Publications

competition for zinc binding in the host-pathogen interaction.	due to its favorable chemical properties, zinc is used as a structural or catalytic cofactor in a very large number of proteins. despite the apparent abundance of this metal in all cell types, the intracellular pool of loosely bound zinc ions available for biological exchanges is in the picomolar range and nearly all zinc is tightly bound to proteins. in addition, to limit bacterial growth, some zinc-sequestering proteins are produced by eukaryotic hosts in response to infections. therefore, to ...	2013	24400228
grand challenges in pediatric otolaryngology.		2013	24400256
management of patients with risk factors.	this review addresses concomitant diseases and risk factors in patients treated for diseases of the ears, nose and throat in outpatient and hospital services. besides heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and kidney disease, this article also covers disorders of coagulation (including therapy with new oral anticoagulants) and electrolyte imbalance. special attention is paid to the prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of perioperative delirium. it is also intended to help optimise the prepar ...	2013	24403970
a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of antibiotic consumption on antibiotic resistance.	greater use of antibiotics during the past 50 years has exerted selective pressure on susceptible bacteria and may have favoured the survival of resistant strains. existing information on antibiotic resistance patterns from pathogens circulating among community-based patients is substantially less than from hospitalized patients on whom guidelines are often based. we therefore chose to assess the relationship between the antibiotic resistance pattern of bacteria circulating in the community and ...	2014	24405683
hira-tan: a real-time pcr-based system for the rapid identification of causative agents in pneumonia.	identification of the causative pathogen(s) of pneumonia would allow the selection of effective antibiotics and thus reduce the mortality rate and the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. to identify such pathogens and to obtain these benefits, it is necessary that a clinical test is rapid, accurate, easily performed, and cost-effective. here, we devised a pcr-based test, named hira-tan, which is able to discriminate therapeutic targets from commensal organisms (e.g. streptococcus pneumoniae o ...	2014	24411834
culture-inappropriate antibiotic therapy decreases quality of life improvement after sinus surgery.	despite their widespread use, antibiotics have not been shown to improve chronic rhinosinusitis (crs) outcomes. we aimed to determine whether culture-inappropriate postoperative antibiotic therapy was associated with less quality-of-life (qol) improvement following functional endoscopic sinus surgery (fess).	2014	24415647
impact of a clinical decision support system on pharmacy clinical interventions, documentation efforts, and costs.	health care organizations are turning to electronic clinical decision support systems (cdsss) to increase quality of patient care and promote a safer environment. a cdss is a promising approach to the aggregation and use of patient data to identify patients who would most benefit from interventions by pharmacy clinicians. however, there are limited published reports describing the impact of cdss on clinical pharmacy measures. in february 2011, good shepherd medical center, a 425-bed acute care c ...	2013	24421548
case 2: forehead mass in a teenager.		2013	24421699
azithromycin use in paediatrics: a practical overview.	azithromycin is an antibiotic that is commonly prescribed for upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children. while it has proven benefits, some concerns regarding azithromycin use have arisen in recent years. this practice point considers azithromycin therapy for acute respiratory infections in otherwise healthy children. pharmacokinetics, spectrum of activity, the problem of resistant bacteria and clinical aspects are considered, along with recommendations for use and contraindicatio ...	2013	24421702
the skin microbiome in healthy and allergic dogs.	changes in the microbial populations on the skin of animals have traditionally been evaluated using conventional microbiology techniques. the sequencing of bacterial 16s rrna genes has revealed that the human skin is inhabited by a highly diverse and variable microbiome that had previously not been demonstrated by culture-based methods. the goals of this study were to describe the microbiome inhabiting different areas of the canine skin, and to compare the skin microbiome of healthy and allergic ...	2014	24421875
bacterial colonization increases daily symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.	respiratory pathogens are frequently isolated from the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) in the absence of an exacerbation. this bacterial "colonization" by potential pathogens is associated with host inflammatory and immune responses, which could increase respiratory symptoms.	2014	24423399
a questionnaire-based survey of indian ent surgeons to estimate clinic prevalence of acute otitis media, diagnostic practices, and management strategies.	acute otitis media (aom) is common in indian children, but there is limited published information on its clinic prevalence, clinicians' diagnostic practices, and their management strategies. we approached 649 ear-nose-throat (ent) surgeons to assess these aspects of aom. we conducted the survey between may 2010 and february 2011 with the same set of ent surgeons practising across india, once each during summer, monsoon and winter, using a validated 36-item questionnaire to record their reflectiv ...	2012	24427717
a questionnaire-based survey of indian ent surgeons to estimate clinic prevalence of acute otitis media, diagnostic practices, and management strategies.	acute otitis media (aom) is common in indian children, but there is limited published information on its clinic prevalence, clinicians' diagnostic practices, and their management strategies. we approached 649 ear-nose-throat (ent) surgeons to assess these aspects of aom. we conducted the survey between may 2010 and february 2011 with the same set of ent surgeons practising across india, once each during summer, monsoon and winter, using a validated 36-item questionnaire to record their reflectiv ...	2012	24427717
