A genome guided evaluation of the Lab4 probiotic consortium.

Draft genome sequences of the Lab4 probiotic consortium were deposited in Genbank: Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis CUL34 (PRJNA482550), Bifidobacterium bifidum CUL20 (PRJNA559984), Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL60 (PRJNA482335), Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL21 (PRJNA482434). Probiogenomic analyses confirmed existing taxonomies and identified putative gene sequences that were functionally related to the performance of each organism during in vitro assessments of bile and acid tolerability, adherence to enterocytes and susceptibility to antibiotics. Genomic stability predictions identified no significant risk of gene acquisition of both antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. These observations were supported by acute phase and repeat dose tolerability studies in Wistar rats. High doses of Lab4 did not result in mortalities, clinical/histopathological abnormalities nor systemic toxicity. Increased faecal numbers of Lab4 in supplemented rats implied survival through the gastrointestinal tract and/or impact the intestinal microbiota composition. In summary, this study provides multifaceted support for probiotic functionality and the safety of the Lab4 consortium.

Reducing the metabolic cost of running with a tethered soft exosuit.

Assisting hip extension with a tethered exosuit and a simulation-optimized force profile reduces metabolic cost of running.

Essential thioredoxin-dependent peroxiredoxin system from Helicobacter pylori: genetic and kinetic characterization.

Helicobacter pylori, an oxygen-sensitive microaerophile, contains an alkyl hydroperoxide reductase homologue (AhpC, HP1563) that is more closely related to 2-Cys peroxiredoxins of higher organisms than to most other eubacterial AhpC proteins. Allelic replacement mutagenesis revealed ahpC to be essential, suggesting a critical role for AhpC in defending H. pylori against oxygen toxicity. Characterization of the ahpC promoter region divulged two putative regulatory elements and identified the transcription initiation site, which was mapped to 96 and 94 bp upstream of the initiation codon. No homologue of ahpF, which encodes the dedicated AhpC reductase in most eubacteria, was found in the H. pylori genome. Instead, homologues of Escherichia coli thioredoxin (Trx) reductase (TrxR, HP0825) and Trx (Trx1, HP0824) formed a reductase system for H. pylori AhpC. A second Trx homologue (Trx2, HP1458) was identified but was incapable of AhpC reduction, although Trx2 exhibited disulfide reductase activity with other substrates [insulin and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)]. AhpC interactions with each substrate, Trx1 and hydroperoxide, were bimolecular and nonsaturable (infinite V(max) and K(m) values) but rapid enough (at 1 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)) to suggest an important role for AhpC in cellular peroxide metabolism. AhpC also exhibited a wide specificity for hydroperoxide substrates, which, taken together with the above results, suggests a minimal binding site for hydroperoxides composed of little more than the cysteinyl (Cys49) active site. H. pylori AhpC was not reduced by Salmonella typhimurium AhpF and was slightly more active with E. coli TrxR and Trx1 than was S. typhimurium AhpC, demonstrating the specialized catalytic properties of this peroxiredoxin.

An analysis of the readability and cultural sensitivity of information on the National Cancer Institute's Web site: CancerNet.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the level of reading skills required by lay people who access patient-related cancer information through CancerNet, the Web site of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and to assess the cultural sensitivity of the information targeted to certain ethnic groups. DESIGN: Descriptive study, repeated measures. SETTING: NCI's CancerNet Web site (http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov). SAMPLE: A convenience sample of 49 documents from the CancerNet Web site was analyzed. METHODS: The readability of each document was analyzed using the Flesch-Kincaid readability formula. Using Bloch's Ethnic/Cultural Assessment Tool as a guide, a content analysis of the ethnic-related documents was performed to determine the cultural sensitivity of the information. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Readability and cultural sensitivity of the written cancer information. FINDINGS: The overall mean reading level was 12th grade. Little variation existed in the cultural content of the information even though several ethnic groups were targeted. CONCLUSION: Information on CancerNet needs to be modified to meet the information needs of people with low reading skills and to make the information more culturally sensitive for various ethnic groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Finding successful methods for educating patients and families is a primary responsibility of oncology nurses. Information can play a vital role in helping patients to engage in self-care behavior. Therefore, nurses must be knowledgeable about the readability, usefulness, and cultural-sensitivity of information on cancer Web sites so that they can guide patients to appropriate Internet resources.

