Publications by authors named "Nicholas Pelz"

Lateral band snapping syndrome can be a debilitating condition involving the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the fingers. Although rare, it is thought to occur due to disruption of the finger extensor mechanism allowing inappropriate subluxation of the lateral bands over the PIP joint, leading to mechanical and painful symptoms.Here, we describe a woman in her early 40s with a painful, snapping PIP joint secondary to a work-related injury.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Case: We report a unique anatomical case of an anomalous course of the posterior tibial artery found on dissection during the posterolateral approach to the ankle. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been documented.

Conclusion: The vascular bundle consistent with that of the posterior tibial artery and vein was encountered in the far lateral aspect of the deep posterior compartment, which suggests physicians should proceed with caution when performing the posterolateral approach to the ankle so as to avoid iatrogenic injury of this named anatomic structure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two optimization techniques, static optimization (SO) and computed muscle control (CMC), are often used in OpenSim to estimate the muscle activations and forces responsible for movement. Although differences between SO and CMC muscle function have been reported, the accuracy of each technique and the combined effect of optimization and model choice on simulated muscle function is unclear. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively compare the SO and CMC estimates of muscle activations and forces during gait with the experimental data in the Gait2392 and Full Body Running models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With more than 29,000 OpenSim users, several musculoskeletal models with varying levels of complexity are available to study human gait. However, how different model parameters affect estimated joint and muscle function between models is not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of four OpenSim models (Gait2392, Lower Limb Model 2010, Full-Body OpenSim Model, and Full Body Model 2016) on gait mechanics and estimates of muscle forces and activations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is a member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins responsible for the regulation of programmed cell death. Amplification of Mcl-1 is a common genetic aberration in human cancer whose overexpression contributes to the evasion of apoptosis and is one of the major resistance mechanisms for many chemotherapies. Mcl-1 mediates its effects primarily through interactions with pro-apoptotic BH3 containing proteins that achieve high affinity for the target by utilizing four hydrophobic pockets in its binding groove.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Replication protein A (RPA) is an essential single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein that initiates the DNA damage response pathway through protein-protein interactions (PPIs) mediated by its 70N domain. The identification and use of chemical probes that can specifically disrupt these interactions is important for validating RPA as a cancer target. A high-throughput screen (HTS) to identify new chemical entities was conducted, and 90 hit compounds were identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Replication Protein A is the primary eukaryotic ssDNA binding protein that has a central role in initiating the cellular response to DNA damage. RPA recruits multiple proteins to sites of DNA damage via the N-terminal domain of the 70 kDa subunit (RPA70N). Here we describe the optimization of a diphenylpyrazole carboxylic acid series of inhibitors of these RPA-protein interactions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Replication protein A (RPA), the major eukaryotic single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein, is involved in nearly all cellular DNA transactions. The RPA N-terminal domain (RPA70N) is a recruitment site for proteins involved in DNA-damage response and repair. Selective inhibition of these protein-protein interactions has the potential to inhibit the DNA-damage response and to sensitize cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents without affecting other functions of RPA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Replication Protein A (RPA) is a ssDNA binding protein that is essential for DNA replication and repair. The initiation of the DNA damage response by RPA is mediated by protein-protein interactions involving the N-terminal domain of the 70 kDa subunit with partner proteins. Inhibition of these interactions increases sensitivity towards DNA damage and replication stress and may therefore be a potential strategy for cancer drug discovery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Indazoles are unselectively protected under strongly basic conditions to give a mixture at N-1 and N-2. Under mildly acidic conditions, regioselective protection at N-2 takes place. Thermodynamic conditions lead to regioselective protection at N-1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chiral allyl vinyl boronates are generated by catalytic enantioselective diboration of prochiral allenes. They may then be reacted, in situ, with a hydroborating reagent to form a novel triboron intermediate. The least hindered and most reactive C-B bond then participates in cross-coupling wherein the coupling is brought about by the same catalyst as that which catalyzed the diboration reaction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pd-catalyzed diboration of prochiral allenes occurs exclusively at the internal position and is remarkably accelerated in the presence of Lewis basic ligand structures. On the basis of preliminary observations, a chiral ligand was employed, and the enantiomeric excess of a variety of diboration products was found to be in the range of 86-92% ee. The chiral diboron reaction products should be useful in organic synthesis, and preliminary experiments suggest that they may participate in allylation reactions with a high level of chirality transfer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF