Predicting the emergence of antibiotic resistance by directed evolution and structural analysis.

Directed evolution can be a powerful tool to predict antibiotic resistance. Resistance involves the accumulation of mutations beneficial to the pathogen while maintaining residue interactions and core packing that are critical for preserving function. The constraint of maintaining stability, while increasing activity, drastically reduces the number of possible mutational combination pathways.

Bone dysplasia sclerosteosis results from loss of the SOST gene product, a novel cystine knot-containing protein.

Sclerosteosis is an autosomal recessive sclerosing bone dysplasia characterized by progressive skeletal overgrowth. The majority of affected individuals have been reported in the Afrikaner population of South Africa, where a high incidence of the disorder occurs as a result of a founder effect. Homozygosity mapping in Afrikaner families along with analysis of historical recombinants localized sclerosteosis to an interval of approximately 2 cM between the loci D17S1787 and D17S930 on chromosome 17q12-q21.

Complementary and alternative medicine in the management of pain, dyspnea, and nausea and vomiting near the end of life. A systematic review.

To review the evidence for efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities in treating pain, dyspnea, and nausea and vomiting in patients near the end of life, original articles were evaluated following a search through MEDLINE, CancerLIT, AIDSLINE, PsycLIT, CINAHL, and Social Work Abstracts databases. Search terms included alternative medicine, palliative care, pain, dyspnea, and nausea. Two independent reviewers extracted data, including study design, subjects, sample size, age, response rate, CAM modality, and outcomes.

Risk factors for coronary artery disease in old persons in an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Background: Risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in old men and women include age, cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity.

Objective: To investigate the association of risk factors with prevalence of CAD.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of charts for all old persons seen during the period from 1 January 1998 through 15 June 1999 at an academic hospital-based geriatric practice to investigate associations of risk factors with prevalence of CAD among old persons.

Risk factors for symptomatic peripheral arterial disease in older persons in an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Objective: To investigate risk factors for symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in older persons.

Design: A retrospective analysis of charts from all older persons seen from January 1, 1998, through June 15, 1999, at an academic, hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Setting: An academic, hospital-based geriatrics practice staffed by fellows in a geriatrics training program and full-time faculty geriatricians.

First Light Measurements of Capella with the Low-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

We present the first X-ray spectrum obtained by the Low-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS) aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The spectrum is of Capella and covers a wavelength range of 5-175 Å (2.5-0.

Retinal image motion during deliberate fixation: implications to laser safety for long duration viewing.

With the easy attainability of hand-held laser devices and the burgeoning light emitting diode (LED) technology, safety standards for long-term viewing of continuous light sources are being scrutinized. One concern is with quantifying the effect of head and eye movements on the distribution of energy over the retina. This experiment describes target motion over the retina as a result of head and eye movements during a deliberate fixation task.

Alternative medicine: what the data say about common herbal therapies.

An increasing number of Americans are turning to complementary and alternative medicine to help manage or prevent the onset of chronic disease, improve cognitive function, boost overall general well-being, and increase longevity. Some of the more widely-used herbal preparations designed to help accomplish these objectives include St. John's wort, ginkgo biloba, echinacea, garlic, and ginger.

Prevalence of coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and coronary revascularization in older African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, whites, men, and women.

The prevalence of coronary artery disease and of peripheral arterial disease was similar in older African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and whites, and the prevalence of ischemic stroke was lower in older whites than in older African-Americans and Hispanics. The prevalence of coronary revascularization in older persons with coronary artery disease was lower in African-Americans than in whites and Hispanics and was lower in women than in men.

Prevalence of coexistence of coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease in older persons, mean age 80 years, in an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), alone and in combination, in older persons.

Design: A retrospective analysis of charts from all older persons seen from April 1, 1998, through December 31, 1998, at an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Setting: An academic hospital-based geriatrics practice staffed by fellows in a geriatrics training program and full-time faculty geriatricians.

DNA shuffling of subgenomic sequences of subtilisin.

DNA family shuffling of 26 protease genes was used to create a library of chimeric proteases that was screened for four distinct enzymatic properties. Multiple clones were identified that were significantly improved over any of the parental enzymes for each individual property. Family shuffling, also known as molecular breeding, efficiently created all of the combinations of parental properties, producing a great diversity of property combinations in the progeny enzymes.

Fate of rigid fixation in pediatric craniofacial surgery.

The advantages of rigid fixation in adult craniofacial surgery are well documented, and implanted hardware is not routinely removed unless specifically indicated. There is a tendency, however, to remove hardware in children because of concerns with growth restriction, plate migration, and the lack of information on the fate of miniplates when used in pediatric craniofacial surgery. It has been our practice during the past decade not to remove hardware in children unless specifically indicated.

Diabetes mellitus in older African-Americans, Hispanics, and whites in an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for target-organ damage/clinical cardiovascular disease in older persons.

