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Copyright of Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is the property of Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: A fusion protein comprising an α-CD20 single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody, a spacer peptide, and human apolipoprotein (apo) A-I was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. The lipid [...]

Bureau of Labor Statistics projections indicate moderate economic growth, strong foreign markets, a healthy domestic economy, and improving productivity for the coming decade. (JOW)

The concentration and composition of cardiolipin (CL) in mitochondria are altered in age-related heart disease, Barth Syndrome, and other rare genetic disorders, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction. To explore whether exogenous CL can be delivered to cells, CL was combined with apolipoprotein A-I to generate water-soluble, nanoscale complexes termed nanodisks (ND). Mass spectrometry of HL60 myeloid progenitor cell extracts revealed a 30-fold increase in cellular CL content following incubation with CL-ND. When CL-ND containing a fluorescent CL analogue was employed, confocal microscopy revealed CL localization to mitochondria. The ability of CL-ND to elicit a physiological response was examined in an HL60 cell culture model of Barth Syndrome neutropenia. siRNA knockdown of the phospholipid transacylase, tafazzin ( TAZ ), induced apoptosis in these cells. When TAZ knockdown cells were incubated with CL-ND, the apoptotic response was attenuated. Thus, CL-ND represent a potential intervention strategy for replenishment of CL in Barth Syndrome, age-related heart disease, and other disorders characterized by depletion of this key mitochondrial phospholipid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasts the economic conditions in the United States to year 2008. Amount of its gross domestic product; Status of its corporate downsizing and restructuring in the nineteen nineties; Cost of its Federal deficit in 1991.

Wnt proteins are a family of morphogens that possess potent biological activity. Structure–function studies have been impeded by poor yield of biologically active recombinant Wnt as well as a propensity of isolated Wnt to self-associate in the absence of detergent. Using stably transfected Drosophila S2 cells, studies have been conducted to improve recovery of recombinant murine Wnt3a, establish conditions for a detergent-free Wnt preparation and examine the effects of limited proteolysis. S2 cell culture conditioned media was subjected to a 3-step protocol including dye-ligand chromatography, immobilized metal affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. Through selective pooling of column fractions, homogeneous and purified Wnt3a preparations were obtained. Limited proteolysis of Wnt3a with thrombin resulted in site-specific cleavage within the N-terminal saposin-like motif. To generate detergent-free protein, Wnt3a was immobilized on Cu 2+ -charged, iminodiacetic acid-derivatized Sepharose beads, detergent-free buffer was applied and Wnt3a eluted from the beads with buffer containing imidazole plus 30 mM methyl-ß-cyclodextrin (MßCD). Wnt3a recovered in MßCD-containing buffer was soluble and biologically active. Insofar as MßCD is a member of a family of non-toxic, low molecular weight compounds capable of binding and solubilizing small hydrophobic ligands, Wnt–cyclodextrin complexes may facilitate structure–activity studies in the absence of adverse detergent effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Afatinib as first line treatment yielded the greatest health outcomes. • Afatinib is a cost-effective strategy for lung cancer in the Chinese context. • The survival benefits of afatinib had the substantial impact on the model outcome. Abstract Purpose Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are becoming the standard treatments for Chinese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an EGFR mutation. However, the economic impact is unclear yet in China. Materials and methods A decision-analytic model was developed to simulate 1-month patient transitions in a 10-year time horizon from Chinese heath care system perspective. The health and economic outcomes of four first-line strategies (pemetrexed plus cisplatin [PC], gefitinib, erlotinib, and afatinib) among NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutations were estimated and assessed via indirect comparisons. Costs in the Chinese setting were estimated by using local hospital data and literatures. A 5% annual discount rate was applied to both costs and outcomes. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Sensitivity analyses were performed. Results Afatinib achieved additional 0.382, 0.216 and 0.174 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) with marginal $7930, $3680 and $2818 costs in comparison with PC, gefitinib and erlotinib, which resulted in the ICERs of $20,758, $17,693 and $16,197 per QALY gained, respectively. The hazard ratios (HR) of overall survival (OS) of afatinib against gefitinib, erlotinib and PC strategy had substantial influential parameters. Conclusions First-line afatinib is cost-effective compared with gefitinib, erlotinib and PC treatment for Chinese patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]