Asymmetric synthesis of anticancer beta-lactams via Staudinger reaction: utilization of chiral ketene from carbohydrate.

We describe herein asymmetric synthesis of a novel anticancer beta-lactam following Staudinger reaction with chiral carbohydrate as the ketene component with an achiral imine. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies of these beta-lactams are also reported here.

An exploratory study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and SCCmec elements obtained from a community setting along the Texas border with Mexico.

An exploratory study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and SCCmec elements in bacteria along the Mexican border of south Texas was performed. Between September and December of 2008, 375 swabs of anterior nares were self-collected by students attending the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and cultured for MRSA. Fifty seven bacterial isolates were kept for further analysis that included suspected MRSA and other SCCmec-containing bacteria.

An investigation of bacillus thuringiensis in rectal-collected fecal samples of cows.

In order to better understand the range and role of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its toxins in nature, we have undertaken a study of Bt taken directly from the rectum of 117 cows from 37 farms on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Thirty-seven fecal samples (32%) were found to contain at least one Bt. Generally only one or two isolates with a particular crystal morphology were isolated from any one sample, however, a few samples contained more, up to 11 isolates, suggesting post-ingestion amplification.

Occupational career and risk of mortality among US Civil War veterans.

Previous studies have extended the traditional framework on occupational disparities in health by examining mortality differentials from a career perspective. Few studies, however, have examined the relation between career and mortality in a historical U.S.

Robust spots finding in microarray images with distortions.

Microarray images, which allow the analysis of hybridization expressions of genes, have been one of the most widely used high-throughput technologies with many different applications. Accurate and automatic microarray image analysis is very important since researchers trust the information provided in these experiments and construct conclusions based on the results produced by the software responsible in analyzing the hybridized arrays. Every microarray image contains thousands of spots, so how to do the spots finding in microarray images accurately and automatically is very meaningful.

Fungal phyllosphere communities are altered by indirect interactions among trophic levels.

Trophic interactions involving predators, herbivores, and plants have been described in terrestrial systems. However, there is almost no information on the effect of trophic interactions on microbial phyllosphere community abundance, diversity, or structure. In this study, the interaction between a parasitoid, an insect herbivore, and the fungal phyllosphere community is examined.

A randomized control trial of a supervised versus a self-directed exercise program for allogeneic stem cell transplant patients.

Objectives: To determine if therapist supervision of an exercise program produced better functional outcomes in allogeneic stem cell transplant patients than a patient-directed exercise program.

Methods: Sixty-one patients who were less than 6 months post allogeneic stem cell transplant were randomly assigned to either a therapist supervised training group (supervised) or a patient-directed training group (Self-directed). Training consisted of aerobic exercises (treadmill, bicycle ergometer versus walking) and resistance exercises (free weights, weight machines versus resistive band activities).

Turning loss into opportunity: the key deletion of an escape circuit in decapod crustaceans.

Decapod crustacean escape responses are adaptive behaviors whose neural bases are well understood. The escape circuit is composed of giant neurons. Lateral giant interneurons (LGs) respond to posterior stimuli by generating a somersaulting tailflip; medial giant interneurons (MGs) respond to anterior stimuli with a backwards tailflip.

Maternal milk concentration of zinc, iron, selenium, and iodine and its relationship to dietary intakes.

The dietary intake of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), selenium (Se), and iodine (I) of 31 lactating Mexican-American women attending the Hidalgo County WIC program in Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Texas was estimated from 24-h dietary recall interviews. Milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers who had infants 3 months of age and younger. Milk samples were collected in two visits to assess change in breast milk composition after 1-3 months postpartum: group A--after 30-45 days and group B--75-90 days.

A two-dimensional assessment of selected medical websites.

Two major dimensions are commonly used for assessing the breadth and depth of the information content in medical websites. The first dimension deals with quality characteristics consisting of authorship, attribution, confidentiality, currency, disclosure, legitimacy and purpose. Functional variables such as access to medical libraries, reference books, health organisations, information sites, guidelines and reviews, clinical trial sites, drug questions, locating an expert and alternative medicine make up the second dimension.

Acculturation and the use of complementary and alternative medicine.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been growing substantially in the US in recent years. Such a growth in CAM use coincides with an ongoing increase in the proportion of the foreign-born population in the US. The main objective of this study is to examine the relation between acculturation and the use of CAM therapies among immigrants.

Predicting physical activity among low-income Mexican American women: application of the theory of planned behavior.

