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Proteins with Dbl homology (DH) domains operate as specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors, activating Rho-family GTPases. All DH domains have C-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domains that may be involved in targeting and regulatory functions. The crystal structure of a fragment of human Son of sevenless protein having the DH and PH domains, was determined at 2.3 A resolution. The active DH domain site is close to the interface between the DH and PH domains.

A study was conducted to characterize the crystal structures of the arm-repeat region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae karyopherin in unliganded form and in complex with a peptide. Multiple isomorphous replacement was carried out to determine structure phases. Results indicated that the repeated arm motifs support a complex set of interactions with the backbone and side chains of the nuclear localization signals.

The primary objective of this study was to describe parents' preference for how physicians should approach diet and weight-related advice for their child. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (n = 40) of preschoolers, transcribed verbatim, and double-coded using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Parents identified recommendations for how physicians should approach conversations about weight. Themes included (1) Tone and Approach are Important, (2) Avoid Judgment, (3) Have Regard for Parental Expertise, (4) Consider the Timing of the Discussion with Parents, and (5) Equip Parents with Concrete and Individualized Recommendations. Future research should focus on developing brief, effective communication tools to guide discussions with parents about child nutrition and weight. Opportunities to learn about and practice the use of these brief interventions should be incorporated into medical education with the goal of providing clinicians the learning opportunities, skills/tools, and resources needed to adequately and respectfully discuss weight and diet with parents and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates the potential therapeutic effects of Oct-4-positive rat umbilical cord matrix (RUCM) in treating cerebral global ischemia using a reproducible model of cardiac arrest and resuscitation in rats. The results reveal that RUCM cell transplantation indirectly reduces the percentage of damage hippocampal neurons after cardiac arrest.

Potential therapeutic effects of Oct-4-positive rat umbilical cord matrix (RUCM) cells in treating cerebral global ischemia were evaluated using a reproducible model of cardiac arrest (CA) and resuscitation in rats. Animals were randomly assigned to four groups: A, sham-operated; B, 8-minute CA without pretreatment; C, 8-minute CA pretreated with defined media; and D, 8-minute CA pretreated with Oct-4(+) RUCM cells. Pretreatment was done 3 days before CA by 2.5-microl microinjection of defined media or approximately 10(4) Oct-4(+) RUCM cells in left thalamic nucleus, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and cortex. Damage was assessed histologically 7 days after CA and was quantified by the percentage of injured neurons in hippocampal CA1 regions. Little damage (approximately 3%-4%) was found in the sham group, whereas 50%-68% CA1 pyramidal neurons were injured in groups B and C. Pretreatment with Oct-4(+) RUCM cells significantly (p < .001) reduced neuronal loss to 25%-32%. Although the transplanted cells were found to have survived in the brain with significant migration, few were found directly in CA1. Therefore, transdifferentiation and fusion with host cells cannot be the predominant mechanisms for the observed protection. The Oct-4(+) RUCM cells might repair nonfocal tissue damage by an extracellular signaling mechanism. Treating cerebral global ischemia with umbilical cord matrix cells seems promising and worthy of further investigation.