The Antibacterial Drug Candidate SBC3 is a Potent Inhibitor of Bacterial Thioredoxin Reductase

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem for public health and associated with increasing economic costs and mortality rates. Silver and silver-related compounds have been used for centuries due to their antimicrobial properties. In this work, we show that 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-diphenyl-imidazol-2-ylidene silver(I) acetate/NHC*-Ag-OAc (SBC3) is a reversible, high affinity inhibitor of E. coli thioredoxin reductase (TrxR; K_i=10.8±1.2 nM). Minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) tests with different E. coli and P. aeruginosa strains demonstrated that SBC3 can efficiently inhibit bacterial cell growth, especially in combination with established antibiotics like gentamicin. Our results show that SBC3 is a promising antibiotic drug candidate targeting bacterial TrxR.     

The ability of the rat to metabolize myristoyl-methionine: an acylamino acid with potentially useful antibacterial properties

Two experiments with Sprague Dawley rats tested their ability to hydrolyse myristoyl-methionine (M-M) into myristic acid and L-methionine (M). In the first experiment, lasting for 3 days. male rats were orally administered [9,10-3H]myristoyl-L-[35S]methionine. The recovery of radioactivity was approximately 90% for both isotopes; 19% of the administered 3H was recovered in the urine and 16% in the faeces, while the recovered 35S activity was 13 and 12%, respectively. The balance of the radioactivity was found among the tissues, organs and blood. In the second experiment, male and female rats received soybean-based diets which were supplemented with either 0.305% M-M or 0.2% M (both diets contained equal amounts of M) for periods up to 4 weeks. The growth rate of the rats receiving the 0.305% M-M diets was slightly slower than that for the rats on the 0.2% M diet, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The M-M rats had a transitory decrease in feed consumption, suggesting that palatability may have contributed to the growth difference and that a somewhat greater amount of M-M was necessary for the rat to attain the same growth rate as that produced by 0.2% M. When the amount of dietary M-M was increased to 3.05% M-M, a greater reduction in feed consumption and body weight gain was observed. This latter diet was an initial attempt to study the potential toxicity of M-M. None of the haematological, clinical chemistry or organ weight data suggested that M-M was overtly toxic per se, but longer-term feeding studies are needed to evaluate the potential toxicity of M-M more fully.     

Optical Splitting Trees for High-Precision Monocular Imaging

In this article, we consider the design of monocular multiview optical systems that form optical splitting trees, where the optical path topology takes the shape of a tree because of recursive beam splitting. Designing optical splitting trees is challenging when it requires many views with specific spectral properties. We introduce a manual design paradigm for optical splitting trees and a computer-assisted design tool to create efficient splitting-tree cameras. The tool accepts as input a specification for each view and a set of weights describing the user's relative affinity for efficiency, measurement accuracy, and economy. An optimizer then searches for a design that maximizes these weighted priorities. Our tool's output is a splitting-tree design that implements the input specification and an analysis of the efficiency of each root-to-leaf path. Automatically designed trees appear comparable to those designed by hand; we even show some cases where they are superior. With the help of the optimizer, the system demonstrates high dynamic range, focusing, matting, and hybrid imaging implemented on a single, reconfigurable camera containing eight sensors     

Use of flavour profile and consumer panels to determine differences between local water supplies and desalinated seawater.

The San Diego County Water Authority of California has initiated planning for coastal desalination facilities to augment their water supplies. Integration of the different water qualities from these facilities into existing pipelines must be achieved. This investigation determined whether, and to what degree, consumers can discriminate between desalinated seawater and imported water supplies and how these investigations can contribute to decision making regarding the need for construction of facilities to blend such supplies prior to delivery. Based upon the results of the flavour profile analysis panel and the consumer evaluation sessions, it was concluded that free chlorine versus chloramine disinfection or different concentrations of disinfectants did not significantly affect consumer perception of the taste and odour of desalinated seawater or blends with Colorado River water and State project water. Consumers were able to discern between desalinated seawater and imported water, preferring imported water when forced to make a choice. However, the investigators did not believe that the difference in consumer perception was significant enough to warrant special blending facilities to mitigate the relatively minor aesthetic quality differences between imported water supplies and desalinated seawater.     

Aggressive drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

Recent data indicate that rheumatoid arthritis is more often systemic, progressive, and disabling than benign, and that it reduces life expectancy. The new evidence argues for a dramatic alteration in pharmacologic management. If several months of rest, exercise, and anti-inflammatory therapy are ineffectual, aggressive treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic and immunosuppressive agents may be in order.     

Relationships between nocturnal activity, parental ratings of daytime activity and measues from the Children's Sleep Behaviour Scale.

Monitored the nocturnal activity levels of 20 boys and 20 girls (mean age 10.46 yrs) from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM over 2 consecutive nights in their homes. Frequency of sleep-related behaviors based on retrospective parental ratings was assessed by the Children's Sleep Behavior Scale (CSBS). Children who were rated high on sleep behaviors with an observable motor component were also more active during the night, thereby validating the motor subscale of the CSBS. Nocturnal activity was associated with another CSBS-derived sleep score that included items with positive affective content, such as laughing and smiling while asleep. Children who showed bedtime resistance behaviors and complained of difficulty going to sleep were not more active during the night. Gender, age, and parental perception of daytime activity levels were not related to objective measures of nocturnal activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)