Two Arabidopsis cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, CYP714A1 and CYP714A2, function redundantly in plant development through gibberellin deactivation.

The rice gene ELONGATED UPPERMOST INTERNODE1 (EUI1) encodes a P450 monooxygenase that epoxidizes gibberellins (GAs) in a deactivation reaction. The Arabidopsis genome contains a tandemly duplicated gene pair ELA1 (CYP714A1) and ELA2 (CYP714A2) that encode EUI homologs. In this work, we dissected the functions of the two proteins.

A second target of the antimalarial and antibacterial agent fosmidomycin revealed by cellular metabolic profiling.

Antimicrobial drug resistance is an urgent problem in the control and treatment of many of the world's most serious infections, including Plasmodium falciparum malaria, tuberculosis, and healthcare-associated infections with Gram-negative bacteria. Because the non-mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis is essential in eubacteria and P. falciparum and this pathway is not present in humans, there is great interest in targeting the enzymes of non-mevalonate metabolism for antibacterial and antiparasitic drug development.

Influenza-like illness in a community surrounding a school-based outbreak of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus-Chicago, Illinois, 2009.

In April 2009, following the first school closure due to 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (pH1N1) in Chicago, Illinois, area hospitals were inundated with patients presenting with influenza-like illness (ILI). The extent of disease spread into the surrounding community was unclear. We performed a household survey to estimate the ILI attack rate among community residents and compared reported ILI with confirmed pH1N1 cases and ILI surveillance data (ie, hospital ILI visits, influenza testing, and school absenteeism).

Redox-regulatory mechanisms induced by oxidative stress in Brassica juncea roots monitored by 2-DE proteomics.

ROS, including hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), can serve as cellular signaling molecules following oxidative stress. Analysis of the redox state of proteins in Brassica juncea roots by 2-DE proteomics following treatment with either exogenous H(2)O(2) or buthionine sulfoximine, which depletes glutathione to cause accumulation of endogenous H(2)O(2), led to the identification of different sets of proteins. These data suggest that exogenous and endogenous oxidative stresses trigger specialized responses.

Publication of recruitment methods in focus group research of minority populations with chronic disease: a systematic review.

The relative effectiveness of strategies to recruit minority patients, populations traditionally difficult to engage in research, for focus groups is unclear. We conducted a systematic review of all peer-reviewed focus group studies targeting Black and/or Hispanic participants with diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and/or cardiovascular disease reported in Pubmed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL from January 1993 through August 2009. Reviewers extracted data on each study's characteristics, methods, and outcomes.

Health behaviors and racial disparity in blood pressure control in the national health and nutrition examination survey.

Minorities have a higher prevalence of hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which contributes to racial/ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality in the United States. Many modifiable health behaviors have been associated with improved blood pressure control, but it is unclear how racial/ethnic differences in these behaviors are related to the observed disparities in blood pressure control. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted among 21 489 US adults aged >20 years participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2006.

Evaluation of aging in place model with home care services and registered nurse care coordination in senior housing.

A state-sponsored evaluation of aging in place (AIP) as an alternative to assisted living and nursing home has been underway in Missouri. Cost, physical, and mental health assessment data reveal the cost-effectiveness and positive health measures of AIP. Findings of the first four years of the AIP evaluation of two long-term care settings in Missouri with registered nurse care coordination are compared with national data for traditional long-term care.

A unique Coxiella burnetii lipoprotein involved in metal binding (LimB).

Coxiella burnetii is the bacterial agent of Q fever in humans. Here, we describe a unique, ~7.2 kDa, surface-exposed lipoprotein involved in metal binding which we have termed LimB.

Screening for hepatitis B surface antigen before chemotherapy: current practice and opportunities for improvement.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (hbv) reactivation is a recognized complication of chemotherapy. The U.S.

Selective chemical labeling reveals the genome-wide distribution of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine.

In contrast to 5-methylcytosine (5-mC), which has been studied extensively, little is known about 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), a recently identified epigenetic modification present in substantial amounts in certain mammalian cell types. Here we present a method for determining the genome-wide distribution of 5-hmC. We use the T4 bacteriophage β-glucosyltransferase to transfer an engineered glucose moiety containing an azide group onto the hydroxyl group of 5-hmC.

The use of bedside electronic medical record to improve quality of care in nursing facilities: a qualitative analysis.

It appears that the implementation and use of a bedside electronic medical record in nursing homes can be a strategy to improve quality of care. Staff like using the bedside electronic medical record and believe it is beneficial. Information gleaned from this qualitative evaluation of four nursing homes that implemented complete electronic medical records and participated in a larger evaluation of the use of an electronic medical record will be useful to other nursing homes as they consider implementing bedside computing technology.

Organ-specific carboxylesterase profiling identifies the small intestine and kidney as major contributors of activation of the anticancer prodrug CPT-11.

The activation of the anticancer prodrug CPT-11, to its active metabolite SN-38, is primarily mediated by carboxylesterases (CE). In humans, three CEs have been identified, of which human liver CE (hCE1; CES1) and human intestinal CE (hiCE; CES2) demonstrate significant ability to hydrolyze the drug. However, while the kinetic parameters of CPT-11 hydrolysis have been measured, the actual contribution of each enzyme to activate the drug in biological samples has not been addressed.

Racial and gender disparities in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement: are they due to overuse or underuse?

Previous studies documented racial and gender disparities in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement. The authors examined whether racial and gender disparities in ICD placement are due to underutilization or overutilization. Among 1,054 adults hospitalized from 2001 to 2004 with ventricular arrhythmias in a large academic hospital, the study found that 17% of patients had clinical indicators concordant with ICD placement criteria.

