Elective Cardioversion in the Era of Novel Oral Anticoagulants - Does a Nurse Administered Verbal Questionnaire for Compliance Negate the Need for Routine Transoesophageal Echocardiography?

Background: Anticoagulation prior to elective external direct current cardioversion (EDCCV) is mandatory. The inability to monitor compliance with novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) raises a potential safety issue. We aimed to evaluate whether a structured, nurse-led assessment of compliance prior to EDCCV ensures safety without the need for routine transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE).

Structural analysis of P. falciparum KAHRP and PfEMP1 complexes with host erythrocyte spectrin suggests a model for cytoadherent knob protrusions.

Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1) and Knob-associated Histidine-rich Protein (KAHRP) are directly linked to malaria pathology. PfEMP1 and KAHRP cluster on protrusions (knobs) on the P. falciparum-infected erythrocyte surface and enable pathogenic cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes to the host microvasculature, leading to restricted blood flow, oxygen deprivation and damage of tissues.

A Plasmodium falciparum PHIST protein binds the virulence factor PfEMP1 and comigrates to knobs on the host cell surface.

Uniquely among malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (iRBCs) develop membrane protrusions, known as knobs, where the parasite adhesion receptor P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) clusters. Knob formation and the associated iRBC adherence to host endothelium are directly linked to the severity of malaria and are functional manifestations of protein export from the parasite to the iRBC.

Seven years experience of a nurse-led elective cardioversion service in a tertiary referral centre: an observational study.

Background: Traditionally the provision of elective external direct current cardioversion (EDCCV) for patients with atrial arrhythmias has been doctor-led. Increasing demands on hospital beds and time pressures for doctors has driven the desire for an alternative approach. We established a nurse-led cardioversion service in 2006 and present our experience.

Structural analysis of the G-box domain of the microcephaly protein CPAP suggests a role in centriole architecture.

Centrioles are evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic organelles composed of a protein scaffold surrounded by sets of microtubules organized with a 9-fold radial symmetry. CPAP, a centriolar protein essential for microtubule recruitment, features a C-terminal domain of unknown structure, the G-box. A missense mutation in the G-box reduces affinity for the centriolar shuttling protein STIL and causes primary microcephaly.

Caenorhabditis elegans centriolar protein SAS-6 forms a spiral that is consistent with imparting a ninefold symmetry.

Centrioles are evolutionary conserved organelles that give rise to cilia and flagella as well as centrosomes. Centrioles display a characteristic ninefold symmetry imposed by the spindle assembly abnormal protein 6 (SAS-6) family. SAS-6 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Danio rerio was shown to form ninefold symmetric, ring-shaped oligomers in vitro that were similar to the cartwheels observed in vivo during early steps of centriole assembly in most species.

Structural analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) intracellular domain reveals a conserved interaction epitope.

Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells adhere to endothelial cells, thereby obstructing the microvasculature. Erythrocyte adherence is directly associated with severe malaria and increased disease lethality, and it is mediated by the PfEMP1 family. PfEMP1 clustering in knob-like protrusions on the erythrocyte membrane is critical for cytoadherence, however the molecular mechanisms behind this system remain elusive.

The clinimetric properties of performance-based gross motor tests used for children with developmental coordination disorder: a systematic review.

Purpose: Performance-based measures of gross motor skills are required for children with developmental coordination disorder to quantify motor ability and objectify change. Information related to psychometrics, clinical utility, feasibility, and client appropriateness and acceptability is needed so that clinicians and researchers are assured that they have chosen the most appropriate and robust tool.

Methods: This review identified performance-based measures of gross motor skills for this population, and the research evidence for their clinimetric properties through a systematic literature search.

Structural variation in PWWP domains.

The PWWP domain is a ubiquitous eukaryotic protein module characterised by a region of sequence similarity of approximately 80 amino acids containing a highly conserved PWWP motif. It is frequently found in proteins associated with chromatin. We have determined the structure of a PWWP domain from the S.