RNA Polymerase-Binding and Transcription Initiation Sites Upstream of the Methyl Reductase Operon of Methanococcus vannielii

RNA Polymerase, purified from Methanococcus vannielii, was shown by exonuclease III footprinting to bind to a 49-base-pair (bp) region of DNA in the intergenic region upstream of mcrB. Sl nuclease protection experiments demonstrated that transcription Initiation in vivo occurs within this region at 32 or 33 bp 5' to the A T G translation initiation codon of mcrB and 19 or 20 bp 3' to a T A T A box

Evaluations of the sum-score-based and item response theory-based tests of group mean differences under various simulation conditions

The use of patient-reported outcomes measures is gaining popularity in clinical trials for comparing patient groups. Such comparisons typically focus on the differences in group means and are carried out using either a traditional sum-score-based approach or item response theory (IRT)-based approaches. Several simulation studies have evaluated different group mean comparison approaches in the past, but the performance of these approaches remained unknown under certain uninvestigated conditions (e.g. under the impact of differential item functioning (DIF)). By incorporating some of the uninvestigated simulation features, the current study examines Type I error, statistical power, and effect size estimation accuracy associated with group mean comparisons using simple sum scores, IRT model likelihood ratio tests, and IRT expected-a-posteriori scores. Manipulated features include sample size per group, number of items, number of response categories, strength of discrimination parameters, location of thresholds, impact of DIF, and presence of missing data. Results are summarized and visualized using decision trees

The 3Rs of Cell Therapy

The 3Rs for a good education are “reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.” The basis for good health care solutions for the emergent field of cell therapy in the future will also involve 3Rs: regulation, reimbursement, and realization of value. The business models in this new field of cell therapy will involve these 3Rs. This article brings forth realities facing this new industry for its approaches to provide curative health care solutions

Do hydrotherapy exercise programmes improve exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure? A systematic review

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether hydrotherapy programmes improve exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure. Data sources utilised were EBSCO, Scopus, Medline, PubMed, OVID, Proquest, PEDro and Cochrane Systematic Reviews databases. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials or quasi randomised controlled trials investigated hydrotherapy compared with a suitable control. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified version of the Downs and Black critical appraisal tool. Findings demonstrated that hydrotherapy was well tolerated with few adverse events reported. Two studies demonstrated hydrotherapy intervention groups significantly improved 6MWT from baseline (p≤0.05), while two studies found significantly greater improvements when compared to non-exercising (p=0.01) and land based exercising (p=0.001) controls. Four studies found significant gains (p≤0.05) in VO2 peak from baseline following hydrotherapy interventions. Two studies reported significant (p=0.01) intragroup improvements in total score of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire in hydrotherapy intervention groups when compared with baseline and a non-exercising control respectively. In conclusion, hydrotherapy exercise programmes were well tolerated and appear to improve exercise capacity and quality of life in people with chronic heart failure but firm conclusions could not be drawn due to the poor to moderate quality of the evidence

Valuation of Child Behavioral Problems from the Perspective of US Adults

To assess preferences between child behavioral problems and estimate their value on a quality-adjusted life year (QALYs) scale

Pre-diagnosis health-related quality of life, surgery, and survival in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A SEER-MHOS study

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been found to be associated with overall survival in women with ovarian cancer. However, previous studies assessed HRQOL after surgery within clinical trial populations only. The study goal was to determine the association of pre-cancer diagnosis HRQOL with the likelihood of receiving surgery and with overall survival in a national, population-based cohort of older women with advanced ovarian cancer

Preventing weed spread: a survey of lifestyle and commercial landholders about Nassella trichotoma in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia

Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hack. ex Arechav. (common name, serrated tussock) occupies large areas of south-eastern Australia and has considerable scope for expansion in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. This highly invasive grass reduces pasture productivity and has the potential to severely affect the region’s economy by decreasing the livestock carrying capacity of grazing land. Other potential consequences of this invasion include increased fuel loads and displacement of native plants, thereby threatening biodiversity. Rural property owners in the Northern Tablelands were sent a mail questionnaire that examined use of measures to prevent new outbreaks of the weed. The questionnaire was sent to professional farmers as well as lifestyle farmers (owners of rural residential blocks and hobby farms) and 271 responses were obtained (a response rate of 18%). Key findings were respondents’ limited capacity to detect N. trichotoma, and low adoption of precautions to control seed spread by livestock, vehicles and machinery. This was particularly the case among lifestyle farmers. There have been considerable recent changes to biosecurity governance arrangements in New South Wales, and now is an ideal time for regulators and information providers to consider how to foster regional communities’ engagement in biosecurity, including the adoption of measures that have the capacity to curtail the spread of N. trichotoma