Suchergebnisse

Despite the importance of electron transfer (ET) between redox proteins in photosynthesis and respiration, the inter-protein ET rate between redox partner proteins has never been measured as a function of their separation in aqueous solution. Here we use electrochemical tunneling spectroscopy to show that the current between two protein partners decays along more than 10 nm in the solution. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal a reduced ionic density and extended electric field in the volume confined between the proteins. The distance-decay factor and the calculated local barrier for ET are regulated by the electrochemical potential applied to the proteins. Redox partners could use electrochemically gated, long distance ET through the solution in order to conciliate high ET specificity with weak binding, thus keeping high turnover rates in the crowded environment of cells. ; The project was funded by CERCA, FEDER, and Networking Biomedical Research Center (CIBER), Spain. CIBER is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&i Plan 2008–2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions, and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with the support of the European Regional Development Fund. This work was financially supported by the Commission for Universities and Research of the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 1442, 2014 SGR 1442, and 2017 SGR 1189), by the Andalusian Government (BIO198), and the projects CTQ2016–80066-R, CTQ2015-66194-R, CTQ2017-85496-P and Spanish Structures of Excellence Maria de Maeztu, MDM2017-0767, and BFU2015-71017-P/BMC awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. A.N.-H. thanks the Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR for a FI scholarship. MINECO/ICTI2013-2016/CTQ2015-66194-R MINECO/ICTI2013-2016/BFU2015-71017-P MICIU/ICTI2017-2020/CTQ2017-85496-P MICIU/ICTI2017-2020/MDM2017-0767 ; Peer reviewed

Background: a wide range of palliative care services has been implemented in Catalonia over the past 20 years. Quantitative and qualitative differences in the organization of palliative care services between districts and settings can result in wide variability in the quality of these services, and their accessibility. Methods: we implemented a benchmark methodology to compare dimensions of care and organization, to identify aspects requiring improvement, and to establish indicators to measure progress. The overall aim was to generate a consensus document for submission to the Department of Health (DoH) of the Government of Catalonia. Results: a Steering Committee convoked a meeting in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) and representatives (n = 114) of all the 37 districts within our health care remit (rural, urban, intermediate, and metropolitan) and settings of the health care system (hospitals, social health centers, community, and nursing homes) attended and took part in plenary sessions and workshops to define areas that, in their experience, were considered weak. Twenty-one consensus recommendations achieving high levels of consensus were generated for submission to the DoH. These included the formal definition of the model of care and organization of palliative care services at all levels in the region, the implementation of measures for improvement in different settings and scenarios, systems for continuous care, and facilities for the continuing training of health care personnel. These proposals have since been implemented in a trial region and, depending on the outcomes, will be applied throughout our health service. Conclusion: we conclude that benchmark methodology is valuable in acquiring data for use in improving palliative care organization for patients' benefit.