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Biomedical subjects

R Lavery

Publications and source records attributed to R Lavery.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

The electrostatic molecular potential of tRNAPhe. IV. The potentials and steric accessibilities of sites associated with the bases.

The sites of the 76 nucleic acid bases of tRNAPhe potentially reactive towards electrophiles are studied by calculations on the associated molecular electrostatic potentials and the static steric accessibilities. Each of these sites is treated in its environment within the macromolecule. The influence of various schemes of screening by countercations of the backbone phosphates on the electrostatic potentials is investigated. The possible significance of the potentials and accessibilities in connection with observed chemical reactivities is discussed.

Adenine↗

The electrostatic potential and steric accessibility of reactive sites within Z-DNA.

A theoretical study of indices potentially useful for investigation of the reactivity of the recently discovered Z-DNA double helix is presented. The electrostatic potential minima and the steric accessibility of reactive sites are calculated. The effect of screening the phosphate groups by metal cations is investigated. The results are compared with those for the B-DNA double helix.

Cations↗

ADAPT: a molecular mechanics approach for studying the structural properties of long DNA sequences.

We describe an original approach to determining sequence-structure relationships for DNA. This approach, termed ADAPT, combines all-atom molecular mechanics with a multicopy algorithm to build nucleotides that contain all four standard bases in variable proportions. These nucleotides enable us to search very rapidly for base sequences that energetically favor chosen types of DNA deformation or chosen DNA-protein or DNA-ligand interactions. Sequences satisfying the chosen criteria can be found by energy minimization, combinatorial sequence searching, or genome scanning, in a manner similar to the threading approaches developed for protein structure prediction. In the latter case, we are able to analyze roughly 2000 base pairs per second. Applications of the method to DNA allomorphic transitions, DNA deformation, and specific DNA interactions are presented.

Algorithms↗

Storage temperatures of medications on an air medical helicopter.

INTRODUCTION: The safety and efficacy of medications stored on air medical helicopters may be adversely affected by extreme temperatures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether temperatures inside an air medical helicopter drug box were within the U.S. Pharmacopeia recommendations for controlled room temperature. This is defined as a temperature between 15 degrees and 30 degrees C (59 degrees and 86 degrees F) with a mean kinetic temperature of less than 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). An additional goal was to determine whether time/temperature indicator labels can reliably monitor mean kinetic temperatures. METHODS: Temperatures were monitored with miniature electronic temperature recorders and color-changing time/temperature indicator labels. RESULTS: The mean kinetic temperatures for the summer and winter periods were 25.1 degrees C (77.2 degrees F) and 12.7 degrees C (54.8 degrees F), respectively. In the summer, the electronic recorders logged temperatures exceeding 25 degrees C (59 degrees F) 37% of the time and more than 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) 6% of the time. In the winter, temperatures less than 15 degrees C (59 degrees F) were recorded 83% of the time. The mean kinetic temperatures obtained from the electronic recorder and the time/temperature indicator labels differed by less than 0.7 degree C (1.3 degrees F). The results show that medications on an air medical helicopter are subject to temperatures out of the recommended range and that time/temperature indicator labels can reliably monitor mean kinetic temperatures.

Air Ambulances↗