performance of saselect, a chromogenic medium for detection of staphylococci in clinical specimens.	in a preliminary study, known staphylococcus (n = 86) and other microbial (n = 12) isolates were plated on three chromogenic media, saselect (bio-rad, hercules, ca, usa), chromagar staph. aureus (chromagar microbiology, paris, france), and s. aureus id (biomérieux, marcy l'etoile, france). the sensitivities of all the media to detect staphylococcus aureus after 24 h of incubation were high (100.0%). however, their specificities varied at 93.3% (95% confidence interval [ci], 86.0% to 100.0%) (chr ...	2014	24430448
is 'gold' standard for the management of copd in clinical practice?		2012	24432032
a brave new world: the lung microbiota in an era of change.	the development of culture-independent techniques has revolutionized our understanding of how our human cells interact with the even greater number of microbial inhabitants of our bodies. as part of this revolution, data are increasingly challenging the old dogma that in health, the lung mucosa is sterile. to understand how the lung microbiome may play a role in human health, we identified five major questions for lung microbiome research: (1) is the lung sterile? (2) is there a unique core micr ...	2014	24437400
the microbiome and asthma.	that the subglottic airways are not sterile, as was once believed, but are populated by a distinct "bronchial microbiome," is now accepted. also accepted is the concept that asthma is associated with differences in the composition of this microbiome. what is not clear is whether the differences in microbial community composition themselves mediate pathologic changes in the airways or whether they reflect differences in systemic immune function driven by differences in the development of the gast ...	2014	24437406
acute otitis media.	one in 4 children will have at least 1 episode of acute otitis media (aom) by age 10 years. aom results from infection of fluid that has become trapped in the middle ear. the bacteria that most often cause aom are streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, and moraxella catarrhalis. differentiating aom from otitis media with effusion (ome) is a critical skill for physicians, as accurate diagnosis will guide appropriate treatment of these conditions. although fluid is present in the middle ...	2014	24439877
seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and nasopharyngeal microbiota in healthy children.	seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pcv-7) is effective against vaccine serotype disease and carriage. nevertheless, shifts in colonization and disease toward nonvaccine serotypes and other potential pathogens have been described. to understand the extent of these shifts, we analyzed nasopharyngeal microbial profiles of 97 pcv-7-vaccinated infants and 103 control infants participating in a randomized controlled trial in the netherlands. pcv-7 immunization resulted in a temporary shift i ...	2014	24447437
bronchial microbiome of severe copd patients colonised by pseudomonas aeruginosa.	the bronchial microbiome in severe copd during stability and exacerbation in patients chronically colonised by pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa), has not been defined. our objective was to determine the characteristics of the bronchial microbiome of severe copd patients colonised and not colonised by p. aeruginosa and its changes during exacerbation. copd patients with severe disease and frequent exacerbations were categorised according to chronic colonisation by p. aeruginosa. sputum samples were obt ...	2014	24449346
early versus later response to treatment in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: analysis of the reach study.	key goals in the treatment of cap include early response to treatment and achievement of clinical stability. the us fda recommends early response endpoints (72 hours after initiation of treatment) in clinical trials for the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. reach (retrospective study to assess the clinical management of patients with moderate-to-severe complicated skin and soft tissue infections [cssti] or cap in the hospital setting) was a retrospective observational study, p ...	2014	24450444
the relationships between environmental bacterial exposure, airway bacterial colonization, and asthma.	recent application of advanced culture-independent molecular techniques for the identification of microorganisms has contributed to our knowledge on the role of early-life microbial exposure and colonization in health and disease. the purpose of this review is to present the current perspectives regarding the role of microbial exposure and airway bacterial colonization on the development and the activity of asthma.	2014	24451910
update on otitis media - prevention and treatment.	acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion are common childhood disorders, a source of significant morbidity, and a leading cause of antibiotic prescription in primary health care. although effective treatments are available, some shortcomings remain, and thus better treatments would be welcome. recent discoveries within the field of otitis media research relating to its etiology and pathogenesis have led to further investigation aimed at developing novel treatments. this article provides ...	2014	24453496
lung microbiome for clinicians. new discoveries about bugs in healthy and diseased lungs.	microbes are readily cultured from epithelial surfaces of the skin, mouth, and colon. in the last 10 years, culture-independent dna-based techniques demonstrated that much more complex microbial communities reside on most epithelial surfaces; this includes the lower airways, where bacterial culture had failed to reliably demonstrate resident bacteria. exposure to a diverse bacterial environment is important for adequate immunological development. the most common microbes found in the lower airwa ...	2014	24460444
impact of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on otitis media bacteriology.	to determine the microbiology of otitis media (om) since the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pcv13) in february 2010.	2014	24461461
the frequency of bro β-lactamase and its relationship to antimicrobial susceptibility and serum resistance in moraxella catarrhalis.	we investigated the frequency of bro β-lactamase and its relationship to antibiotic susceptibility profiles and serum susceptibility. moraxella catarrhalis clinical isolates (n = 197) were collected from patients with respiratory tract infections in tokyo between november 2004 and april 2005. phenotypic and genotypic detection of β-lactamases was performed. the mics of 6 antibiotics were determined by etest, and the serum bactericidal assay was conducted by using the culture-and-spot test. nearl ...	2014	24462416
