Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| tracking human antigen-specific memory b cells: a sensitive and generalized elispot system. | in the interest of better understanding the role of human memory b cells in protection against disease, we developed an assay to quantitate antigen-specific memory b cells in human blood. this assay utilizes a 6-day polyclonal stimulation of pbmc followed by an antigen-specific elispot for the detection of memory b cells that have differentiated into antibody secreting cells (asc) in vitro. we have used this assay to demonstrate that the anthrax vaccine (ava; biothrax) elicits a substantial popu ... | 2004 | 15087226 |
| anthrax versus the flu. | as state governments in the united states slash their public health budgets, federal money is pouring in for bioterror preparedness. | 2004 | 15088680 |
| isolation of a minireplicon of the virulence plasmid pxo2 of bacillus anthracis and characterization of the plasmid-encoded reps replication protein. | a minireplicon of plasmid pxo2 of bacillus anthracis was isolated by molecular cloning in escherichia coli and shown to replicate in b. anthracis, bacillus cereus, and bacillus subtilis. the pxo2 replicon included (i) an open reading frame encoding the putative reps replication initiation protein and (ii) the putative origin of replication. the reps protein was expressed as a fusion with the maltose binding protein (mbp) at its amino-terminal end and purified by affinity chromatography. electrop ... | 2004 | 15090513 |
| principles of 3' splice site selection and alternative splicing for an unusual group ii intron from bacillus anthracis. | we investigated the self-splicing properties of two introns from the bacterium bacillus anthracis. one intron (b.a.i1) splices poorly in vitro despite having typical structural motifs, while the second (b.a.i2) splices well while having apparently degenerated features. the spliced exons of b.a.i2 were sequenced, and splicing was found to occur at a 3' site shifted one nucleotide from the expected position, thus restoring missing gamma-gamma' and ibs3-ebs3 pairings, but leaving the two conserved ... | 2004 | 15100440 |
| the kindest cuts of all: crystal structures of kex2 and furin reveal secrets of precursor processing. | pro-hormone or pro-protein convertases are a conserved family of eukaryotic serine proteases found in the secretory pathway. these endoproteases mature precursors for peptides and proteins that perform a wide range of physiologically important and clinically relevant functions. the first member of this family to be identified was kex2 in the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. one mammalian member of this family - furin - is responsible for processing substrates that include insulin pro-receptor, hu ... | 2004 | 15102434 |
| macrophages release tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-12 in response to intracellular bacillus anthracis spores. | herein we report that infection of a murine macrophage cell line with bacillus anthracis results in the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-12 (il-12). when infected with b. anthracis spores in combination with lipopolysaccharide, macrophages release increased amounts of il-12. we found no evidence of inhibition of cytokine responses in macrophages infected with b. anthracis spores. | 2004 | 15102824 |
| [gamma radiation resistance of bacillus anthracis spores]. | the aim of the presented study was determined the effectiveness of action the gamma radiation on water suspension b. anthracis spores. the irradiation was performed using a cobalt 60 (co 60) source, by using single and fractionary irradiation doses. in the investigations was used b. anthracis stain "sterne" 34f2. the obtained results show, that gamma radiation effectively inactivates b. anthracis spores. on the efficiency of sterilization process influence the irradiation's method and the number ... | 2003 | 15103990 |
| the internet as a vehicle to communicate health information during a public health emergency: a survey analysis involving the anthrax scare of 2001. | the recent public health risks arising from bioterrorist threats and outbreaks of infectious diseases like sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) highlight the challenges of effectively communicating accurate health information to an alarmed public. | 2004 | 15111274 |
| bacillus anthracis incident, kameido, tokyo, 1993. | 2004 | 15112666 | |
| evaluation of bacillus anthracis extractable antigen for testing anthrax immunity. | three extractable bacillus anthracis cell-wall-associated antigens were evaluated for potential use as skin testing agents, and as possible candidates for in-vitro diagnosis of anthrax immunity. anthraxin and a partially purified extractable antigen (eap) were produced from avirulent b. anthracis strain 34f2 (sterne). the thermoextractable antigen used for the ascoli reaction was obtained commercially. guinea-pigs were immunised and boosted several times subcutaneously with the sterne live veter ... | 2004 | 15113319 |
| one-year health assessment of adult survivors of bacillus anthracis infection. | little is known about potential long-term health effects of bioterrorism-related bacillus anthracis infection. | 2004 | 15113818 |
| anthrax toxin: can a little be a good thing? | 2004 | 15116717 | |
| treatments for patients exposed to bioterrorism agents. | 2004 | 15117009 | |
| visual diagnosis: an infant who has a red papule on a swollen, tender arm. | 2004 | 15121911 | |
