Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| protective role of hsp72 against clostridium difficile toxin a-induced intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction. | we determined whether the cytoprotective heat shock protein hsp72 protects against the injurious effects of clostridium difficile toxin a (txa) on intestinal epithelial cells. colonic epithelial caco-2/bbe (c2) cells were stably transfected with hsp72 antisense (c2as) or vector only (c2vc), resulting in low and high hsp72 expression, respectively. measurements of epithelial barrier integrity, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis activation were assessed after txa exposure. hsp72 and rhoa intera ... | 2003 | 12490434 |
| production of alpha 1,3-galactosyltransferase-deficient pigs. | the enzyme alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase (alpha1,3gt or ggta1) synthesizes alpha1,3-galactose (alpha1,3gal) epitopes (galalpha1,3galbeta1,4glcnac-r), which are the major xenoantigens causing hyperacute rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. complete removal of alpha1,3gal from pig organs is the critical step toward the success of xenotransplantation. we reported earlier the targeted disruption of one allele of the alpha1,3gt gene in cloned pigs. a selection procedure based on a bacteria ... | 2003 | 12493821 |
| general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease (iid) in hospitals, england and wales, 1992-2000. | between 1992 and 2000, 26.6% (1,396/5,257) of all general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease (iid) reported to the public health laboratory service (phls) communicable disease surveillance centre (cdsc) occurred in hospitals. over 29,000 patients and staff were affected and the mortality risk was higher than for outbreaks in other settings [relative risk 2.00 (95% ci: 1.52-2.63) p<0.001]. person-to-person spread was the predominant mode of transmission. the mortality risk was highest in ... | 2003 | 12495678 |
| r-ras glucosylation and transient rhoa activation determine the cytopathic effect produced by toxin b variants from toxin a-negative strains of clostridium difficile. | clostridium difficile induces antibiotic-associated diarrhea through the production of toxin a and toxin b; the former toxin has been assumed to be responsible for the symptoms of the disease. several toxin a-negative strains from c. difficile have recently been isolated from clinical cases and have been reported to produce toxin b variants eliciting an atypical cytopathic effect. ultrastructural analysis indicated these toxins induce a rounding cytopathic effect and filopodia-like structures. t ... | 2003 | 12496290 |
| gut changes attributed to ageing: effects on intestinal microflora. | there is increased evidence of several impaired gastrointestinal functions with ageing. in the elderly, however, most gastrointestinal functions remain relatively intact because of the large reserve capacity of the intestine and the great secretion capacity of the pancreas. this review will focus on changes in gut microflora observed in the elderly and on the potential benefit of probiotics in this population. | 2003 | 12496680 |
| in vitro activities of daptomycin, vancomycin, quinupristin- dalfopristin, linezolid, and five other antimicrobials against 307 gram-positive anaerobic and 31 corynebacterium clinical isolates. | the activities of daptomycin, a cyclic lipopeptide, and eight other agents were determined against 338 strains of gram-positive anaerobic bacteria and corynebacteria by the nccls reference agar dilution method with supplemented brucella agar for the anaerobes and mueller-hinton agar for the corynebacteria. the daptomycin mics determined on ca(2+)-supplemented (50 mg/liter) brucella agar plates were one- to fourfold lower than those determined in unsupplemented media. daptomycin was highly active ... | 2003 | 12499210 |
| the complete receptor-binding domain of clostridium difficile toxin a is required for endocytosis. | clostridium difficile toxin a, the chief pathogenicity factor of the antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis, is an intracellular acting cytotoxin that reaches its targets, the rho gtpases, after receptor-mediated endocytosis. the c-terminal part, constructed of repetitive peptide elements, is thought to bind to a lot of carbohydrate containing receptor molecules to induce clustering and endocytosis. to study which part of the receptor-binding domain is in charge of addressing toxin a int ... | 2003 | 12507507 |