the negatively charged regions of lactoferrin binding protein b, an adaptation against anti-microbial peptides.	lactoferrin binding protein b (lbpb) is a bi-lobed membrane bound lipoprotein that is part of the lactoferrin receptor complex in a variety of gram-negative pathogens. despite high sequence diversity among lbpbs from various strains and species, a cluster of negatively charged amino acids is invariably present in the protein's c-terminal lobe in all species except moraxella bovis. the function of lbpb in iron acquisition has yet to be experimentally demonstrated, whereas in vitro studies have sh ...	2014	24465982
diagnosis and treatment of hiv-associated manifestations in otolaryngology.	almost 30 years after its first description, hiv still remains a global pandemic. the present paper aims to review the current knowledge on the ear, nose and throat (ent) manifestations of hiv infection, and present the available diagnostic and treatment options. a literature review was conducted in medline and other available database sources. information from related books was also included in the data analysis. it is well acknowledged that up to 80% of hiv-infected patients eventually develop ...	2012	24470939
contradiction between in vitro and clinical outcome: intravenous followed by oral azithromycin therapy demonstrated clinical efficacy in macrolide-resistant pneumococcal pneumonia.	we conducted a multicenter, unblinded, non-comparative, phase 3 trial of azithromycin-intravenous therapy followed by oral administration in japanese adults to evaluate clinical efficacy and safety against community-acquired pneumonia in order to obtain regulatory approval for the intravenous formulation in japan. azithromycin (500 mg, once daily) was intravenously administered for 2-5 days followed by oral 500 mg once daily administration to complete a total of 7-10 days treatment in 102 adults ...	2014	24477328
tools for detection of mycoplasma amphoriforme: a primary respiratory pathogen?	mycoplasma amphoriforme is a recently described organism isolated from the respiratory tracts of patients with immunodeficiency and evidence of chronic infection. novel assays for the molecular detection of the organism by real-time quantitative pcrs (qpcrs) targeting the uracil dna glycosylase gene (udg) or the 23s rrna gene are described here. the analytical sensitivities are similar to the existing conventional m. amphoriforme 16s rrna gene pcr, with the advantage of being species specific, r ...	2014	24478412
five-year prospective study of paediatric acute otitis media in rochester, ny: modelling analysis of the risk of pneumococcal colonization in the nasopharynx and infection.	during a 5-year prospective study of nasopharyngeal (np) colonization and acute otitis media (aom) infections in children during the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pcv) era (july 2006-june 2011) we studied risk factors for np colonization and aom. np samples were collected at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, and 30 months during well-child visits. additionally, np and middle ear fluid (mef) samples were collected at onset of every aom episode. from 1825 visits (n = 464 children), 5301 np and ...	2014	24480055
macrolide use in the treatment of critically ill patients with pneumonia: incidence, correlates, timing and outcomes.	macrolide antibiotics are commonly used to treat pneumonia despite increasing antimicrobial resistance. evidence suggests that macrolides may also decrease mortality in severe sepsis via immunomodulatory properties.	2013	24489569
lps modulates rhinovirus-induced chemokine secretion in monocytes and macrophages.	recent studies suggest that both bacteria and rhinoviruses (rvs) contribute to asthma exacerbations. we hypothesized that bacteria might alter antiviral responses early in the course of infection by modifying monocyte-lineage chemokine responses to rv infection. to test this hypothesis, human blood monocytes or bronchoalveolar lavage (bal) macrophages were treated with rv types a016, b014, a001, and/or a002 in the presence or absence of lps, and secretion of chemokines (cxcl10, cxcl11, ccl2, and ...	2014	24498897
clinical implications for patients treated inappropriately for community-acquired pneumonia in the emergency department.	community-acquired pneumonia (cap) is one of the most common infections presenting to the emergency department (ed). increasingly, antibiotic resistant bacteria have been identified as causative pathogens in patients treated for cap, especially in patients with healthcare exposure risk factors.	2014	24499035
vitamin a deficiency is associated with gastrointestinal and respiratory morbidity in school-age children.	infection is an important cause of morbidity throughout childhood. poor micronutrient status is a risk factor for infection-related morbidity in young children, but it is not clear whether these associations persist during school-age years. we examined the relation between blood concentrations of micronutrient status biomarkers and risk of gastrointestinal and respiratory morbidity in a prospective study of 2774 children aged 5-12 y from public schools in bogotá, colombia. retinol, zinc, ferriti ...	2014	24500929
the impact of respiratory tract infections on the nutritional state of children with cystic fibrosis.	cystic fibrosis (cf) is a life-shortening, autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by intestinal malabsorption, impaired growth and lung disease. recurrent pulmonary infections in children with cf are often associated with nutritional deficiencies.	2014	24502062
expr coordinates the expression of symbiotically important, bundle-forming flp pili with quorum sensing in sinorhizobium meliloti.	type ivb pili in enteropathogenic bacteria function as a host colonization factor by mediating tight adherence to host cells, but their role in bacterium-plant symbiosis is currently unknown. the genome of the symbiotic soil bacterium sinorhizobium meliloti contains two clusters encoding proteins for type ivb pili of the flp (fimbrial low-molecular-weight protein) subfamily. to establish the role of flp pili in the symbiotic interaction of s. meliloti and its host, medicago sativa, we deleted pi ...	2014	24509921
rapid identification of acinetobacter spp. by fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) from colony and blood culture material.	multi-drug-resistant strains of the acinetobacter baumannii complex cause nosocomial infections. rapid identification of acinetobacter spp. is desirable in order to facilitate therapeutic or hygiene decisions. we evaluated a newly designed dna probe that can be used under standard conditions in both a microwave oven and a slide chamber for the rapid identification of acinetobacter spp. by fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish). using fish, the new probe correctly identified 81/81 acinetobacte ...	2011	24516735