| an extracytoplasmic-function sigma factor is involved in a pathway controlling beta-exotoxin i production in bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis strain 407-1. | beta-exotoxin i is an insecticidal nucleotide analogue secreted by various bacillus thuringiensis strains. in this report, we describe the characterization and transcriptional analysis of a gene cluster, designated sigw-ecfx-ecfy, that is essential for beta-exotoxin i production in b. thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis strain 407-1. in this strain, the disruption of the sigw cluster resulted in nontoxic culture supernatants. sigw encodes a protein of 177 residues that is 97 and 94% identical to ... | 2004 | 15126472 |
| low-level detection of a bacillus anthracis simulant using love-wave biosensors on 36 degrees yx litao3. | we present an acoustic love-wave biosensor for detection of the bacillus anthracis simulant, bacillus thuringiensis at or below inhalational infectious levels. the present work is an experimental study of 36 degrees yx cut litao3 based love-wave devices for detection of pathogenic spores in aqueous conditions. given that the detection limit (d1) of love-wave-based sensors is a strong function of the overlying waveguide, two waveguide materials have been investigated, which are polyimide and poly ... | 2004 | 15128104 |
| bioshield defence programme set to fund anthrax vaccine. | 2004 | 15129240 | |
| bioterrorism: an overview. | how real is the threat of bioterrorism? experts may disagree on the likelihood of use, but the possibility cannot be totally dismissed. complacent ignorance of a low-probability, high-cost risk is dangerous and can result in devastating global consequences. this is a us government work. there are no restrictions on its use. | 2001 | 15129614 |
| structural and kinetic analyses of the interaction of anthrax adenylyl cyclase toxin with reaction products camp and pyrophosphate. | anthrax edema factor (ef) raises host intracellular camp to pathological levels through a calcium-calmodulin (cam)-dependent adenylyl cyclase activity. here we report the structure of ef.cam in complex with its reaction products, camp and pp(i). mutational analysis confirmed the interaction of ef with camp and pp(i) as depicted in the structural model. while both camp and pp(i) have access to solvent channels to exit independently, pp(i) is likely released first. ef can synthesize atp from camp ... | 2004 | 15131111 |
| regionalization of bioterrorism preparedness and response. | 2004 | 15133889 | |
| bioterrorism: the need to be prepared. | postal distribution of anthrax spores in october 2001 in the usa resulted in cases of pulmonary anthrax. in consequence, interest and concern about terrorist attacks on civilian populations using biological weapons have increased, particularly when one recent authoritative assessment suggested that an attack using some form of unconventional weapon on a western city was 'inevitable'. this article reviews the steps necessary to minimise the probability of a successful attack. despite best endeavo ... | 2004 | 15139737 |
| human anti-anthrax protective antigen neutralizing monoclonal antibodies derived from donors vaccinated with anthrax vaccine adsorbed. | background: potent anthrax toxin neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies were generated from peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) immune donors. the anti-anthrax toxin human monoclonal antibodies were evaluated for neutralization of anthrax lethal toxin in vivo in the fisher 344 rat bolus toxin challenge model. methods: human peripheral blood lymphocytes from ava immunized donors were engrafted into severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice. vaccination wi ... | 2004 | 15140257 |
| introduction: consequences of terrorism. | recent acts of terrorism have ranged from the dissemination of anthrax spores to intentional contamination of food to the release of chemical weapons to suicide attacks using explosives. the prediction of such events is difficult, if not impossible. the recent attacks that have generated massive numbers of injured and dead may signal the crossing of a new threshold from multi-casualty events to the use of weapons of mass destruction. consequently, the medical and healthcare infrastructure must b ... | 2003 | 15141852 |
| aum shinrikyo and the japanese law on bioterrorism. | before the sarin incidents in tokyo and matsumoto, the aum shinrikyo (now aleph) had tried to conduct bioterrorism with botulinum toxin and bacillus anthracis. followers of the aum could not overcome technical difficulties inherent in developing biological weapons, and the perpetrators had not been prosecuted for their failed attempts of bioterrorism. but the aum's biological attack revealed several shortcomings in the japanese law that regulated biological weapons. since the missile experiment ... | 2003 | 15141855 |
| gastrointestinal adverse reactions following anthrax vaccination: an analysis of the vaccine adverse events reporting system (vaers) database. | the institute of medicine (iom) of the united states academy of sciences in 2000 encouraged the evaluation of active long-term monitoring studies of large populations to further evaluate the relative safety of anthrax vaccine. anthrax is a deadly bacterial infectious disease that currently has been engineered as a biological warfare agent. the vaccine produced against anthrax is a cell-free crude culture of the various toxin components of the natural disease. the u.s. military current goal is to ... | 2004 | 15143911 |
