Photochemical Generation of a C5'-Uridinyl Radical.

It has been postulated that sugar radicals and related species are involved in oxidative events involving RNA. To determine the contribution, if any, of these species to the deleterious effects of the endogenous exposome, it is important to unambiguously identify their degradation products. C5'-Pivaloyl uridine was successfully synthesized and subsequently photolytically converted to a C5'-uridinyl radical. Generation of the radical under anaerobic conditions in the presence of glutathione led to the formation of the expected reduction product, uridine. However, regardless of the presence or absence of reductant, the base elimination product, uracil, was also observed. Mass balances and product distributions were dependent upon the pH of the photolysis mixture. At low pH, trapping with glutathione successfully competed with base loss. These results indicate that this precursor should function efficiently in an investigation of the fate of the C5'-uridinyl radical in RNA oligomers.

Comparative ontogenetic changes in enzyme activity during embryonic development of calyptraeid gastropods.

A modification of a semi-quantitative color-based enzyme assay was used to quantify the activity of 19 enzymes (5 peptidases, 3 lipases, 3 phosphotases, and 8 carbohydrases) during five stages of development in eight species of calyptraeid gastropods. Sixteen of the 19 enzymes showed a significant effect of mode of development on the concentration of the reaction product after incubation of homogenates standardized for protein content. The overall pattern was that planktotrophs showed the highest activities, followed by adelphophages, and nonfeeding embryos, which had the lowest enzyme activities. Thirteen enzymes showed significant differences across developmental stages. Of these, eight showed a clear increase during development. Only one of the enzymes showed a sudden jump in activity between the unfed, pre-hatching stage and post-hatching stages that were fed Isochrysis galbana. In three cases, ANOVA identified two exclusive, significantly different groups of species. In naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, the measured absorbance of Crucibulum spinosum samples was significantly higher than in all of the other species. The activity of α-fucosidase in Crepipatella occulta was significantly greater than in the other seven species. Finally, the activity of ß-galactosidase was significantly higher in C. occulta, Crucibulum spinosum, and Bostrycapulus calyptraeformis than in the four Crepidula species. This is the only enzyme for which there is an indication of a phylogenetic effect. Relative enzyme activities were similar to those reported for other herbivorous gastropods, with the three phosphohydrolases, four carbohydrases (ß-galactosidase, ß-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-ß-glucosaminidase, and α-fucosidase), and leucine arylamidase showing high activities.

Role-reversal exercise with Deaf Strong Hospital to teach communication competency and cultural awareness.

OBJECTIVE: To implement a role-reversal exercise to increase first-year pharmacy students' awareness of communication barriers in the health care setting, especially for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. DESIGN: Volunteers from the local deaf community conducted Deaf Strong Hospital, a role-reversal exercise in which students were the "patients." Students navigated through a reception area, encounter with a physician, and having a prescription filled at a pharmacy without receiving or using any spoken language. ASSESSMENT: A debriefing session was held in which small groups of students had the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of deaf and hard-of-hearing volunteers. On a survey administered to assess students' learning, 97% agreed or strongly agreed that the experience would likely impact their attitudes and behavior in future interactions with patients who did not speak English. CONCLUSIONS: The role-reversal exercise was an effective method of teaching students that the delivery of health care is dependent on adequate communication between health care providers and the patient.