Proteinase II, a snake venom metalloproteinase from
Crotalus adamenteus, has been crystallized. The crystals are of the trigonal space group P 3
112 (or P 3
212), diffract well beyond 2 Å and are ...suitable for X-ray crystal structure analysis.
The assembly of DNA barcode libraries is particularly relevant within species-rich natural communities for which accurate species identifications will enable detailed ecological forensic studies. In ...addition, well-resolved molecular phylogenies derived from these DNA barcode sequences have the potential to improve investigations of the mechanisms underlying community assembly and functional trait evolution. To date, no studies have effectively applied DNA barcodes sensu strictu in this manner. In this report, we demonstrate that a three-locus DNA barcode when applied to 296 species of woody trees, shrubs, and palms found within the 50-ha Forest Dynamics Plot on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, resulted in >98% correct identifications. These DNA barcode sequences are also used to reconstruct a robust community phylogeny employing a supermatrix method for 281 of the 296 plant species in the plot. The three-locus barcode data were sufficient to reliably reconstruct evolutionary relationships among the plant taxa in the plot that are congruent with the broadly accepted phylogeny of flowering plants (APG II). Earlier work on the phylogenetic structure of the BCI forest dynamics plot employing less resolved phylogenies reveals significant differences in evolutionary and ecological inferences compared with our data and suggests that unresolved community phylogenies may have increased type I and type II errors. These results illustrate how highly resolved phylogenies based on DNA barcode sequence data will enhance research focused on the interface between community ecology and evolution.
Proteinase II, a snake venom metalloproteinase from Crotalus adamanteus , has been crystallized. The crystals are of the trigonal space group P 3 sub(1) 12 (or P 3 sub(2)12), diffract well beyond 2 ...angstrom and are suitable for X-ray crystal structure analysis.
Two major human plasma proteinase inhibitors, C1-inhibitor and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, were enzymatically inactivated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase and proteinase. Incubation of C1-inhibitor ...with the Pseudomonas enzymes at inhibitor/enzyme molar ratios of 1000:1 (elastase) or 22:1 (proteinase) resulted in cleavage of the 104 kDa intact inhibitor to an 89 kDa intermediate which retained full inhibitory activity against plasmin and plasma kallikrein. The intermediate was then cleaved to an 83 kDa inactive product. The initial non-inactivating cleavage of C1-inhibitor occurred in a region of the molecule readily accessible to limited proteolysis by both enzymes. The inactivating cleavage, however, occurred more readily with the elastase. alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin was inactivated by P. aeruginosa proteinase and elastase by limited proteolysis at inhibitor/enzyme molar ratios of 14 000:1. The 64 kDa intact inhibitor was cleaved to form an inactive 60 kDa product, and a low molecular mass peptide fragment was observed. No stable enzyme-inhibitor complexes were detected, and no random proteolysis of the inactivated inhibitors was noted, even after prolonged incubation. Catalytic inactivation of C1-inhibitor and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin by P. aeruginosa proteinase and elastase may contribute to the tissue damage and hemorrhagic lesions which occur during pseudomonal infections.
München, Technische Universität München, Diss., 2015
München, Technische Universität München, Diss., 2015
Munich, Technical University of Munich, Diss., 2015
To revise the "Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Sustained Use of Sedatives and Analgesics in the Critically Ill Adult" published in Critical Care Medicine in 2002.
The American College of ...Critical Care Medicine assembled a 20-person, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional task force with expertise in guideline development, pain, agitation and sedation, delirium management, and associated outcomes in adult critically ill patients. The task force, divided into four subcommittees, collaborated over 6 yr in person, via teleconferences, and via electronic communication. Subcommittees were responsible for developing relevant clinical questions, using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method (http://www.gradeworkinggroup.org) to review, evaluate, and summarize the literature, and to develop clinical statements (descriptive) and recommendations (actionable). With the help of a professional librarian and Refworks database software, they developed a Web-based electronic database of over 19,000 references extracted from eight clinical search engines, related to pain and analgesia, agitation and sedation, delirium, and related clinical outcomes in adult ICU patients. The group also used psychometric analyses to evaluate and compare pain, agitation/sedation, and delirium assessment tools. All task force members were allowed to review the literature supporting each statement and recommendation and provided feedback to the subcommittees. Group consensus was achieved for all statements and recommendations using the nominal group technique and the modified Delphi method, with anonymous voting by all task force members using E-Survey (http://www.esurvey.com). All voting was completed in December 2010. Relevant studies published after this date and prior to publication of these guidelines were referenced in the text. The quality of evidence for each statement and recommendation was ranked as high (A), moderate (B), or low/very low (C). The strength of recommendations was ranked as strong (1) or weak (2), and either in favor of (+) or against (-) an intervention. A strong recommendation (either for or against) indicated that the intervention's desirable effects either clearly outweighed its undesirable effects (risks, burdens, and costs) or it did not. For all strong recommendations, the phrase "We recommend …" is used throughout. A weak recommendation, either for or against an intervention, indicated that the trade-off between desirable and undesirable effects was less clear. For all weak recommendations, the phrase "We suggest …" is used throughout. In the absence of sufficient evidence, or when group consensus could not be achieved, no recommendation (0) was made. Consensus based on expert opinion was not used as a substitute for a lack of evidence. A consistent method for addressing potential conflict of interest was followed if task force members were coauthors of related research. The development of this guideline was independent of any industry funding.
These guidelines provide a roadmap for developing integrated, evidence-based, and patient-centered protocols for preventing and treating pain, agitation, and delirium in critically ill patients.
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