| chemical screening by mass spectrometry to identify inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor. | mass spectrometry (ms) analysis is applicable to a broad range of biological analytes and has the important advantage that it does not require analytes to be labeled. a drawback of ms methods, however, is the need for chromatographic steps to prepare the analyte, precluding ms from being used in chemical screening and rapid analysis. here, we report that surfaces that are chemically tailored for characterization by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight ms eliminate the need ... | 2004 | 15146199 |
| anthrax protective antigen: efficiency of translocation is independent of the number of ligands bound to the prepore. | heptameric anthrax protective antigen (termed prepore), which assembles at the mammalian cell surface, competitively binds edema factor (ef) and/or lethal factor (lf). it then transports them to an acidic intracellular compartment and mediates their translocation across the membrane to the cytosol. steric constraints limit to three the number of molecules of ef and/or lf that can bind simultaneously to prepore. to determine whether the number of ligand molecules bound per heptamer affects the ef ... | 2004 | 15147218 |
| in vivo bacillus anthracis gene expression requires pagr as an intermediate effector of the atxa signalling cascade. | transcription of the major bacillus anthracis virulence genes is triggered by co2, a signal mimicking the host environment. a 182-kb plasmid, pxo1, carries the anthrax toxin genes and the genes responsible for their regulation of transcription, namely atxa and, pagr, the second gene of the pag operon. atxa has major effects on the physiology of b. anthracis. it coordinates the transcription activation of the toxin genes with that of the capsule biosynthetic enzyme operon, located on the second v ... | 2004 | 15149039 |
| specificity of an immunochromatographic test for anthrax. | to evaluate the specificity of an immunochromatographic test (ict) for anthrax in cattle. | 2004 | 15149073 |
| distinct mutations in plcr explain why some strains of the bacillus cereus group are nonhemolytic. | bacillus thuringiensis, bacillus cereus, and bacillus anthracis are closely related species belonging to the bacillus cereus group. b. thuringiensis and b. cereus generally produce extracellular proteins, including phospholipases and hemolysins. transcription of the genes encoding these factors is controlled by the pleiotropic regulator plcr. disruption of plcr in b. cereus and b. thuringiensis drastically reduces the hemolytic, lecithinase, and cytotoxic properties of these organisms. b. anthra ... | 2004 | 15150241 |
| novel oligosaccharide side chains of the collagen-like region of bcla, the major glycoprotein of the bacillus anthracis exosporium. | spores of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, are enclosed by a prominent loose fitting layer called the exosporium. the exosporium consists of a basal layer and an external hairlike nap. the filaments of the nap are composed of a highly immunogenic glycoprotein called bcla, which has a long, central collagen-like region with multiple xxg repeats. most of the triplet repeats are ptg, and nearly all of the triplet repeats contain a threonine residue, providing multiple potential s ... | 2004 | 15152001 |
| [neurological effects of chemical and biological weapons]. | neurological manifestations of chemical and biological weapons are reviewed. nerve agents in current use, storage, or production include tabun, sarin, soman and vx. the initial effects of exposure to a nerve agent depend on the dose and on the route of exposure. sarin, the agent studied most thoroughly in man in matumoto and tokyo attacked by aum shinrikyo will cause miosis, rhinorrehea and shortness of breath are initial complaints immediately after inhalation exposure of the vapor. the severe ... | 2003 | 15152492 |
| a second-generation anthrax "smoke detector". | 2004 | 15154269 | |
| enhancement of anthrax lethal toxin cytotoxicity: a subset of monoclonal antibodies against protective antigen increases lethal toxin-mediated killing of murine macrophages. | we investigated the ability of using monoclonal antibodies (mabs) against anthrax protective antigen (pa), an anthrax exotoxin component, to modulate exotoxin cytotoxic activity on target macrophage cell lines. anthrax pa plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of bacillus anthracis infection. pa is the cell-binding component of the two anthrax exotoxins: lethal toxin (letx) and edema toxin. several mabs that bind the pa component of letx are known to neutralize letx-mediated killing of target ... | 2004 | 15155630 |
| contribution of immunological memory to protective immunity conferred by a bacillus anthracis protective antigen-based vaccine. | protective antigen (pa)-based vaccination is an effective countermeasure to anthrax infection. while neutralizing anti-pa antibody titers elicited by this vaccine serve as good correlates for protection against anthrax (s. reuveny, m. d. white, y. y. adar, y. kafri, z. altboum, y. gozes, d. kobiler, a. shafferman, and b. velan, infect. immun. 69:2888-2893, 2001), no data are available on the contribution of the immunological memory for pa itself to protection. we therefore developed a guinea pig ... | 2004 | 15155654 |
