An enzymatic approach to configurationally rare trans‐androsteronyl‐α‐glucoside and Its potential anticancer application

Enzymatic glycosylation of sterols/steroids with glycosyltransferase HP0421 shows protein plasticity on generation of configurationally rare steryl‐α‐glucosides. Investigation of trans‐androsteronyl‐α‐glucoside on tamoxifen‐treated MCF‐7 breast cancer cells shows dose‐dependent depression of cell viability and enhanced drug effectiveness, illustrating a new avenue for the production of novel steryl‐α‐glucosides with useful biological activities.     

Comparing long-term outcomes between early and delayed initiation of peritoneal dialysis following catheter implantation

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare peritonitis rates, peritoneal dialysis technique survival and patient survival between patients who started peritoneal dialysis earlier than 14 days (early starters) and 14 days or more (delayed starters) after insertion of a Tenckhoff catheter. Methods: Observational analysis was performed for all patients who underwent insertion of a Tenckhoff catheter at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012. The patients were divided into two groups: early and delayed starters. The rate and outcomes of peritonitis were recorded. Peritoneal dialysis technique survival and patient survival were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed for peritoneal dialysis technique failure and patient mortality. Results: There were 80 early starters and 69 delayed starters. The peritonitis rate was 0.18 episodes per year in early starters and 0.13 episodes per year in delayed starters. There was no significant difference of peritonitis free survival (p?=?0.146), peritoneal dialysis technique survival (p?=?0.273) and patient survival (p?=?0.739) at 1, 3, 5 years between early starters and delayed starters. After adjustment with age, albumin and diabetes, early starters did not have an increased risk of peritonitis, technique failure and mortality compared to delayed starters. Conclusion: Compared to the patients who started peritoneal dialysis 14 days or more after catheter implantation, the patients who started earlier did not have an increased risk of peritonitis, peritoneal dialysis technique failure and mortality.     

International standards for tuberculosis care: relevance and implications for laboratory professionals

On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2006, the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care (ISTC) was officially released and widely endorsed by several agencies and organizations. The ISTC release was the culmination of a year long global effort to develop and set internationally acceptable, evidence-based standards for tuberculosis care. The ISTC describes a widely endorsed level of care that all practitioners, public and private, should seek to achieve in managing individuals who have or are suspected of having, TB and is intended to facilitate the effective engagement of all healthcare providers in delivering high quality care for patients of all ages, including those with smear-positive, smear-negative and extra-pulmonary TB, TB caused by drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and TB/HIV coinfection. In this article, we present the ISTC, with a special focus on the diagnostic standards and describe their implications and relevance for laboratory professionals in India and worldwide. Laboratory professionals play a critical role in ensuring that all the standards are actually met by providing high quality laboratory services for smear microscopy, culture and drug susceptibility testing and other services such as testing for HIV infection. In fact, if the ISTC is widely followed, it can be expected that there will be a greater need and demand for quality assured laboratory services and this will have obvious implications for all laboratories in terms of work load, requirement for resources and trained personnel and organization of quality assurance systems.     

Virtual discussion groups: a proposal for nursing teaching

This paper describes a teaching experience aimed at providing interactivity to the technique of field diary by using a virtual learning environment. The educational proposal derives from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)'s Teaching Training Program of the Stricto Sensu Post-Graduation Program in Nursing, in which the author, a Master's degree candidate, oriented by her advisor, proposed forming virtual discussion groups in order to write the field diary for an undergraduate discipline in Nursing, with the aim of providing an opportunity for a joint discussion of academic experiences in the realm of practice. The instructors of the discipline in which the proposal was developed also participated in the activities. The virtual technology gave new dynamism to the technique of field diary, making possible an exchange of experiences among the students, the instructor and the author, as well as moments of reflection and discussion regarding the themes faced in the Nursing practice.     

Large erupting complex odontoma: a case report

Odontomas are the most common odontogenic tumours. They are usually asymptomatic and are often discovered during routine radiography. We report a case of a large erupting complex odontoma that caused pain, infection and facial asymmetry. This case is significant as there are few reports of complex odontoma erupting in the oral cavity.     

Effect of intravenous iron supplementation on hepatic cytochrome P450 3A4 activity in hemodialysis patients: a prospective, open-label study

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 is an enzyme with activity dependent on the reduction of heme iron that is responsible for the metabolism of many drugs. CYP3A4 activity is reduced in hemodialysis (HD) patients and thus may be related to functional iron deficiency. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of IV iron supplementation on hepatic is CYP3A4 activity in HD patients. METHODS: This prospective, open-label study was conducted in 12 iron-deficient (transferrin saturation <20% or ferritin <100 ng/L) HD patients on stable medication regimens. To probe for hepatic CYP3A4 activity, an erythromycin breath test (ERMBT) was administered before and after 1 g IV iron sucrose (administered as a 100-mg dose [20 mg/mL]), at each of 10 consecutive HD sessions). CYP3A4 activity was estimated by the percentage of administered (14)C exhaled in a single-breath collection after the test dose of erythromycin underwent demethylation by CYP3A4. The ERMBT was also administered to 7 age-, sex-, and race-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Twelve HD patients (6 Hispanic, 3 white, 3 Native American; 8 men, 4 women; mean [SEM] age, 56.2 [5.0] years; mean [SEM] weight, 77.0 [5.6] kg; and 7 controls (4 men, 3 women; mean [SEM] age, 51.3 [5.0] years; mean [SEM] weight, 77.5 [7.4] kg) were enrolled in the study. In the total HD population studied, mean (SEM) CYP3A4 activity did not change significantly after IV iron replacement (1.46 [0.27] vs 1.57 [0.24] (14)C exhaled/h). A subgroup of 7 HD patients had significantly lower CYP3A4 activity before IV iron replacement compared with the other 5 HD patients and controls (mean [SEM] 0.86 [0.24] vs 2.30 [0.26] and 2.10 [0.26] (14)C exhaled/h; P < 0.01). After IV iron replacement, mean (SEM) CYP3A4 activity increased in these 7 HD patients (120.1% [67.1%]); P = 0.04) and it was not statistically different from that of controls (1.50 [0.36] vs 2.10 [0.26]). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, IV iron administration had no significant effect on hepatic CYP3A4 activity. However, in a subset of HD patients with low baseline CYP3A4 activity indicated by low ERMBT values, IV iron supplementation was associated with a potentially clinically relevant increase in hepatic CYP3A4 activity. Further studies are needed to clarify mechanisms and clinical implications of this interaction.     

Micafungin activity against Candida bloodstream isolates: effect of growth medium and susceptibility testing method

An excellent correlation between micafungin MICs were demonstrated against Candida bloodstream isolates (n = 200) by the Sensititre YeastOne and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A2 methods. Use of antibiotic medium 3 (2%) dextrose improved micafungin activity and was not associated with paradoxical growth as noted with 3 Candida isolates tested using RPMI (2%) dextrose.