Objectives: To utilize the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining the prediction of physical activity intention and determine if present activity behavior attenuates theory construct relationships in a sample of low-income Mexican women.

Methods: Data were gathered on 201 subjects through a self-report survey instrument and analyzed through structural equation modeling.

Results: Present activity behavior attenuated theory construct influence on intention, and perceived behavioral control was the strongest predictor of intent to engage in physical activity.

Loss of escape-related giant neurons in a spiny lobster, Panulirus argus.

When attacked, many decapod crustaceans perform tailflips, which are triggered by a neural circuit that includes lateral giant interneurons, medial giant interneurons, and fast flexor motor giant neurons (MoGs). Slipper lobsters (Scyllaridae) lack these giant neurons, and it has been hypothesized that behavioral (e.g.

Occurrence of Leveillula taurica Cleistothecia on Honey Mesquite in Southern Texas.

Prosopis glandulosa J. Torrey (honey mesquite) is a widespread tree that serves as an important food and cover resource for wildlife in the south plains, gulf marshes, and scrub prairies of Texas. In the fall of 2005, lower leaflets of P.

Community-level uninsurance and the unmet medical needs of insured and uninsured adults.

Objective: To examine the relationship between community-level uninsurance rates and the self-reported unmet medical needs of insured and uninsured adults in the U.S.

Data Sources: 2000-2001 Community Tracking Study, which includes data from 60 randomly selected U.

Copper, selenium, and zinc concentrations in human milk during the first three weeks of lactation.

Human milk samples were analyzed by neutron activation analysis (NAA) for three essential trace elements (Cu, Se, and Zn). Mothers' milk samples were collected from 25 lactating mothers from the Central Hospital, Tripoli, Libya. The average concentration level of Cu, Se, and Zn declined from 0.

Measuring social aspects in the physician/patient relationship.

This study develops a scale assessing social aspects of physician/patient relationships across multiple samples. The 6-item Social Aspects of Professional Service Relationships (SAPSR) scale demonstrates face validity through correspondence with theoretical constructs--including functional quality, communal behaviors, and affective care--and elements identified in qualitative interviews. The scale performs well in three separate samples.

Effect-size reporting practices in AJSLP and other ASHA journals, 1999-2003.

A census of effect-size practices in the past 5 volumes of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association journals was accomplished. Inclusion of effect size in quantitative research reports increased from 5 reports with effect size in 1990 to 1994 to 120 reports in 1999 to 2003. Nonetheless, effect size was reported less than 30% of the time when inferential statistics were used, and only half of those reports included an interpretation of effect size.

Problems in synthesis (meta-analytic) studies: an example from the communication disorders literature.

This research note examined contemporary issues for meta-analysis with an example from the communication disorders literature. A significant proportion of experimental and quasi-experimental research results are not published in the mainstream literature, which suggests that publication bias is a potential problem for synthesis studies. Nonetheless, 50% of synthesis studies (meta-analyses) in communication disorders do not include statistical or visual procedures, e.

Multiple number and letter comparison: directionality and accessibility in numeric and alphabetic memories.

In 3 experiments, subjects made comparativejudgments on a set of 2 numbers or letters, 3 numbers or letters, or 5 numbers or letters. Numeric and alphabetic serial order memories were contrasted. Three aspects of serial order memory processes were identified: computational complexity, directionality, and accessibility.

Evidence-Based Practice in Schools: Evaluating Research and Reducing Barriers.

This article examines the clinician/researcher relationship, suggests directions for improving the relationship, and discusses avenues for transferring information from research to clinical practice. An eight-step model for transferring research studies to practice is adopted, and three of the eight steps are targeted for discussion and illustration. To illustrate the use and interpretation of effect size measures for practical significance, as well as the transfer of research results to practice (evidence-based practice [EBP]), a case study from the contemporary literature is presented.

The impact of diabetes on adult employment and earnings of Mexican Americans: findings from a community based study.

Epidemiological studies indicate that minority populations in the US - including African Americans, Native Americans and Mexican Americans - are particularly at risk for diabetes and that their complications are more frequent and severe. Using microdata from a 1994-1999 population based study of middle aged and older Mexican Americans in the Southwest, this study analyzes the impact of diabetes on the employment and earnings outcomes of adults 45 years of age and older. The empirical results from estimating maximum likelihood employment and earnings models suggest that diabetes leads to lower productivity and earnings for women but has no statistically significant impact on their employment probability.