Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
|---|
| a second-generation anthrax "smoke detector". | 2004 | 15154269 | |
| [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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| specificity of an immunochromatographic test for anthrax. | to evaluate the specificity of an immunochromatographic test (ict) for anthrax in cattle. | 2004 | 15149073 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| regionalization of bioterrorism preparedness and response. | 2004 | 15133889 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| bioshield defence programme set to fund anthrax vaccine. | 2004 | 15129240 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| visual diagnosis: an infant who has a red papule on a swollen, tender arm. | 2004 | 15121911 | |
| treatments for patients exposed to bioterrorism agents. | 2004 | 15117009 | |
| anthrax toxin: can a little be a good thing? | 2004 | 15116717 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| bacillus anthracis incident, kameido, tokyo, 1993. | 2004 | 15112666 | |
| 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 |
| [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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| detection of antibodies to squalene: iii. naturally occurring antibodies to squalene in humans and mice. | an elisa-based assay is described for the measurement of antibodies to squalene (sqe) in human serum and plasma. the assay was adapted from the previously described assay for murine antibodies to sqe (j. immunol. methods 267 (2002) 119). like the murine sqe antibody assay, the human antibody assay used sterile cell culture 96-well plates coated with sqe (20 nmol/well). phosphate-buffered saline (pbs)-0.5% casein was used as both a blocking agent and dilution buffer. the assay has a high through- ... | 2004 | 15087221 |
| atypical pathogens and challenges in community-acquired pneumonia. | atypical organisms such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae, and legionella pneumophila are implicated in up to 40 percent of cases of community-acquired pneumonia. antibiotic treatment is empiric and includes coverage for both typical and atypical organisms. doxycycline, a fluoroquinolone with enhanced activity against streptococcus pneumoniae, or a macrolide is appropriate for outpatient treatment of immunocompetent adult patients. hospitalized adults should be treated with cefotaxi ... | 2004 | 15086042 |
| [epidemiology studies regarding anthrax epidemic in romania]. | antrax infection, a major bacterial zoonosis caused by b. anthracis, affects animals, particulary the herbivores. the infection can be accidentally transmitted to man, in whom it has two forms. cutaneous anthrax, more frequently encountered (95%), the transmission being favoured by the contact with contaminated animal or, after the sacrifice of the animal, with various contaminated products (skin, wool, hair, especially of goat, as well as bones, meat, blood); the evolution is favourable followi ... | 2002 | 15085606 |
| the plague under marcus aurelius and the decline and fall of the roman empire. | the roman empire of the second century was a superpower that, in relative terms, dominated its world as much as the united states does today. in 166 ad, a plague broke out od pandemic proportions. the pandemic ravaged the entire extent of the roman empire, from its eastern frontiers in iraq to its western frontiers on the rhine river and gaul, modern france, and western germany. the disease is identified most often as smallpox, but it may have been anthrax. the study of bacterial dna may enable ... | 2004 | 15081505 |
| inhibition of the proteolytic activity of anthrax lethal factor by aminoglycosides. | the anthrax lethal factor (lf), a zn-dependent endopeptidase, is considered the dominant virulence factor of anthrax. because pharmacological inhibition of the catalytic activity of lf is considered a plausible mechanism for preventing the lethality of anthrax, a high-throughput screening experiment based on lf-catalyzed cleavage of a fluorescent substrate was performed to identify novel inhibitors of lf. the rna-targeting antibiotics, neomycin b and some synthetic dimeric aminoglycosides, were ... | 2004 | 15080670 |
| the sniper and the public's mental health. | 2004 | 15079941 | |
| crystal structure of the von willebrand factor a domain of human capillary morphogenesis protein 2: an anthrax toxin receptor. | anthrax toxin is released from bacillus anthracis as three monomeric proteins, which assemble into toxic complexes at the surface of receptor-bearing host cells. one of the proteins, protective antigen (pa), binds to receptors and orchestrates the delivery of the other two (the lethal and edema factors) into the cytosol. pa has been shown to bind to two cellular receptors: anthrax toxin receptor/tumor endothelial marker 8 and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (cmg2). both are type 1 membrane pro ... | 2004 | 15079089 |