| identification of anthrax toxin genes in a bacillus cereus associated with an illness resembling inhalation anthrax. | bacillus anthracis is the etiologic agent of anthrax, an acute fatal disease among mammals. it was thought to differ from bacillus cereus, an opportunistic pathogen and cause of food poisoning, by the presence of plasmids pxo1 and pxo2, which encode the lethal toxin complex and the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid capsule, respectively. this work describes a non-b. anthracis isolate that possesses the anthrax toxin genes and is capable of causing a severe inhalation anthrax-like illness. although init ... | 2004 | 15155910 |
| neutralizing monoclonal antibody against anthrax lethal factor inhibits intoxication in a mouse model. | anthrax toxin is the dominant virulence factor of bacillus anthracis; drugs blocking its action could therefore have therapeutic benefit. we report here the production of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mab) against anthrax lethal factor (lf) and the inhibition by the antibody of anthrax lethal toxin (letx) formation. the anti-lf monoclonal antibody lf8 neutralized the letx challenge both in vitro with macrophage j774a.1 cells and in vivo in nude mice. our data suggested that lf8 binds lf at ... | 2003 | 15156101 |
| pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis of fluoroquinolones against bacillus anthracis. | based on the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (pk-pd) parameters of ciprofloxacin in rhesus monkeys, the efficacies of levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, norfloxacin, and tosufloxacin against anthrax in humans were examined. the optimal pk-pd parameter for the prophylaxis or treatment of infection with bacillus anthracis is not clearly defined. to evaluate the efficacy of fluoroquinolones against anthrax, pk-pd parameters and the protein-binding effect of fluoroquinolones are used. b. anthracis is very ... | 2004 | 15160302 |
| molecular beacons for multiplex detection of four bacterial bioterrorism agents. | 2004 | 15161722 | |
| cutaneous anthrax. | 2004 | 15163220 | |
| post-exposure prophylaxis of systemic anthrax in mice and treatment with fluoroquinolones. | to compare the fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin with ciprofloxacin for post-exposure prophylaxis of systemic anthrax in a balb/c mouse model. | 2004 | 15163650 |
| aids-vaccine firm needled by stock-exchange rules. | 2004 | 15164031 | |
| geobacillus stearothermophilus v ubie gene product is involved in the evolution of dimethyl telluride in escherichia coli k-12 cultures amended with potassium tellurate but not with potassium tellurite. | a 3.8-kb fragment of chromosomal dna of geobacillus stearothermophilus v cloned in psp72 (p1vh) confers resistance to potassium tellurite (k(2)teo(3)) and to potassium tellurate (k(2)teo(4)) when the encoded genes are expressed in escherichia coli k-12. the nt sequence of the cloned fragment predicts three orfs of 780, 399, and 600 bp, whose encoded protein products exhibit about 80% similarity with the sumt methyltransferase and the btur protein of bacillus megaterium, and with the ubie methylt ... | 2004 | 15164269 |
| icbs: a database of interactions between protein chains mediated by beta-sheet formation. | interchain beta-sheet (icbs) interactions occur widely in protein quaternary structures, interactions between proteins and protein aggregation. these interactions play a central role in many biological processes and in diseases ranging from aids and cancer to anthrax and alzheimer's. | 2004 | 15166020 |
| ethics of university research, biotechnology and potential military spin-off. | the paper provides a brief introduction to the biotechnology revolution and its impact upon biological research relevant to military uses. it describes the status of biological weapon today, and current efforts to strengthen the biological weapons convention with a legally binding compliance protocol. specific modifications of micro-organisms that may be of military use are discussed. there examples of dual-use research activities are then used to highlight issues and dilemmas in ethical decisio ... | 2002 | 15168662 |
| cutaneous anthrax on eyelids. | ophthalmologists should be aware of the signs and symptoms of anthrax, although it is a rare disease in humans. we report our successful treatment of three patients with cutaneous lesions in the periorbital area. | 2004 | 15175920 |
| ruthenium red staining for ultrastructural visualization of a glycoprotein layer surrounding the spore of bacillus anthracis and bacillus subtilis. | ruthenium red is a polycationic stain used to visualize acid polysaccharides on the outer surface of cells. ruthenium red staining followed by electron microscopic analysis was used to demonstrate the presence of an external glycoprotein layer surrounding the spore of both bacillus anthracis and bacillus subtilis. this layer is less apparent with traditional staining methods used for electron microscopy. renografin gradients were used to purify b. subtilis spores. these purified spores displayed ... | 2004 | 15177900 |
| responding to detection of aerosolized bacillus anthracis by autonomous detection systems in the workplace. | autonomous detection systems (adss) are under development to detect agents of biologic and chemical terror in the environment. these systems will eventually be able to detect biologic and chemical hazards reliably and provide approximate real-time alerts that an agent is present. one type of ads that tests specifically for bacillus anthracis is being deployed in hundreds of postal distribution centers across the united states. identification of aerosolized b. anthracis spores in an air sample ca ... | 2004 | 15179360 |
