Activity Profile (activity + profile)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Chemistry


Selected Abstracts


Overcoming barriers to physical activity among culturally and linguistically diverse older adults: A randomised controlled trial

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 2 2010
Karen Borschmann
Aim:, To investigate by randomised trial, health professional facilitated sessions aiming to overcome barriers to physical activity (PA), improve readiness to undertake PA, increase PA participation and improve fitness among older Australian adults from Macedonian and Polish backgrounds. Method:, One hundred and twenty-one participants (mean age 70 years, 63% female) were block randomised to the intervention group (three one-hour group education and goal setting sessions over 7 weeks) or control group (one-hour health promotion talk) following baseline assessment, with reassessment approximately 9 weeks later. Results:, No significant differences were found between experimental groups in primary (Stages of Change Questionnaire (SocQ), steps per day and Human Activity Profile) or secondary outcomes. Conclusion:, This study has highlighted methodological considerations for PA health promotion and research with older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in a community setting. Investigation of older CALD adults' perceptions of what are ,adequate levels of PA' and methods of increasing PA is warranted. [source]


An overview of insulin glargine

DIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue S3 2002
Philip D. Home
Abstract Insulin glargine is an innovative, long-acting human insulin analogue, whose prolonged mean activity profile has no pronounced peak. Accordingly, it mimics more closely the natural physiological profile of basal endogenous insulin secretion than do traditional extended-acting insulins such as NPH insulin. As would be expected for a more satisfactory basal insulin, clinical trials comparing insulin glargine with NPH insulin show less nocturnal hypoglycaemia, improved pre-breakfast blood glucose levels, or both. Furthermore, no substantive safety concerns have emerged for insulin glargine. Thus, insulin glargine represents the first major advance in the provision of basal insulin injection therapy for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes for over 50 years. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Transcript and activity levels of different Pleurotus ostreatus peroxidases are differentially affected by Mn2+

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001
Roni Cohen
The white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus produces both manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP) and versatile peroxidase (VP) in non-manganese-amended peptone medium (PM). We studied the effect of Mn2+ supplementation on MnPs and VPs in P. ostreatus by analysing the enzymatic and transcript abundance profiles of the peroxidases, as well as the lignin mineralization rate. The fungus was grown in PM under solid-state conditions using perlite as an inert solid support. Mn2+ amendment resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in [14C]-lignin mineralization relative to unamended medium. Anion-exchange chromatography was used to resolve the fungal peroxidase's enzymatic activity profile. Five peaks (P1,P5) of VP and one peak (P6) of MnP activity were detected in unamended medium. In Mn2+ -amended medium, a reduction in the activity of the VPs was observed. On the other hand, a sharp increase in the MnP activity level of peak P6 was detected. The P6 isoenzyme was purified and showed manganese-dependent peroxidation of phenolic substrates. Internal sequence analysis of the purified enzyme revealed 100% identity with the deduced amino acid sequence of P. ostreatus MnP3 (GenBank AB016519). The effect of Mn2+ on the relative abundance of gene transcripts of three VPs and one MnP from P. ostreatus was monitored using reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction (RT,PCR) with oligonucleotide primer sets synthesized on the basis of non-conserved sequences of the different peroxidases. The reduction in VP gene transcript abundance and the increase in mnp3 transcript level were collinear with the changes observed in the enzyme activity profiles. These results indicate that the activity of peroxidases is regulated at the transcriptional level. We suggest that the expression of MnP and VP may be differentially regulated by the presence of Mn2+. [source]


