methods: We conducted a single-blind randomized controlled feasibility study of SMAs within primary care for people with T2DM living in Western Sydney, Australia. People with T2DM, age 21 years and over, with HbA1c > 6.5% or fasting glucose >7.00 mmol/L within the past 3 months were eligible to enroll. The intervention group attended six 2-h programmed SMAs (pSMAs) which were held fortnightly. pSMAs included a structured education program and mindfulness component. The control group received usual care from their healthcare providers. We collected quantitative and qualitative data on acceptability as well as glycemic control (glycated hemoglobin and continuous glucose monitoring), lipids, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, selfreported psychological outcomes, quality of life, diet, and physical activity using an ActiGraph accelerometer. Results: Over a 2-month period, we enrolled 18 participants (10 females, 8 males) with a mean age of 58 years (standard deviation 9.8). We had 94.4% retention. All participants in the intervention group completed at least four pSMAs. Participants reported that attending pSMAs had been a positive experience that allowed them to accept their diagnosis and empowered them to make changes, which led to beneficial effects including weight loss and better glycemic control. Four pSMA participants found the mindfulness component helpful while two did not. All of the seven participants who contributed to qualitative evaluation reported improved psychosocial wellbeing and found the group setting beneficial. There was a significant difference in total cholesterol levels at 12 weeks between groups (3.86 mmol/L in intervention group vs. 4.15 mmol/L in the control group; p = 0.025) as well as pain intensity levels as measured by the PROMIS-29 (2.11 vs. 2.38; p = 0.034). Conclusion: pSMAs are feasible and acceptable to people with T2DM and may result in clinical improvement. A follow-up fully-powered randomized controlled trial is warranted. Clinical Trial Registration: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ACTRN12619000892112

Validating epilepsy diagnoses in routinely collected data

Purpose: Anonymised, routinely-collected healthcare data is increasingly being used for epilepsy research. We validated algorithms using general practitioner (GP) primary healthcare records to identify people with epilepsy from anonymised healthcare data within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank in Wales, UK. Method: A reference population of 150 people with definite epilepsy and 150 people without epilepsy was ascertained from hospital records and linked to records contained within SAIL (containing GP records for 2.4 million people). We used three different algorithms, using combinations of GP epilepsy diagnosis and anti-epileptic drug (AED) prescription codes, to identify the reference population. Results: Combining diagnosis and AED prescription codes had a sensitivity of 84% (95% ci 77–90) and specificity of 98% (95–100) in identifying people with epilepsy; diagnosis codes alone had a sensitivity of 86% (80–91) and a specificity of 97% (92–99); and AED prescription codes alone achieved a sensitivity of 92% (70–83) and a specificity of 73% (65–80). Using AED codes only was more accurate in children achieving a sensitivity of 88% (75–95) and specificity of 98% (88–100). Conclusion: GP epilepsy diagnosis and AED prescription codes can be confidently used to identify people with epilepsy using anonymised healthcare records in Wales, U