| applications of single-molecule detection to the analysis of pathogenic dna. | we have devised a new technique based on single fluorescent molecule detection for the analysis of specific sequences of dna. the method consists of synthesizing a fluorescent reporter molecule using a polymerase extension reaction and labeled nucleotides. the fluorescent reporter products are analyzed in a laser-based single-molecule detection system. we have applied this method to the detection of puc19 and bacillus anthracis dna targets. we expect that this method will have applications in ra ... | 2004 | 15180549 |
| anthrax: a review. | 2003 | 15181958 | |
| combating bioterrorism with personal computers. | using personal computers in a grid is permitting the in silico screening of millions of molecules to seek out potential inhibitors of agents that pose bioterror threats. current projects are targeting anthrax and smallpox, but the approach has many attractions for investigating any known protein target and its inhibition. | 2004 | 15182806 |
| esterase activity as a novel parameter of spore germination in bacillus anthracis. | spores of bacillus anthracis were shown to produce esterase activity about 4 min after exposure to conventional germinants such as combinations of amino acids and purine ribosides. neither amino acids nor ribosides alone induce germination and esterase activity. expression of esterase activity was chloramphenicol resistant, and correlated with loss of spore refractivity, a traditional parameter of early germination. based on these observations, we hypothesized that esterase activity could be use ... | 2004 | 15184061 |
| response of the clinical microbiology laboratory to emerging (new) and reemerging infectious diseases. | 2004 | 15184405 | |
| recurrent, localized urticaria and erythema multiforme: a review and management of cutaneous anthrax vaccine-related events. | the october 2001 domestic anthrax attacks affected 22 people, resulting in 5 fatalities. the added global terrorist threats have created an increasing need for homeland protection, as well as protection of our widely deployed forces battling terrorism. it is now relevant for physicians to be familiar with both clinical anthrax and adverse vaccine-related events associated with the resumption of the anthrax vaccine program. dermatologists played a lead role in the initial response to the anthrax ... | 2004 | 15186046 |
| [immunobiological properties of 100 years old bacillus anthracis vaccine strains lange]. | the results of the study of b. anthracis vaccine strains lange 1 and 2 in the form of spores after prolonged storage in 30% glycerine solution at room temperature are presented. the study revealed that spores stored for 100 years germinated and bacterial cells proved to be viable when cultivated in artificial nutrient media and in vivo. they exhibited typical cultural, morphological, biochemical, virulent, antigenic and immunogenic properties. | 2004 | 15188571 |
| type ii topoisomerase mutations in bacillus anthracis associated with high-level fluoroquinolone resistance. | to identify and characterize the mechanisms of high-level fluoroquinolone resistance in two strains of bacillus anthracis following serial passage in increasing concentrations of fluoroquinolones. | 2004 | 15190035 |
| maldi points to origin of anthrax spores. | 2004 | 15190878 | |
| [emerging and reemerging diseases: a health problem in the americas]. | in the region of the americas the emerging and reemerging infectious diseases that had the greatest impact on health, in terms of their incidence and the number of deaths that they caused during the five-year period of 1999-2003, were: malaria, yellow fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, aids, anthrax, and sars, as well as infection by hantavirus and by west nile virus. the appearance of epidemics of emerging and reemerging diseases is related to biological, social, and economic factors. growth in i ... | 2004 | 15193185 |
| pluronic f127-based systemic vaccine delivery systems. | we have developed a vaccine delivery system based on the non-ionic block copolymer, pluronic f127 (f127), combined with selected immunomodulators. f127-based matrices are characterized by a phenomenon known as reverse thermogelation, whereby the formulation undergoes a phase transition from liquid to gel upon reaching physiological temperatures. protein antigens (tetanus toxoid (tt), diphtheria toxoid (dt) and anthrax recombinant protective antigen (rpa)) were formulated with f127 in combination ... | 2004 | 15193401 |
| inhibition of furin by polyarginine-containing peptides: nanomolar inhibition by nona-d-arginine. | polyarginine-containing peptides represent potent inhibitors of furin, a mammalian endoprotease that plays an important role in metabolism, activation of pathogenic toxins, and viral proliferation. the therapeutic use of d-polyarginines is especially interesting because they are not cleaved by furin and possess inhibitory potency almost equal to l-polyarginines. in this study we attempted to determine the important elements within polyarginines that contribute to effective inhibition. structure- ... | 2004 | 15197180 |
| anchored periplasmic expression, a versatile technology for the isolation of high-affinity antibodies from escherichia coli-expressed libraries. | anchored periplasmic expression (apex) is a technology for the isolation of ligand-binding proteins from combinatorial libraries anchored on the periplasmic face of the inner membrane of escherichia coli. after disruption of the outer membrane by tris-edta-lysozyme, the inner-membrane-anchored proteins readily bind fluorescently labeled ligands as large as 240 kda. fluorescently labeled cells are isolated by flow cytometry, and the dna of isolated clones is rescued by pcr. by using two rounds of ... | 2004 | 15197275 |
