Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of neoagarobiose hydrolase from Saccharophagus degradans 2-40

Many agarolytic bacteria degrade agar polysaccharide into the disaccharide unit neoagarobiose [O-3,6-anhydro-α-L-galactopyranosyl-(1→3)-D-galactose] using various β-agarases. Neoagarobiose hydrolase is an enzyme that acts on the α-1,3 linkage in neoagarobiose to yield D-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose. This activity is essential in both the metabolism of agar by agarolytic bacteria and the production of fermentable sugars from agar biomass for bioenergy production. Neoagarobiose hydrolase from the marine bacterium Saccharophagus degradans 2-40 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 129.83, b = 76.81, c = 90.11 Å, β = 101.86°. The crystals diffracted to 1.98 Å resolution and possibly contains two molecules in the asymmetric unit

Chief Samuel Taylor (Thunderbird) Blue Papers - Accession 496

The collection consists of photocopies of correspondence, genealogical information, financial records, newspaper clippings, photographs, pamphlets, and a scrapbook collected by Samuel Taylor (Thunderbird) Blue (1872-1959), former chief of the Catawba Indians (1931–1938, 1941–1943, and 1956–1958). A large part of the collection relates to mission work with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Carolina (Mormon Church), and federal agencies on the problems facing the Catawba Indians.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1630/thumbnail.jp

Bursts, eclipses, dips and a refined position for the luminous low-mass X-ray binary in the globular cluster Terzan 6

GRS 1747-312 is a bright transient X-ray source in the globular cluster Terzan 6 with quasi-periodic outbursts approximately every 4.5 months. We carried out 2-60 keV target-of-opportunity observations during eight outbursts with the Proportional Counter Array on the RXTE satellite, for a total exposure time of 301 ks, and detect the first unambiguous thermonuclear X-ray bursts from this source. This identifies the compact accretor in this binary as a neutron star. The neutron star identification implies that twelve out of thirteen luminous (above 10^36 erg/s X-ray sources in Galactic globular clusters harbor neutron stars, with AC211's nature (in M15) remaining elusive. We observed 24 transitions of eclipses of the X-ray emitting region by the companion star and are able to improve the accuracy of the orbital period by a factor of 10^4. The period is P=0.514980303(7) d. We do not detect a period derivative with an upper limit of |\dot{P}/P|=3X10^-8 yr^{-1}. Archival Chandra data were analyzed to further refine the X-ray position, and the cluster's center of gravity was re-determined from optical data resulting in a correction amounting to 2 core radii. We find that GRS 1747-312 is 0.2+/-0.2 core radii from the cluster center.Comment: Accepted by A&

Challenges and Opportunities for Disinvestment in Australia: A need to evaluate the implementation and impact of Choosing Wisely in Australia

Purpose – Worldwide, there is significant growth in the cost of (and demand for) healthcare, which often clashes with a requirement to contain expenditure. This duality leads to an increasing need for a systematic approach to disinvestment in health technologies. The purpose of this paper is to consider the challenges and opportunities for disinvestment policy decisions in Australia. It discusses the implementation of the Choosing Wisely campaign and the need for rigorous evaluation of such campaigns in the Australian healthcare system. Design/methodology/approach – The authors highlight characteristics of disinvestment: what it is and what it is not and discuss international examples of identifying low value care, including the recent Choosing Wisely initiative. The authors discuss the barriers to implementing initiatives such as Choosing Wisely and the complexities in evaluating their effectiveness. Findings – While the primary purpose of the Choosing Wisely campaign is improved decision making through clinical engagement, it is expected that implementation could lead to resource savings alongside improvements in patient safety and service quality. While there is research looking to understand the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of initiatives such as Choosing Wisely, little is known about broader patient impacts, and more attention on the quantification of their effect on both patient outcomes and resource use is needed. Originality/value – This work highlights the limited knowledge around implementation of disinvestment strategies and the paucity of research around the impact of strategies such as Choosing Wisely in the Australian public hospital system. This is important as future research in this area will give greater certainty about the benefits and consequences of Choosing Wisely leading to improved opportunities for resource savings and patient safety and quality

In vivo metabolism of Talosin A, new isoflavonol glycoside from Kitasatospora kifunensis, in rats