Theories for practitioners: two frameworks for studying consumer health information-seeking behavior.

Consumer health information studies in library and information science (LIS) are typically not grounded within a theoretical framework. This article explains the importance of theory to LIS research in general, and the specific value of using theories from other disciplines to study consumers' health information-seeking behavior. The argument is supported with two examples: Miller's psychological theory of blunting and monitoring behavior and Granovetter's sociological theory of the strength of weak ties. These theories can be applied by practitioner-researchers to investigate a variety of research problems.

Neuroprotection by novel antagonists at the NMDA receptor channel and glycineB sites.

Glutamate may act via an N-methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA)-sensitive receptor site to destroy cholinergic neurons within the nucleus basalis magnocellularis in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple interesting properties of the NMDA receptor are relevant to its excitotoxic actions, e.g., glutamate is ineffective unless a glycine (gly) modulatory site is also occupied. Thus, the antagonism of glutamate receptor-related toxicity by blockade of either the NMDA-sensitive recognition site or the gly binding site may therefore have therapeutic applications. The current study investigated the ability of four novel noncompetitive antagonists at these two sites: one NMDA open channel antagonist (MRZ 2/579: 1-amino-1,3,3,5,5-pentamethyl-cyclohexane hydrochloride), and three glyB receptor antagonists (MRZ 2/570: 8-bromo-4-hydroxy-1-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridaziono [4,5-beta] quinoline-5-oxide choline salt; MRZ 2/57: 8-fluoro-4-hydroxy-1-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridaziono [4,5-beta] quinoline-5-oxide choline; MRZ 2/576: 8-chloro-4-hydroxy-1-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridaziono [4,5-beta] quinoline-5-oxide choline) administered acutely, to provide neuroprotection from a NMDA receptor agonist within the nucleus basalis magnocellularis of young rats. Injection of NMDA into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis significantly decreased cortical choline acetyltransferase activity. Acute administration (i.p.) of MRZ 2/579, 2/570, 2/571 and 2/576 provided significant neuroprotection from NMDA.

Novel glycineB antagonists show neuroprotective activity in vivo.

The degeneration or dysfunction of cholinergic neurons within the basal forebrain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be related to the vulnerability of these cells to endogenous glutamate (Beal, 1995; Greenamyre and Young, 1989). The administration of drugs that attenuate the toxic actions of glutamate in the early stages of the disease might significantly delay its rate of progression. Two approaches to neuroprotection from endogenous glutamatergic function were investigated and found to be effective: blockade of voltage-dependent, NMDA-type glutamate receptor channels and antagonism of an NMDA-receptor related glycineB modulatory site.

Sense making in multiple sclerosis: the information needs of people during an acute exacerbation.

Chronic illness has been described as a major disruption in one's everyday life. Studies have shown that people seek and use information to help them cope with their disease. Using the micro-moment time-line interview technique, this study focused on the information needs of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had recently experienced an exacerbation of their disease. The results revealed gaps in people's knowledge about physical symptoms they were experiencing, emotions they felt, and drugs. Various sources of and barriers to obtaining information were identified. The results suggest that health professionals need to be aware of the continuing need for relevant, current, and specific information to help people with MS retain their independence and to empower them to make informed decisions.

The effects of selective cholinergic basal forebrain lesions and aging upon expectancy in the rat.

The effects of selective cholinergic cell loss within the basal forebrain (BF) were determined using a task that requires shifting of attention between two visual stimuli. Discriminability between two stimuli and response bias were determined in young and old F-344 rats given BF injections of IgG-192 saporin (100 ng). The lesion reduced ChAT activity in the frontal and parietal cortices, hippocampus, and olfactory bulbs. The lesion did not significantly alter Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in cortex, hippocampus, or olfactory bulbs, or endogenous levels of neuropeptide Y and neurokinin B within the BF. The BF lesions impaired both stimulus discriminability and response bias in young and old rats. The BF lesions had a significantly greater effect upon stimulus discriminability and response bias in aged rats, compared to young rats, only when the stimulus duration was very brief, i.e., when the task was most difficult to solve. At longer stimulus durations, aging and lesions showed no interaction. The results suggest that the selective loss of cholinergic cells in the BF, but not normal aging, impairs the ability to discriminate between independent sensory stimuli. The loss of these cells confers a response bias in simple operant tasks involving motor responses to reward-related visual stimuli.