Cost, staffing and quality impact of bedside electronic medical record (EMR) in nursing homes.

Objective: There is growing political pressure for nursing homes to implement the electronic medical record (EMR) but there is little evidence of its impact on resident care. The purpose of this study was to test the unique and combined contributions of EMR at the bedside and on-site clinical consultation by gerontological expert nurses on cost, staffing, and quality of care in nursing homes.

Methods: Eighteen nursing facilities in 3 states participated in a 4-group 24-month comparison: Group 1 implemented bedside EMR, used nurse consultation; Group 2 implemented bedside EMR only; Group 3 used nurse consultation only; Group 4 neither.

Biochemical and molecular analysis of carboxylesterase-mediated hydrolysis of cocaine and heroin.

Background And Purpose: Carboxylesterases (CEs) metabolize a wide range of xenobiotic substrates including heroin, cocaine, meperidine and the anticancer agent CPT-11. In this study, we have purified to homogeneity human liver and intestinal CEs and compared their ability with hydrolyse heroin, cocaine and CPT-11.

Experimental Approach: The hydrolysis of heroin and cocaine by recombinant human CEs was evaluated and the kinetic parameters determined.

Kinetic basis for the conjugation of auxin by a GH3 family indole-acetic acid-amido synthetase.

The GH3 family of acyl-acid-amido synthetases catalyze the ATP-dependent formation of amino acid conjugates to modulate levels of active plant hormones, including auxins and jasmonates. Initial biochemical studies of various GH3s show that these enzymes group into three families based on sequence relationships and acyl-acid substrate preference (I, jasmonate-conjugating; II, auxin- and salicylic acid-conjugating; III, benzoate-conjugating); however, little is known about the kinetic and chemical mechanisms of these enzymes. Here we use GH3-8 from Oryza sativa (rice; OsGH3-8), which functions as an indole-acetic acid (IAA)-amido synthetase, for detailed mechanistic studies.

Pentamidine inhibits Coxiella burnetii growth and 23S rRNA intron splicing in vitro.

Coxiella burnetii is the bacterial agent of Q fever in humans. Acute Q fever generally manifests as a flu-like illness and is typically self-resolving. In contrast, chronic Q fever usually presents with endocarditis and is often life-threatening without appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

Divergent metabolome and proteome suggest functional independence of dual phloem transport systems in cucurbits.

Cucurbitaceous plants (cucurbits) have long been preferred models for studying phloem physiology. However, these species are unusual in that they possess two different phloem systems, one within the main vascular bundles [fascicular phloem (FP)] and another peripheral to the vascular bundles and scattered through stem and petiole cortex tissues [extrafascicular phloem (EFP)]. We have revisited the assumption that the sap released after shoot incision originates from the FP, and also investigated the long-standing question of why the sugar content of this sap is ~30-fold less than predicted for requirements of photosynthate delivery.

Insurance status and hospital care for myocardial infarction, stroke, and pneumonia.

Background: Despite widely documented variations in health care outcomes by insurance status, few nationally representative studies have examined such disparities in the inpatient setting.

Objective: To determine whether there are insurance-related differences in hospital care for 3 common medical conditions.

Design And Subjects: Retrospective database analysis of 154,381 adult discharges (age 18-64 years) with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, or pneumonia from the 2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).

Sources of health information related to preventive health behaviors in a national study.

Background: Current literature suggests that certain sources of information are used in varying degrees among different socioeconomic and demographic groups; therefore, it is important to determine if specific classes of health information sources are more effective than others in promoting health behaviors.

Purpose: This study aims to determine if interpersonal versus mass media sources of health information are associated with meeting recommendations for health behaviors (nonsmoking, fruit/vegetable intake, and exercise) and cancer screening.

Methods: Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship of health information sources (mass media sources including print, TV, Internet; and interpersonal sources including friends and family, community organizations, and healthcare providers) with meeting recommendations for healthy behaviors and cancer screening in the 2005 and 2007 Health Information National Trends Surveys (HINTS).

Excessive neurotoxicity with ABVD when combined with protease inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy in the treatment of AIDS-related Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is the second most common non-AIDS-defining malignancy among persons infected with HIV, and its incidence might be increasing in the current era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). With the immune reconstitution afforded by cART, most patients are now able to tolerate the standard-dose chemotherapies administered to immunocompetent individuals with HL, such as ABVD (doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine). Antiretroviral therapy is commonly prescribed concomitantly with chemotherapy in the treatment of AIDS-related malignancies.

Is age-dependent, ketamine-induced apoptosis in the rat somatosensory cortex influenced by temperature?

General anesthetics have long been thought to be relatively safe but recent clinical studies have revealed that exposure of very young children (4 years or less) to agents that act by blocking the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) can lead to cognitive deficits as they mature. In rodent and non-human primate studies, blockade of this receptor during the perinatal period leads to a number of molecular, cellular and behavioral pathologies. Despite the overwhelming evidence from such studies, doubt remains as to their clinical relevance.

Changes in protein abundance during powdery mildew infection of leaf tissues of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.).

A comparative analysis of differentially expressed proteins in a susceptible grapevine (Vitis vinifera 'Cabernet Sauvignon') during the infection of Erysiphe necator, the causal pathogen of grapevine powdery mildew (PM), was conducted using iTRAQ. The quantitative labeling analysis revealed 63 proteins that significantly changed in abundance at 24, 36, 48, and 72 h post inoculation with powdery mildew conidiospores. The functional classification of the PM-responsive proteins showed that they are involved in photosynthesis, metabolism, disease/defense, protein destination, and protein synthesis.