The isoflavonol glycoside Talosin A, genistein (GT)-7-α-L-6-deoxy talopyranose (GT-Tal), was first isolated from the culture broth of Kitasatospora kifunensis MJM341. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the oral absorption and metabolism of the newly isolated isoflavonol glycoside, GT-Tal compared to genistin (GT-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside; GT-Glu). Free GT-Glu and GT-Tal could not be detected prior to enzymatic hydrolysis of the corresponding conjugates in rat plasma. Following oral administration of GT-Tal (15 min), GT-Tal was rapidly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and metabolized into GT-Tal conjugates with a mean Cmax of 2.74 µg/mL. GT-Tal was further metabolized to its aglycone, free GT and conjugated GT. After oral administration, GT-Glu was absorbed after being convereted to its aglycone and then further metabolized into its conjugate metabolites (free GT with a mean Cmax of 0.24 mg/mL at 1.25 h; conjugated GT with a mean Cmax of 1.31 mg/mL at 2.00 h). Significant differences in absorption and metabolism of GT-Tal and GT-Glu were observed. GT-Tal was metabolized into its corresponding conjugates or underwent deglycosylation to form GT, whereas GT-Glu was metabolized into its aglycone, GT

Effect of smoking on physical and cognitive capability in later life: a multicohort study using observational and genetic approaches

Objectives: The observed associations between smoking and functional measures at older ages are vulnerable to bias and confounding. Mendelian randomisation (MR) uses genotype as an instrumental variable to estimate unconfounded causal associations. We conducted a meta-analysis of the observational associations and implemented an MR approach using the smoking-related single nucleotide polymorphism rs16969968 to explore their causal nature. Setting: 9 British cohorts belonging to the HALCyon collaboration. Participants: Individual participant data on N=26 692 individuals of European ancestry (N from earliest phase analysed per study) of mean ages 50-79 years were available for inclusion in observational meta-analyses of the primary outcomes. Primary outcomes: Physical capability, cognitive capability and cognitive decline. The smoking exposures were cigarettes per day, current versus ex-smoker, current versus never smoker and ever versus never smoker. Results: In observational analyses current and ever smoking were generally associated with poorer physical and cognitive capability. For example, current smokers had a general fluid cognition score which was 0.17 z-score units (95% CI -0.221 to -0.124) lower than ex-smokers in cross-sectional analyses. Current smokers had a walk speed which was 0.25 z-score units lower than never smokers (95% CI -0.338 to -0.170). An MR instrumental variable approach for current versus ex-smoker and number of cigarettes smoked per day produced CIs which neither confirmed nor refuted the observational estimates. The number of genetic associations stratified by smoking status were consistent with type I error. Conclusions: Our observational analysis supports the hypothesis that smoking is detrimental to physical and cognitive capability. Further studies are needed for a suitably powered MR approach

The fitness of African malaria vectors in the presence and limitation of host behaviour

<p>Background Host responses are important sources of selection upon the host species range of ectoparasites and phytophagous insects. However little is known about the role of host responses in defining the host species range of malaria vectors. This study aimed to estimate the relative importance of host behaviour to the feeding success and fitness of African malaria vectors, and assess its ability to predict their known host species preferences in nature.</p> <p>Methods Paired evaluations of the feeding success and fitness of African vectors Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles gambiae s.s in the presence and limitation of host behaviour were conducted in a semi-field system (SFS) at Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. In one set of trials, mosquitoes were released within the SFS and allowed to forage overnight on a host that was free to exhibit natural behaviour in response to insect biting. In the other, mosquitoes were allowed to feed directly on from the skin surface of immobile hosts. The feeding success and subsequent fitness of vectors under these conditions were investigated on 6 host types (humans, calves, chickens, cows, dogs and goats) to assess whether physical movements of preferred host species (cattle for An. arabiensis, humans for An. gambiae s.s.) were less effective at preventing mosquito bites than those of common alternatives.</p> <p>Results Anopheles arabiensis generally had greater feeding success when applied directly to host skin than when foraging on unrestricted hosts (in five of six host species). However, An. gambiae s.s obtained blood meals from free and restrained hosts with similar success from most host types (four out of six). Overall, the blood meal size, oviposition rate, fecundity and post-feeding survival of mosquito vectors were significantly higher after feeding on hosts free to exhibit behaviour, than those who were immobilized during feeding trials.</p> <p>Conclusions Allowing hosts to move freely during exposure to mosquitoes was associated with moderate reductions in mosquito feeding success, but no detrimental impact to the subsequent fitness of mosquitoes that were able to feed upon them. This suggests that physical defensive behaviours exhibited by common host species including humans do not impose substantial fitness costs on African malaria vectors.</p&gt

Breeze, The, Vol. 3, No. 1, Apr. 1912

https://digitalmaine.com/milo_yearbooks/1012/thumbnail.jp