synthetic versus natural curcumin: bioequivalence in an in vitro oral mucositis model.	curcumin (cur) is a dietary spice and food colorant (e100). its potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the activation of nuclear factor-κb is well established.	2014	24517289
importance of aspergillus spp. isolation in acute exacerbations of severe copd: prevalence, factors and follow-up: the fungi-copd study.	acute exacerbations of copd (aecopd) are often associated with infectious agents, some of which may be non-usual, including aspergillus spp. however, the importance of aspergillus spp. in the clinical management of aecopd still remains unclear.	2014	24517318
oto-201: nonclinical assessment of a sustained-release ciprofloxacin hydrogel for the treatment of otitis media.	oto-201 can provide sustained release to the middle ear and effectively treat otitis media, when compared with fda-approved ciprofloxacin otic drop formulations.	2014	24518407
high-dose amoxicillin with clavulanate for the treatment of acute otitis media in children.	this study uses the acute otitis media clinical practice guideline proposed in 2004 as a reference to evaluate whether antibiotics doses that are in line with the recommendations lead to better prognosis. the study also attempts to clarify possible factors that influence the outcome.	2014	24523659
a fluorescent multiplexed bead-based immunoassay (fmia) for quantitation of igg against streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae and moraxella catarrhalis protein antigens.	streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, and moraxella catarrhalis are pathogens commonly associated with infectious diseases in childhood. this study aimed to develop a fluorescent multiplexed bead-based immunoassay (fmia) using recombinant proteins for the quantitation of serum igg antibodies against these bacteria. eight pneumococcal proteins (ply, cbpa, pspa1, pspa2, pcpa, phtd, sp1732-3 and sp2216-1), 3 proteins of h. influenzae (nthi protein d, nthi0371-1, nthi0830), and 5 protein ...	2014	24530690
exploring the atomic structure and conformational flexibility of a 320 å long engineered viral fiber using x-ray crystallography.	protein fibers are widespread in nature, but only a limited number of high-resolution structures have been determined experimentally. unlike globular proteins, fibers are usually recalcitrant to form three-dimensional crystals, preventing single-crystal x-ray diffraction analysis. in the absence of three-dimensional crystals, x-ray fiber diffraction is a powerful tool to determine the internal symmetry of a fiber, but it rarely yields atomic resolution structural information on complex protein f ...	2014	24531468
the aetiology and antibiotic management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults in europe: a literature review.	the purpose of this paper was to generate up-to-date information on the aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia (cap) and its antibiotic management in adults across europe. structured searches of pubmed identified information on the aetiology of cap and its antibiotic management in individuals aged >15 years across europe. we summarise the data from 33 studies published between january 2005 and july 2012 that reported on the pathogens identified in patients with cap and antibiotic treatment in ...	2014	24532008
effect of levofloxacin on neutrophilic airway inflammation in stable copd: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.	airway inflammation persists after smoking cessation in established chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd), suggesting that other factors drive the airway inflammatory response.	2014	24532969
oral microflora: a comparative study in hiv and normal patients.	the study was designed to compare the oral microbiota in normal and hiv-infected individuals. the study tries to establish a significant shift in oral microflora in hiv-infected patients. antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed to establish any rise in resistance against the antibiotics. it was a two and half year prospective study conducted in a tertiary care centre. the study group consisted of eighty subjects divided into two groups of control and hiv. the age range for this group was 9- ...	2011	24533371
oral microflora: a comparative study in hiv and normal patients.	the study was designed to compare the oral microbiota in normal and hiv-infected individuals. the study tries to establish a significant shift in oral microflora in hiv-infected patients. antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed to establish any rise in resistance against the antibiotics. it was a two and half year prospective study conducted in a tertiary care centre. the study group consisted of eighty subjects divided into two groups of control and hiv. the age range for this group was 9- ...	2011	24533371
the emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bacteremia in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.	abstract as antimicrobial resistance increases, understanding the current epidemiology of bloodstream infections (bsis) in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (hsct) recipients is essential to guide empirical antimicrobial therapy. we therefore reviewed microbial etiologies, timing and outcomes of bsis in patients who were transplanted from september 2007 to december 2011. vancomycin-resistant enterococci (vre) were the most common pathogens in allogeneic hsct recipients and the fourth most commo ...	2014	24559288
microbiological and genetic characterization of carbapenem-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from pediatric patients.	this manuscript reports the clinical, microbiological, and genetic characteristics of carbapenem-resistant k. pnuemoniae isolates from pediatric patients at a tertiary-care children's hospital. although there is an extensive body of literature describing carbapenem-resistant klebsiella infections in adults, pediatric data are comparatively limited.	2013	24567846
microbiological and genetic characterization of carbapenem-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from pediatric patients.	this manuscript reports the clinical, microbiological, and genetic characteristics of carbapenem-resistant k. pnuemoniae isolates from pediatric patients at a tertiary-care children's hospital. although there is an extensive body of literature describing carbapenem-resistant klebsiella infections in adults, pediatric data are comparatively limited.	2013	24567846
