A predicted operon map for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The prediction of operons in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a first step toward understanding the regulatory network of this pathogen. Here we apply a statistical model using logistic regression to predict operons in MTB. As predictors, our model incorporates intergenic distance and the correlation of gene expression calculated for adjacent gene pairs from over 474 microarray experiments with MTB RNA. We validate our findings with known examples from the literature and experimentation. From this model, we rank each potential operon pair by the strength of evidence for cotranscription, choose a classification threshold with a true positive rate of over 90% at a false positive rate of 9.1%, and use it to construct an operon map for the MTB genome

Outcome Measures for Persons With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Recommendations From the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy TBI EDGE Task Force

Background and Purpose: The use of standardized outcome measures (OMs) is essential in assessing the effectiveness of physical therapy (PT) interventions. The purposes of this article are (1) to describe the process used by the TBI EDGE task force to assess the psychometrics and clinical utility of OMs used with individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI); (2) to describe the consensus recommendations for OM use in clinical practice, research, and professional (entry-level) PT education; and (3) to make recommendations for future work

Pharmacokinetics of Oral Rebaudioside A in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Effects on Glucose Homeostasis: A Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

Background and&nbsp;Objectives Rebaudioside A, a steviol glycoside, is deglycosylated by intestinal microflora prior to the absorption of steviol and conjugation to steviol glucuronide. While glucose-lowering properties are observed for rebaudioside A in mice, they have been attributed to the metabolites steviol and steviol glucuronide. We aimed to characterize the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of rebaudioside A and its metabolites in patients with early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods This randomized, placebo-controlled, open-label, two-way crossover trial was performed in subjects with T2DM on metformin or no therapy at the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. Following oral rebaudioside A (3 g), plasma concentrations of rebaudioside A, steviol and steviol glucuronide were determined. The effect on glucose homeostasis was examined by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) performed 19 h following rebaudioside A administration, i.e. the presumed time of maximal steviol and steviol glucuronide concentrations. The primary pharmacodynamic endpoint was the difference in area under the blood glucose concentration–time curve during the first 2 h of the OGTT (AUCGlucose(0–2h)) for rebaudioside A vs.&nbsp;placebo. Results In total, 30 subjects [63.5 (57.8–69.0) years&nbsp;of age, 86.7% male] completed the trial. Rebaudioside A was detected as early as 1 h after administration in nearly all subjects. As expected, steviol and steviol glucuronide reached their maximal concentrations at 19.5 h following rebaudioside A administration. Rebaudioside A did not lower the AUCGlucose(0–2h)&nbsp;compared to placebo (−&nbsp;0.7 (95% CI −&nbsp;22.3; 20.9) h·mg/dL,&nbsp;P&nbsp;= 0.95). Insulin and C-peptide concentrations were also comparable between both conditions (P&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;0.05). Conclusion Rebaudioside A is readily absorbed after oral administration and metabolized to steviol and steviol glucuronide. However, no effect on glucose nor insulin or C-peptide excursion was observed during the OGTT at the time of maximal metabolite concentrations. Thus, no antidiabetic properties of rebaudioside A could be observed in patients with T2DM after single oral&nbsp;use.</p