| ruling out bacillus anthracis. | optimization of methods for ruling out bacillus anthracis leads to increased yields, faster turnaround times, and a lighter workload. we used 72 environmental non-b. anthracis bacilli to validate methods for ruling out b. anthracis. most effective were the use of horse blood agar, motility testing after isolates had a 2-h incubation in trypticase soy broth, and screening isolates with a b. anthracis-selective agar. | 2004 | 15200872 |
| on with the show. | 2004 | 15201871 | |
| release of simulated anthrax particles from disposable respirators. | a preliminary study was undertaken to evaluate the potential for a disposable respirator that has been contaminated with anthrax spores to release spores in handling after use. the release of inert particles from disposable respirators was measured for masks dropped 3 feet onto a hard surface. ten experimental runs were conducted for each of two n95 mask types, the moldex 2200n95 and the 3m 8210. anthrax spores were simulated with a test aerosol of single and double 1-micron polystyrene spheres. ... | 2004 | 15202151 |
| assessment of electrical charge on airborne microorganisms by a new bioaerosol sampling method. | bioaerosol sampling is necessary to monitor and control human exposure to harmful airborne microorganisms. an important parameter affecting the collection of airborne microorganisms is the electrical charge on the microorganisms. using a new design of an electrostatic precipitator (esp) for bioaerosol sampling, the polarity and relative strength of the electrical charges on airborne microorganisms were determined in several laboratory and field environments by measuring the overall physical coll ... | 2004 | 15204870 |
| selection of bacillus anthracis isolates resistant to antibiotics. | long-term therapy for anthrax might induce antimicrobial resistance in bacillus anthracis. the aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of 18 different antibiotics to select resistant isolates of b. anthracis, (st-1 and sterne strains). | 2004 | 15205405 |
| biodefense research. accidental anthrax shipment spurs debate over safety. | 2004 | 15205495 | |
| airborne infection with bacillus anthracis--from mills to mail. | the lack of identified exposures in 2 of the 11 cases of bioterrorism-related inhalation anthrax in 2001 raised uncertainty about the infectious dose and transmission of bacillus anthracis. we used the wells-riley mathematical model of airborne infection to estimate 1) the exposure concentrations in postal facilities where cases of inhalation anthrax occurred and 2) the risk for infection in various hypothetical scenarios of exposure to b. anthracis aerosolized from contaminated mail in resident ... | 2004 | 15207048 |
| swab materials and bacillus anthracis spore recovery from nonporous surfaces. | four swab materials were evaluated for their efficiency in recovery of bacillus anthracis spores from steel coupons. cotton, macrofoam, polyester, and rayon swabs were used to sample coupons inoculated with a spore suspension of known concentration. three methods of processing for the removal of spores from the swabs (vortexing, sonication, or minimal agitation) and two swab preparations (premoistened and dry) were evaluated. results indicated that premoistened swabs were more efficient at recov ... | 2004 | 15207053 |
| the history of biologic warfare and bioterrorism. | biologic weapons have been used since ancient times in war, and, more recently, by terrorists. from the catapulting of plague corpses over city walls in the middle ages to the bacterial contamination of salad bars in oregon in 1984 by the rajneeshee cult, the long history of biologic weapons use underscores their current threat. in preparing for the threat of biologic weapons, health care professionals should not only be familiar with the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of the diseases ... | 2004 | 15207305 |
| anthrax. | anthrax is an ancient disease associated with the plagues in biblical egypt and modern bioterrorism. three clinical syndromes result from exposure to anthrax spores: cutaneous,inhalational, and gastrointestinal. cutaneous anthrax is the most common naturally occurring syndrome; inhalational anthrax is most likely to result from airborne release of spores. prophylactic and early treatment can improve the mortality from inhalational anthrax. a vaccine is available, but has many limitations. new va ... | 2004 | 15207306 |
| high bactericidal efficiency of type iia phospholipase a2 against bacillus anthracis and inhibition of its secretion by the lethal toxin. | there is a considerable body of evidence supporting the role of secretory type ii-a phospholipase a(2) (spla(2)-iia) as an effector of the innate immune response. this enzyme also exhibits bactericidal activity especially toward gram-positive bacteria. in this study we examined the ability of spla(2)-iia to kill bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax. our results show that both germinated b. anthracis spores and encapsulated bacilli were sensitive to the bactericidal activity of re ... | 2004 | 15210813 |
