Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine.

In our study, fast-track protocol resulted in a shorter time to mobilization, complete feeding, and discharge from hospital. Fast-track protocol did not increase the incidence of complications. However, we consider that our data require further confirmation with powered multicenter national studies.

Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes predispose women to familial, early-onset breast cancer. Both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins appear to function in the homologous recombination pathway of DNA doublestrand break repair. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 have also been implicated in transcription by RNA polymerase II, for both proteins have domains which, when tethered adjacent to a promoter, can activate transcription. In experiments reported here, we have used protein affinity chromatography and coimmunoprecipitation techniques to show that the putative N-terminal acidic transcriptional activation domain of BRCA2 interacts with replication protein A (RPA), a protein essential for DNA repair, replication and recombination. This interaction was not mediated by DNA and was specific for human RPA but not yeast RPA. Since the cancer-predisposing mutation Y42C in BRCA2 significantly compromised the interaction between RPA and BRCA2, this interaction may be biologically important. That BRCA2 protein in HeLa cell extract also coimmunoprecipitated with RPA suggested that this interaction occurs in vivo. Therefore, the transcriptional activation domains within BRCA2, and perhaps BRCA1, may provide links to RPA and DNA repair processes rather than transcription.

The development of methods for obtaining new materials with antimicrobial properties, based on green chemistry principles has been a target of research over the past few years. The present paper describes the phyto-mediated synthesis of metallic nano-architectures (gold and silver) via an ethanolic extract of Melissa officinalis L. (obtained by accelerated solvent extraction). Different analytic methods were applied for the evaluation of the extract composition, as well as for the characterization of the phyto-synthesized materials. The cytogenotoxicity of the synthesized materials was evaluated by Allium cepa assay, while the antimicrobial activity was examined by applying both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results demonstrate the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (average diameter 13 nm) and gold nanoparticles (diameter of ca. 10 nm); the bi-metallic nanoparticles proved to have a core-shell flower-like structure, composed of smaller particles (ca. 8 nm). The Ag nanoparticles were found not active on nuclear DNA damage. The Au nanoparticles appeared nucleoprotective, but were aggressive in generating clastogenic aberrations in A. cepa root meristematic cells. Results of the antimicrobial assays show that silver nanoparticles were active against most of the tested strains, as the lowest MIC value being obtained against B. cereus (approx. 0.0015 mM).

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