| bacillus anthracis contamination and inhalational anthrax in a mail processing and distribution center. | four inhalational anthrax cases occurred in a large mail processing and distribution center in washington, dc, after envelopes containing bacillus anthracis spores were processed. this report describes the results of sampling for b. anthracis spores during investigations conducted in october and december 2001. | 2004 | 15078521 |
| an unusual inhalational exposure to bacillus anthracis in a research laboratory. | 2004 | 15076646 | |
| terrorism in south korea. | south korea has experienced > 30 suspected terrorism-related events since 1958, including attacks against south korean citizens in foreign countries. the most common types of terrorism used have included bombings, shootings, hijackings, and kidnappings. prior to 1990, north korea was responsible for almost all terrorism-related events inside of south korea, including multiple assassination attempts on its presidents, regular kidnappings of south korean fisherman, and several high-profile bombing ... | 2003 | 15074497 |
| genetic immunization against anthrax. | the objective of this study was to determine whether a dna prime-protein boost immunization against the bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf) antigens could induce a protective immune response against significant aerosol challenge in the rabbit model. rabbits were vaccinated with different regimens of dna vaccines (table 1) and aerosol challenged with b. anthracis spores, ames strain, with an average dose of 50 ld(50s) with a range from 18 to 169 ld(50s.) of the five ... | 2004 | 15068841 |
| use of phage display and polyvalency to design inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. | we describe the synthesis of an inhibitor that interferes with critical protein-protein interactions occurring during the assembly of anthrax toxin. using a phage display selection strategy, we isolated a peptide directed against the cell binding moiety of the toxin that was able to interfere with binding of the enzymatic moieties. because the cell binding moiety of the toxin is a heptamer, the peptide can potentially bind up to seven equivalent sites. we synthesized a polyvalent molecule displa ... | 2004 | 15064461 |
| using light scattering to determine the stoichiometry of protein complexes. | the stoichiometry of a protein complex can be calculated from an accurate measurement of the complex's molecular weight. multiangle laser light scattering in combination with size-exclusion chromatography and interferometric refractometry provides a powerful means for determining the molecular weights of proteins and protein complexes. in contrast to conventional size-exclusion chromatography and analytical centrifugation, measurements do not rely on the use of molecular weight standards and are ... | 2004 | 15064452 |
| structure of anthrax edema factor-calmodulin-adenosine 5'-(alpha,beta-methylene)-triphosphate complex reveals an alternative mode of atp binding to the catalytic site. | anthrax edema factor (ef) is a key virulence factor secreted by bacillus anthracis. here, we report a structure, at 3.0 a resolution, of the catalytic domain of ef (ef3) in complex with calmodulin (cam) and adenosine 5'-(alpha,beta-methylene)-triphosphate (ampcpp). although the binding of the triphosphate of ampcpp to ef3 can be superimposed on that of previously determined 3'deoxy-atp (3'datp) and 2'deoxy 3' anthraniloyl-atp (2'd3' ant-atp) in ef3-cam, the ribose and the adenine rings of ampcpp ... | 2004 | 15063758 |
| up-regulation of bradykinin receptors in a murine in-vitro model of chronic airway inflammation. | tumour necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha) is a mediator with a likely role in chronic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. in the present study, mouse tracheal segments were cultured for 1, 4 or 8 days in the absence and presence of tnf-alpha. contractile response of cultured segments to des-arg9-bradykinin and bradykinin was assessed in myographs and mrna for bradykinin b1 and b2 receptors was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. both contraction to des-arg9-bradykin ... | 2004 | 15063163 |
| vaccines against biologic agents: uses and developments. | although the geneva protocol that prohibits the use of chemical and biologic weapons was ratified in 1925, many countries failed to accept this protocol: others stipulated retaliation, and some, like the united states, did not ratify the protocol for decades. this delay allowed the continued development of chemical and biologic agents. members of the health care community are responsible for determining the best way to protect society from the potentially devastating effects of these biologic ag ... | 2004 | 15062232 |
