Solid-state NMR assignment of α-synuclein polymorph prepared from helical intermediate.

Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein protein aggregates in the neurons and glial cells. Both ex vivo and in vitro α-synuclein fibrils tend to show polymorphism. Polymorphism results in structure variations among fibrils originating from a single polypeptide/protein.

Reduction of healthcare costs through a transitions-of-care program.

Purpose: Results of an evaluation of the impact of a pharmacy-based transitional care program on healthcare costs in a population of high-risk patients are reported.

Methods: A nonrandomized, observational cohort study was conducted to compare cost outcomes in a group of patients discharged from a single hospital who were referred to an ambulatory care pharmacy-based transitions-of-care (TOC) program and a control group of patients discharged from neighboring hospitals who received usual care; all patients were members of the same managed Medicaid plan. The intervention and control groups were matched by number of hospitalizations during the 180 days preceding the index admission and by index admission length of stay.

Budget Impact Analysis of a Pharmacist-Provided Transition of Care Program.

Background: Postdischarge medication management services have been shown to reduce the incidence of medication-related problems during the transition from inpatient to outpatient care. A pharmacist-run transition of care (TOC) program has been developed to reduce the unplanned readmissions of a high-risk managed Medicaid population after hospitalization.

Objective: To estimate the budget impact of adding an outpatient pharmacy-based TOC program to a medical benefit from the payer perspective.

The conformation of the Congo-red ligand bound to amyloid fibrils HET-s(218-289): a solid-state NMR study.

We have previously shown that Congo red (CR) binds site specifically to amyloid fibrils formed by HET-s(218-289) with the long axis of the CR molecule almost parallel to the fibril axis. HADDOCK docking studies indicated that CR adopts a roughly planar conformation with the torsion angle ϕ characterizing the relative orientation of the two phenyl rings being a few degrees. In this study, we experimentally determine the torsion angle ϕ at the center of the CR molecule when bound to HET-s(218-289) amyloid fibrils using solid-state NMR tensor-correlation experiments.

Structural and functional analysis of SMO-1, the SUMO homolog in Caenorhabditis elegans.

SUMO proteins are important post-translational modifiers involved in multiple cellular pathways in eukaryotes, especially during the different developmental stages in multicellular organisms. The nematode C. elegans is a well known model system for studying metazoan development and has a single SUMO homolog, SMO-1.

Selective H-H Distance Restraints in Fully Protonated Proteins by Very Fast Magic-Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR.

Very fast magic-angle spinning (MAS > 80 kHz) NMR combined with high-field magnets has enabled the acquisition of proton-detected spectra in fully protonated solid samples with sufficient resolution and sensitivity. One of the primary challenges in structure determination of protein is observing long-range H-H contacts. Here we use band-selective spin-lock pulses to obtain selective H-H contacts (e.

Impact of a pharmacy-based transitional care program on hospital readmissions.

Objectives: Avoidable readmissions of patients discharged from hospitals are a major concern. This study evaluates the impact of pharmacist-provided postdischarge services on hospital readmissions for members of a US managed Medicaid health plan.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Serotyping of foot and mouth disease virus and Pasteurella multocida from Indian gaurs (Bos gaurus), concurrently infected with foot and mouth disease and haemorrhagic septicaemia.

We report the serotyping of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and Pasteurella multocida from Indian gaurs which were concurrently infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and haemorrhagic septicaemia. Bannerghatta biological park (BBP), a national park located in the outskirts of Bengaluru city, Karnataka, India, is bordered by several villages. These villages witnessed massive outbreaks of FMD which spread rapidly to the herbivores at BBP.

Sensitivity enhancement of double quantum NMR spectroscopy by modified CPMG.

A modified Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence for sensitivity enhancement of dipolar coupled homonuclear spin pairs in static solid-state NMR is presented. The modified CPMG block uses the Hahn-solid-Hahn echo as basic element of the CPMG echo train to refocus the homonuclear dipolar coupling and chemical shift anisotropy. The new CPMG sequence is dubbed as Hahn-solid-Hahn Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (HSHCPMG).

Hydrogen bonding and chemical shift assignments in carbazole functionalized isocyanides from solid-state NMR and first-principles calculations.

Carbazole functionalized polyisocyanides are known to exhibit excellent electronic properties (E. Schwartz, et al., Chemistry of Materials, 2010, 22, 2597).

Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic leaf extract of Moringa oleifera in animals.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the immunomodulatory action of methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (MEMO) in an experimental model of immunity. The cellular immunity was evaluated using neutrophil adhesion test, cyclophosphamide induced neutropenia and carbon clearance assay, whereas, humoral immunity was tested by mice lethality test, serum immunoglobulin estimation and indirect haemagglutination assay in animals. Administration of MEMO (250 and 750 mg/kg, po) and Ocimum sanctum (100 mg/kg, po) significantly increased the levels of serum immunoglobulins and also prevented the mortality induced by bovine Pasteurella multocida in mice.

Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic extract of Morus alba Linn. (mulberry) leaves.

The leaves of Morus alba Linn. (Family: Moraceae) commonly known as mulberry are mainly used as food for the silkworms and they are sometimes eaten as vegetable or used as cattle fodder in different parts of the world. The effect of Morus alba on the immune system was evaluated by using different experimental models such as carbon clearance test, cyclophosphamide induced neutropenia, neutrophil adhesion test, effect on serum immunoglobulins, mice lethality test and indirect haemagglutination test.

Effect of centchroman on cellular and humoral immunity.

Centchroman (Ormeloxifene) is a nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator that is used as once a week oral contraceptive agent. The effect of centchroman on the immune system was evaluated by using different experimental models such as carbon clearance test, cyclophosphamide induced neutropenia, neutrophil adhesion test, effect on serum immunoglobulins, mice lethality test and indirect haemagglutination test. The first three models namely carbon clearance test, cyclophosphamide induced neutropenia and neutrophil adhesion test were used to study cell mediated immunity while the latter three models were used to see the effect on humoral immunity.