Engineering Kluyveromyces marxianus as a Robust Synthetic Biology Platform Host.

Throughout history, the yeast has played a central role in human society due to its use in food production and more recently as a major industrial and model microorganism, because of the many genetic and genomic tools available to probe its biology. However, has proven difficult to engineer to expand the carbon sources it can utilize, the products it can make, and the harsh conditions it can tolerate in industrial applications. Other yeasts that could solve many of these problems remain difficult to manipulate genetically.

A thiamin-utilizing ribozyme decarboxylates a pyruvate-like substrate.

Vitamins are hypothesized to be relics of an RNA world, and were probably participants in RNA-mediated primordial metabolism. If catalytic RNAs, or ribozymes, could harness vitamin cofactors to aid their function in a manner similar to protein enzymes, it would enable them to catalyse a much larger set of chemical reactions. The cofactor thiamin diphosphate, a derivative of vitamin B1 (thiamin), is used by enzymes to catalyse difficult metabolic reactions, including decarboxylation of stable α-keto acids such as pyruvate.

Accommodation of Ca(II) ions for catalytic activity by a group I ribozyme.

The wildtype Tetrahymena ribozyme cannot catalyze detectable levels of phosphotransfer activity in vitro on an exogenous RNA substrate oligonucleotide when calcium(II) is supplied as the only available divalent ion. Nevertheless, low-error mutants of this ribozyme have been acquired through directed evolution that do have activity in 10mM CaCl(2). The mechanisms for such Ca(II) accommodation are not known.

Changing aspects of psychiatric inpatient treatment. A census investigation in five European countries.

This paper presents data obtained in a one-day census investigation in five European countries (Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia). The census forms were filled in for 4191 psychiatric inpatients. Concerning legal status, 11.

[Prevention in geriatric medicine].

The authors point out the actual relation of prevention in geriatric medicine, and specific traits of prevention and its significance in the care of the aged. They deal with circumstances which compel the necessity to think in categories of prevention also in geriatry. They draw attention to the significance of risk factors in the aged and preventive interventions which are currently preferred.

[Significance of laboratory examinations in the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia in older persons].

In order to assess the effectiveness of selected laboratory examinations in the differential diagnosis of anaemias in elderly patients the authors examined 170 patients aged 65-93 years. Depending on the cause of anaemia, they divided the group into five sub-groups. Analysis revealed that for the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anaemia the mean corpuscular volume and red cell haemoglobin level have a relatively low sensitivity (63 and 65.

Mixed hepatoblastoma in the adult: morphological and immunohistochemical findings.

A case of mixed hepatoblastoma in a 66-year-old man is discussed. Assessment of malignant mesenchymal and malignant epithelial elements yields the diagnosis. In the reported case, the epithelial area consisted of fetal hepatocytes.

[Ofloxacin in the treatment of infections of the respiratory tract in older patients].

The authors submit a brief report on the results of treatment with ofloxacin in geriatric patients. They treated a total of 26 patients aged 60 to 87 years for bronchopneumonia (17 patients), acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (4 patients) and other infections of the airways (5 patients). Comorbidity was recorded in 22 patients (diabetes mellitus, chronic renal insufficiency and others).

[Acute hemodynamic changes after nifedipine in older men with essential hypertension].

The authors selected from a group of 40 hypertonic patients 9 men (mean age 67 years, range 60-73 years) with reliably evaluated echocardiographic tracings without valvular defects and without impaired left ventricular kinetics. After two weeks on placebo every patients was given a single dose of 20 mg nifedipine. The echocardiographic examination, concurrently with a blood pressure reading, was made at the end of the placebo interval and 2.

[The clinical picture and development of aortic aneurysms in older persons].

The authors discuss 11 patients with aortal aneurysms (AA) which they diagnosed in the course of 1983-1988. In seven instances the abdominal aorta was affected; once the ascending part and once the arch; twice the descending part and once the whole aorta. In four patients the aneurysm had a dissecting character.

[Serum ferritin levels in elderly patients].

The authors examined, using the enzyme immunometric method, the serum ferritin concentration in 144 patients aged 60 to 93 years and in 26 healthy volunteers aged 22 to 30 years. They divided the group into four sub-groups: A control group of old people, B control group of young people, C patients with malignities and D patients with various diseases affecting the serum ferritin level. The authors confirmed the significant difference in the serum ferritin concentration between the two control groups (higher concentration in old people).

[Acute natriuretic effect of nifedipine in elderly people with essential hypertension].

Following a two-week placebo period, a group of 10 elderly men (63-76 yrs) received a 20 mg nifedipine tablet each. Twelve hours later nifedipine, as compared to placebo, significantly raised diuresis, urine sodium excretion, and tubular sodium rejection, but had no affect GFR and urine potassium excretion. A significant drop in mean arterial pressure was registered six hours following nifedipine administration.

Nifedipine monotherapy in the hypertensive elderly: a placebo-controlled clinical trial.

A single-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out to evaluate the suitability of slow-release nifedipine as antihypertensive monotherapy for the elderly. After a wash-out period, nifedipine slow-release tablets (20 mg twice daily) followed by matching placebo were administered, each for 4 weeks, to 23 patients over 60 years of age with essential mild to moderate hypertension. Nifedipine significantly reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and increased the pulse rate in both supine and upright positions.

Effect of the acetylator phenotype on amrinone pharmacokinetics.

Ten healthy male subjects were phenotyped with isoniazid for their acetylator status and then received intravenous amrinone at a dose of 75 mg during a period of 10 minutes. Blood samples were drawn at specified times during a 24-hour period after dosing. Plasma concentrations of amrinone were determined by a specific HPLC method.