| inhalational anthrax. | anthrax remains a real threat. in a spore form, it is highly infectious and dispersible. the initial symptoms are similar to those of influenza, and the early stage of inhalational anthrax may not be recognized. early antibiotic treatment is important to achieving a good outcome. contrary to historical experience. many patients with even advanced anthrax can be saved with aggressive medical care. prevention of anthrax infections requires vigilant infection control methods as well as a rational p ... | 2004 | 15062228 |
| the 26 nudix hydrolases of bacillus cereus, a close relative of bacillus anthracis. | the genome of bacillus cereus contains 26 nudix hydrolase genes, second only to its closest relative, bacillus anthracis which has 30. all 26 genes have been cloned, 25 have been expressed, and 21 produced soluble proteins suitable for analysis. substrates for 16 of the enzymes were identified; these included adp-ribose, diadenosine polyphosphates, sugar nucleotides, and deoxynucleoside triphosphates. one of the enzymes was a cdp-choline pyrophosphatase, the first nudix hydrolase active on this ... | 2004 | 15060060 |
| characterization of a major bacillus anthracis spore coat protein and its role in spore inactivation. | a major bacillus anthracis spore coat protein of 13.4 kda, designated cot alpha, was found only in the bacillus cereus group. a stable ca. 30-kda dimer of this protein was also present in spore coat extracts. cot alpha, which is encoded by a monocistronic gene, was first detected late in sporulation, consistent with a sigma(k)-regulated gene. on the basis of immunogold labeling, the protein is in the outer spore coat and absent from the exosporium. in addition, disruption of the gene encoding co ... | 2004 | 15060044 |
| bioterrorism and emerging infectious disease - antimicrobials, therapeutics and immune-modulators. sars coronavirus. | the purpose of this meeting was to provide a forum for expert presentations and discussion about the threats of bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases, and to address the issues relating to epidemics, prevention of infection and treatment of some of these emerging infectious diseases classified as potential agents of bioterror. included in the talks were state-of-the-art presentations about infectious clone technology and recombinant viruses, pathogen and receptor interactions at the cell ... | 2004 | 15057645 |
| nerd: a dna processing-related domain present in the anthrax virulence plasmid, pxo1. | we have identified a new domain in a broad range of bacterial, as well as single archaeal and plant proteins. its presence in the virulence-related pxo1 plasmid of bacillus anthracis as well as in several other pathogens makes it a possible drug target. we term the new domain nuclease-related domain (nerd) because of its distant similarity to endonucleases. | 2004 | 15055202 |
| mabs to bacillus anthracis capsular antigen for immunoprotection in anthrax and detection of antigenemia. | bacillus anthracis is surrounded by an antiphagocytic polypeptide capsule composed of poly gamma-d-glutamic acid (gammadpga). gammadpga has been identified recently as a potential target for vaccine development. studies of the role of gammadpga in disease have been hampered by the poor ab response to this antigen and the lack of immunochemical reagents. as a consequence, neither the extent of gammadpga production during anthrax nor the protective activity of gammadpga abs in inhalation anthrax a ... | 2004 | 15051894 |
| western blot analysis of the exotoxin components from bacillus anthracis separated by isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis. | the components of the bacillus anthracis exotoxins, protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf), and edema factor (ef), from 24 isolates were separated by isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis and detected by western blot with monoclonal antibodies. only two isoforms each were observed for pa and ef. four isoforms were identified for lf. the biological activities of both lethal toxin and edema toxin were measured by using in vitro cell-based assays. this study provides another method of chara ... | 2004 | 15047182 |
| fate of bioterrorism-relevant viruses and bacteria, including spores, aerosolized into an indoor air environment. | an aerosol physics test facility was used in a series of eight experiments to gather an integrated comprehensive broad base of data on the fate of surrogates of microorganisms that cause smallpox, plague, glanders, anthrax, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. the results are directly relevant to the public health issue of how to protect the occupants of buildings against bioterrorism. the test conditions were directly relevant to the indoor air environment situation, and the results can be generalized ... | 2004 | 15044718 |
