Gambaran Umum Perawatan Ulcus Diabeticum Pada Pasien Rawat Inap Di Rumah Sakit Immanuel Bandung Periode Juli 2007-Agustus 2008

The treatment of diabetic ulcer will determine its outcome. The purpose of this study is to describe the general treatment of diabetic ulcer in Immanuel Hospital Bandung, in July 2007--August 2008. The data of this descriptive-retrospective study were collected from the medical records of the hospitalized patients during that period. There were 41 patients: 37% male, 63% female, 46% > 60 years old, 39% 45-60, and 15% 15-45 years old. Conventional dressing was applied to 63% patients, while the 37% were given advanced dressing. Necrotomy-debridement procedure was used to treat 83% patients. Whereas IV nutrition supplementation was given to 7% patients, subcutaneous insulin was given to the patients in 46% cases. The patients hospitalized less than three days were 12% (40% dead case, 40% amputated, 20% discharged without improvement). The patients hospitalized for 3-4 days were 49% (65% with improvement, 10% without improvement, 15% amputated, 10% dead case), The patients hospitalized > 7 days were 39% (52.94% with improvement, 5.88% without improvement, 35.29% amputated, and no dead case). Cases treated with advanced dressing, necrotomy debridement procedure, IV nutrition supplementation and without subcutaneous insulin showed a better outcome; those showing improvement respectively were 86.67%, 55.88%, 54.54%, 63.63%, and those showing shorter hospitalization period respectively  were 80%, 47.05%, 63.63%, 54.54%

Viperin mRNA is a novel target for the human RNase MRP/RNase P endoribonuclease

RNase MRP is a conserved endoribonuclease, in humans consisting of a 267-nucleotide RNA associated with 7–10 proteins. Mutations in its RNA component lead to several autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasias, including cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH). Because the known substrates of mammalian RNase MRP, pre-ribosomal RNA, and RNA involved in mitochondrial DNA replication are not likely involved in CHH, we analyzed the effects of RNase MRP (and the structurally related RNase P) depletion on mRNAs using DNA microarrays. We confirmed the upregulation of the interferon-inducible viperin mRNA by RNAi experiments and this appeared to be independent of the interferon response. We detected two cleavage sites for RNase MRP/RNase P in the coding sequence of viperin mRNA. This is the first study providing direct evidence for the cleavage of a mRNA by RNase MRP/RNase P in human cells. Implications for the involvement in the pathophysiology of CHH are discussed

Transcriptional Repressive H3K9 and H3K27 Methylations Contribute to DNMT1-Mediated DNA Methylation Recovery

DNA methylation and histone modifications are two major epigenetic events regulating gene expression and chromatin structure, and their alterations are linked to human carcinogenesis. DNA methylation plays an important role in tumor suppressor gene inactivation, and can be revised by DNA methylation inhibitors. The reversible nature of DNA methylation forms the basis of epigenetic cancer therapy. However, it has been reported that DNA re-methylation and gene re-silencing could occur after removal of demethylation treatment and this may significantly hamper the therapeutic value of DNA methylation inhibitors. In this study we have provided detailed evidence demonstrating that mammalian cells possess a bona fide DNA methylation recovery system. We have also shown that DNA methylation recovery was mediated by the major human DNA methyltransferase, DNMT1. In addition, we found that H3K9-tri-methylation and H3K27-tri-methylation were closely associated with this DNA methylation recovery. These persistent transcriptional repressive histone modifications may have a crucial role in regulating DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation recovery. Our findings may have important implications towards a better understanding of epigenetic regulation and future development of epigenetic therapeutic intervention

From arylamine N-acetyltransferase to folate-dependent acetyl CoA hydrolase : impact of folic acid on the activity of (HUMAN)NAT1 and its homologue (MOUSE)NAT2

Acetyl Coenzyme A-dependent N-, O- and N,O-acetylation of aromatic amines and hydrazines by arylamine N-acetyltransferases is well characterised. Here, we describe experiments demonstrating that human arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 1 and its murine homologue (Type 2) can also catalyse the direct hydrolysis of acetyl Coenzyme A in the presence of folate. This folate-dependent activity is exclusive to these two isoforms; no acetyl Coenzyme A hydrolysis was found when murine arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 1 or recombinant bacterial arylamine N-acetyltransferases were incubated with folate. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy allowed chemical modifications occurring during the catalytic reaction to be analysed in real time, revealing that the disappearance of acetyl CH3 from acetyl Coenzyme A occurred concomitantly with the appearance of a CH3 peak corresponding to that of free acetate and suggesting that folate is not acetylated during the reaction. We propose that folate is a cofactor for this reaction and suggest it as an endogenous function of this widespread enzyme. Furthermore, in silico docking of folate within the active site of human arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 1 suggests that folate may bind at the enzyme's active site, and facilitate acetyl Coenzyme A hydrolysis. The evidence presented in this paper adds to our growing understanding of the endogenous roles of human arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 1 and its mouse homologue and expands the catalytic repertoire of these enzymes, demonstrating that they are by no means just xenobiotic metabolising enzymes but probably also play an important role in cellular metabolism. These data, together with the characterisation of a naphthoquinone inhibitor of folate-dependent acetyl Coenzyme A hydrolysis by human arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 1/murine arylamine N-acetyltransferase Type 2, open up a range of future avenues of exploration, both for elucidating the developmental role of these enzymes and for improving chemotherapeutic approaches to pathological conditions including estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Separation of Arabidopsis Pollen Tetrads Is Regulated by QUARTET1, a Pectin Methylesterase Gene

