Steric Determinants of Pt/DNA Interactions and Anticancer Activity

Studies directed at establishing the structural features that control Pt/DNA interactions and the anticancer activity of Pt drugs are described. [1H, 15N]-HSQC 2D NMR spectroscopic studies of the reactions of cisplatin with oligonucleotides containing ApG and GpA binding sites reveal dramatic differences in the rates of formation of monofunctional adducts at the two sites. When the reactant is cis-[Pt(NH3)2(OH2)2]2+ no such differences are observed suggesting that outer-sphere interactions between the reactant and the oligonucleotide may play a substantial role in determining the rates. Rates of closure to the bifunctional adducts are similar to those observed for cisplatin. Studies of the adduct profiles formed by sterically bulky and/or optically active complexes reveal that steric interactions play a major role in mediating the binding of Pt(ll) to DNA but that hydrogen bonds play less of a role. In vitro cytotoxic activities for these complexes do not always follow the trends that would be expected on the basis of the adduct profiles

Lumped parameter modeling as a predictive tool for a battery status monitor

The Advanced Technology Development Program is currently evaluating the performance of the second generation of lithium-ion cells (i.e., Gen 2 cells). Both the Gen 2 Baseline and Variant C cells are tested in accordance with the cell-specific test plan, and are removed at roughly equal power fade increments and sent for destructive diagnostic analysis. The diagnostic laboratories did not need all test cells for analysis, and returned five spare cells to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). INEEL used these cells for special pulse testing at various duty cycles, amplitudes, and durations to investigate the usefulness of the lumped parameter model (LPM) as a predictive tool in a battery status monitor (BSM). The LPM is a simplified linear model that accurately predicts the voltage response during certain pulse conditions. A database of parameter trends should enable dynamic predictions of state-of-charge and state-of-health conditions during in-vehicle pulsing. This information could be used by the BSM to provide accurate information to the vehicle control system

Strategies to prevent HIV transmission among heterosexual African-American men

BACKGROUND: As part of qualitative research for developing a culturally sensitive and developmentally appropriate videotape-based HIV prevention intervention for heterosexual African- American men, six focus groups were conducted with thirty African-American men to determine their perceptions of AIDS as a threat to the African-American community, characteristics of past situations that have placed African Americans at risk for HIV infection, their personal high risk behaviors, and suggestions on how HIV intervention videotapes could be produced to achieve maximum levels of interest among African-American men in HIV training programs. METHODS: The groups took place at a low-income housing project in Houston, Texas, a major epicenter for HIV/AIDS. Each group was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using theme and domain analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that low-income African-American men perceive HIV/AIDS as a threat to their community and they have placed themselves at risk of HIV infection based on unsafe sex practices, substance abuse, and lack of knowledge. They also cite lack of income to purchase condoms as a barrier to safe sex practice. They believe that HIV training programs should address these risk factors and that videotapes developed for prevention should offer a sensationalized look at the effects of HIV/AIDS on affected persons. They further believe that programs should be held in African-American communities and should include condoms to facilitate reduction of risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the respondents taking part in this study believe that HIV and AIDS are continued threats to the African-American community because of sexual risk taking behavior, that is, failure to use condoms. Further, African-American men are having sex without condoms when having sex with women often when they are under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances and they are having sex with men while incarcerated and become infected and once released resume unprotected sexual relations with women. According to the men, substance abuse is an important part of the problem of HIV in the African-American community. This is in keeping with research that shows that drug use, especially crack cocaine, is linked to sexual risk taking among African Americans and to increased likelihood of becoming infected with other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV. Thus, interventions for men should address condom use, condom availability, skills for using condoms, eroticizing condoms and substance abuse prevention. Men in the present study also strongly recommended that HIV/AIDS videotaped messages should include footage of the sensational effects of the disease

Daptomycin antimicrobial activity tested against methicillin-resistant staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolated in European medical centers (2005)