severe influenza treatment guideline.		2014	24574848
duration of antimicrobial therapy in community acquired pneumonia: less is more.	community acquired pneumonia (cap) represents the most common cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. appropriate treatment of cap is challenging and sometimes limited by the availability to obtain rapid and timely identification of the etiologic agent in order to initiate or deescalate the correct antimicrobial therapy. as a consequence, prescribers frequently select empiric antimicrobial therapy using clinical judgment, local patterns of antimicrobial resistance, and, som ...	2014	24578660
changes in nasopharyngeal carriage of streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae and moraxella catarrhalis among healthy children attending a day-care centre before and after official financial support for the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and h. influenzae type b vaccine in japan.	the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pcv7) and haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) vaccine reduce nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine-type bacteria, which may in turn influence the presence of other nasopharyngeal bacterial pathogens. to investigate this possibility, nasopharyngeal carriage of potential pathogens was examined before and after official financial support was provided to offer the pcv7 and hib vaccines in healthy children attending a day care centre in japan during 2011-2012 ...	2014	24582389
ceftaroline activity against organisms isolated from respiratory tract infections in usa hospitals: results from the aware program, 2009-2011.	the assessing worldwide antimicrobial resistance evaluation program monitors the activity of ceftaroline and comparator agents tested against pathogens causing either respiratory or skin and soft tissue infections. a total of 7733 isolates from patients in 80 medical centers across the united states (usa) identified as respiratory tract pathogens by the infection type and/or specimen site recorded by the submitting laboratory during 2009-2011 were evaluated. there were 3360 isolates of streptoco ...	2014	24582578
the haemophilus cryptic genospecies cha adhesin has at least two variants that differ in host cell binding, bacterial aggregation, and biofilm formation properties.	the haemophilus cryptic genospecies (hcg) causes genital tract infections in pregnant and postpartum women and respiratory infections in neonates. the major surface adhesin in hcg is called cha, which mediates bacterial adherence to cultured human epithelial cells. in this study, we report that there are two antigenically distinct variants of cha, dubbed cha1 and cha2. these variants are encoded by the same genetic locus in diverse strains and have nearly identical n-terminal export and c-termin ...	2014	24584499
an association between helicobacter pylori and upper respiratory tract disease: fact or fiction?	helicobacter pylori (h. pylori) is a major cause of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers and considerable evidence supports the notion that infection with this bacterium is also associated with gastric malignancy in addition to various other conditions including pulmonary, vascular and autoimmune disorders. gastric juice infected with h. pylori might play an important role in upper respiratory tract infection. although direct and/or indirect mechanisms might be involved in the association betwee ...	2014	24587622
decreased pattern-recognition receptor-mediated cytokine mrna expression in obese children with otitis media with effusion.	to assess innate and humoral immune responses in middle ear effusion of obese pediatric patients with otitis media with effusion (ome).	2014	24587874
sore throat.	about 10% of people present to primary healthcare services with sore throat each year. the causative organisms of sore throat may be bacteria (most commonly streptococcus) or viruses (typically rhinovirus), although it is difficult to distinguish bacterial from viral infections clinically.	2014	24589314
mechanism of escherichia coli resistance to pyrrhocoricin.	due to their lack of toxicity to mammalian cells and good serum stability, proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (pr-amps) have been proposed as promising candidates for the treatment of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens. it has been hypothesized that these peptides act on multiple targets within bacterial cells, and therefore the likelihood of the emergence of resistance was considered to be low. here, we show that spontaneous escherichia coli mutants resistant to p ...	2014	24590485
antimicrobial resistance trends among community-acquired respiratory tract pathogens in greece, 2009-2012.	the aim of the present study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance trends of respiratory tract pathogens isolated from patients with community-acquired respiratory tract infections (cartis) in crete, greece, over a 4-year period (2009-2012). a total of 588 community-acquired respiratory pathogens were isolated during the study period. streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common organism responsible for 44.4% of cartis, followed by haemophilus influenzae (44.2%) and moraxella catarrhalis ...	2014	24592201
step-by-step iconographic description of a prolonged but still favourable course of orbital cellulitis in a child with acute rhinosinusitis: an iconographic case study.	orbital cellulitis is an infrequent complication of acute ethmoiditis possibly leading to life- or visual-threatening complications. despite its natural history is well known, its clinical evolution may widely vary among patients, and even in the most favourable cases long-term sequelae may persist. we here provide a step-by-step iconographic description of a periorbital and orbital cellulitis occurring in a child with ipsilateral acute rhinosinusitis. our report shows that an unusual long-term ...	2014	24594215
antimicrobial peptides from fish.	antimicrobial peptides (amps) are found widely distributed through nature, and participate in the innate host defense of each species. fish are a great source of these peptides, as they express all of the major classes of amps, including defensins, cathelicidins, hepcidins, histone-derived peptides, and a fish-specific class of the cecropin family, called piscidins. as with other species, the fish peptides exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, killing both fish and human pathogens. they ...	2014	24594555