Synthesis of L -Furanomycin and Its Analogues via Furoisoxazolines,

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 16 2005
Peter J. Zimmermann
Abstract The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and 2-methylfuran has provided suitable precursors for ,-amino acids such as L -furanomycin (1) that contain a dihydrofuran ring. By using a chiral nitrile oxide derived from D -glyceraldehyde, the enantiomerically pure furoisoxazolines 9 and 10 were obtained. Owing to the bicyclic, bowl-shaped structure of furoisoxazoline 9 highly stereoselective additions were feasible, in particular, the epoxidation of 9 with dimethyldioxirane provided the required (5'S) configuration in 1 after epoxide reduction. Hydroboration of 9 led to the (5'R) epimer 2 and nucleophilic addition of a methyl Grignard reagent to epoxyfuroisoxazoline 11 gave rise to 5'-methylfuranomycin (3). Further, catalytic hydrogenation of the dihydrofuran intermediate 22, derived from 11, afforded the tetrahydrofuranyl derivative 31 from which dihydrofuranomycin (4) was obtained in enantiomerically pure form. The biological activities of these ,-amino acids showed an extremely narrow structure,activity profile, the natural product being the only compound of this series with high activities. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005) [source]


Comparison of the specificity, stability and individual rate constants with respective activation parameters for the peptidase activity of cruzipain and its recombinant form, cruzain, from Trypanosoma cruzi

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 24 2001
Wagner A. S. Judice
The Trypanosoma cruzi cysteine protease cruzipain contains a 130-amino-acid C-terminal extension, in addition to the catalytic domain. Natural cruzipain is a complex of isoforms, because of the simultaneous expression of several genes, and the presence of either high mannose-type, hybrid monoantennary-type or complex biantenary-type oligosacharide chains at Asn255 of the C-terminal extension. Cruzipain and its recombinant form without this extension (cruzain) were studied comparatively in this work. S2 to S2, subsite specificities of these enzymes were examined using four series of substrates derived from the internally quenched fluorescent peptide Abz-KLRFSKQ-EDDnp (Abz, ortho -aminobenzoic acid; EDDnp, N -(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-ethylenediamine). Large differences in the kinetic parameters were not observed between the enzymes; however, Km values were consistently lower for the hydrolysis of most of the substrates by cruzain. No difference in the pH,activity profile between the two enzymes was found, but in 1 m NaCl cruzipain presented a kcat value significantly higher than that of cruzain. The activation energy of denaturation for the enzymes did not differ significantly; however, a negative entropy value was observed for cruzipain denaturation whereas the value for cruzain was positive. We determined the individual rate constants (k1, substrate diffusion; k,1, substrate dissociation; k2, acylation; k3, deacylation) and the respective activation energies and entropies for hydrolysis of Abz-KLRFSKQ-EDDnp determining the temperature dependence of the Michaelis,Menten parameters kcat/Km and kcat as previously described [Ayala, Y.M. & Di Cera, E. (2000) Protein Sci.9, 1589,1593]. Differences between the two enzymes were clearly detected in the activation energies E1 and E,1, which are significantly higher for cruzipain. The corresponding ,S1 and ,S,1 were positive and significantly higher for cruzipain than for cruzain. These results indicate the presence of a larger energy barrier for cruzipain relating to substrate diffusion and dissociation, which could be related to the C-terminal extension and/or glycosylation state of cruzipain. [source]


Rapid identification and preparative isolation of antioxidant components in licorice

JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 4-5 2010
Yeon Sil Lee
Abstract This study employed the online HPLC-2,2,-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate radical cation (ABTS+·) bioassay to rapidly determine antioxidant compounds occurring in the licorice extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. The negative peaks of the ABTS+· radical scavenging detection system, which indicated the presence of antioxidant activity, were monitored by measuring the decrease in absorbance at 734,nm. The ABTS+ -based antioxidant activity profile showed that three peaks exhibited antioxidant activity, and then the high-speed counter-current chromatography technique of preparative scale was successfully applied to separate the three peaks I-III in one step from the licorice extract. The high-speed counter-current chromatography was performed using a two-phase solvent system composed of n -hexane,ethyl acetate,methanol,water (6.5:5.5:6:4, v/v). Yields of the three peaks, dehydroglyasperin C (I, 95.1% purity), dehydroglyasperin D (II, 96.2% purity), and isoangustone A (III, 99.5% purity), obtained were 10.33, 10.43, and 6.7% respectively. Chemical structures of the purified dehydroglyasperin C (I), dehydroglyasperin D (II), and isoangustone A (III) were identified by ESI-MS and 1H- and 13C-NMR analysis. [source]


