Publications by authors named "Julia Matthews"
Article Synopsis
- Copy number variants (CNVs) are crucial for genetic variation and evolution, but their formation and effects are not well understood, particularly concerning local genomic sequences.
- Research indicates that specific genomic features, like long terminal repeats (LTRs) and origins of DNA replication (ARS), influence the rapid formation and adaptive significance of CNVs during evolutionary processes in glutamine-limited environments.
- Experimental evolution in engineered strains shows that altering these genomic elements affects CNV formation rates and fitness, with a significant portion of CNVs linked to a mechanism called Origin Dependent Inverted Repeat Amplification (ODIRA).
Article Synopsis
- Smoking cessation is vital for public health, and this study explored the effectiveness of e-cigarettes and very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs) as substitutes for traditional cigarettes, alongside the use of nicotine patches.
- The experiment involved 160 adult smokers who were divided into groups using VLNCs, e-cigarettes, or no product over four weeks, while assessing the impact of an active or placebo nicotine patch.
- Results showed that both VLNCs and e-cigarettes significantly reduced daily cigarette consumption compared to no product, indicating that behavioral substitutes can help in reducing smoking, regardless of nicotine delivery methods.
Copy number variants (CNVs), duplications and deletions of genomic sequences, contribute to evolutionary adaptation but can also confer deleterious effects and cause disease. Whereas the effects of amplifying individual genes or whole chromosomes (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge-scale genomic changes, including copy number variations (CNVs), are frequently observed in long-term evolution experiments (LTEEs). We have previously reported the detection of recurrent CNVs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations adapting to glutamine-limited conditions over hundreds of generations. Here, we present the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) assemblies of 7 LTEE strains and their ancestor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Multicomponent Fall Prevention Strategy Reduces Falls at an Academic Medical Center.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf
September 2017
Background: While the reduction in fall rates has not kept pace with the reduction of other hospital-acquired conditions, patient safety research and quality improvement (QI) initiatives at the system and hospital levels have achieved positive results and provide insights into potentially effective risk reduction strategies. An academic medical center developed a QI-based multicomponent strategy for fall prevention and pilot tested it for six months in three high-risk units-the Neuroscience Acute Care Unit, the Myelosuppression/Stem Cell Transplant Unit, and the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit-before implementing and evaluating the strategy hospitalwide.
Methods: The multicomponent fall strategy was evaluated using a pre-post study design.
Here, we describe the identification of a clinical candidate via structure-based optimization of a ligand efficient pyrazole-benzimidazole fragment. Aurora kinases play a key role in the regulation of mitosis and in recent years have become attractive targets for the treatment of cancer. X-ray crystallographic structures were generated using a novel soakable form of Aurora A and were used to drive the optimization toward potent (IC(50) approximately 3 nM) dual Aurora A/Aurora B inhibitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Fragment-based lead discovery was used to develop inhibitors for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), starting with the drug mexiletine (R)-5.
- Through structure-aided design, researchers created enhanced inhibitors that maintained crucial interactions while increasing potency by targeting additional areas of the active site.
- The final optimized compound, designated as 15, emerged as a strong, selective, and orally bioavailable uPA inhibitor.
Purpose: To examine the immediate and delayed impact of an intensive one- or two-day interclerkship on substance abuse (SA) for third-year medical students. The program is a response to the problem of inadequacy of substance abuse education in the standard curriculum.
Method: Each year since 1997-98 all third-year students at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have participated in a one- or two-day SA interclerkship to enhance their knowledge and competence with SA assessment and brief intervention.