three clinically distinct chronic pediatric airway infections share a common core microbiota.	dna-based microbiological studies are moving beyond studying healthy human microbiota to investigate diverse infectious diseases, including chronic respiratory infections, such as those in the airways of people with cystic fibrosis (cf) and non-cf bronchiectasis. the species identified in the respiratory secretion microbiota from such patients can be classified into those that are common and abundant among similar subjects (core) versus those that are infrequent and rare (satellite). this catego ...	2014	24597615
problems and prospects of current studies on the microecology of tongue coating.	tongue diagnosis in traditional chinese medicine (tcm) assesses the health by investigation of tongue coating. the science and technology of tongue coating analysis have become a significant issue for modernization of tcm. the relationship between microecology of tongue coating and tcm was relevant to the syndrome differentiation in tcm, such as the cold/hot syndrome may exhibit different specific microbiota patterns in the tongue coating. this article provides a review on the microbiota researc ...	2014	24597827
moraxella catarrhalis adhesin uspa1-derived recombinant fragment rd-7 induces monocyte differentiation to cd14+cd206+ phenotype.	circulating monocytes in the bloodstream typically migrate to other tissues and differentiate into tissue resident macrophages, the process being determined by the constituents of the microenvironments encountered. these may include microbes and their products. in this study, we investigated whether moraxella catarrhalis ubiquitous surface protein a1 (uspa1), known to bind to a widely expressed human cell surface receptor ceacam1, influences monocyte differentiation as receptor engagement has be ...	2014	24599281
diet as a risk factor for pneumococcal carriage and otitis media: a cross-sectional study among children in day care centers.	pharyngeal bacteria are exposed to different sugar conditions depending on the diet of the child. we hypothesized that dietary factors such as daily intake of carbohydrates could be associated with pneumococcal carriage and the occurrence of otitis media in children.	2014	24599395
nasopharyngeal microbiota in healthy children and pneumonia patients.	our study is the first to compare the nasopharyngeal microbiota of pediatric pneumonia patients and control children by 454 pyrosequencing. a distinct microbiota was associated with different pneumonia etiologies. viral pneumonia was associated with a high abundance of the operational taxonomic unit (otu) corresponding to moraxella lacunata. patients with nonviral pneumonia showed high abundances of otus of three typical bacterial pathogens, streptococcus pneumoniae complex, haemophilus influenz ...	2014	24599973
use of streptococcus salivarius k12 in the prevention of streptococcal and viral pharyngotonsillitis in children.	streptococcus salivarius k12 is an oral probiotic strain releasing two lantibiotics (salivaricin a2 and salivaricin b) that antagonize the growth of s. pyogenes, the most important bacterial cause of pharyngeal infections in humans also affected by episodes of acute otitis media. s. salivarius k12 successfully colonizes the oral cavity, and is endowed with an excellent safety profile. we tested its preventive role in reducing the incidence of both streptococcal and viral pharyngitis and/or tonsi ...	2014	24600248
acute exacerbation and respiratory infections in copd (aeris): protocol for a prospective, observational cohort study.	the aetiology of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) remains incompletely understood and strategies for treatment and prevention have not altered significantly for many years. improved understanding of the role of respiratory pathogens in acute exacerbations of copd (aecopd) is required and the use of molecular microbiological techniques may lead to insights into host-pathogen interactions and the development of more targeted therapeutic approaches.	2014	24607562
antibiotic expected effectiveness and cost under real life microbiology: evaluation of ertapenem and ceftriaxone in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia for elderly patients in spain.	clinical efficacy of antibiotics may be affected by changes in the susceptibility of microorganisms to antimicrobial agents. the purpose of this study is to assess how these changes could affect the initial efficacy of ertapenem and ceftriaxone in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (cap) in elderly patients and the potential consequences this may have in health care costs.	2014	24611019
children with asthma by school age display aberrant immune responses to pathogenic airway bacteria as infants.	asthma is a highly prevalent chronic lung disease that commonly originates in early childhood. colonization of neonatal airways with the pathogenic bacterial strains haemophilus influenzae, moraxella catarrhalis, and streptococcus pneumoniae is associated with increased risk of later childhood asthma. we hypothesized that children with asthma have an abnormal immune response to pathogenic bacteria in infancy.	2014	24612682
targeting cystalysin, a virulence factor of treponema denticola-supported periodontitis.	cystalysin from treponema denticola is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent lyase that catalyzes the formation of pyruvate, ammonia, and sulfide from cysteine. it is a virulence factor in adult periodontitis because its reaction contributes to hemolysis, which sustains the pathogen. therefore, it was proposed as a potential antimicrobial target. to identify specific inhibitors by structure-based in silico methods, we first validated the crystal structure of cystalysin as a reliable starting point ...	2014	24616267
gsk3β and the control of infectious bacterial diseases.	glycogen synthase kinase 3β (gsk3β) has been shown to be a crucial mediator of the intensity and direction of the innate immune system response to bacterial stimuli. this review focuses on: (i) the central role of gsk3β in the regulation of pathogen-induced inflammatory responses through the regulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production, (ii) the extensive ongoing efforts to exploit gsk3β for its therapeutic potential in the control of infectious diseases, and (iii) the increasing ...	2014	24618402