Design: A retrospective analysis was performed of charts from all older persons (506 men and 1497 women, mean age 80 +/- 8 years) seen during the period from 1 January 1998 to October 1998 at an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice, to investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and the prevalence, in patients with diabetes, of target-organ damage/clinical cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypertension or dyslipidaemia, obesity, the drugs used to treat diabetes, and poor glycaemic control.

Results: Diabetes mellitus occurred in 127 of 1150 whites (11%), in 93 of 444 African-Americans (21%), in 111 of 381 Hispanics (29%), and in four of 28 Asians (14%) (P < 0.

Drug treatment of hypertension in older persons in an academic hospital-based geriatrics practice.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of hypertension in older persons, the prevalence of the different antihypertensive drugs used to treat hypertension, the prevalence of the different antihypertensive drugs used to treat hypertension in persons with prior myocardial infarction (MI) or congestive heart failure (CHF), and the prevalence of lowering the blood pressure to <140/90 mm Hg with therapy.

Design: A retrospective analysis of charts from all older patients seen from December 1, 1997, through August 31, 1998, at an academic, hospital-based geriatrics practice was performed to investigate the prevalence of hypertension in older persons, the prevalence of different antihypertensive drugs used to treat hypertension, the prevalence of different antihypertensive drugs used to treat hypertension in persons with prior MI or CHF, and the prevalence of lowering the blood pressure to <140/90 mm Hg with therapy.

Setting: An academic hospital-based geriatrics practice staffed by fellows in a geriatrics training program and fulltime faculty geriatricians.

Community service: starting a not-for-profit foundation.

The values statement of Medford Clinic is "dedication to excellence in health care, serving our communities with integrity, respect and compassion." Contributing directly to the community is a natural extension of our basic values as health care providers and professionals. Medford Clinic Foundation was created in 1996 to communicate our values and to express our gratitude by contributing to our community directly and personally.

Characterization of a class II pilin expression locus from Neisseria meningitidis: evidence for increased diversity among pilin genes in pathogenic Neisseria species.

Strains of Neisseria meningitidis elaborate one of two classes of pili. Meningococcal class I pili have many features in common with pili produced by N. gonorrhoeae, including the ability to bind monoclonal antibody SM1 and a common gene and protein structure consisting of conserved, semivariable, and hypervariable regions.

ZG-1494 alpha, a novel platelet-activating factor acetyltransferase inhibitor from Penicillium rubrum, isolation, structure elucidation andbiological activity.

A novel inhibitor of platelet-activating factor (PAF) acetyltransferase, an essential enzyme in the remodeling pathway of platelet-activating factor synthesis, was identified by a high throughout screen of natural product extracts of microbial origin. The compound, ZG-1494 alpha, was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of a culture broth of Penicillium rubrum through bioassay guided fractionation. The structure of ZG-1494 alpha was determined by spectroscopic methods.

Osteoradionecrosis of the anterior cranium.

Osteoradionecrosis occurs in approximately 10% to 15% of patients following radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. In these patients, it is most commonly reported in sites involving the mandible, but it has also been reported in the maxilla, sphenoid, and temporal bones. The majority of these cases are related to some type of trauma such as dental extraction or intraoral biopsies.

Stimulation of rat granulosa cell progesterone production but not other differentiated functions by a splenocyte-derived factor.

Concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes secrete a factor that stimulates progesterone production in cultured rat granulosa cells. The actions of this progesterone-stimulating factor (PSF) were characterized further by purifying it by sequential chromatographies on heparin-agarose, copper chelating-Sepharose and Mono S columns. Several of its effects on granulosa cells were then compared with those of FSH.

Effects of rearing condition on activity-induced weight loss.

This study evaluated the effects of differential rearing conditions on a rat protocol for various human syndromes. Subjects were 26 male Sprague-Dawley rats, 24 days old at the start of the experiment, matched according to weight, and randomly assigned to an isolation- or group-reared (4 rats/cage) condition. At 60 days of age (273 +/- 13 g), subjects were individually housed in cages allowing access to running wheels.

Induction of rat granulosa cell steroidogenic enzyme activities and their messenger ribonucleic acids by a splenocyte-derived factor.

We have previously identified and purified a splenocyte-derived factor (PSF) that stimulates the accumulation of progesterone and 20 alpha-dihydroprogesterone (20 alpha-OH-P) in rat ovarian granulosa cells independently of FSH. In the present study, time course experiments comparing the response to PSF with that to FSH revealed that PSF-stimulated progesterone accumulation was slower than that of FSH, but PSF-stimulated 20 alpha-OH-P accumulation had a time course similar to that of FSH. To determine the basis for the slower progesterone response to PSF, the effect of these two agents on each step of the steroidogenic pathway was assessed.