The 1999 Leonid meteor storm: verification of rapid activity variations by observations at three sites

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2000
W. Singer
We report observations of an unpredicted fine structure in the activity profile of the Leonid meteor storm of 1999 November 18. Our observations were obtained at three widely separated sites (on the Iberian peninsula, in Germany, and in northern Sweden) and with two totally different techniques (video cameras and meteor radars). The observations clearly show quasi-periodic variations of the meteor rate with temporal separations of individual maxima in the 6- to 9-min range. These temporal variations translate into spatial variations within the dust trail with scales between 10 000 and 30 000 km, depending in which reference frame or direction one chooses to compare. The times for the central three maxima as observed at the three sites agree within 2 min of each other after application of the appropriate topocentric time corrections. We consider a number of potential causes for the observed density variations within the meteor stream. [source]


Synthesis and Antineoplastic Activity of O -Alkylated Derivatives of 7-Hydroximinoandrost-5-ene Steroids

ARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 7 2010
Ranju Bansal
Abstract Varied positioning of the hydroximino group on the parental steroid skeleton results in remarkable changes in the antineoplastic activity profile of the compounds. Here, the compound 7-oximino-5-androstene and its O -alkylated derivatives have been prepared and screened for cytotoxic and aromatase inhibitory activity. The steroidal 7-oximino ether derivatives exhibited insignificant cytotoxic effects when screened against three cancer cell lines, MCF-7 (breast), NCl-H460 (lung), and SF-268 (CNS) at 100 ,M. However, the imidazolyl-substituted steroidal oxime ethers displayed moderate inhibition of cytochrome P450 aromatase. [source]


Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of a Novel Series of 2,3-Diaryl-substituted-imidazo(2,1- b)-benzothiazole Derivatives

ARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 6 2010
Mahesh Palkar
Abstract Benzothiazole and imidazole compounds are extensively studied heterocyclics due to their wide spectrum of bioactivities. Among them, the imidazo(2,1- b)-benzothiazole derivatives are pharmacologically important because of their immunostimulant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimicrobial, antitumor, and other activities. In the present research work, a novel series of 2,3-diaryl-substituted imidazo(2,1- b)-benzothiazoles 13a,o have been synthesized by reaction of substituted 2-aminobenzothiazoles 1,8 and an appropriately substituted ,-bromo-1-(4,,-substituted)-phenyl-2-(4,-substituted)-phenyl-1-ethanones 9,12 in the presence of anhydrous acetonitrile. They were characterized by physicochemical, elemental, and spectral (IR, 1H-NMR, and Mass) data. All the synthesized compounds were screened for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria. The investigation of antibacterial screening data revealed that most of the compounds tested have demonstrated congruent activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as compared with the standard ampicillin. Among the series, compounds 13d, 13h, and 13m exhibited excellent an antibacterial activity profile as compared with the standard. In summary, preliminary results indicate that some of the newly synthesized title compounds exhibited promising antibacterial activities and they warrant more consideration as prospective antimicrobials. [source]


Synthesis and Antimycobacterial Activity of a Novel Series of Isonicotinylhydrazide Derivatives

ARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 12 2009
Sandip Jaju
Abstract A novel series of 14 new isonicotinyl hydrazide derivatives 2a,g, 3a,g containing a 4-thiazolidinone / 2-azetidinone nucleus were synthesized by reacting N,-substituted arylidene / heteroarylidene isonicotinyl hydrazide 1a,g with thioglycollic acid in the presence of dry benzene and with chloroacetyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, respectively. Structures of all newly synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of elemental analyses and spectral data (IR and 1H-NMR). All the title compounds were tested for their in-vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using Alamar-Blue susceptibility test, and the activity is expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in ,g/mL. Among the series, compounds 2b, 2g, 3b, and 3g displayed an encouraging antimycobacterial activity profile as compared to that of the reference drugs isoniazid / rifampicin. [source]


Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of a New Series of 3-[3-(Substituted Phenyl)-1-Isonicotinoyl-1H -Pyrazol-5-yl]-2H -Chromen-2-one Derivatives

ARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 6 2009
Prashant Aragade
Abstract A novel series of 3-[3-(substituted phenyl)-1-isonicotinoyl-1H -pyrazol-5-yl]-2H -chromen-2-one derivatives 4a,k have been synthesized by the reaction of 3-[2,3-dibromo-3-(substituted phenyl) propanoyl]-2H -chromen-2-one 3a,k and isonicotinic acid hydrazide in the presence of triethylamine in absolute ethanol, characterized by spectral data and screened for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Among the series, compounds 4e, 4i, and 4k displayed an encouraging antibacterial activity profile as compared to the reference drug ampicillin against tested bacterial strains. [source]


X-ray diffraction structure of a cell-wall invertase from Arabidopsis thaliana

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 12 2006
Maureen Verhaest
Cell-wall invertases play crucial roles during plant development. They hydrolyse sucrose into its fructose and glucose subunits by cleavage of the ,1,,2 glycosidic bond. Here, the structure of the Arabidopsis thaliana cell-wall invertase 1 (AtcwINV1; gene accession code At3g13790) is described at a resolution of 2.15,Å. The structure comprises an N-terminal fivefold ,-propeller domain followed by a C-terminal domain formed by two ,-sheets. The active site is positioned in the fivefold ,-propeller domain, containing the nucleophile Asp23 and the acid/base catalyst Glu203 of the double-displacement enzymatic reaction. The function of the C-terminal domain remains unknown. Unlike in other GH 32 family enzyme structures known to date, in AtcwINV1 the cleft formed between both domains is blocked by Asn299-linked carbohydrates. A preliminary site-directed mutagenesis experiment (Asn299Asp) removed the glycosyl chain but did not alter the activity profile of the enzyme. [source]


Statistical Reconstruction of Transcription Factor Activity Using Michaelis,Menten Kinetics

BIOMETRICS, Issue 3 2007
R. Khanin
Summary The basic building block of a gene regulatory network consists of a gene encoding a transcription factor (TF) and the gene(s) it regulates. Considerable efforts have been directed recently at devising experiments and algorithms to determine TFs and their corresponding target genes using gene expression and other types of data. The underlying problem is that the expression of a gene coding for the TF provides only limited information about the activity of the TF, which can also be controlled posttranscriptionally. In the absence of a reliable technology to routinely measure the activity of regulators, it is of great importance to understand whether this activity can be inferred from gene expression data. We here develop a statistical framework to reconstruct the activity of a TF from gene expression data of the target genes in its regulatory module. The novelty of our approach is that we embed the deterministic Michaelis,Menten model of gene regulation in this statistical framework. The kinetic parameters of the gene regulation model are inferred together with the profile of the TF regulator. We also obtain a goodness-of-fit test to verify the fit of the model. The model is applied to a time series involving the Streptomyces coelicolor bacterium. We focus on the transcriptional activator cdaR, which is partly responsible for the production of a particular type of antibiotic. The aim is to reconstruct the activity profile of this regulator. Our approach can be extended to include more complex regulatory relationships, such as multiple regulatory factors, competition, and cooperativity. [source]


Main Structural and Stereochemical Aspects of the Antiherpetic Activity of Nonahydroxyterphenoyl-Containing C -Glycosidic Ellagitannins

