The unique functions of biomolecules, including transport across biological membranes (e.g. the cell membrane, the nuclear envelope), modulation of protein function, gene transcription, reconstitution of the malignant transformation, and viral, bacterial and fungal activities underlie a high pharmaceutical potential. The development of combinatorial functional peptide modules in this important area has been slow, in contrast to the rapid development in the synthesis of small biopolymers. The conjugation of a short transmembrane transport peptide module with a cell nucleus address peptide module and with any substance is attractive for preparation of BioShuttle-based peptides because of the well-established automated synthesis of peptides. Variation of the different functional modules for drug targeting and the choice of substances can be combined to create novel bioconjugates with unique properties. This article provides an overview of previous work on the BioShuttle technology and outlines the promising use of this approach in combinatorial peptide synthesis and drug discovery.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Concordance of use of alcohol and other substances among older adult couples.

This study used data from a community survey of 826 older adults to examine the level of concordance of substance use among married couples and the extent to which demographic, social and health factors were associated with concordant drinking patterns. Results showed significant concordance for use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and depressant medications, with very high concordance on frequency of drinking and overall volume of consumption of alcohol. Drinking spouses were also very accurate in reporting each other's usual frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. Education and religiosity were associated with concordance on drinking status (drinker/abstainer), but few other variables were significantly associated with drinking status or drinking level. In particular, marital happiness did not appear to be affected by discordant drinking. The results also indicated that having a drinking spouse (versus an abstinent spouse) was associated with higher levels of drinking. These findings suggest that spousal influence on drinking is an important aspect of drinking among older persons and may have implications for understanding the effects of gender and widowhood on the development of late-onset problem drinking.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Measuring treatment process beliefs among staff of specialized addiction treatment services.

In a survey conducted in Ontario, front-line staff of specialized addiction treatment services were asked to indicate the extent to which they believed 53 different treatment processes to be necessary for the effective treatment of people with alcohol and drug problems. Cognitive-behavioural processes were generally rated as almost essential for treatment to be effective. Other processes received mixed ratings, while confrontation and pharmacological treatment were, on average, rated as detrimental. Factor analysis identified three interpretable dimensions of beliefs (a) cognitive-behavioural, (b) disease, and (c) medication. A fourth dimension involved both psychodynamic and conditioning processes and did not clearly correspond with any known therapeutic approach. Scores on scales developed using items from these four dimensions were variously influenced by respondents age, education, place of work, and certification status. Two groups identified using cluster analysis differed primarily with respect to scores on the disease scale. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, certification status, and place of work were associated with membership in these groups. Implications for treatment system development and research are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The value of peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) in the diagnosis of osteoporosis].

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of distal radial pQCT in discriminating between osteoporotic fracture and non fracture cases and its efficiency to predict fractures. METHODS: Densitometric data determined with an XCT 900 Stratec pQCT device at the distal radius of women who had suffered distal radius (57), spinal (87) or femoral neck fractures (21) before or after measurement were compared with densitometric data of age-matched healthy women (265) and were analyzed in regression tests. Women whose fractures occurred before measuring were selectively analyzed. RESULTS: More significant differences between fracture and non fracture groups were obtained by trabecular bone density (TBD) (r2radius = 0.531, r2spine = 0.528, r2femur = 0.711, p < 0.001) than by total bone density (BD) (r2radius = 0.468, r2spine = 0.495, r2femur = 0.605, p < 0.001). In the radius and spine group TBD data determined before fracture showed less significant differences than those determined afterwards, whereas in the femur group TBD data were almost equal. All femur fractures could be predicted. As TBD decreased, the relative risk of fracture increased by gradients of m radius = 0.017, m spine = 0.013, and m femur = 0.027 in the linear regions of the risk curves. CONCLUSION: Selective measuring of TBD at the distal radius enables one to detect bone loss at an early stage and to estimate the risk of future fractures not only at the point of measurement.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interpreting your Medicare mortality rates.

Each year, hospitals are provided data on actual and predicted mortality rates for their Medicare patients. This article explains how the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) calculates the actual and predicted death rates, gives details on a method by which hospitals can determine if their actual death rates are significantly better or worse than HCFA's predicted death rates, and suggests a strategy for identifying opportunities for improvement when actual mortality rates are significantly different from predicted rates.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