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

The Political Career of James Brown.

James Brown was born in Virginia in 1766, son of the reverend John Brown, a Presbyterian minister. He was educated in his father’s schools and at William and Mary College. Trained for the law, he mowed to Kentucky to be with his brother John. The latter, also a lawyer, was prominent, serving in the U. S. Senate, 1792-1806. President Washington appointed James Brown attorney for Kentucky in 1790. CM admission of Kentucky to statehood, the Governor named Brown secretary of state for a four year term. Brown moved to New Orleans in 1804. Jefferson appointed him successively secretary of the district, Judge of the superior court, and district attorney. With Moreau Lislot, he was delegated by the Legislature to prepare a civil code which ms published in 1808. Elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1811-1812, Brown was active in drafting the constitution. In December, 1812, he was elected to the U. S. Senate, the third man to serve therein from Louisiana. Defeated for re-election by W. C. C. Claiborne, he retired in 1817. Two years later he returned to the Senate and served until he accepted President Monroe’s appointment as Minister to Trance in 1823. He was the first Minister to that country after enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine. Brown tried to settle the spoliation claims but failed. He retained the office under Presidents Adams and Jackson, resigning In June, 1829. On his return, ho lived in Philadelphia, where he died In April, 1836. James Brown’s career was without climax. He worked hard but was unable to do anything to catch Berne\u27 s nod. It was his lot to be overshadowed by his brother-in-law, Henry Clay

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

Sequence selective binding of ditrisarubicin B to DNA: comparison with daunomycin

AbstractDNase I footprinting has been used to examine the sequence selective binding of ditrisarubicin B, novel anthracycline antibiotic, to DNA. At 37°C no footprinting pattern is observed, the drug protects all sites from enzymic cleavage with equal efficiency. At 4°C a footprinting pattern is induced with low drug concentrations which is different from that produced by daunomycin. The best binding sites contain the dinucleotide step GpT (ApC) and are located in regions of alternating purines and pyrimidines