The apocytochrome b (COB) gene has been isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) mitochondrial DNA. Sequence analysis reveals that the coding region of the gene is 1164 bp long and, in contrast with the homologous gene from yeast, does not contain introns or TGA (Trp) codons. The predicted polypeptide encoded by the gene has a mol. wt. of 42 868 daltons, and shows ˜48% amino acid sequence homology with the corresponding yeast and mammalian polypeptides. Hydropathic profiles of the polypeptide indicate the presence of nine, membrane spanning hydrophobic domains suggesting that it is organised in the inner mitochondrial membrane in a similar fashion to that proposed for apocytochrome b in other organisms. The COB gene is preceded by a sequence 5′ ‐AGTTGTCA‐3′ which may act as a ribosome binding site in the mRNA since: (i) it shows 67.5% complementarity with an octanucleotide at the 3′ end of the maize mitochondrial 18S rRNA, located in a position homologous to that of the Escherichia coli Shine and Dalgarno sequence, and (ii) a similar sequence precedes several other plant mitochondrial genes at a distance of 15–20 nucleotides from the ATG initiation codon. RNA transcript analysis shows that the gene is transcribed in a complex manner with the presumed mature mRNA (˜2.25 kb) probably being derived by sequential processing from a larger primary transcript.

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BackgroundThe standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) is used by emergency medicine (EM) faculty during the interview and match process. Data has shown that female allopathic applicants score higher in communal characteristics and have a greater number of ability words in the narrative portion of the SLOE as compared to their male counterparts. ObjectiveTo determine if there is a difference in the language used to describe male and female osteopathic applicants within the SLOE. MethodsAll applicants to a three-year EM residency within a single application cycle were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria included allopathic applicants, applicants without a SLOE, or applicants with a SLOE only from the interviewing program. Data collected included applicant demographics and SLOE narratives. The previously validated Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC; Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc., Austin, TX) product was used to analyze word counts from the narrative portion of each SLOE. Descriptive statistics and t-tests for continuous data were used. ResultsOf the 577 applicants to the residency program, 318 met inclusion criteria and 33% were female. Females had a higher COMLEX-2 (590 vs 559; p=0.05) as compared to males but no difference was found for the remainder of the baseline demographics. No difference was found for the number of words in the narrative portion of the SLOE between males and females (males = 122 words; females = 127 words; p=0.53). Words within the social (p=0.006), achievement (p=0.007), and standout (p<0.001) categories were more frequent in osteopathic female applicants as compared to males. No statistical differences were detected for the other 13 categories analyzed. ConclusionIn this sample of osteopathic applicants, little linguistic difference was noted for the narrative portion of the SLOE. SLOE authors did, however, use more social, achievement, and standout words to describe females as compared to male applicants.

Introduction Although there were several proposed treatments for patients that were hospitalized with COVID-19, outpatient treatments for those with mild to moderate illness were limited prior to the emergency use authorization (EUA) of virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. To assess the efficacy of outpatient monoclonal therapy, the investigators assessed the seven, 14, and 28-day emergency department and hospitalization rates of adult patients given bamlanivimab for the treatment of COVID-19 at a community hospital. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of all adult patients given bamlanivimab within the emergency department or an outpatient infusion center from December 2, 2020 through January 8, 2021 for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19. Patients were compared to a set of controls who would have qualified for bamlanivimab treatment prior to its authorization in reverse temporal order from November 30, 2020 through August 1, 2020. Abstracted data included patient demographics, allergic reactions, emergency department presentations, and hospitalizations at seven, 14, and 28 days post-infusion due to COVID-19 and any in-hospital mortality in those admitted with a COVID-19 complication. Results A total of 136 patients received bamlanivimab during the study period with none having an allergic reaction during infusion. In those who received bamlanivimab, 84 (61.8%) patients included were aged 65 years or older. At 28 days, there was a statistically significant reduction in emergency department visits in those who received bamlanivimab (20 vs 36 patients; p = 0.03) but not at seven days (12 vs 20 patients; p = 0.18) or 14 days (17 vs 28 patients; p = 0.11). No statistically significant difference in emergency department returns was noted in those aged 65 years or older at seven (eight vs eight patients; p = 0.70), 14 (11 vs 10 patients; p = 0.83), or 28 days (13 vs 14 patients, p = 0.46). A total of six (4.4%) patients were hospitalized at 28 days following the bamlanivimab infusion with five (83.3%) being aged 65 or older. No statistical difference was noted for decreased hospitalizations at seven (four vs five patients; p = 0.79), 14 (five vs nine patients; p = 0.32), or 28 days (six vs nine patients; p = 0.49) post-infusion. No patients suffered from in-hospital mortality after infusion with bamlanivimab. Conclusion Outpatient infusion of bamlanivimab reduced the incidence of those with mild to moderate COVID-19 requiring subsequent care through the emergency department at 28 days but not hospitalizations within this time frame. No statistical difference was noted in either emergency department visits or hospitalizations in those aged 65 or greater who were treated as an outpatient with bamlanivimab for mild to moderate COVID-19.