A new method for studying patient information needs and information-seeking patterns.

Studies on information needs and information-seeking patterns of patients focus on people who seek information and rarely attempt to explain the behavior of people who do not want information. Strategies for coping with stress may yield insight into information-seeking patterns. A study of information preferences of women with multiple sclerosis was based on a theory of information seeking that states that "monitors" cope by actively seeking information, whereas "blunters" reject information. Results revealed that both monitors and blunters wanted information but differed in what they wanted and when they wanted it. This study contributes to the development of a methodology for studying information-seeking patterns.

Physician-patient communication from the perspective of library and information science.

The physician-patient communication process has received little attention from library and information science (LIS) professionals. A limited review of other literature on this topic was undertaken to gain some understanding of the information exchange from an LIS perspective. The authors were interested in four issues, including how information is defined; how information-seeking behavior is portrayed; what barriers to information exist in the exchange process; and what role, if any, information plays in health outcomes. Studies have been conducted by researchers in various disciplines who have defined communication as a giving and seeking activity between the physician and the patient. Barriers to good communication, erected by either party or by both, prevent the participants from experiencing a satisfactory encounter. Because information can play a role in health outcomes, various strategies have been tried to improve the communication process. These studies provide a better understanding of the physician-patient encounter and suggest new areas of patient-centered research for LIS professionals.

Computer searching of the medical literature. An evaluation of MEDLINE searching systems.

Although clinicians can now search the medical literature electronically from the clinic, bedside, or operating suite, little is known about the performance characteristics of online information services. Fourteen access routes to the MEDLINE database of journal literature were compared for retrieval quantity and quality, user and online search time, and cost for randomly ordered, standardized searches on common clinical problems. All routes produced the articles we judged to be the most definitive on the clinical problem. However, routes differed significantly (p less than 0.01) for the same searches with respect to online time (range, 5.15 to 18.72 minutes), total search time (8.37 to 20.55 minutes), cost (US $3.38 to $11.62), and proportion of articles relevant to the topic (98% to 75%). "User friendliness" aside, our results showed that the higher the cost, the worse the product. Clinicians should consider these major differences when deciding which search system to use.

Hybrid electrooptical power cepstrum analyzer.

The power cepstrum (power spectrum of the log of the power spectrum) of a signal in a multipath environment provides information on echo amplitudes and delay times. An electrooptical power cepstrum analyzer, which displays this information in real time, is described. The basic system approach is to use optics to provide the power spectrums and electronics to provide the logarithm function. The design and experimental results of a working system are presented.

Progressive retinopathy with improved control in diabetic dwarfism (Mauriac's syndrome).

We report four children aged 11-18 1/2 yr first seen 7-14 yr after the diagnosis of insulin-dependent diabetes. At presentation, all had marked short stature, two had hepatomegaly, and the older three had delayed adolescence. They had been severely underinsulinized. Initial funduscopy demonstrated only occasion microaneurysms in two children and a single intraretinal hemorrhage in another. The youngest was normal. Improved control required large increases in insulin dosage. Growth rate improved significantly and hepatomegaly regressed. Puberty progressed rapidly in two older patients with poor final height. Paradoxically, with improved control, retinopathy progressed rapidly with appearance of multiple microaneurysms, nerve fiber layer infarctions, intraretinal microangiopathic changes, hemorrhages, exudates, and macular edema in all the patients and severe proliferation changes in three. One child with proliferative retinopathy in both eyes developed vitreous hemorrhage and blindness in one eye. Two required panretinal photocoagulation with no further progression of their retinopathy. These rapidly progressive retinal changes remain unexplained. We advise caution when correcting metabolic derangements of diabetic patients who have been poorly controlled for a prolonged period.