OBJECTIVE Predictive models that generate individualized estimates for medically relevant outcomes are playing increasing roles in clinical care and translational research. However, current methods for calibrating these estimates lose valuable information. Our goal is to develop a new calibration method to conserve as much information as possible, and would compare favorably to existing methods...

BACKGROUND Advance care planning (acp) is an important process in health care today. How to prospectively identify potential local barriers and facilitators to uptake of acp across a complex, multi-sector, publicly funded health care system and how to develop specific mitigating strategies have not been well characterized. METHODS We surveyed a convenience sample of clinical and administrativ...

OBJECTIVES To explore seriously ill, older hospitalised patients' and their family members' perspectives on the barriers and facilitators of advance care planning (ACP). METHODS We used qualitative descriptive study methodology to analyse data from an interviewer administered, questionnaire-based, Canadian multicentre, prospective study of this population. RESULTS Three main categories desc...

Scaffold supplements such as nanoparticles, components of the extracellular matrix, or growth factors have been incorporated in conventional scaffold materials to produce smart scaffolds for tissue engineering of damaged hard tissues. Due to increasing concerns on the clinical side effects of using large doses of recombinant bone-morphogenetic protein-2 in bone surgery, it is desirable to devel...

Exploration of the specific role of cystine in the postexponential growth of Streptococcus faecalis led to an inquiry into the fate of cellular coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein (ACP), both of which depend for their biosynthesis on cystine and pantothenate as precursors. In S. faecalis cells labeled by growth in the presence of (14)C-pantothenate, the label could be separated on the bas...

We discuss several aspects of direct CP asymmetries in B decays, which are very useful in spite of hadronic uncertainties in asymmetry calculations. 1) Asymmetries in decays to D(∗)K(∗), π+π−, ρ+ρ−, providing precision tests for the CKM phase γ. 2) Null tests in B+ → J/ψK+, π+π0, where a nonzero asymmetry provides evidence for New Physics. 3) Isospin and broken flavor SU(3) relations among CP a...

Stearoyl-ACP' desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6) converts stearoyl[ 18:0]-ACP to oleoyl[ 18:1(9)]-ACP in the unsaturated fatty acid synthesis of plants and plays a role in the regulation of fatty acid composition of plant membranes and seed oils (1). Several cDNA clones ofmRNAs encoding plant stearoylACP desaturase have now been described (2-4). The coding sequences for the mature enzyme are highly homo...

Introduction: Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are rare epithelial tumors located mainly in the sellar/parasellar region. CPs have been classified histopathologically, genetically, clinically and prognostically into two distinctive subtypes: adamantinomatous and papillary variants. Aim: To examine the pattern of expression of both the β-catenin and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in surgically ...

Leinamycin (LNM) is biosynthesized by a hybrid nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-acyltransferase (AT)-less type I polyketide synthase (PKS). Characterization of LnmI revealed ketosynthase (KS)-acyl carrier protein (ACP)-KS domains at the NRPS-PKS interface. Inactivation of the KS domain or ACP domain in vivo abolished LNM production, and the ACP domain can be phosphopantetheinylated in vit...