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Many Advances (many + advance)
Selected AbstractsA beginner's guide to radiation damageJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 2 2009James M. Holton Many advances in the understanding of radiation damage to protein crystals, particularly at cryogenic temperatures, have been made in recent years, but with this comes an expanding literature, and, to the new breed of protein crystallographer who is not really interested in X-ray physics or radiation chemistry but just wants to solve a biologically relevant structure, the technical nature and breadth of this literature can be daunting. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a rough guide to radiation damage issues, and to provide references to the more exacting and detailed work. No attempt has been made to report precise numbers (a factor of two is considered satisfactory), and, since there are aspects of radiation damage that are demonstrably unpredictable, the `worst case scenario' as well as the `average crystal' are discussed in terms of the practicalities of data collection. [source] Reflections on the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteinsCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 8 2008G. Antonelli Abstract Therapeutic proteins are now established as a major class of medication with proven efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. The administration of such proteins to patients can lead to the development of antibodies that are able to bind and eventually neutralise the protein administered. Many advances have been made in understanding the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins, but opinions are often conflicting. Although it is important to understand more about the antibodies generated against therapeutic proteins, the need for future research must not be neglected, so that other relevant factors can be identified and addressed to maximise treatment benefits for patients. [source] BRASSICALES , AN ORDER OF PLANTS CHARACTERISED BY SHARED CHEMISTRYCURTIS'S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, Issue 3 2010Michael F. Fay Among the many advances in our understanding of angiosperm relationships in recent decades due to the advent of DNA sequence data is the confirmation that all plants (apart from Drypetes) that produce mustard oil precursors are related to each other and should be treated as one order, Brassicales. Due to the lack of obvious shared morphological characters, this is one of the more unexpected of these advances. Here we give the background to this development and introduce the families in Brassicales, including Tropaeolaceae, the subject of this issue. [source] Hemangiomas: Evaluation and TreatmentDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 5 2001Scott M. Dinehart MD Background. Hemangiomas are common skin tumors of infancy that have undergone recent changes in nomenclature, methods of evaluation, and treatment. Objective. To review the nomenclature, epidemiology, evaluation, and treatment of common hemangiomas. Methods. A literature search was conducted utilizing MEDLINE and the Cochrane library databases. Text search words used were "hemangioma" and "infancy." The clinical experience of the authors was also used to formulate the review. Results. There have been many advances in nomenclature and therapeutic options for children with hemangiomas. Hemangiomas are proliferative tumors of infancy that should be distinguished from structural malformations, such as port-wine stains and lymphangiomas. Conclusion. Natural involution remains a viable treatment option for the majority of patients with uncomplicated hemangiomas. Excisional surgery, laser, and pharmacologic remedies are indicated for a subset of complicated hemangioma patients. [source] Cutaneous infections in the elderly: diagnosis and managementDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 3 2003Jeffrey M. Weinberg ABSTRACT:, Over the past several years there have been many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous infectious diseases. This review focuses on the three major topics of interest in the geriatric population: herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), onychomycosis, and recent advances in antibacterial therapy. Herpes zoster in adults is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that causes chickenpox in children. For many years acyclovir was the gold standard of antiviral therapy for the treatment of patients with herpes zoster. Famciclovir and valacyclovir, newer antivirals for herpes zoster, offer less frequent dosing. PHN refers to pain lasting ,2 months after an acute attack of herpes zoster. The pain may be constant or intermittent and may occur spontaneously or be caused by seemingly innocuous stimuli such as a light touch. Treatment of established PHN through pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapy will be discussed. In addition, therapeutic strategies to prevent PHN will be reviewed. These include the use of oral corticosteroids, nerve blocks, and treatment with standard antiviral therapy. Onychomycosis, or tinea unguium, is caused by dermatophytes in the majority of cases, but can also be caused by Candida and nondermatophyte molds. Onychomycosis is found more frequently in the elderly and in more males than females. There are four types of onychomycosis: distal subungual onychomycosis, proximal subungual onychomycosis, white superficial onychomycosis, and candidal onychomycosis. Over the past several years, new treatments for this disorder have emerged