Influencers of Achievement of Remission and Low Disease Activity in Response to Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: In this prospective cohort study the objective was to identify the socio-demographic and clinical factors that influence treatment response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at ambulatory multicenter rheumatology outpatient clinics. The subjects were patients with rheumatoid arthritis satisfying the American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology criteria with informed consent.

Materials And Methods: Pre-coded data sheets were used to capture socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

Profiles of patients on warfarin anticoagulation therapy in a leading tertiary referral hospital in Kenya; findings and implications for Kenya.

: Patients' profiles affect the outcome with warfarin; however, this data, and its implications, is scarce in resource-poor countries without access to pharmacogenetics or regular INR testing.: To characterize the profiles of patients on long-term warfarin therapy and subsequently use these to guide future anticoagulation management.: Cross-sectional study among 180 adult patients receiving warfarin therapy in at a leading referral hospital in Kenya.

Comparison of Zidovudine and Tenofovir Based Regimens With Regard to Health-Related Quality of Life and Prevalence of Symptoms in HIV Patients in a Kenyan Referral Hospital.

Zidovudine and tenofovir form the backbone of antiretroviral therapy in Kenya. However, their side-effects may affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients. The aim was to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adult patients on tenofovir versus zidovudine based regimens in a referral hospital in Kenya to provide future guidance.

Antimycoplasmal Activities of Compounds from and against Strains from the Cluster.

Infections caused by species belonging to the cluster' negatively affect the agricultural sector through losses in livestock productivity. These strains are resistant to many conventional antibiotics due to the total lack of cell wall. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents from alternative sources such as medicinal plants to curb the resistance threat.

Selected ethno-medicinal plants from Kenya with in vitro activity against major African livestock pathogens belonging to the "Mycoplasma mycoides cluster".

Ethnopharmocological Relevance: Members of 'Mycoplasma mycoides cluster' are important ruminant pathogens in Africa. Diseases caused by these Mycoplasma negatively affect the agricultural sector especially in developing countries through losses in livestock productivity, mortality and international trade restrictions. There is therefore urgent need to develop antimicrobials from alternative sources such as medicinal plants to curb these diseases.

Building capacity in implementation science research training at the University of Nairobi.

Background: Health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and globally, grapple with the problem of closing the gap between evidence-based health interventions and actual practice in health service settings. It is essential for health care systems, especially in low-resource settings, to increase capacity to implement evidence-based practices, by training professionals in implementation science. With support from the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, the University of Nairobi has developed a training program to build local capacity for implementation science.

Directed evolution of the alpha-L-fucosidase from Thermotoga maritima into an alpha-L-transfucosidase.

The alpha-L-fucosidase from Thermotoga maritima (Tm alpha fuc) was converted into alpha-L-transfucosidase variants by directed evolution. The wild-type enzyme catalyzes oligosaccharide synthesis by transfer of a fucosyl residue from a pNP-fucoside donor to pNP-fucoside (self-condensation) with alpha-(1-->3) regioselectivity or pNP-galactoside (transglycosylation) with alpha-(1-->2) regioselectivity at low yields (7%). The wild-type enzyme was submitted to one cycle of mutagenesis, followed by rational recombination of the selected mutations, which allowed identification of variants with improved transferase activity.

Identification by saturation mutagenesis of a single residue involved in the alpha-galactosidase AgaB regioselectivity.

The alpha-galactosidase AgaB of Bacillus stearothermophilus displays a major 1,6 and a minor 1,3 regioselectivity. The wild-type enzyme was subjected to directed evolution (random mutagenesis and in vitro recombination) using a double screening strategy based on the elimination of the 1,6 regioselectivity and the analysis by TLC of the transglycosylation products. One of the AgaB mutants (E500) exhibited a new 1,2 regioselectivity and a rather high level of transglycosylation.