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 2 2004
Stéphane Quideau
Antiherpetic evaluation of five nonahydroxyterphenoyl-containing C -glycosidic ellagitannins, castalagin (1), vescalagin (2), grandinin (3), roburin B (5), and roburin D (7), was performed in cultured cells against four HSV-1 and HSV-2 strains, two of which were resistant to Acyclovir. All five ellagitannins displayed significant anti-HSV activities against the Acyclovir -resistant mutants, but the monomeric structures 1,3 were more active than the dimers 5 and 7. Vescalagin (2) stands out among the five congeners tested as the most potent and selective inhibitor, with an IC50 value in the subfemtomolar range and a selectivity index 5×105 times higher than that of Acyclovir. Molecular modeling was used to provide a rationale for the surprisingly lower activity profile of its epimer castalagin (1). These ellagitannins have promising potential as novel inhibitors in the search for non-nucleoside drugs active against Acyclovir -resistant herpes viruses. [source]


Transcript and activity levels of different Pleurotus ostreatus peroxidases are differentially affected by Mn2+

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001
Roni Cohen
The white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus produces both manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP) and versatile peroxidase (VP) in non-manganese-amended peptone medium (PM). We studied the effect of Mn2+ supplementation on MnPs and VPs in P. ostreatus by analysing the enzymatic and transcript abundance profiles of the peroxidases, as well as the lignin mineralization rate. The fungus was grown in PM under solid-state conditions using perlite as an inert solid support. Mn2+ amendment resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in [14C]-lignin mineralization relative to unamended medium. Anion-exchange chromatography was used to resolve the fungal peroxidase's enzymatic activity profile. Five peaks (P1,P5) of VP and one peak (P6) of MnP activity were detected in unamended medium. In Mn2+ -amended medium, a reduction in the activity of the VPs was observed. On the other hand, a sharp increase in the MnP activity level of peak P6 was detected. The P6 isoenzyme was purified and showed manganese-dependent peroxidation of phenolic substrates. Internal sequence analysis of the purified enzyme revealed 100% identity with the deduced amino acid sequence of P. ostreatus MnP3 (GenBank AB016519). The effect of Mn2+ on the relative abundance of gene transcripts of three VPs and one MnP from P. ostreatus was monitored using reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction (RT,PCR) with oligonucleotide primer sets synthesized on the basis of non-conserved sequences of the different peroxidases. The reduction in VP gene transcript abundance and the increase in mnp3 transcript level were collinear with the changes observed in the enzyme activity profiles. These results indicate that the activity of peroxidases is regulated at the transcriptional level. We suggest that the expression of MnP and VP may be differentially regulated by the presence of Mn2+. [source]


Antimicrobial activity profiles of the two enantiomers of limonene and carvone isolated from the oils of Mentha spicata and Anethum sowa

FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002
K. K. Aggarwal
Abstract The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Mentha spicata L. and Anethum sowa Roxb. (Indian dill) were studied. The major chemical constituents of the hydrodistilled essential oils and their major isolates from cultivated M. spicata and A. sowa were identified by IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR and GC: (S)-(,)-limonene (27.3%) and (S)-(,)-carvone (56.6%) (representing 83.9% of the spearmint oil) and (R)-(+)-limonene (21.4%), dihydrocarvone (5.0%), (R)-(+)-carvone (50.4%) and dillapiole (17.7%) (together 76.9% in Indian dill oil), respectively. In vitro bioactivity evaluation of the isolated oil components revealed that both the optical isomers of carvone were active against a wide spectrum of human pathogenic fungi and bacteria tested. (R)-(+)-limonene showed comparable bioactivity profile over the (S)-(,)-isomer. The activity of these monoterpene enantiomers was found to be comparable to the bioactivity of the oils in which they occurred. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Tyrosine metabolism in pigment-forming Yarrowia lipolytica strains isolated from English and European speciality mould-ripened cheese exhibiting a brown discolouration defect

