A novel synthetic chemistry approach to linkage-specific ubiquitin conjugation.

Ubiquitination is of great importance as the post-translational modification of proteins with ubiquitin, or ubiquitin chains, facilitates a number of vital cellular processes. Herein we present a facile method of preparing various ubiquitin conjugates under mild conditions using michael acceptors based on dibromo-maleimides and dibromo-pyridazinediones

Measurement of pH, alkalinity and acidity in ultra-soft waters

Conventional characterisation of low alkalinity waters via pH measurement and titration of total alkalinity to a prescribed end-point invariably leads to large errors. These errors result from instability of the pH probe and an unknown titration end-point. In this paper two indirect methods (termed the "double Gran function" and the "blend" method) for the characterisation of such waters are evaluated critically. A blend composed of the raw water, sodium chloride (to increase conductivity), and standard bicarbonate (to increase buffering capacity) was titrated with standard strong acid in two pH regions: 6.3 pH < 4.0. In both methods, total alkalinity was determined using the latter set of points, and the first Gran function. In the double Gran function method the upper set of titration points was used to determine CO2 acidity using the second Gran Function. In the "blend" method, equilibrium chemistry data were used to calculate total acidity for each point based on the known total alkalinity, pH reading, temperature and ionic strength. The two methods gave excellent results (in terms of both repetition and accuracy) as compared to characterisation based on total alkalinity and inorganic carbon analysis. A detailed procedure for the execution of the two approaches is given in an appendix. WaterSA Vol.27(4) 2001: 423-43

Impact of Cataract Surgery on Quality of Life in Plateau State, Nigeria

Aim: To evaluate the outcome of cataract surgery subjectively byassessing functional vision in terms of quality of life(QOL),activities of daily living (ADL), and patient’s satisfaction.Methodology: This was an observational and multicenteredstudy in which patients with age-related cataract who hadsurgery in Plateau State from 1st October 2002 – 31st March2003 constituted the population. The study instrument wasthe standardized Visual Function (VF-14) and Quality of Life(QOL) questionnaires developed by the Cataract PatientOutcome Research Team (PORT), and designed to measurethe impact of impaired vision on patient’s ability to performdaily activities. Patient’s satisfaction was assessed in relationto the hospital environment, friendliness of staff, nature ofsurgery and visual restoration.Result: Two hundred patients were recruited. One hundred andninety-nine (59.5%) of them were male and 81(40.5%) werefemale. About 34.5% of the study population were farmers, 97(48.5%) of them were blind and 183 (83.6%) eyes were blindpreoperatively. The mean preoperative visual function (VF)and quality of life (QOL) scores of the ninety-seven blindpatients were 15.2 (SD 3.9) and 22.4 (SD 4.5) respectively.There was a positive correlation between visual acuity (VA)and subjective visual function ( r = 0.92), and between VAand QOL ( r = 0.83). Functional vision improved aftercataract surgery; it was more remarkable among blindpatients with mean VF and QOL scores of 58.3 and 60.5respectively. One hundred and twenty-one (80.1%) patientsexpressed satisfaction with the outcome of surgery.Conclusion: Visual impairment from cataract has a wideimplication on health and the quality of life of patients.Cataract surgery in our environment leads to an increase inthe quality of life for many cataract-blind patient

A mild TCEP-based para-azidobenzyl cleavage strategy to transform reversible cysteine thiol labelling reagents into irreversible conjugates

It has recently emerged that the succinimide linkage of a maleimide thiol addition product is fragile, which is a major issue in fields where thiol functionalisation needs to be robust. Herein we deliver a strategy that generates selective cysteine thiol labelling reagents, which are stable to hydrolysis and thiol exchange

Evaluating the use of Apo-neocarzinostatin as a cell penetrating protein.

Protein-ligand complex neocarzinostatin (NCS) is a small, thermostable protein-ligand complex that is able to deliver its ligand cargo into live mammalian cells where it induces DNA damage. Apo-NCS is able to functionally display complementarity determining regions loops, and has been hypothesised to act as a cell-penetrating protein, which would make it an ideal scaffold for cell targeting, and subsequent intracellular delivery of small-molecule drugs. In order to evaluate apo-NCS as a cell penetrating protein, we have evaluated the efficiency of its internalisation into live HeLa cells using matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and fluorescence microscopy. Following incubation of cells with apo-NCS, we observed no evidence of internalisation

Evaluating the feasibility of a web-based weight loss programme for naval service personnel with excess body weight.

Overweight and obesity are a major concern that may influence the operational capacity of the UK Naval Service (NS). This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of trialling and implementing a modified web-based weight loss programme for overweight and obese NS personnel.Royal Navy; University of Southampto

Activity of different desoximetasone preparations compared to other topical corticosteroids in the vasoconstriction assay

Introduction: We report on a double-blind, vehicle-controlled, single-center confirmatory study with random assignment. The purpose of the study was to investigate the topical bioavailability of different topical corticosteroid formulations in healthy human beings focussing on desoximetasone (DM). Materials and Methods: Two DM 0.25% formulations {[}ointment (DM-o) and fatty ointment (DM-fo, water-free); class III corticosteroids], the corresponding active ingredient-free vehicles and three comparators of different strength {[}clobetasol propionate 0.05% (CP 0.05%), fatty ointment, class IV; hydrocortisone (HC) 1%, fatty ointment, class I, and betamethasone (BM) 0.05%, fatty ointment, class III] were tested using the vasoconstriction assay. The degree of vasoconstriction (blanching) in the treatment field was compared to the one found in untreated control fields using chromametric measurements and clinical assessment. Results/Conclusion: DM-o 0.25%, DM-fo 0.25% and BM 0.05% showed similar vasoconstrictive potential, i.e., clear blanching. In fact, both DM preparations were proven to be non-inferior to BM 0.05%, while CP 0.05% was found a little less active. HC 1.0% and the DM vehicles showed no clear-cut vasoconstrictive effect. No adverse events related to the study medications were observed. Good topical bioavailability of both DM formulations was detected by chromametric measurement and clinical assessment. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Evaluating the feasibility of a web-based weight loss programme for naval service personnel with excess body weight.

Overweight and obesity are a major concern that may influence the operational capacity of the UK Naval Service (NS). This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of trialling and implementing a modified web-based weight loss programme for overweight and obese NS personnel.Royal Navy; University of Southampto

A sex-influenced flexible foraging strategy in a tropical seabird, the magnificent frigatebird

© The authors and the University of Liverpool 2019. To successfully exploit resources, animals must be adapted to operate under phenotypic and environmental constraints. The strategies that predators use to locate prey are therefore diverse, particularly for breeding central-place foragers that must balance investment in reproduction and self-maintenance. Magnificent frigatebirds Fregata magnificens are tropical seabirds with intriguing morphology and feeding ecology, which display strikingly unequal levels of parental care (males deserting offspring months before females). These unusual traits can better help us understand the links between movement behaviour and breeding strategies in this poorly studied species. Using archival GPS, GPS-GSM loggers, bird-borne cameras and dietary data, we investigated the foraging ecology of chick-rearing magnificent frigatebirds from a breeding population in the Cayman Islands. This population engages in 2 main foraging strategies: (1) coastal trips over the continental shelf, where individuals target reef species and engage in kleptoparasitism, and (2) offshore trips during which birds feed on schooling pelagic prey. Differences in strategy use were partially linked to sex, with males (which invest less in offspring) roaming further from nests, and showing a higher propensity to forage offshore. Video data further indicated differences in social information use between strategies: foraging with conspecifics was more prevalent in coastal environments than pelagic. We suggest that observed variation in at-sea behaviour may partially be mediated by sex-based differences in parental roles, and/or size differences leading to intraspecific competition. Our study provides evidence of bimodal foraging and sheds new light on the importance of both pelagic and coastal feeding in this enigmatic species