Repeated infusions of levosimendan: well tolerated and improves functional capacity in decompensated heart failure - a single-centre experience.

Background: Levosimendan is a novel agent used in the treatment of patients with decompensated heart failure to enhance cardiac contractility. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that single doses of levosimendan have positive symptomatic and haemodynamic benefits, few have explored the efficacy and safety of intermittent repeated doses of levosimendan.

Aims: In this prospective study we document our single-centre experience of repeated administration of levosimendan to patients with decompensated heart failure.

A hand-held surface plasmon resonance biosensor for the detection of ricin and other biological agents.

There is an ongoing need for field-deployable biosensor devices. We have constructed a fully self-contained, hand-held biosensor, based on the surface plasmon resonance technique. The dimensions of the sensor unit are 15 x 8 cm, the weight is 600 g and it is powered by a 9 V battery.

Kras(G12D) and Smad4/Dpc4 haploinsufficiency cooperate to induce mucinous cystic neoplasms and invasive adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

Oncogenic Kras initiates pancreatic tumorigenesis, while subsequent genetic events shape the resultant disease. We show here that concomitant expression of Kras(G12D) and haploinsufficiency of the Smad4/Dpc4 tumor suppressor gene engenders a distinct class of pancreatic tumors, mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs), which culminate in invasive ductal adenocarcinomas. Disease evolves along a progression scheme analogous to, but distinct from, the classical PanIN-to-ductal adenocarcinoma sequence, and also portends a markedly different prognosis.

Eliminating birth trauma at Ascension Health.

Background: Ascension Health identified perinatal safety as one of eight priorities for action in a systemwide effort to achieve zero preventable injuries and deaths by July 2008.

Implementation: Three alpha sites developed and implemented transformational practices aimed at eliminating preventable birth trauma. Standardized order sets linked to all major areas of obstetrical care were either updated or developed and then tested and incorporated into the work flow of the labor and delivery units.

Developing a saltmarsh classification tool for the European water framework directive.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) identifies marine angiosperms (seagrasses and saltmarshes) as one of the biological elements used to classify water body status. This paper concentrates on the saltmarsh classification tools currently under development in the UK and RoI by the Marine Plants Task Team (MPTT) of the UK Technical Advisory Group (UK TAG). Saltmarsh classification is presently focusing on habitat extent, zonation and species diversity in order to fulfil the requirements of the WFD normative definitions.

Dissolved oxygen as a physico-chemical supporting element in the Water Framework Directive.

For transitional and coastal waters the Water Framework Directive identifies 5 "General chemical and physiochemical elements supporting the biological elements". The five elements are transparency, thermal conditions, oxygenation conditions, salinity and nutrient conditions. "Supporting" in the context of the directive means that the values of the physicochemical quality elements are such as to support a biological community of a certain ecological status, recognising the fact that biological communities are products of their physical and chemical environment.

The monitoring of opportunistic macroalgal blooms for the water framework directive.

Among the various quality elements which the Water Framework Directive requires should be monitored are macroalgae. One aspect of these is the presence, in transitional waters particularly, of large blooms of opportunistic macroalgae, such as Ulva and Enteromorpha. Within the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (RoI) there are currently no set ecological quality objectives or standards for macroalgae.

Establishing boundary classes for the classification of UK marine waters using phytoplankton communities.

This paper presents a description of three of the proposed phytoplankton indices under investigation as part of a classification framework for UK and ROI marine waters. The three indices proposed for the classification process are (i) phytoplankton biomass measured as chlorophyll, (ii) the frequency of elevated phytoplankton counts measuring individual species and total cell counts and (iii) Seasonal progression of phytoplankton functional groups through the year. Phytoplankton biomass is calculated by a 90th percentile measurement of chlorophyll over the growing season (April to September) compared to a predetermined reference value.

Setting nutrient thresholds to support an ecological assessment based on nutrient enrichment, potential primary production and undesirable disturbance.

The EU Water Framework Directive recognises that ecological status is supported by the prevailing physico-chemical conditions in each water body. This paper describes an approach to providing guidance on setting thresholds for nutrients taking account of the biological response to nutrient enrichment evident in different types of water. Indices of pressure, state and impact are used to achieve a robust nutrient (nitrogen) threshold by considering each individual index relative to a defined standard, scale or threshold.