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) QUARTET (QRT) genes are required for pollen separation during normal floral development. In qrt mutants, the four products of microsporogenesis remain fused and pollen grains are released as tetrads. In Arabidopsis, tetrad analysis in qrt mutants has been used to map all five centromeres, easily distinguish sporophytic from gametophytic mutations, and accurately assess crossover interference. Using a combination of forward and reverse genetics, we have identified the gene responsible for the qrt1 phenotype. Annotation predicts that QRT1 encodes a pectin methylesterase (PME), and enzymatic assays of QRT1 expressed in Escherichia coli indicate that QRT1 has PME activity. Promoter and transcription analysis demonstrate QRT1 is expressed in anther tissues shortly after meiosis is complete. Unexpectedly, the QRT1 promoter is also active in a variety of developmentally unrelated tissues, including developing guard cells, the hypocotyl-root transition zone, areas of lateral root emergence, and floral nectaries. PMEs constitute a large gene family in Arabidopsis, are involved in cell wall loosening, and have been implicated in various aspects of floral development and pollen tube elongation. The identification of QRT1 as a PME contributes to our understanding of pollen development and may help to provide valuable genetic tools in other plant species

Crossover Interference on Nucleolus Organizing Region-Bearing Chromosomes in Arabidopsis

In most eukaryotes, crossovers are not independently distributed along the length of a chromosome. Instead, they appear to avoid close proximity to one another—a phenomenon known as crossover interference. Previously, for three of the five Arabidopsis chromosomes, we measured the strength of interference and suggested a model wherein some crossovers experience interference while others do not. Here we show, using the same model, that the fraction of interference-insensitive crossovers is significantly smaller on the remaining two chromosomes. Since these two chromosomes bear the Arabidopsis NOR domains, the possibility that these chromosomal regions influence interference is discussed

Pollen tetrad-based visual assay for meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis

Recombination, in the form of cross-overs (COs) and gene conversion (GC), is a highly conserved feature of meiosis from fungi to mammals. Recombination helps ensure chromosome segregation and promotes allelic diversity. Lesions in the recombination machinery are often catastrophic for meiosis, resulting in sterility. We have developed a visual assay capable of detecting Cos and GCs and measuring CO interference in Arabidopsis thaliana. This flexible assay utilizes transgene constructs encoding pollen-expressed fluorescent proteins of three different colors in the qrt1 mutant background. By observing the segregation of the fluorescent alleles in 92,489 pollen tetrads, we demonstrate (i) a correlation between developmental position and CO frequency, (ii) a temperature dependence for CO frequency, (iii) the ability to detect meiotic GC events, and (iv) the ability to rapidly assess CO interference

Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Novel Dignity-Conserving End-of-Life (EoL) Care Model for Nursing Homes in Chinese Societies

Purpose of the Study: The provision of end-of-life (EoL) care in long-term-care settings remains largely underdeveloped in most Chinese societies, and nursing home residents often fail to obtain good care as they approach death. This paper systematically describes the development and implementation mechanisms of a novel Dignity-Conserving EoL Care model that has been successfully adopted by three nursing homes in Hong Kong and presents preliminary evidence of its effectiveness on enhancing dignity and quality of life (QoL) of terminally ill residents. Design and Methods: Nine terminally ill nursing home residents completed the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Nursing Facilities Quality of Life Questionnaire at baseline and 6 months post-EoL program enrollment. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to detect significance changes in each QoL domains across time. Results: Although significant deterioration was recorded for physical QoL, significant improvement was observed for social QoL. Moreover, a clear trend toward significant improvements was identified for the QoL domains of individuality and relationships. Implications: A holistic and compassionate caring environment, together with the core principles of family-centered care, interagency and interdisciplinary teamwork, as well as cultural-specific psycho-socio-spiritual support, are all essential elements for optimizing QoL and promoting death with dignity for nursing home residents facing morality. This study provides a useful framework to facilitate the future development of EoL care in long-term-care settings in the Chinese context.Accepted versio