BACKGROUND: Daptomycin is a cyclic lipopeptide with potent activity and broad spectrum against Gram-positive bacteria currently used for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections and bacteremia, including right sided endocarditis. We evaluated the in vitro activity of this compound and selected comparator agents tested against clinical strains of staphylococci and enterococci collected in European medical centers in 2005. METHODS: A total of 4,640 strains from 23 medical centers located in 10 European countries, Turkey and Israel (SENTRY Program platform) were tested for susceptibility by reference broth microdilution methods according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines and interpretative criteria. Mueller-Hinton broth was supplemented to 50 mg/L Ca(++ )for testing daptomycin. Results for oxacillin (methicillin)-resistant staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci were analyzed separately. RESULTS: Oxacillin resistance rates among Staphylococcus aureus varied from 2.1% in Sweden to 42.5% in the United Kingdom (UK) and 54.7% in Ireland (29.1% overall), while vancomycin resistance rates varied from 0.0% in France, Sweden and Switzerland to 66.7% in the UK and 71.4% in Ireland among Enterococcus faecium (17.9% overall). All S. aureus strains were inhibited at daptomycin MIC of 1 mg/L (MIC(50/90), 0.25/0.5 mg/L; 100.0% susceptible) and only one coagulase-negative staphylococci strain (0.1%) showed an elevated (>1 mg/L) daptomycin MIC value (4 mg/L). Among E. faecalis (MIC(50/90), 0.5/1 mg/L; 100% susceptible) the highest daptomycin MIC value was 2 mg/L; while among E. faecium (MIC(50/90), 2/4 mg/L; 100% susceptible) the highest MIC result was 4 mg/L. CONCLUSION: Daptomycin showed excellent in vitro activity against staphylococci and enterococci collected in European medical centers in 2005 and resistance to oxacillin, vancomycin or quinupristin/dalfopristin did not compromise its activity overall against these pathogens. Based on these results and those of previous publications, daptomycin appears to be an excellent therapeutic option for serious infections caused by oxacillin-resistant staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Europe

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

The PTEN and INK4A/ARF tumor suppressors maintain myelolymphoid homeostasis and cooperate to constrain histiocytic sarcoma development in humans.

Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare malignant proliferation of histiocytes of uncertain molecular pathogenesis. Here, genetic analysis of coincident loss of Pten and Ink4a/Arf tumor suppressors in the mouse revealed a neoplastic phenotype dominated by a premalignant expansion of biphenotypic myelolymphoid cells followed by the development of HS. Pten protein loss occurred only in the histiocytic portion of tumors, suggesting a stepwise genetic inactivation in the generation of HS. Similarly, human HS showed genetic or epigenetic inactivation of PTEN, p16(INK4A), and p14(ARF), supporting the relevance of this genetically engineered mouse model of HS. These genetic and translational observations establish a cooperative role of Pten and Ink4a/Arf in the development of HS and provide mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of human HS

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

The synthesis and structural analysis of cis-beta-{(1,6-di(2'-pyridyl)(2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane)(1,2-diazahexane)(1,2-benzoquinone diimine)ruthenium(II)} and related complexes

Several isomers are possible when N4-tetradentate ligands coordinate to form metal complexes. Here we report the synthesis and structural analysis of cis-β-{[1,6-di(20-pyridyl)(2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane)(1,2-benzoquinone diimine)]ruthenium(II)} formed exclusively from the β-precusor, β-{[1,6-di(20-pyridyl)(2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane) (dimethylsulfoxide)chloride] ruthenium(II)} hexaflourophosphate. Ruthenium(II) complexes synthesised from 1,6-di (20-pyridyl)-2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane, produce only two isomers which can be separated by recrystallisation into α- and β-[Ru(picenbz2)(dmso)Cl]PF6 (where picenbz2 is 1,6- di(20-pyridyl)-2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane). The distinctively different proton NMR spectra of the isomers are an especially convenient feature with which to assess separation. Isomeric structure of the precursor, α or β, is conserved upon coordination of a bidentate ligand, such as benzene-1,2-diamine, 4,5-dimethyl-benzene-1,2-diamine, naphthalene-2,3-diamine, 2,20-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline or dipyrido[3,2-d:2030-f ]quinoxaline, to produce complexes of the type α- or β-[Ru(picenbz2)(bidentate)](PF6)2. The synthesis, separation and characterisation of the α- and β-precursors and the α- and β-[Ru(picenbz2)(bidentate)](PF6)2 complexes are reported. Moreover, the crystal structures have been determined for β-[Ru(picenbz2)(dmso)Cl]PF6.0.5H2O (C30H37N4O1.5F6PSClRu); it is triclinic, space group Pϊ, a = 9.987, b = 12.883, c = 14.287 , α = 72.11, β = 78.65, γ = 88.39° and Z = 2 and β-[Ru(picenbz2)(bqdi)](PF6)2, (C34H38N6F12P2Ru) which is triclinic, space group Pϊ, with a = 10.129, b = 10.338, c = 19.587 , α = 104.42, �� = 93.36, γ = 92.00° and Z = 2. The structures were determined at room temperature and refined by least-squares methods to R = 0.044 for 5109 and R = 0.075 for 3057 non-zero diffractometer data, respectively, for the dmso and bqdi species above