Molecular identification and functional characterization of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases from the brown-rot basidiomycete Postia placenta.

We explored the molecular diversity and functional capabilities of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) from the brown-rot basidiomycete Postia placenta. Using bioinformatic and experimental data, we found 250 genes of P450s in the whole genome, including 60 putative allelic variants. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of 42 families, including 18 novel families. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of P450s from P. placenta and the white-rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium suggested that vigorous gene duplication and molecular evolution occurred after speciation of basidiomycetes. Among the 250 gene models, 184 were isolated as full-length cDNA and transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae to construct a functional library in which recombinant P450s were co-expressed with yeast NADPH-P450 oxidoreductase. Using this library, the catalytic potentials of P450s against a wide variety of compounds were investigated. A functionomic survey allowed the discovery of novel catalytic properties of P. placenta P450s. The phylogenetic diversity of the CYP53 family in P. placenta was clear, and CYP53D2 is capable of converting stilbene derivatives. This is the first report of this peculiar function of the CYP53 family. Our increased understanding of the molecular and functional diversity of P450s in this fungus will facilitate comprehension of metabolic diversity in basidiomycetes and has future biotechnology applications.

Validity and reliability of patient satisfaction questionnaires in a dental school in Japan.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct questionnaires for the dental school setting from freely given patient answers with the aid of text mining, and to confirm the structure, reliability and validity of the questionnaires. METHODS: Using these questionnaires, we carried out a survey of the satisfaction of patients treated at the Dental Hospital of the Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine. A total of 3394 patients participated in the study. To confirm the reliability of inter-item correlations and construct validity, factor analysis was carried out, and items belonging to each factor and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: Four factors were extracted and 64.0% of the variance was explained by these four factors. All correlation coefficients were >0.85. These four factors were: 'Treatment', 'Communication', 'Facilities' and 'Appearances'. From structural equation modelling, we determined that overall satisfaction was >0.75 and was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The questionnaires used in this study are useful for measuring patient satisfaction in the dental school hospital setting.

Structural relationship of child behavior and its evaluation during dental treatment.

The present study uses structural equation modeling to explore the structural relationship of child behavior type and its evaluation during dental treatment. The study population consisted of 33 children at their first visit to a pediatric dentist at the Dental Hospital of Tsurumi University. Child behavior was evaluated by the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale and the behavior evaluation scale developed by Kurosu. Factor analysis extracted 3 behavior types: escape, self-defense, and facial expression. The path diagram of structural relationships between child behavior and the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale indicated that facial expression had the strongest correlation to the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale.