The Texas economy: beyond the boom and bust

Economic conditions - Texas

The Impact of Chronic Liver Diseases on the Level of Heart-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein (H-FABP) Concentrations

Objectives: Heart-type fatty acid binding-protein (H-FABP) has been reported to be a potential novel biochemical marker for the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The presence of H-FABP in the liver has not been reported. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of chronic liver diseases on the level of H-FABP concentrations. Methods: The effects of chronic liver diseases including infective hepatitis and cirrhosis on the concentration of H-FABP was studied in a small group of patients (n=10, mean age ±SD = 58.33 ± 7.19 years). The serum concentrations of the following markers were measured: H-FABP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and bilirubin and compared with a reference control group (20 healthy blood donors, mean age ±SD = 63.8 ±8.01). Results: The serum concentrations of these markers in the control group as compared to patients with chronic liver disease were as follows (mean ± SD): H-FABP = 6.86 ±2.21 µg/L versus 6.44 ±3.06 µg/L (p = NS); ALT = 29.8 ±14.7 U/L versus ALT = 198.67 ±122.89 U/L (p < 0.0005) and bilirubin = 9.6 ±4.0 µmol/L versus bilirubin = 100.89 ±87.85 µmol/L (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: These data illustrate clearly that there is no significant interference with the normal concentration of H-FABP in the presence of liver diseases, despite the significant elevation of liver enzymes and proteins. These data may support a useful role of H-FABP for the diagnosis of myocardial injury in patients with liver diseases

Self-Ownership, Freedom and Eudaimonia

In this thesis I will explore the relationship between Nozick’s self-ownership principle and freedom. I will defend G.A. Cohen’s critique of self-ownership and try to show how his argument that self-ownership is hostile to genuine freedom presents a problem for Nozick. I think it is clear that Nozick’s self-ownership does little to protect a meaningful sort of freedom; and a meaningful sort of freedom is exactly what Nozick aims to protect. This is true because eudaimonistic moral beliefs ought to undergird Nozick’s self-ownership thesis, and self-ownership can therefore be assessed in light of whether it actually promotes human flourishing in the relevant ways. This undergirding eudaimonism becomes clear when we see that self-ownership is intended to protect the ability of each individual to pursue and act upon her own conception of the good

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Novel C8-Pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) Adenosine Conjugate. A Study on the Role of the PBD Ring in the Biological Activity of PBD-Conjugates

Here we sought to evaluate the contribution of the PBD unit to the biological activity of PBD-conjugates and, to this end, an adenosine nucleoside was attached to the PBD A-ring C8 position. A convergent approach was successfully adopted for the synthesis of a novel C8-linked pyrrolo(2,1-c)(1,4)benzodiazepine(PBD)-adenosine(ADN) hybrid. The PBD and adenosine (ADN) moieties were synthesized separately and then linked through a pentynyl linker. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a PBD connected to a nucleoside. Surprisingly, the compound showed no cytotoxicity against murine cells and was inactive against Mycobacterium aurum and M. bovis strains and did not bind to guanine-containing DNA sequences, as shown by DNase I footprinting experiments. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the PBD–ADN conjugate was poorly accommodated in the DNA minor groove of two DNA sequences containing the AGA-PBD binding motif, with the adenosine moiety of the ligand preventing the covalent binding of the PBD unit to the guanine amino group of the DNA duplex. These interesting findings shed further light on the ability of the substituents attached at the C8 position of PBDs to a ect and modulate the biological and biophysical properties of PBD hybrids

An introduction to the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events: GRACE

The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) study is a multinational, prospective, observational study of clinical management practices and patient outcomes across the full spectrum of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). By describing treatment practices and providing data to cardiologists, GRACE aims to enhance understanding of patient management and outcomes, both on an individual hospital level and from a global perspective