The Pseudoenzyme β-Amylase9 From Arabidopsis Activates α-Amylase3: A Possible Mechanism to Promote Stress-Induced Starch Degradation.

Starch accumulation in plants provides carbon for nighttime use, for regrowth after periods of dormancy, and for times of stress. Both ɑ- and β-amylases (AMYs and BAMs, respectively) catalyze starch hydrolysis, but their functional roles are unclear. Moreover, the presence of catalytically inactive amylases that show starch excess phenotypes when deleted presents questions on how starch degradation is regulated.

Illuminating power dynamics that influenced a relational coordination program in a tertiary hospital: An institutional ethnography study.

Background: Amidst the difficulty and contentiousness of improving hospitals, a relatively new approach is the Relational Model of Organizational Change (RMOC). However, this approach has its own challenges, including reports that its focus on communication and relationships is undervalued despite evidence supporting its use to facilitate practice improvements in hospitals. Research suggests power dynamics in hospitals influences how the RMOC is used, but the precise mechanisms through which this occurs have not been fully examined.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for fibrinogen-associated hyperviscosity: results of the COVID-19 PLasma EXchange (COPLEX) randomized controlled trial.

Background: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is the primary intervention for treating symptomatic hyperviscosity from hypergammaglobulinemia, yet its efficacy for treating hyperviscosity related to hyperfibrinogenemia is unclear.

Objectives: Define the safety and efficacy of TPE for critically ill COVID-19 patients with elevated blood viscosity from hyperfibrinogenemia.

Methods: We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial in critically ill COVID-19 patients in a single US healthcare system.

Antibiotic beads found with a skeletal example of complications from a hip replacement.

During maceration, a string of beads was found near the surgically modified right os coxa and femur of the remains of a 55-year-old woman donated to the Forensic Investigation Research Station at Colorado Mesa University. The remains were initially used in the study of decomposition of human remains, and then macerated to clean the skeleton. Documentation on this decedent noted three separate "hip replacement" surgeries, but no other details.