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A chimeric enzyme in which the putative membrane-binding segment in (S)-mandelate dehydrogenase (MDH) from Pseudomonas putida has been removed and substituted by the associated segment from glycolate oxidase from spinach (GOX), correlates membrane association of MDH to a polypeptide segment within the primary sequence. MDH-GOX, the subsequently obtained chimera, preserves catalytic action using (S)-mandelate as substrate.

Langevin dynamics simulations applied to the motional properties of the four proline residues in the cyclic decapeptide antamanide in chloroform employ the atomic force field parameter set CHARMM 22.0,beta. The proline pucker motion was sampled for various backbone configurations by calculating seven 2-ns trajectories. The mobility of the proline ring moiety changes based on the value of its dihedral angle.

Objectives: Identification of patient subpopulations susceptible to develop myocardial infarction (MI) or, conversely, those displaying either intrinsic cardioprotective phenotypes or highly responsive to protective interventions remain high-priority knowledge gaps. We sought to identify novel common genetic variants associated with perioperative MI in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting using genome-wide association methodology. Setting: 107 secondary and tertiary cardiac surgery centres across the USA. Participants: We conducted a stage I genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 1433 ethnically diverse patients of both genders (112 cases/1321 controls) from the Genetics of Myocardial Adverse Outcomes and Graft Failure (GeneMAGIC) study, and a stage II analysis in an expanded population of 2055 patients (225 cases/1830 controls) combined from the GeneMAGIC and Duke Perioperative Genetics and Safety Outcomes (PEGASUS) studies. Patients undergoing primary non-emergent coronary bypass grafting were included. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome variable was perioperative MI, defined as creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) values ≥10x upper limit of normal during the first postoperative day, and not attributable to preoperative MI. Secondary outcomes included postoperative CK-MB as a quantitative trait, or a dichotomised phenotype based on extreme quartiles of the CK-MB distribution. Results: Following quality control and adjustment for clinical covariates, we identified 521 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the stage I GWAS analysis. Among these, 8 common variants in 3 genes or intergenic regions met p<10-5 in stage II. A secondary analysis using CK-MB as a quantitative trait (minimum p=1.26x10-3 for rs609418), or a dichotomised phenotype based on extreme CK-MB values (minimum p=7.72x10-6 for rs4834703) supported these findings. Pathway analysis revealed that genes harbouring top-scoring variants cluster in pathways of biological relevance to extracellular matrix remodelling, endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents health facts about psoriasis and discusses the options for treatment of the skin disorder. Types of psoriasis; Social and psychological effects of psoriasis; Systemic drugs for psoriasis.

The author talks about the treatment for patients with chronic hand eczema. The author reveals that the disease, also known as hand dermatitis, affects about 10% of the population, causing thick, scaly skin which can crack, causing discomfort ranging from itchiness to pain. Suggested treatments include wearing gloves and the use of ointments such as alitretinoin (Toctino), recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for more severe cases, which is applied once a day.