Canadian public health nurses' job satisfaction.

Objectives: This study was undertaken to test the applicability of using a standardized questionnaire for measuring public health nurse (PHN) job satisfaction and to determine whether or not scores changed over 30 months. The importance of establishing a method for ongoing measurement of PHN job satisfaction was underscored by changing directions in practice and an emphasis on building public health capacity.

Method: A 30-month interval, repeated measures descriptive survey design was used.

Carbohydrate microarray for profiling the antibodies interacting with Globo H tumor antigen.

Understanding the specificity of cell-surface carbohydrates interaction with antibodies and receptors is important for the development of new therapeutics and high-sensitivity diagnostics. This approach is, however, limited to the availability of natural and truncated sequences of the oligosaccharides and the sensitivity of the assay system. Reported here is the synthesis of the cancer antigen Globo H hexasaccharide, an epitope found on the cell surface of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, and its truncated sequences by using the programmable one-pot synthesis strategy.

Promotion of healthy weights at preschool public health vaccination clinics in Calgary: an obesity surveillance program.

Objective: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a surveillance program of overweight and obesity in preschool children in Calgary, and to provide advice for families to promote healthy weights.

Participants And Setting: Children (mean age 4.9+/-0.

Effect of a metal alloy fuel catalyst on bacterial growth.

Many microorganisms have been demonstrated to utilize petroleum fuel products to fulfill their nutritional requirement for carbon. As a result, the ability of these microbes to degrade fuel has both a deleterious affect as well as beneficial applications. This study focused on the undesired ability of bacteria to grow on fuel and the potential for some metal alloys to inhibit this biodegradation.

Dissection of the carbohydrate specificity of the broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibody 2G12.

Human antibody 2G12 neutralizes a broad range of HIV-1 isolates. Hence, molecular characterization of its epitope, which corresponds to a conserved cluster of oligomannoses on the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120, is a high priority in HIV vaccine design. A prior crystal structure of 2G12 in complex with Man(9)GlcNAc(2) highlighted the central importance of the D1 arm in antibody binding.

Tetrabutylammonium fluoride-assisted rapid N9-alkylation on purine ring: application to combinatorial reactions in microtiter plates for the discovery of potent sulfotransferase inhibitors in situ.

Tremendous efforts have been invested in the synthesis of purine libraries due to their importance in targeting various enzymes involved in different diseases and cellular processes. The synthesis of N9-alkylated purine scaffolds relied mostly on Mitsunobu conditions with a variety of alcohols or strong basic conditions with different organic halides. A more reliable and efficient way for the synthesis of N(9)-alkylated purine scaffolds is reported.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoproteins.

Oligosaccharides are involved in a wide range of biological processes including, for example, bacterial and viral infection, cancer metastasis, the blood-clotting cascade and many other crucial intercellular recognition events. The molecular details of these biological recognition events are, however, not well understood. To express their function, oligosaccharides often occur as glycoconjugates attached to proteins (called glycoproteins) or lipids (called glycolipids) that are often found on the surface of cells.

Sulfatases: structure, mechanism, biological activity, inhibition, and synthetic utility.

Sulfatases, which cleave sulfate esters in biological systems, play a key role in regulating the sulfation states that determine the function of many physiological molecules. Sulfatase substrates range from small cytosolic steroids, such as estrogen sulfate, to complex cell-surface carbohydrates, such as the glycosaminoglycans. The transformation of these molecules has been linked with important cellular functions, including hormone regulation, cellular degradation, and modulation of signaling pathways.

Sulfotransferases: structure, mechanism, biological activity, inhibition, and synthetic utility.

The sulfonation (also known as sulfurylation) of biomolecules has long been known to take place in a variety of organisms, from prokaryotes to multicellular species, and new biological functions continue to be uncovered in connection with this important transformation. Early studies of sulfotransferases (STs), the enzymes that catalyze sulfonation, focused primarily on the cytosolic STs, which are involved in detoxification, hormone regulation, and drug metabolism. Although known to exist, the membrane-associated STs were not studied as extensively until more recently.