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DAIRY TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
ALAN G WILLIAMS
Yarrowia lipolytica s4fd was isolated from a UK-manufactured speciality mould-ripened cheese as the causative micro-organism of a brown surface discolouration spoilage defect. Comparative studies utilizing Y. lipolytica isolates indicated that inter-strain variations in pigment accumulation were attributable to differences in tyrosine uptake and metabolism to homogentisic acid. The range and activity profiles of proteolytic enzymes involved in tyrosine release and turnover in isolates that differed in pigment formation were, however, similar. Homogentisic acid formation was affected by physiological parameters, and approaches that may be developed by the cheesemaker to prevent spoilage losses associated with the development of the brown discolouration defect are discussed. [source]


Multienzyme Profiling of Thermophilic Microorganisms with a Substrate Cocktail Assay

ADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 7-8 2005
Renaud Sicard
Abstract Labeled substrates for 16 different catalytic activities were combined into a cocktail reagent for multienzyme functional profiling, called PHENOZYMTM. The assay involves a single reaction followed by determination of substrate consumption by HPLC-analysis. The method allows a rapid identification of multiple enzyme activities, and is compatible with a diversity of growth media and reaction conditions (pH, temperature). The PHENOZYMTM cocktail was used to analyze the activity of 16 enzyme activities in a series of microbial strains, including thermophilic microorganisms. The functional profiles were used for a functional classification of the different microbial strains tested by hierarchical cluster analysis. The resulting "phylo-enzymatic" tree revealed associations consistent with the known phylogenetic classification of the strains. The influence of the culture medium on the enzyme activity profiles was also apparent. [source]


Isolation and identification of mixed linked , -glucan degrading bacteria in the intestine of broiler chickens and partial characterization of respective 1,3-1,4- , -glucanase activities

JOURNAL OF BASIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
Lutz Beckmann
Media with 1,3-1,4- , -glucans as selective markers were used for isolation of non-starch-polysaccharide (NSP) degrading bacteria from the intestinal tract of broiler chicken. Formerly unknown 1,3-1,4- , endoglucanase activities in various bacterial species were identified in this study. E. faecium , Streptococcus , Bacteroides and Clostridium strains seem to be responsible for degradation of mixed linked , -glucans in the small intestine and in the hind gut of chickens. Strict anaerobic bacteria (Bacteroides ovatus , B. uniformis , presumably B. capillosus and Clostridium perfringens ) as well as an unidentified bacterium with 98% 16S rDNA homology to an uncultered chicken cecum bacterium were isolated. Additionally, Streptococcus bovis with 1,3-1,4- , -endoglucanase activity was also detected. Different 1,3-1,4- , -endoglucanase activity profiles were observed in SDS/PAGE zymograms. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Nursing home care: whodunit?

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 11 2006
Aggie TG Paulus PhD
Aims and objectives., (1) To analyse and compare (changes and differences in) activity profiles of various types of nursing home care. (2) To assess the impact of integrated care on these activity profiles. Background., Because of an ongoing introduction of integrated nursing home care, caregivers increasingly have to co-ordinate their activities, engage into interprofessional relationships and take over each other's tasks. Consequently, activity profiles [i.e. combinations of (contributions to) care activities and the roles that perform them] are expected to change. Design/methods., At three measurement points in the period 1999,2003, caregivers (in 18 different roles) recorded and listed direct and indirect care activities. A total of 41 335 lists were analysed to derive activity profiles of traditional, transitional and integrated nursing home care in the Netherlands. Results., Traditional, transitional and integrated care shared some comparable activity profiles. Integrated care differed from the other types with respect to the contribution of the geriatric nurse, recreational activities supervisor, nutrition assistant, household assistant and nursing assistant to activities such as extra care, handling food and club activities. Contrary to the other roles, the licensed practical nurse contributed to (almost) all activities in all types of care. Conclusions., Nursing home care has several recurring activity profiles. These profiles are the same in all types of nursing home care. The introduction of integrated care implies that particular profiles have to be added to these profiles. As a generalist, the licensed practical nurse seems to play a key role in all activity profiles. Relevance to clinical practice., Because of demographic and financial pressures, integrated care for older people becomes increasingly important. By addressing the impact of integrated care on activity profiles, this paper provides information on how new types of care can be delivered in the most effective manner. [source]