| binding stoichiometry and kinetics of the interaction of a human anthrax toxin receptor, cmg2, with protective antigen. | the protective antigen (pa) moiety of anthrax toxin binds to cellular receptors and mediates entry of the two enzymatic moieties of the toxin into the cytosol. two pa receptors, anthrax toxin receptor (atr)/tumor endothelial marker 8 (tem8) and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (cmg2), have been identified. we expressed and purified the von willebrand a (vwa) domain of cmg2 and examined its interactions with monomeric and heptameric forms of pa. monomeric pa bound a stoichiometric equivalent of ... | 2004 | 15044490 |
| protecting america's secrets while maintaining academic freedom. | the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax mail attacks, have had a profound impact on americans' personal and professional lives and have sparked an active debate regarding the delicate balance between the need for national security and the pursuit of academic freedom. although academic freedom can be defined in many ways, there are four primary tenets of freedom in an academic environment: freedom to research, freedom to publish, freedom to teach, and freedom to sp ... | 2004 | 15044166 |
| current therapy and the development of therapeutic options for the treatment of diseases due to bacterial agents of potential biowarfare and bioterrorism. | an important part of biodefense is the optimization of current therapy and the development of new therapeutic options for the treatment of the diseases most likely encountered in the form of biological weapons. guidelines for the prevention and treatment of anthrax, plague, tularemia and botulinum toxin intoxication are reviewed. the strategies in development for the prevention of anthrax focus primarily on active and passive immunization against protective antigen, because of its central role a ... | 2004 | 15043386 |
| [microchips based on three dimensional gel cells: history and perspective]. | the review describes the history of creation and development of the microchip technology and its role in the human genome project in russia. the emphasis is placed on the three-dimensional gel-based microchips developed at the center of biological microchips headed by a.d. mirzabekov since 1988. the gel-based chips of the last generation, image chips (immobilized micro array of gel elements), have a number of advantages over the previous versions. the microchips are manufactured by photo-initiat ... | 2004 | 15042831 |
| anthrax in america 2001-2003. | anthrax caused by bacillus anthracis in humans is rare. two recent outbreaks that were intentionally caused occurred among postal employees, politicians, and journalists in the united states. this has caused tremendous fear, and our experience with these "anthrax incidents" has changed our views on the natural history of this disease in people. in this paper, we review the lifecycle and biology of this micro-organism. anthrax that occurs from a weaponized form of this micro-organism has a specif ... | 2004 | 15040516 |
| under siege: one state's perspective of the anthrax events of october/november 2001. | 2003 | 15040214 | |
| potential for aerosol dissemination of biological weapons: lessons from biological control of insects. | 2003 | 15040213 | |
| new york city's communication trials by fire, from west nile to sars. | 2003 | 15040207 | |
| sources of bioterrorism information among emergency physicians during the 2001 anthrax outbreak. | 2003 | 15040206 | |
| evaluating the success of terror risk communications. | 2003 | 15040205 | |
| interview with david l. heymann, md, representative for polio eradication and former executive director, communicable diseases, world health organization. interview by madeline drexler. | 2003 | 15040202 | |
| aerosols from insect control measures show dangers of bioterrorism. | 2003 | 15040200 | |
| biotechnology: impact on biological warfare and biodefense. | advances in biological research likely will permit development of a new class of advanced biological warfare (abw) agents engineered to elicit novel effects. in addition, biotechnology will have applications supporting abw weaponization, dissemination, and delivery. such new agents and delivery systems would provide a variety of new use options, expanding the bw paradigm. although abw agents will not replace threats posed by traditional biological agents such as bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and ... | 2003 | 15040194 |
| the anthrax epidemiologic tool kit: an instrument for public health preparedness. | 2003 | 15040188 | |
