Engineering and characterization of fluorogenic glycine riboswitches.

A set of 12 fluorogenic glycine riboswitches with different thermodynamic and kinetic response properties was engineered. For the design of functional riboswitches, a three-part RNA approach was applied based on the idea of linking a RNA sensor, transmitter and actuator part together. For the RNA sensor and actuator part, we used the tandem glycine aptamer structure from Bacillus subtillis, and fluorogenic aptamer Spinach, respectively.

Alliance predicts patients' outcome beyond in-treatment change in symptoms.

The authors examined the relations among therapeutic alliance, outcome, and early-in-treatment symptomatic improvement in a group of 86 patients with generalized anxiety disorders, chronic depression, or avoidant or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder who received supportive-expressive dynamic psychotherapy. Although alliance at Sessions 5 and 10, but not at Session 2, was associated with prior change in depression, alliance at all sessions significantly predicted subsequent change in depression when prior change in depression was partialed out. The results are discussed in terms of the causal role of the alliance in therapeutic outcome.