diversity and distribution of nirk-harboring denitrifying bacteria in the water column in the yellow river estuary.	we investigated the diversity and community composition of denitrifying bacteria in surface water from the yellow river estuary. our results indicated that the diversity of the denitrifying community in freshwater based on the nirk gene was higher than that in seawater. furthermore, phylogenetic analysis suggested that the bacteria community could be distributed into eight clusters (clusters i to viii). redundancy analysis (rda) revealed that community compositions were related to multiple envir ...	2014	24621509
recommendations for the laboratory-based detection of chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae--2014.	this report updates cdc's 2002 recommendations regarding screening tests to detect chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae infections (cdc. screening tests to detect chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae infections-2002. mmwr 2002;51[no. rr-15]) and provides new recommendations regarding optimal specimen types, the use of tests to detect rectal and oropharyngeal c. trachomatis and n. gonorrhoeae infections, and circumstances when supplemental testing is indicated. the recommend ...	2014	24622331
efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and copd: a systematic review and meta-analysis.	to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (aecb) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aecopd).	2014	24624286
inhaled colistin in patients with bronchiectasis and chronic pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.	chronic infection with pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with an increased exacerbation frequency, a more rapid decline in lung function, and increased mortality in patients with bronchiectasis.	2014	24625200
candida albicans uses the surface protein gpm1 to attach to human endothelial cells and to keratinocytes via the adhesive protein vitronectin.	candida albicans is a major cause of invasive fungal infections worldwide. upon infection and when in contact with human plasma as well as body fluids the fungus is challenged by the activated complement system a central part of the human innate immune response. c. albicans controls and evades host complement attack by binding several human complement regulators like factor h, factor h-like protein 1 and c4bp to the surface. gpm1 (phosphoglycerate mutase 1) is one fungal factor h/fhl1 -binding p ...	2014	24625558
etiologies and resistance profiles of bacterial community-acquired pneumonia in cambodian and neighboring countries' health care settings: a systematic review (1995 to 2012).	community-acquired pneumonia (cap) is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. etiological data for cambodia is scarce. we aimed to describe the main etiological agents causing cap, and their resistance patterns in cambodia and the greater mekong region.	2014	24626053
canadian guidelines for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis: clinical summary.	to provide a clinical summary of the canadian clinical practice guidelines for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (abrs) that includes relevant considerations for family physicians.	2014	24627376
human rhinovirus infection during naturally occurring copd exacerbations.	human rhinovirus (hrv) infection is an important trigger of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) but its role in determining exacerbation frequency phenotype or the time-course of hrv infection in naturally occurring exacerbations is unknown. sputum samples from 77 patients were analysed by real-time quantitative pcr for both hrv (388 samples), and streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae and moraxella catarrhalis (89 samples). patients recorded worsening of resp ...	2014	24627537
assessing compliance with established pneumonia core measures at a comprehensive cancer center.	healthcare organizations use pneumonia core measures (pcms) to ensure delivery of high-quality care. in this study, a multidisciplinary team was organized to optimize care and enhance compliance in a comprehensive cancer emergency center. we performed a four-phase study, three of which were interventional: intense education regarding pcm; microbiologic analysis of the pathogens responsible for the pneumonias; development and implementation of an institutional pneumonia algorithm and order set. i ...	2015	24629128
impact of immunization with protein f on pulmonary clearance of nontypeable haemophilus influenzae.	nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi) is one of the main aetiologies of childhood bacterial infections as well as exacerbations in copd patients. currently, no licensed nthi vaccine exists. in the present study, we evaluated the potential of the conserved and ubiquitous surface protein haemophilus protein f (pf) as a vaccine candidate. our results show that incubation of nthi with anti-pf antibodies significantly increased the opsonophygocytosis of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line-deri ...	2014	24631068
in vitro interaction of pseudomonas aeruginosa with human middle ear epithelial cells.	otitis media (om) is an inflammation of the middle ear which can be acute or chronic. acute om is caused by streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, and moraxella catarrhalis whereas pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of chronic suppurative otitis media (csom). csom is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the middle ear characterized by infection and discharge. the survivors often suffer from hearing loss and neurological sequelae. however, no information is available regarding the ...	2014	24632826
audit and feedback-focused approach to evidence-based care in treating patients with pneumonia in hospital (affect study).	pneumonia is the eighth leading cause of death in canada. use of guideline-concordant therapy tempers the development of resistance, decreases health care costs, and reduces morbidity and mortality.	2014	24634522
nocardiosis in immune disorder disease.		2014	24639618
identification of an outer membrane lipoprotein involved in nasopharyngeal colonization by moraxella catarrhalis in an animal model.	colonization of the human nasopharynx by moraxella catarrhalis is presumed to involve attachment of this bacterium to the mucosa. dna microarray analysis was used to determine whether attachment of m. catarrhalis to human bronchial epithelial (hbe) cells in vitro affected gene expression in this bacterium. attachment affected expression of at least 454 different genes, with 163 being upregulated and 291 being downregulated. among the upregulated genes was one (orf113) previously annotated as enc ...	2014	24643539