| anthrax 2001: observations on the medical and public health response. | 2003 | 15040187 | |
| leading during times of trouble: a roundtable discussion of recent terror events. | 2003 | 15040184 | |
| induction of opsonic antibodies to the gamma-d-glutamic acid capsule of bacillus anthracis by immunization with a synthetic peptide-carrier protein conjugate. | the capsule of bacillus anthracis, a polymer of gamma-d-glutamic acid, functions as a virulence determinant and is a poor immunogen. in this study we show that antibodies reactive with the b. anthracis capsule can be elicited in mice by immunization with a conjugate consisting of a synthetic gamma-d-glutamic acid nonamer peptide (gamma-d-glu9) covalently coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. the serum response to gamma-d-glu9 was comprised primarily of igg antibodies that recognized an epitope r ... | 2004 | 15039099 |
| differentiating inhalational anthrax from other influenza-like illnesses in the setting of a national or regional anthrax outbreak. | the workup of a febrile patient who presents with an influenza-like illness in the setting of a national or regional anthrax outbreak presents a unique challenge to the physicians who initially evaluate this patient, and the diagnostic challenge can be even more profound during the influenza season. based on information gathered from the recent inhalational anthrax cases, we have developed an algorithm to be used by physicians in the emergency department to evaluate patients with influenza-like ... | 2004 | 15037498 |
| the roles of anthrax toxin in pathogenesis. | anthrax lethal toxin is a multi-functional virulence factor that has evolved to target multiple host functions to allow for optimal establishment of bacillus anthracis infection. the toxin appears to play a role in all stages of infection, from germination to the induction of vascular collapse leading to host death. early in infection, at sublethal doses, it acts to suppress immune cell and cytokine responses, thereby promoting bacterial outgrowth. later in the disease, lethal levels of toxin in ... | 2004 | 15036135 |
| rapid dipicolinic acid extraction from bacillus spores detected by surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy. | 2004 | 15035719 | |
| molecular koch's postulates applied to bacterial pathogenicity--a personal recollection 15 years later. | koch's postulates were derived from robert koch's work on infectious diseases, such as anthrax and tuberculosis, which still engage us to this day. these guidelines were an attempt to establish a standard for identifying the specific causation of an infectious disease and to convince sceptics that microorganisms could cause disease. they were also established to encourage an increasing number of novice microbiologists to use more rigorous criteria before claiming a causal relationship between a ... | 2004 | 15035010 |
| vaccines and immunotherapies for the prevention of infectious diseases having cutaneous manifestations. | although the development of antimicrobial drugs has advanced rapidly in the past several years, such agents act against only certain groups of microbes and are associated with increasing rates of resistance. these limitations of treatment force physicians to continue to rely on prevention, which is more effective and cost-effective than therapy. from the use of the smallpox vaccine by jenner in the 1700s to the current concerns about biologic warfare, the technology for vaccine development has s ... | 2004 | 15034501 |
| time-lapse confocal imaging of development of bacillus anthracis in macrophages. | macrophages attempt to battle infection with bacillus anthracis spores by phagocytosis of the spores. however, it is believed that b. anthracis spores may survive phagocytosis and may actually use the macrophages that ingest them as a means of transport to lymph nodes. thus far, the events that occur after spores undergo phagocytosis have remained unclear. to elucidate the fate of spores internalized by macrophages, we have used time-lapse confocal microscopy to follow individual fluorescent spo ... | 2004 | 15031802 |
| potent inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor from green tea. | the anthrax lethal factor (lf) has a major role in the development of anthrax. lf is delivered by the protective antigen (pa) inside the cell, where it exerts its metalloprotease activity on the n-terminus of mapk-kinases. pa+lf are cytotoxic to macrophages in culture and kill the fischer 344 rat when injected intravenously. we describe here the properties of some polyphenols contained in green tea as powerful inhibitors of lf metalloproteolytic activity, and how the main catechin of green tea, ... | 2004 | 15031715 |
