Mahidol University

About: Mahidol University is a education organization based out in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Malaria. The organization has 23758 authors who have published 39761 publications receiving 878781 citations.

Preliminary Study of Colistin versus Colistin plus Fosfomycin for Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Infections

Abstract: Ninety-four patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii were randomized to receive colistin alone or colistin plus fosfomycin for 7 to 14 days. The patients who received combination therapy had a significantly more favorable microbiological response and a trend toward more favorable clinical outcomes and lower mortality than those who received colistin alone. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01297894.).

Multiple pathways guide oxygen diffusion into flavoenzyme active sites

Abstract: Dioxygen (O(2)) and other gas molecules have a fundamental role in a variety of enzymatic reactions. However, it is only poorly understood which O(2) uptake mechanism enzymes employ to promote efficient catalysis and how general this is. We investigated O(2) diffusion pathways into monooxygenase and oxidase flavoenzymes, using an integrated computational and experimental approach. Enhanced-statistics molecular dynamics simulations reveal spontaneous protein-guided O(2) diffusion from the bulk solvent to preorganized protein cavities. The predicted protein-guided diffusion paths and the importance of key cavity residues for oxygen diffusion were verified by combining site-directed mutagenesis, rapid kinetics experiments, and high-resolution X-ray structures. This study indicates that monooxygenase and oxidase flavoenzymes employ multiple funnel-shaped diffusion pathways to absorb O(2) from the solvent and direct it to the reacting C4a atom of the flavin cofactor. The difference in O(2) reactivity among dehydrogenases, monooxygenases, and oxidases ultimately resides in the fine modulation of the local environment embedding the reactive locus of the flavin.

PAX4 Mutations in Thais with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young

Abstract: Context: Six maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) genes have been discovered to date but account for a small proportion of MODY among Asians, suggesting the existence of other MODY genes in this racial group. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not genetic variants in PAX4, a crucial transcription factor in β-cell development, contribute to MODY in Thais. Design and Methods: We screened PAX4 coding sequences in 46 MODY probands without mutation in known MODY genes and in 74 nondiabetic controls using PCR-single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis followed by direct sequencing. Genotyping of variants identified was done by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results: Eight sequence differences were identified. Two novel variations (R164W and IVS7–1G>A) were found in two different probands. Neither was found in the 74 nondiabetic controls and additional 270 healthy subjects of Thai origin. R164W segregated with diabetes in the family of the prob...