Kinetic behavior of ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization in slurry and solution reactors

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 11 2005
Long Wu
Abstract The copolymerization of ethylene and 1-hexene over a spherical polymer/MgCl2 -supported TiCl4 catalyst was studied as a function of the polymerization temperature from 40 to 100 °C in a slurry reactor and from 120 to 200 °C in a solution reactor with triethylaluminum (TEA) as a cocatalyst (1.0,6.8 mmol). The activities increased from 40 to 80 °C and then declined monotonically with increases in the temperature during the slurry and solution polymerizations. The kinetic behavior in the slurry and solution operations was described by the same rate expression. The modeling results indicated that the catalyst had at least two different types of catalytic sites; one site was responsible for the acceleration,decay nature of the activity profiles, whereas the second site resulted in long-term activity. The apparent activation energy for site activation in the slurry operation was 69.9 kJ/mol; no activation energies for site activation could be estimated for the solution operation because the activation process was essentially instantaneous at the higher temperatures. The activation energies for deactivation were 100.3 kJ/mol for the slurry operation and 31.2 kJ/mol for the solution operation. The responses to TEA were similar for the slurry and solution operations; the rates increased with increasing amounts of TEA between 1.0 and 3.4 mmol and then decreased with larger amounts of TEA. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2248,2257, 2005 [source]


Shared Family Activities and the Transition From Childhood Into Adolescence

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 1 2008
Robert Crosnoe
Drawing on time use data from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study identified five different profiles of shared time between parents and young people at different stages of development. In childhood, all profiles had high rates of shared television viewing, but some were oriented toward in-home activities and others toward activities outside the home (e.g., cultural events). These latter profiles tended to be higher in socioeconomic advantage, and the young people in them tended to demonstrate greater gains in math, but not reading, achievement across the transition into adolescence. In adolescence, shared activity profiles favored low amounts of shared time between parents and adolescents across activities and disfavored shared time in public domains. [source]


The 2.0 Å crystal structure of the ER, ligand-binding domain complexed with lasofoxifene

PROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 5 2007
Felix F. Vajdos
Abstract Lasofoxifene is a new and potent selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). The structural basis of its interaction with the estrogen receptor has been investigated by crystallographic analysis of its complex with the ligand-binding domain of estrogen receptor , at a resolution of 2.0 Å. As with other SERMs, lasofoxifene diverts the receptor from its agonist-bound conformation by displacing the C-terminal AF-2 helix into the site at which the LXXLL motif of coactivator proteins would otherwise be able to bind. Lasofoxifene achieves this effect by occupying the space normally filled by residue Leu 540, as well as by modulating the conformation of residues of helix 11 (His 524, Leu 525). A well-defined salt bridge between lasofoxifene and Asp 351 suggests that charge neutralization in this region of the receptor may explain the some of the antiestrogenic effects of lasofoxifene. The results suggest general features of ER,/SERM recognition, and add a new dimension to efforts to rationalize differences between the biological activity profiles exhibited by these important pharmacological agents. [source]


Histone H1 and MAP Kinase Activities in Bovine Oocytes following Protein Synthesis Inhibition