which offer shorter courses of therapy and greater efficacy than previous therapies. The treatment of bacterial skin and skin structure infections in the elderly is an important issue. There has been an alarming increase in the incidence of gram-positive infections, including resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and drug-resistant pneumococci. While vancomycin has been considered the drug of last defense against gram-positive multidrug-resistant bacteria, the late 1980s saw an increase in vancomycin-resistant bacteria, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). More recently, strains of vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. aureus (VISA) have been isolated. Gram-positive bacteria, such as S. aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes are often the cause of skin and skin structure infections, ranging from mild pyodermas to complicated infections including postsurgical wound infections, severe carbunculosis, and erysipelas. With limited treatment options, it has become critical to identify antibiotics with novel mechanisms of activity. Several new drugs have emerged as possible therapeutic alternatives, including linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin. [source] Scale-dependence in species-area relationshipsECOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2005Will R. Turner Species-area relationships (SARs) are among the most studied phenomena in ecology, and are important both to our basic understanding of biodiversity and to improving our ability to conserve it. But despite many advances to date, our knowledge of how various factors contribute to SARs is limited, searches for single causal factors are often inconclusive, and true predictive power remains elusive. We believe that progress in these areas has been impeded by 1) an emphasis on single-factor approaches and thinking of factors underlying SARs as mutually exclusive hypotheses rather than potentially interacting processes, and 2) failure to place SAR-generating factors in a scale-dependent framework. We here review mathematical, ecological, and evolutionary factors contributing to species-area relationships, synthesizing major hypotheses from the literature in a scale-dependent context. We then highlight new research directions and unanswered questions raised by this scale-dependent synthesis. [source] Overview and Future Practice Patterns in Cardiac and Pulmonary PreservationJOURNAL OF CARDIAC SURGERY, Issue 2 2000John V. Conte M.D. Successful transplantation requires preservation of allografts until they can be implanted and reperfused. In the decades since the transplantation of thoracic organs became a clinical reality, many advances have been made in preoperative donor management, procurement, and preservation techniques. This article summarizes the state of the art in heart and lung preservation and review some of the areas of current research that may lead to improvements in preservation techniques in the future. [source] MLL: How complex does it get?JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2005Relja Popovic Abstract The mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene encodes a very large nuclear protein homologous to Drosophila trithorax (trx). MLL is required for the proper maintenance of HOX gene expression during development and hematopoiesis. The exact regulatory mechanism of HOX gene expression by MLL is poorly understood, but it is believed that MLL functions at the level of chromatin organization. MLL was identified as a common target of chromosomal translocations associated with human acute leukemias. About 50 different MLL fusion partners have been isolated to date, and while similarities exist between groups of partners, there exists no unifying property shared by all the partners. MLL gene rearrangements are found in leukemias with both lymphoid and myeloid phenotypes and are often associated with infant and secondary leukemias. The immature phenotype of the leukemic blasts suggests an important role for MLL in the early stages of hematopoietic development. Mll homozygous mutant mice are embryonic lethal and exibit deficiencies in yolk sac hematopoiesis. Recently, two different MLL-containing protein complexes have been isolated. These and other gain- and loss-of-function experiments have provided insight into normal MLL function and altered functions of MLL fusion proteins. This article reviews the progress made toward understanding the function of the wild-type MLL protein. While many advances in understanding this multifaceted protein have been made since its discovery, many challenging questions remain to be answered. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] General pharmaceutics,The new physical pharmacyJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 7 2003E. F. "Gene" Fiese Abstract General Pharmaceutics is proposed as the broad study of the biopharmaceutical and physical chemical properties of each potential drug substance. When the first quality bulk lot is delivered, usually the first GMP bulk lot, an extensive profiling of the potential drug substance should commence. This profile should include solid-state characterization as well as thorough analyses of solubility, stability, and absorption properties of the drug substance that could affect the development of a viable medicine. As a result of these studies, a number of initial specifications could be developed: the preferred polymorphic or crystalline form identified, the preferred particle size to optimize absorption/development, and an initial biopharmaceutics classification with a dose limit to identify those cases in which the formulation can be expected to improve absorption and exposure. The broad topic of General Pharmaceutics is discussed in this Minireview including many advances in technology in this field as well as the rationale behind the proposed initial specifications. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 92:1331,1342, 2003 [source] Recent advances in the role and biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in plantsPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2001P. L. Conklin ABSTRACT The past few years have provided many advances in the role and biosynthesis of L -ascorbic acid (AsA) in plants. There is an increasing body of evidence confirming that AsA plays an important role in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species. The role of AsA in photoprotection has been confirmed in vivo with the use of Arabidopsis mutants. A player in the defence against reactive oxygen species, AsA peroxidase, has been extensively studied at the molecular level, and regulation of this key enzymatic activity appears to occur at several levels. As a cofactor in the hydroxylation of prolyl and lysl-residues by peptidyl-prolyl and -lysyl hydroxylases, AsA plays a part in cell wall synthesis, defence, and possibly cell division. The maintenance of reduced levels of AsA appears to be highly regulated, involving the interplay of both monodehydroascorbate and dehydroascorbate reductases and possibly auxin. A major breakthrough in plant AsA biosynthesis has been made recently, and strong biochemical and genetic evidence suggest that GDP-mannose and L -galactose are key substrates. In addition, evidence for an alternative AsA biosynthetic pathway(s) exists and awaits additional scrutiny. Finally, newly described Arabidopsis mutants deficient in AsA will further increase our understanding of AsA biosynthesis [source] Evolving Paradigms That Determine the Fate of an AllograftAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2010J. S. Bromberg Despite the many advances in both immunological knowledge and the practical application of clinical immunosuppression, the holy grail of indefinite graft survival with immune tolerance in clinical solid organ transplantation remains a distant dream. The tremendous progress made in understanding the molecular and cellular basis of allograft rejection has not been translated into durable modalities that have advanced clinical care and outcomes. Indeed, currently used drugs and treatment protocols, largely directed at inhibiting alloreactive T cells, have not optimally improved allograft survival or function. A shift in emphasis, focusing on under appreciated immune pathways must now be considered to make further improvement. We highlight three areas of recent interest, complement, NK cells and lymphatics, which reinforce the concept that the transplant community must direct attention on how the immune system as a whole responds to a transplant. The current challenge is to integrate molecular, cellular and anatomic concepts to achieve the equivalent of a unified field theory of the immune response to organ transplants. [source] MEDULLARY THYROID CARCINOMA: A 20-YEAR EXPERIENCE FROM A CENTRE IN SOUTH INDIAANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 3 2007Philip Finny Background: Management of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) remains controversial despite many advances over the past five decades. We attempt to review the presentation, management and prognosis of MTC at our institution over the last two decades. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the records of 40 patients with MTC over a period of 20 years. Results: Ten patients had hereditary MTC and 30 had sporadic MTC. The mean age of presentation was 41 years. Sixty-five per cent of the patients had a definite thyroid swelling and 43% had lymphadenopathy at the time of presentation. Total thyroidectomy with a central neck dissection was carried out in 82.5% of patients. Adjuvant therapy was given in 75% of patients because of extensive/residual disease. Postoperative hypercalcitoninaemia was seen 73% of patients. 131I metaiodobenzylguanidine scanning was carried out in 16 patients with persistent hypercalcitoninaemia; the uptake was positive in 10 and negative in 6, indicating a positivity of 62%. Conclusion: Medullary thyroid carcinoma accounts for 2.5% of thyroid carcinomas. There is a small male preponderance. In our series 131I metaiodobenzylguanidine scan had a better positivity than what has been reported in the published work. Persistent postoperative hypercalcitoninaemia was associated with a poorer prognosis that did not reach statistical significant. [source] Applications of Multicomponent Reactions to the Synthesis of Diverse Heterocyclic ScaffoldsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009James Abstract The sequencing of multicomponent reactions (MCRs) and subsequent cyclization reactions is a powerful stratagem for the rapid synthesis of diverse heterocyclic scaffolds. The optimal MCR is sufficiently flexible that it can be employed to generate adducts bearing a variety of functional groups that may then be selectively paired to enable different cyclization manifolds, thereby leading to a diverse collection of products. The growing interest in diversity-oriented synthesis has led to increased attention to this paradigm for library synthesis, which has inspired many advances in the design and implementation of MCRs for the construction of diverse heterocyclic scaffolds. [source] | ||||||||||||||||