| a generic sandwich-type biosensor with nanomolar detection limits. | a quantitative and highly sensitive, yet simple and rapid, biosensor system was developed for the detection of nucleic acid sequences that can also be adapted to the detection of antigens. a dipstick-type biosensor with liposome amplification, based on a sandwich assay format with optical detection, was combined with a simple coupling reaction that allows the transformation of the generic biosensor components to target specific ones by a mere incubation step. this biosensor platform system was d ... | 2004 | 15214421 |
| ricin: mechanism of toxicity, clinical manifestations, and vaccine development. a review. | ricin is one of the most potent plant toxins known, and the castor plant from which it is derived, ricinus communis, is ubiquitous. the harvesting of castor beans exceeds one million tons annually, and ricin is easier to produce than either anthrax or botulinum. as a result, ricin is a convenient, potent, and available toxin for terrorist acts. this paper will review the mechanism of toxicity, major clinical manifestations, treatment, current methods of detection, and vaccine development. | 2004 | 15214627 |
| is it a real risk to take ciprofloxacin? | 2004 | 15220615 | |
| interview with donald f. thompson, md, mph, tm chief, interagency and international branch, north american aerospace defense command -- united states northern command surgeon's office by madeline drexler. | 2004 | 15225399 | |
| communication triage: an anthrax case study. | 2004 | 15225404 | |
| legal and public policy responses of states to bioterrorism. | in late 2001, during the aftermath of the anthrax letter attacks, model legislation was proposed to relevant state agencies to update their states' public health laws to meet the threat of bioterrorism. this legislation was the model state emergency health powers act. a concern underlying this and related efforts to address future bioterrorism threats was the perceived inadequacy of state laws to respond effectively when such threats occur. we evaluated how 4 states--utah, maine, south dakota, a ... | 2004 | 15226125 |
| a new family of potent ab(5) cytotoxins produced by shiga toxigenic escherichia coli. | the shiga toxigenic escherichia coli (stec) o113:h21 strain 98nk2, which was responsible for an outbreak of hemolytic uremic syndrome, secretes a highly potent and lethal subtilase cytotoxin that is unrelated to any bacterial toxin described to date. it is the prototype of a new family of ab(5) toxins, comprising a single 35-kilodalton (kd) a subunit and a pentamer of 13-kd b subunits. the a subunit is a subtilase-like serine protease distantly related to the ba_2875 gene product of bacillus ant ... | 2004 | 15226357 |
| development of an automated sample preparation module for environmental monitoring of biowarfare agents. | an automated sample preparation module, based upon sequential injection analysis (sia), has been developed for use within an autonomous pathogen detection system. the sia system interfaced aerosol sampling with multiplexed microsphere immunoassay-flow cytometric detection. metering and sequestering of microspheres using sia was found to be reproducible and reliable, over 24-h periods of autonomous operation. four inbuilt immunoassay controls showed excellent immunoassay and system stability over ... | 2004 | 15228315 |
| [some important biological active genes of bacillus anthracis and its regulation ]. | 2004 | 15231178 | |
| clinical pearls: winning photograph from the saem conference 2002. | 2004 | 15231463 | |
| biodefense cost and consequence. | 2004 | 15232603 | |
| initial experience with mass immunization as a bioterrorism countermeasure. | anthrax vaccine was administered to approximately 5000 individuals at a deployed location near iraq in a 1-week period. this report describes the planning and administrative process to initiate such a program, with a snapshot view of the first week of immunization. compliance with this program was important to best protect troops in this high-threat region. the authors share their experience and detail the process of handling refusals, as these are most likely to reveal themselves at the beginni ... | 2004 | 15233330 |
| commentary: the 2001 anthrax attacks: implications for the medical community and beyond. | 2004 | 15234018 | |
| critical issues in bioterrorism preparedness: before and after september 2001. | the bioterrorism preparedness and response survey (bprs) was a survey of ohio local health departments' capacity to respond to bioterrorism. soon after completion of the bprs, the events of september 11 occurred, followed by the human cases of anthrax. the ohio response to bioterrorism 2001 survey (orb) identified bioterrorism preparedness issues related to the suspected anthrax incidents. the bprs measured capacity before september 11, 2001, and the orb measured ohio communities' response to wh ... | 2004 | 15235375 |
| an overview of terrorism and its impact on biomedical research facilities. | since the '9/11' and anthrax-contaminated-letter events of 2001, american society has given the term "bioterrorism" much attention. the author clarifies the definitions associated with bioterrorism and terrorism, provides an historical perspective regarding bioweapons, defines and characterizes the types of agents used as bioweapons, reviews pertinent bioterrorism legislation, and concludes by assessing the impact of these elements on biomedical research facilities. | 2003 | 15235681 |
| message from the editor. | 2004 | 15236393 | |
