Publications by authors named "Charles Constantine"

Heparin is commonly administered during hemodialysis to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circuit. The authors' unit instituted a change in heparin type and preparation procedure based on patient safety and potential cost savings. Fifty patient charts were reviewed to determine whether the change affected specific patient outcomes.

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Citrate synthase (CS) performs two half-reactions: the mechanistically intriguing condensation of acetyl-CoA with oxaloacetate (OAA) to form citryl-CoA and the subsequent, slower hydrolysis of citryl-CoA that generally dominates steady-state kinetics. The condensation reaction requires the abstraction of a proton from the methyl carbon of acetyl-CoA to generate a reactive enolate intermediate. The carbanion of that intermediate then attacks the OAA carbonyl to furnish citryl-CoA, the initial product.

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Guidelines recommend that > or =50% of patients starting dialysis have a fistula. We reviewed our experience in consecutive incident patients over a 1-year period. Only 30 of the 93 patients starting hemodialysis had a fistula that was accessed.

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Acetobacter aceti converts ethanol to acetic acid, and strains highly resistant to both are used to make vinegar. A. aceti survives acetic acid exposure by tolerating cytoplasmic acidification, which implies an unusual adaptation of cytoplasmic components to acidic conditions.

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N5-carboxyaminoimidazole ribonucleotide (N5-CAIR) mutase (PurE) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of acid-labile compounds N5-CAIR and 4-carboxy-5-aminoimidazole ribonucleotide (CAIR). We have examined PurE from the acidophilic bacterium Acetobacter aceti (AaPurE), focusing on its adaptation to acid pH and the roles of conserved residues His59 and His89. Both AaPurE and Escherichia coli PurE showed quasi-reversible acid-mediated inactivation, but wt AaPurE was much more stable at pH 3.

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