| the protein kinase pkr is required for macrophage apoptosis after activation of toll-like receptor 4. | macrophages are pivotal constituents of the innate immune system, vital for recognition and elimination of microbial pathogens. macrophages use toll-like receptors (tlrs) to detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns--including bacterial cell wall components, such as lipopolysaccharide or lipoteichoic acid, and viral nucleic acids, such as double-stranded (ds)rna--and in turn activate effector functions, including anti-apoptotic signalling pathways. certain pathogens, however, such as salmone ... | 2004 | 15029200 |
| bacillus anthracis and bacillus cereus pcra helicases can support dna unwinding and in vitro rolling-circle replication of plasmid pt181 of staphylococcus aureus. | replication of rolling-circle replicating (rcr) plasmids in gram-positive bacteria requires the unwinding of initiator protein-nicked plasmid dna by the pcra helicase. in this report, we demonstrate that heterologous pcra helicases from bacillus anthracis and bacillus cereus are capable of unwinding staphylococcus aureus plasmid pt181 from the initiator-generated nick and promoting in vitro replication of the plasmid. these helicases also physically interact with the repc initiator protein of pt ... | 2004 | 15028705 |
| "the history of anthrax", by sternbach g. | 2004 | 15028341 | |
| identification of bacillus anthracis specific chromosomal sequences by suppressive subtractive hybridization. | bacillus anthracis, bacillus thuringiensis and bacillus cereus are closely related members of the b. cereus-group of bacilli. suppressive subtractive hybridization (ssh) was used to identify specific chromosomal sequences unique to b. anthracis. | 2004 | 15028116 |
| validation of the anthrax lethal toxin neutralization assay. | a validation of the performance characteristics of a toxin neutralization assay is presented. this in vitro assay measures the functional ability of antisera, containing antibodies to anthrax lethal toxin, to specifically protect j774a.1 cells against bacillus anthracis lethal toxin cytotoxicity. this colormetric assay is based upon the reduction of mtt by living cells. human and rabbit antisera produced against anthrax vaccine absorbed (ava) were used to validate the assay. results showed a hig ... | 2004 | 15026022 |
| [effect of hydrogen peroxide on the virulent properties of anthrax pathogen spores]. | the impact exerted by hydrogen peroxide on the virulent properties of anthrax pathogen spores was experimentally evaluated. even a short-term exposure of them to a disinfect was shown to cause impairments of the functional nature in the spores' vital structures, e.g. suppression of multiplication. at the same time, the biological monitoring of disinfection efficiency does not always rule out the presence of viable pathogen spores in the disinfected objects. | 2004 | 15022549 |
| [anthrax and carbuncle: two sides of the same coin]. | the disease caused by bacillus anthracis is one of the most critical concerns to the general public and public health authorities due both to the anthrax cases caused by the intentional release of the germ in the usa at the close of 2001 when letters and packages were contaminated with anthrax spores, and the current threat of biological warfare. after a brief excursus on the history of the terms anthrax and carbuncle, we survey the main evidence of anthrax found in the ancient literature, and d ... | 2003 | 15020857 |
| chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism: an introduction for occupational physicians. | chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism poses considerable threat throughout the world. | 2004 | 15020728 |
| the osmoprotectants glycine and its methyl derivatives prevent the thermal inactivation of protective antigen of bacillus anthracis. | protective antigen (pa) is the main immunogenic constituent of all vaccines against anthrax. it is known to lose its biological activity even at 37 degrees c. its thermolabile nature has, thus, remained a cause of concern as even transient exposure of the vaccine to higher temperature could compromise its efficacy. various types of cosolvent excipients have been used to stabilize a number of proteins with variable success. however, no comprehensive and systematic study to stabilize anthrax pa mo ... | 2004 | 15020254 |
| comparative proteomics of the mycobacterium leprae binding protein myelin p0: its implication in leprosy and other neurodegenerative diseases. | mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy invades schwann cells of the peripheral nerves leading to nerve damage and disfigurement, which is the hallmark of the disease. wet experiments have shown that m. leprae binds to a major peripheral nerve protein, the myelin p zero (p0). this protein is specific to peripheral nerve and may be important in the initial step of m. leprae binding and invasion of schwann cells which is the feature of leprosy. though the receptors on schawann cells, ... | 2004 | 15019586 |
