Discovery and characterization of novel secreted enzymes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are important for understanding the pathogenesis of one of the most important human bacterial pathogens. The proteome of M. tuberculosis contains over 400 potentially secreted proteins, the majority of which are uncharacterized. A family of seven cutinase-like proteins (CULPs) was identified by bioinformatic analysis, expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, and characterized in terms of their enzymatic activities. These studies revealed a functional diversity of enzyme classes based on differential preferences for substrate chain length. One member, Culp1, exhibited strong esterase activity, 40-fold higher than that of Culp6, which had strong activity as a lipase. Another, Culp4, performed moderately as an esterase and weakly as a lipase. Culp6 lipase activity was optimal above pH 7.0, and fully maintained to pH 8.5. None of the CULP members exhibited cutinase activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of each residue of the putative catalytic triad in Culp6 confirmed that each was essential for activity toward all fatty acid chain lengths of nitrophenyl esters and lipolytic function. Culp1 and Culp2 were present only in culture supernatants of M. tuberculosis, while Culp6, which is putatively essential for mycobacterial growth, was retained in the cell wall, suggesting the proteins play distinct roles in mycobacterial biology.

Anonymous data provided by 417 female and 179 male sexually active heterosexual respondents showed that in long term sexual relationships, sexual satisfaction was positively correlated with two different intimacy variables, the respondent's orgasm likelihood, and negatively correlated with conflict in the relationship. Multiple linear regression permitted us to measure the effect sizes of these variables as predictors of sexual satisfaction. These findings have important implications for treatment of symptomatic couples.

The first targeted inhibitors of an essential M. tuberculosis cell wall lipase, Rv3802c, are described. Lead compounds exhibited nanomolar inhibition of the enzyme, and encouraging antibacterial activity against M. tuberculosis in vitro, supporting Rv3802c as a novel TB drug target.

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2008) Empathic sexual responses in heterosexual women and men, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23:4, 325-344, Two distinct empathic sexual responses have been mentioned anecdotally in the literature: (1) an increase in physiological sexual arousal in response to the sexual arousal of the partner (empathic turn-on) and (2) a decrease in physiological sexual arousal in response to lack of sexual arousal in the partner (empathic turn-off), but to our knowledge this is the first systematic study of the phenomenon. There were 722 women and 415 men who participated in the anonymous computer survey. Of the total of 1137 participants, 90.5% agreed that they had experienced empathic turn-on, 69.1% agreed that they had experienced empathic turn-off, 64.4% agreed that they had experienced both empathic turn-on and turn-off and only 4.7% had experienced neither, w 2 (1, n ¼ 1137) ¼ 19.484, p 5 .001. Sexual satisfaction of participants was significantly lower at the levels of partner's orgasm likelihood below 0.5 than above 0.5 in both men and women when analyzed separately. Both men and women were more likely to express multiple or sustained orgasms (instead of single orgasms) with a good partner than while masturbating. Empathic sexual responses can modulate the sexual arousal of both men and women by increasing sexual arousal when the partner is aroused and decreasing sexual arousal when the partner is not sexually responsive.

In this existential-phenomenological investigation, women whose partners were mandated to attend a batterers' intervention program (BIP) were interviewed about their experiences before their partner attended his first class. The goal of this study was to gain an understanding of the woman's expectations of the BIP in the aftermath of her experience of abuse and her reasons for maintaining the relationship. Women described their experience as one of living in a dangerous environment that keeps them nervous, confused, fearful, and feeling bad about themselves, but yet hopeful that the abuse will stop now that their partner is being sent to treatment. BIP was, in fact, the "last hope," an optimism unsupported by current research data.

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Cognitive therapy is considered by many the treatment of choice for unipolar depression. Yet a number of the proven techniques of cognitive therapy depend on cultural assumptions which derive from the Western European tradition and may not be shared by ethnically diverse clients. In particular, concepts of time, and of personhood or the self, may differ considerably among minority clients. Modifications to the technique of cognitive therapy are discussed which may create a better fit between the world view of disadvantaged African American women and the cognitive model. Three case vignettes are presented including data on the use of these modifications in a practice situation using single subject design.