| development of evaluation procedures for local exhaust ventilation for united states postal service mail-processing equipment. | researchers from the national institute for occupational safety and health (niosh) have conducted several evaluations of local exhaust ventilation (lev) systems for the united states postal service (usps) since autumn 2001 when (a) terrorist(s) employed the mail system for acts of bioterrorism. as a part of the usps 2002 emergency preparedness plan, the development and installation of lev onto usps mail-processing equipment can reduce future exposures to operators from potentially hazardous cont ... | 2004 | 15238311 |
| rapid anthrax test approved. | 2004 | 15238576 | |
| risk factors for human anthrax among contacts of anthrax-infected livestock in kazakhstan. | a retrospective cohort analysis was conducted in kazakhstan to define modifiable risk factors during seven outbreaks of human anthrax. fifty-three cases and 255 non-ill persons with an epidemiologic link to an infected animal were enrolled. cases were 58% male and had a median age of 35 years (range = 5-71). nearly all cases had cutaneous disease (96%). two patients (4%) were diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease. although all cases had some contact with an infected animal other than consumpti ... | 2004 | 15238688 |
| structures of sortase b from staphylococcus aureus and bacillus anthracis reveal catalytic amino acid triad in the active site. | surface proteins attached by sortases to the cell wall envelope of bacterial pathogens play important roles during infection. sorting and attachment of these proteins is directed by c-terminal signals. sortase b of s. aureus recognizes a motif npqtn, cleaves the polypeptide after the thr residue, and attaches the protein to pentaglycine cross-bridges. sortase b of b. anthracis is thought to recognize the npktg motif, and attaches surface proteins to m-diaminopimelic acid cross-bridges. we have d ... | 2004 | 15242591 |
| crystal structure of a complex between anthrax toxin and its host cell receptor. | anthrax toxin consists of the proteins protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf) and oedema factor (ef). the first step of toxin entry into host cells is the recognition by pa of a receptor on the surface of the target cell. subsequent cleavage of receptor-bound pa enables ef and lf to bind and form a heptameric pa63 pre-pore, which triggers endocytosis. upon acidification of the endosome, pa63 forms a pore that inserts into the membrane and translocates ef and lf into the cytosol. two closely ... | 2004 | 15243628 |
| identification of bacillus anthracis by multiprobe microarray hybridization. | we have developed a rapid assay based on microarray analysis of amplified genetic markers for reliable identification of bacillus anthracis and its discrimination from other closely related bacterial species of the bacillus cereus group. by combining polymerase chain reaction (pcr) amplification of six b. anthracis-specific genes (plasmid-associated genes encoding virulence factors (cyaa, paga, lef, and capa, capb, capc) and one chromosomal marker ba-5449) with analysis of amplicons by microarra ... | 2004 | 15246505 |
| development of an in vitro-based potency assay for anthrax vaccine. | the potency assay currently used to evaluate consistency of manufacture for the anthrax vaccine is contingent upon meeting specified parameters after statistical analysis of the percent survival and time to death of vaccinated guinea pigs after challenge with spores of a virulent strain of bacillus anthracis. during the development of a new anthrax vaccine based upon recombinant protective antigen (rpa) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide gel (alhydrogel), we found that the serological response of fe ... | 2004 | 15246620 |
| cpg oligonucleotides improve the protective immune response induced by the anthrax vaccination of rhesus macaques. | synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (odn) containing unmethylated cpg motifs act as immune adjuvants, improving the immune response elicited by co-administered vaccines. combining cpg odn with anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava, the licensed human vaccine) increased the speed, magnitude and avidity of the resultant anti-anthrax response. the protective activity of these abs was established by passive transfer to anthrax-challenged mice. the ability of cpg odn to accelerate and magnify the immune response ... | 2004 | 15246624 |
| terrorism-preparedness training for non-clinical hospital workers: tailoring content and presentation to meet workers' needs. | clinicians have been the primary focus of health care worker training in response to the 2001 terrorist and anthrax attacks. however, many nonclinical hospital workers also are critical in providing medical care during any large-scale emergency. we designed a training program, guided by focus groups, to provide them with information to recognize unusual events and to protect themselves. we compared four different training methods: workbook, video, lecture, and a small-group discussion. one hundr ... | 2004 | 15247806 |
| uncertain benefit: the public policy of approving smallpox vaccine research. | without an accurate assessment of the prospect of bioterrorist attack, it is especially challenging to evaluate the protocols for testing smallpox vaccines in the pediatric population. usual regulatory mechanisms cannot shepherd research protocols with benefits that can only be characterized as "uncertain" in the face of more than minimal risk. when a protocol is placed in a government forum for analysis, the public has a unique opportunity to debate the balancing of research risks and benefits ... | 2004 | 15249295 |
| looking at big brothers for clues. | 2004 | 15250878 | |
| industrial radiation processing--working behind the scenes. | 2004 | 15254319 |