Quality of life and maladjustment associated with hair loss in women with alopecia androgenetica

Quality of life and maladjustment related to hair loss were studied by means of a standardized interview in a group of 58 women with alopecia androgenetica who applied for treatment at the Department of Dermatology. The hair loss was found to have a negative influence on the quality of life on the majority of them. In 88%, hair loss had negative effects on their daily life; in about 75%, the hair problems were manifested in negative self-esteem and about 50% experienced social problems. General psychosocial maladjustment in relation to hair loss was indicated in almost one-third of the women

Discovery of Unique Lanthionine Synthetases Reveals New Mechanistic and Evolutionary Insights

Identification of a new class of lanthionine synthetases provides insight into the mechanism and evolution of cyclic peptide biosynthesis

Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids in Lacticin 481 Analogues Result in More Potent Inhibition of Peptidoglycan Transglycosylation

Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products that contain the thioether structures lanthionine and methyllanthionine and exert potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. At present, detailed modes-of-action are only known for a small subset of family members. Lacticin 481, a tricyclic lantibiotic, contains a lipid II binding motif present in related compounds such as mersacidin and nukacin ISK-1. Here, we show that lacticin 481 inhibits PBP1b-catalyzed peptidoglycan formation. Furthermore, we show that changes in potency of analogues of lacticin 481 containing non-proteinogenic amino acids correlate positively with the potency of inhibition of the transglycosylase activity of PBP1b. Thus, lipid II is the likely target of lacticin 481, and use of non-proteinogenic amino acids resulted in stronger inhibition of the target. Additionally, we demonstrate that lacticin 481 does not form pores in the membranes of susceptible bacteria, a common mode-of-action of other lantibiotics.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

The role of mindfulness and self-compassion in depressive symptoms and affect:A Comparison between Cancer Patients and Healthy Controls

Objectives: Mindfulness and self-compassion are related to psychological well-being and can be regarded as personal resources. It is, however, unclear whether these resources are always beneficial (direct effect) or only in stressful circumstances (buffer effect). We therefore examined whether mindfulness and self-compassion are equally or more strongly related to depressive symptoms and affect in cancer patients, compared to healthy controls. Methods: Using a case-control design, 245 cancer patients were matched to 245 healthy controls (without chronic somatic comorbidities). Both groups filled out questionnaires concerning mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale). Using correlation and regression analyses, we examined within both groups the associations for mindfulness (i.e., total score and five facets) and self-compassion (i.e., total score, two factors and six facets) with depressive symptoms and affect. Results: Mindfulness and self-compassion were equally strongly related to depressive symptoms and affect in cancer patients versus healthy controls. Mindfulness facets Act with awareness and Non-judgment were strongly related to depressive symptoms, negative affect, and the negative self-compassion factor. In contrast, mindfulness facets Describe and Observe were strongly related to positive affect and the positive self-compassion factor. When distinguishing the six self-compassion facets, Isolation and Mindfulness were strongly related to depressive symptoms, Over-identification to negative affect, and Mindfulness to positive affect. Conclusions: Results suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion are basic human personal resources associated with psychological functioning, regardless of the presence or absence of stressful life experiences

Towards a developmental state? Provincial economic policy in South Africa

This paper explores the meaning of the developmental state for spatial economic policy in South Africa. Two main questions are addressed: do provincial governments have a role to play in promoting economic prosperity, and to what extent do current provincial policies possess the attributes of a developmental state? These attributes are defined as the ability to plan longer term, to focus key partners on a common agenda, and to mobilise state resources to build productive capabilities. The paper argues that the developmental state must harness the power of government at every level to ensure that each part of the country develops to its potential. However, current provincial capacity is uneven, and weakest where support is needed most. Many provinces seem to have partial strategies and lack the wherewithal for sustained implementation. Coordination across government appears to be poor. The paper concludes by suggesting ways provincial policies could be strengthened

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature

This review presents recommended nomenclature for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a rapidly growing class of natural products. The current knowledge regarding the biosynthesis of the \u3e20 distinct compound classes is also reviewed, and commonalities are discussed

Can an online clinical data management service help in improving data collection and data quality in a developing country setting?

Background: Data collection by Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems have been proven to be helpful in data collection for scientific research and in improving healthcare. For a multi-centre trial in Indonesia and the Netherlands a web based system was selected to enable all participating centres to easily access data. This study assesses whether the introduction of a Clinical Trial Data Management service (CTDMS) composed of electronic Case Report Forms (eCRF) can result in effective data collection and treatment monitoring. Methods: Data items entered were checked for inconsistencies automatically when submitted online. The data were divided into primary and secondary data items. We analysed both the total number of errors and the change in error rate, for both Primary and Secondary items, over the first five month of the trial. Results: In the first five months 51 patients were entered. The Primary data error rate was 1.6%, whilst that for Secondary data was 2.7% against acceptable error rates for analysis of 1% and 2.5% respectively. Conclusion: The presented analysis shows that after five months since the introduction of the CTDMS the Primary and Secondary data error rates reflect acceptable levels of data quality. Furthermore, these error rates were decreasing over time. The digital nature of the CTDMS, as well as the online availability of that data, gives fast and easy insight in adherence to treatment protocols. As such, the CTDMS can serve as a tool to train and educate medical doctors and can improve treatment protocols.Maarten A Wildeman, Jeroen Zandbergen, Andrew Vincent, Camelia Herdini, Jaap M Middeldorp, Renske Fles, Otilia Dalesio, Emile van der Donk, I Bing Ta