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 3-4 2001
B Meinecke
In vitro nuclear maturation is associated with known activity profiles of the M-phase promoting factor (MPF) and the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, which are two key regulators of mitotic and meiotic cell cycles. Initiation of meiotic resumption in vitro can be prevented by cycloheximide treatment and after removal of the inhibitor germinal vesicle breakdown takes place nearly twice as fast as in untreated controls. In this study experiments were conducted in order to examine the chromosome condensation status and the dynamics of MPF and MAP kinase activities after cycloheximide treatment (10 ,g/ml) of cumulus-enclosed oocytes for 17 and 24 h, respectively, and subsequent culture in inhibitor-free medium for various times. Bovine oocytes displayed variations in the degree of chromosome condensation at the end of the inhibitor treatment phase. Following removal of the inhibitor germinal vesicle breakdown occurred after 4,5 h of subsequent culture in inhibitor-free medium. MPF and MAP kinase exhibited low activities during the first 1,3 h following cycloheximide treatment. Increasing levels of enzyme activities were detected 4,7 h following cycloheximide treatment for 17 and 24 h, respectively, and subsequent culture in inhibitor-free medium. The patterns of enzyme activities corresponded with the accelerated nuclear maturation process. It can be concluded that cycloheximide treatment does not lead to a more synchronous course of nuclear maturation and that the activities of both, MPF and MAP kinase are initiated at least 2,5 h earlier in comparison with untreated oocytes. [source]


Tobacco Mg protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase is involved in inverse activation of Mg porphyrin and protoheme synthesis

THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005
Ali E. Alawady
Summary Protoporphyrin, a metabolic intermediate of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis, is metabolized by Mg chelatase and ferrochelatase and is directed into the Mg-branch for chlorophyll synthesis and in the Fe-branch for protoheme synthesis respectively. Regulation of the enzyme activities at the beginning of this branchpoint ensures accurate partition of protoporphyrin, but is still not entirely understood. Transgenic tobacco plants were generated that express antisense or sense RNA for inhibited and excessive expression of Mg protoporphyrin methyltransferase (MgPMT) respectively. This enzyme accepts Mg protoporphyrin from Mg chelatase and catalyses the transfer of a methyl group to the carboxyl group of the C13-propionate side chain. Low MgPMT activity is correlated with reduced Mg chelatase activity and a low synthesis rate of 5-aminolevulinate, but with enhanced ferrochelatase activity. In contrast, high MgPMT activity leads to inverse activity profiles: high activities of Mg chelatase and for 5-aminolevulinate synthesis, but reduced activity of ferrochelatase, indicating a direct influence of MgPMT in combination with Mg chelatase on the metabolic flux of ALA and the distribution of protoporphyrin into the branched pathway. The modified enzyme activities in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in the transgenic plants can be explained with changes of certain corresponding mRNA contents: increased 5-aminolevulinate synthesis and Mg chelatase activity correlate with enhanced transcript levels of the HemA, Gsa, and CHLH gene encoding glutamyl-tRNA reductase, glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase and a Mg chelatase subunit respectively. It is proposed that reduced and increased MgPMT activity in chloroplasts is communicated to the cytoplasm for modulating transcriptional activities of regulatory enzymes of the pathway. [source]


Synthesis and SAR Study of Opioid Receptor Ligands: Mono- and Bis-Indolomorphinans

CHEMICAL BIOLOGY & DRUG DESIGN, Issue 4 2009
Fuying Li
Mono- and bis-indolomorphinans were synthesized through a multi-step synthetic approach from the alkaloid, thebaine, to further explore the C-ring SAR (structure-activity relationship) of morphinan scaffold. Both mono-indoles displayed good binding affinity and selectivity for the , receptor, with compound 6b possessed the highest Ki value of 1.45 nm at this receptor. Bisindolomorphinans 7a,b did not have appreciable affinity for both , and , receptors, but moderate binding at the , receptor was observed. Functional assays indicated that the newly synthesized mono-indole 6b was ,-agonist, opposite to the ,-antagonist profile of naltrindole. Bisindoles 7a,b were ,-agonists. This work further confirms that the phenol component in opioids is essential for higher binding to the opioid receptors. The different binding ability, receptor selectivity, and the functional activity profiles of naltrindole 2, monoindole 6b, and bisindole 7b clearly indicated that they interact with the opioid receptors in different modes. [source]