Stopped-flow fluorescence kinetic studies of Glu-plasminogen Conformational changes triggered by AH-site ligand binding

AbstractBinding of 6-aminohexanoic acid to the AH-site, a weak lysine binding site in Glu-plasminogen, alters the conformation of the molecule. The kinetics of the binding and the accompanying conformational change are investigated at pH 7.8. 25°C. Changes of intrinsic protein fluorescence were measured as a function of time after rapid mixing in a stopped-flow apparatus. The results reflect a two-step reaction mechanism: Rapid association of Glu-plasminogen and 6-aminohexanoic acid (K1 = 44 mM) followed by the conformational change (k2 = 69 g−1 and k−2 = 3 g−1) with on overall dissociation constant K4 = 2.0 mM, Thus the conformational change is rather fast, t12 = 0.01 g. Its importance for the rates or Glu-plasminogen activation reactions is discussed

Assessment of short and long-term outcomes of diabetes patient education using the health education impact questionnaire (HeiQ)

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes is a progressive chronic illness that will affect more than 500 million people worldwide by 2030. It is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Finding the right care management for diabetes patients is necessary to effectively address the growing population of affected individuals and escalating costs. Patient education is one option for improving patient self-management. However, there are large discrepancies in the outcomes of such programs and long-term data are lacking. We assessed the short and long-term outcomes of diabetes patient education using the health education impact questionnaire (HeiQ). Methods We conducted a observational cohort study of 83 type 2 diabetes patients participating in patient education programs in Denmark. The seven-scale HeiQ was completed by telephone interview at baseline and 2 weeks (76 participants, 93%) and 12 months (66, 80%) after the patient education ended. Changes over time were assessed using mean values and standard deviation at each time point and Cohen effect sizes. Results Patients reported improvements 2 weeks after the program ended in 4 of 7 constructs: skills and technique acquisition (ES = 0.59), self-monitoring and insight (ES = 0.52), constructive attitudes and approaches (ES = 0.43) and social integration and support (ES = 0.27). After 12 months, patients reported improvements in 3 of 7 constructs: skills and technique acquisition (ES = 0.66), constructive attitudes and approaches (ES = 0.43), and emotional wellbeing (ES = 0.44). Skills and technique showed the largest short- and long-term effect size. No significant changes were found in health-related activity or positive and active engagement in life over time. Conclusion After 12 months, diabetes patients who participated in patient education demonstrated increased self-management skills, improved acceptance of their chronic illness and decreased negative emotional response to their disease. Applying HeiQ as an outcome measure yielded new knowledge as to what patients with diabetes can obtain by participating in a patient education

Enterprise size and risk of hospital treated injuries among manual construction workers in Denmark: a study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In most countries throughout the world the construction industry continues to account for a disturbingly high proportion of fatal and nonfatal injuries. Research has shown that large enterprises seem to be most actively working for a safe working environment when compared to small and medium-sized enterprises. Also, statistics from Canada, Italy and South Korea suggest that the risk of injury among construction workers decreases with enterprise size, that is the smaller the enterprise the greater the risk of injury. This trend, however, is neither confirmed by the official statistics from Eurostat valid for EU-15 + Norway nor by a separate Danish study - although these findings might have missed a trend due to severe underreporting. In addition, none of the above mentioned studies controlled for the occupational distribution within the enterprises. A part of the declining injury rates observed in Canada, Italy and South Korea therefore might be explained by an increasing proportion of white-collar employees in large enterprises.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To investigate the relation between enterprise size and injury rates in the Danish construction industry.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>All male construction workers in Denmark aged 20-59 years will be followed yearly through national registers from 1999 to 2006 for first hospital treated injury (ICD-10: S00-T98) and linked to data about employment status, occupation and enterprise size. Enterprise size-classes are based on the Danish business pattern where micro (less than 5 employees), small (5-9 employees) and medium-sized (10-19 employees) enterprises will be compared to large enterprises (at least 20 employees). The analyses will be controlled for age (five-year age groups), calendar year (as categorical variable) and occupation. A multi-level Poisson regression will be used where the enterprises will be treated as the subjects while observations within the enterprises will be treated as correlated repeated measurements.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This follow-up study uses register data that include all people in the target population. Sampling bias and response bias are thereby eliminated. A disadvantage of the study is that only injuries requiring hospital treatment are covered.</p

Nyt projekt om sundhed af økologiske grøntsager

Et nyt forskningsprojekt skal klarlægge, om der er forskel på den sundheds- og spisemæssige kvalitet af økologisk og konventionelt dyrkede grøntsager