in search of a candidate pathogen for giant cell arteritis: sequencing-based characterization of the giant cell arteritis microbiome.	to characterize the microbiome of the temporal artery in patients with giant cell arteritis (gca), and to apply an unbiased and comprehensive shotgun sequencing-based approach to determine whether there is an enrichment of candidate pathogens in the affected tissue.	2014	24644069
multiplex real-time pcr assay for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci directly from positive blood cultures.	methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) is the most prevalent cause of bloodstream infections (bsis) and is recognized as a major nosocomial pathogen. this study aimed to evaluate a newly designed multiplex real-time pcr assay capable of the simultaneous detection of meca, s. aureus, and coagulase-negative staphylococci (cons) in blood culture specimens. the real-mrsa and real-mrcons multiplex real-time pcr assays (m&d, republic of korea) use the taqman probes 16s rrna for staphylococ ...	2014	24648566
bioequivalence of 2 azithromycin capsule formulations: a randomized, single-dose, open-label, 2-period crossover study in healthy male pakistani volunteers.	approximately 68 brands of azithromycin capsule formulations are available in pakistan; however, published data on their bioequivalence in the pakistani population are not available.	2011	24648579
[in vitro activity of sitafloxacin against clinical isolates in 2012].	in vitro activity of sitafloxacin (stfx) and various oral antimicrobial agents against bacterial isolates recovered from clinical specimens between january and december 2012, at different healthcare facilities in japan was evaluated. a total of 1,620 isolates including aerobic and anaerobic organisms were available for the susceptibility testing using the microbroth dilution methods recommended by clinical and laboratory standards institute. the minimum inhibitory concentration of stfx at which ...	2013	24649797
[susceptibilities of bacteria isolated from patients with lower respiratory infectious diseases to antibiotics (2006)].	from october 2006 to september 2007, we collected the specimen from 356 patients with lower respiratory tract infections in 14 institutions in japan, and investigated the susceptibilities of isolated bacteria to various antibacterial agents and patients' characteristics. of 414 strains that were isolated from specimen (mainly from sputum) and assumed to be bacteria causing in infection, 407 strains were examined. the isolated bacteria were: staphylococcus aureus 64, streptococcus pneumoniae 96, ...	2013	24649798
development of animal models of otitis media.	otitis media is defined as inflammation of the middle ear, including the auditory ossicles and the eustachian tube. otitis media is a major health problem in many societies. the causes of otitis media includes infection and anatomic/physiologic, host, and environmental factors. in general, otitis media is a childhood disease, and anatomic and physiologic changes have great effects on its development. thus, in vitro or human experimental studies of otitis media are difficult. several experimental ...	2013	24653896
gene transfer potential of outer membrane vesicles of acinetobacter baylyi and effects of stress on vesiculation.	outer membrane vesicles (omvs) are continually released from a range of bacterial species. numerous functions of omvs, including the facilitation of horizontal gene transfer (hgt) processes, have been proposed. in this study, we investigated whether omvs contribute to the transfer of plasmids between bacterial cells and species using gram-negative acinetobacter baylyi as a model system. omvs were extracted from bacterial cultures and tested for the ability to vector gene transfer into population ...	2014	24657872
characterization of bcam0224, a multifunctional trimeric autotransporter from the human pathogen burkholderia cenocepacia.	members of the trimeric autotransporter adhesin (taa) family play a crucial role in adhesion of gram-negative pathogens to host cells. moreover, these proteins are multifunctional virulence factors involved in several other biological traits, including invasion into host cells and evasion of the host immune system. in cystic fibrosis epidemic burkholderia cenocepacia strain j2315, we identified a unique taa (bcam0224)-encoding gene, previously described as being implicated in virulence. here, we ...	2014	24659767
pharmacokinetic modelling of serum and bronchial concentrations for clarithromycin and telithromycin, and site-specific pharmacodynamic simulation for their dosages.	clinical pharmacokinetic profiles of clarithromycin and telithromycin in bronchopulmonary sites have not been fully characterized. this study aimed to describe in more detail the pharmacokinetics of the two macrolides in epithelial lining fluid (elf) of human bronchi and to evaluate their pharmacodynamic target attainment at this site.	2014	24661290
increased incidence of invasive bacterial disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to the general population--a population based cohort study.	innate defence mechanisms of the airways are impaired in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd), predisposing patients to lower respiratory tract infections, but less is known about the association with other infections. in this population-based cohort study, we investigated the associations between copd and invasive bacterial disease by comparing incidence rates of bacteraemia in copd patients and randomly selected reference individuals from the general population.	2014	24661335
acute otitis media--a structured approach.	two-thirds of all children have an episode of acute otitis media (aom) before their third birthday. antibiotic treatment is often given immediately, even though adequate scientific evidence for this practice is lacking.	2014	24661591
interleukin 17a promotes pneumococcal clearance by recruiting neutrophils and inducing apoptosis through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent mechanism in acute otitis media.	streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive and human-restricted pathogen colonizing the nasopharynx with an absence of clinical symptoms as well as a major pathogen causing otitis media (om), one of the most common childhood infections. upon bacterial infection, neutrophils are rapidly activated and recruited to the infected site, acting as the frontline defender against emerging microbial pathogens via different ways. evidence shows that interleukin 17a (il-17a), a neutrophil-inducing factor, ...	2014	24664502