Preparedness, resilience and unmet needs of informal caregivers of advanced cancer patients in a Regional Mission Hospital in Kenya: Qualitative Study.

Background: Cancer is the third highest cause of death in Kenya. Eighty percent of cancer cases arrive at advanced stages, when there is nothing that can be done to cure them, and palliative care is the best alternative. Although the majority of end-of-life care in Kenya is provided at home, little is known about the caregivers' preparedness, resilience and continued unmet needs.

Phage-choline Kinase Inhibitor Combination to Control Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A Promising Combo.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most prevalent opportunistic pathogens in humans that has thrived and proved to be difficult to control in this "post-antibiotic era." Antibiotic alternatives are necessary for fighting against this resilient bacterium. Even though phages might not be "the wonder drug" that solves everything, they still provide a viable option to combat P.

MicroRNA-367-3p induces apoptosis and suppresses migration of MCF-7 cells by downregulating the expression of human choline kinase α.

Choline kinase (ChK) catalyzes the first step in the CDP-choline pathway for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine. The α isoform of this enzyme is overexpressed in various types of cancer and its inhibition or downregulation has been applied as an anticancer strategy. In spite of increasing attention being paid to ChK expression, as well as its activity and inhibition in cancer, there are only limited studies available on the regulation of ChK, including its regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs).

Comprehensive functional profiling of long non-coding RNAs through a novel pan-cancer integration approach and modular analysis of their protein-coding gene association networks.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as crucial regulators of cellular processes in diseases such as cancer, although the functions of most remain poorly understood. To address this, here we apply a novel strategy to integrate gene expression profiles across 32 cancer types, and cluster human lncRNAs based on their pan-cancer protein-coding gene associations. By doing so, we derive 16 lncRNA modules whose unique properties allow simultaneous inference of function, disease specificity and regulation for over 800 lncRNAs.

Living with AIDS in Uganda: a qualitative study of patients' and families' experiences following referral to hospice.

Background: Globally, the majority of people with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. While the increasing availability of antiretroviral therapy is improving the outlook for many, its effects are yet to reach all of those in need and patients still present with advanced disease. This paper reports findings from qualitative interviews with patients living with AIDS and their caregivers who were receiving palliative care from Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU).

[Identification of endogenous control genes for gene expression studies in peripheral blood of patients with coronary artery disease].

The selection of stable endogenous control genes is critical for normalization of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) data. In this study, we aimed to identify a suitable set of control genes to be used as endogenous references for gene expression evaluation in human peripheral blood samples among coronary artery disease patients. The expression levels of 12 endogenous control genes procured from TATAA Biocenter (Goteborg, Sweden) were measured in five acute coronary syndrome patients and five chronic stable angina patients.

Klebsiella pneumoniae yggG gene product: a zinc-dependent metalloprotease.

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes neonatal sepsis and nosocomial infections. One of the strains, K. pneumoniae MGH 78578, shows high level of resistance to multiple microbial agents.

Highly specific antibodies for co-detection of human choline kinase α1 and α2 isoforms.

Background: Choline kinase is the first enzyme in the CDP-choline pathway that synthesizes phosphatidylcholine, the major phospholipid in eukaryotic cell membranes. In humans, choline kinase exists as three isoforms (CKα1, α2, and β). Specific inhibition of CKα has been reported to selectively kill tumoral cells.

Quorum sensing in Aeromonas species isolated from patients in Malaysia.

Bacterial quorum sensing signal molecules called N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) controls the expression of virulence determinants in many Gram-negative bacteria. We determined AHL production in 22 Aeromonas strains isolated from various infected sites from patients (bile, blood, peritoneal fluid, pus, stool and urine). All isolates produced the two principal AHLs, N-butanoylhomoserine lactone (C4-HSL) and N-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (C6-HSL).

Cloning of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from an Antarctic psychrophilic bacterium by inverse and splinkerette PCR.

Psychrophiles are organisms that thrive in cold environments. One of the strategies for their cold adaptation is the ability to synthesize cold-adapted enzymes. These enzymes usually display higher catalytic efficiency and thermolability at lower temperatures compared to their mesophilic and thermophilic counterparts.

Elucidation of human choline kinase crystal structures in complex with the products ADP or phosphocholine.

Choline kinase, responsible for the phosphorylation of choline to phosphocholine as the first step of the CDP-choline pathway for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine, has been recognized as a new target for anticancer therapy. Crystal structures of human choline kinase in its apo, ADP and phosphocholine-bound complexes, respectively, reveal the molecular details of the substrate binding sites. ATP binds in a cavity where residues from both the N and C-terminal lobes contribute to form a cleft, while the choline-binding site constitutes a deep hydrophobic groove in the C-terminal domain with a rim composed of negatively charged residues.