| anthrax vaccination and self-reported symptoms, functional status, and medical conditions in the national health survey of gulf war era veterans and their families. | to evaluate the health status of gulf war veterans who reported receipt of anthrax vaccination and a small group of gulf war veterans for whom documentation of anthrax vaccination exists. | 2004 | 15018879 |
| evaluation of the washington state national pharmaceutical stockpile dispensing exercise, part ii--dispensary site worker findings. | on january 24, 2002, the washington state department of health, in collaboration with local and federal agencies, conducted an exercise of the centers for disease control and prevention's national pharmaceutical stockpile dispensing portion of the washington state plan. this exercise included predrill planning, training, and the orchestration of services of more than 40 dispensary site workers. these workers provided education and post-exposure prophylaxis for over 230 patient volunteers in the ... | 2004 | 15018345 |
| proliferation of biological weapons: challenges and responses. | the threat posed by the proliferation of biological weapons (bw) confronts all strata of our society, from the individual, the nation, or the region to the truly international. the history of state-run offensive bw programmes and the attacks in the united states with powdered anthrax demonstrate that existing measures fall short of addressing this threat. this article examines the current regime and the concerns that confront it in order to suggest possible responses across the social strata tha ... | 2004 | 15015544 |
| anthrax lethal toxin rapidly activates caspase-1/ice and induces extracellular release of interleukin (il)-1beta and il-18. | anthrax lethal toxin (lt), a critical virulence factor for bacillus anthracis, has been demonstrated to cleave and to inactivate mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (mapkks) that propagate prosurvival signals in macrophages (1-5). whether this action of anthrax lt leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages has been more controversial (6, 7). we now report that anthrax lt treatment leads to the specific extracellular release of interleukin (il)-1beta and il-18 by the ... | 2004 | 15010463 |
| lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis inhibits tissue factor expression in vascular cells. | 2004 | 15009481 | |
| pathogen-specific recombinant human polyclonal antibodies: biodefence applications. | the potential use of biological agents such as viruses, bacteria or bacterial toxins as weapons of mass destruction has fuelled significant national and international research and development in novel prophylactic or therapeutic countermeasures. such measures need to be fast-acting and broadly specific, a hallmark of target-specific polyclonal antibodies (pabs). as reviewed here, pathogen-specific antibodies in the form of human or animal serum have long been recognised as effective therapies in ... | 2004 | 15006732 |
| modification of clastogenesis and carcinogenesis in rats and mice by means of anthrax live vaccine. | possible micronuclei (mn) inducing activity of anthrax live vaccine (alv; produced in armenia and used for immunization of animals) was studied on rats and mice. it has been shown that alv did not induce mn in rodents' bone marrow erythrocytes. for the first time it has been shown that immunization of rats and mice with alv led to decrease of micronuclei number induced by cyclophosphamide and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in bone marrow cells. immunized rats were also resistant to carcinogenic ... | 2004 | 15004654 |
| in vitro post-antibiotic effect of fluoroquinolones, macrolides, beta-lactams, tetracyclines, vancomycin, clindamycin, linezolid, chloramphenicol, quinupristin/dalfopristin and rifampicin on bacillus anthracis. | the aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the post-antibiotic effect (pae) of 19 antibacterial agents against two strains of bacillus anthracis (st-1 and sterne strains). | 2004 | 14998982 |
| immune system paralysis by anthrax lethal toxin: the roles of innate and adaptive immunity. | since the deliberate use of anthrax as a bioweapon in the usa in 2001, an enormous amount of attention has been focused on the biology of bacillus anthracis, the causative bacterium of anthrax. fatal systemic anthrax involves massive bacteraemia and toxaemia with non-descript early symptoms until the onset of shock and sudden death. the outbreak of fatal symptoms after the incubation period of b anthracis suggests an impairment of the host immune system against this pathogen. thus, it is likely ... | 2004 | 14998502 |