| divergence of mechanisms regulating respiratory burst in blood and sputum eosinophils and neutrophils from atopic subjects. | eosinophil respiratory burst is an important event in asthma and related inflammatory disorders. however, little is known concerning activation of the respiratory burst nadph oxidase in human eosinophils. conversely, neutrophils are known to assemble nadph oxidase in intracellular and plasma membranes. we hypothesized that eosinophils and neutrophils translocate nadph oxidase to distinct intracellular locations, consistent with their respective functions in o(2)(-)-mediated cytotoxicity. pma-ind ... | 2003 | 12594296 |
| recurrent clostridium difficile colitis: case series involving 18 patients treated with donor stool administered via a nasogastric tube. | clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis have emerged as major complications associated with use of systemic antimicrobials. in this study, the medical records for 18 subjects who received donor stool by nasogastric tube for recurrent c. difficile infection during a 9-year period at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. during the period between the initial diagnosis of c. difficile colitis and the stool treatments, the 18 subjects received a total of 64 courses of ant ... | 2003 | 12594638 |
| differential actions of par2 and par1 in stimulating human endothelial cell exocytosis and permeability: the role of rho-gtpases. | endothelial cell proteinase activated receptors (pars) belong to a family of heterotrimeric g protein-coupled receptors that are implicated in leukocyte accumulation and potentiation of reperfusion injury. we characterized the effect and the signal transduction pathways recruited after stimulation of endothelial par2. we used von willebrand factor (vwf) release and monolayer permeability to peroxidase to report weibel-palade body (wpb) exocytosis and pore formation, respectively. human umbilical ... | 2003 | 12595338 |
| clostridium difficile vaccine and serum immunoglobulin g antibody response to toxin a. | there is a strong association between serum antibody responses to toxin a and protection against clostridium difficile diarrhea. a parenteral c. difficile toxoid vaccine induced very-high-level responses to anti-toxin a immunoglobulin g (igg) in the sera of healthy volunteers. after vaccination, the concentrations of anti-toxin a igg in the sera of all 30 recipients exceeded the concentrations that were associated with protection in previous clinical studies. furthermore, the median concentratio ... | 2003 | 12595488 |
| gastrointestinal complications in the neutropenic patient: characterization and differentiation with abdominal ct. | to characterize the computed tomographic (ct) findings of gastrointestinal complications in neutropenic patients and to identify ct features that can help differentiate these complications. | 2003 | 12601214 |
| effects of large clostridial cytotoxins on activation of rbl 2h3-hm1 mast cells indicate common and different roles of rac in fcepsilonri and m1-receptor signaling. | using rho gtpases-inhibiting clostridial cytotoxins, we showed recently in rbl cells that the gtpase rac is involved in fcepsilonri (high-affinity receptor for ige) signaling and receptor-mediated calcium mobilization, including influx via calcium release-activated calcium channels. here, we studied the role of rho gtpases in muscarinic m1 receptor signaling in rbl 2h3-hm1 cells. clostridium difficile toxin b, which inactivates rho, rac, and cdc42, and clostridium sordellii lethal toxin, which i ... | 2003 | 12604702 |
| ccr7 ligands induce rapid endocytosis in mature dendritic cells with concomitant up-regulation of cdc42 and rac activities. | although chemokines are well known to function in chemotaxis, additional roles for these molecules in the immune system are not well understood. dendritic cells (dcs) developmentally regulate the expression of chemokine receptors to facilitate their migration from the peripheral tissues to regional lymph nodes. expressions of ccr1 and ccr5 on immature dcs are down-regulated on maturation, whereas ccr7 is selectively expressed on mature dcs. in the present study, we examined the effects of ccl19 ... | 2003 | 12609829 |
| colonic pseudo-obstruction: the dilated colon in the icu. | acute colonic pseudo-obstruction is a syndrome of massive dilation of the colon without mechanical obstruction that develops in hospitalized patients with serious underlying medical and surgical conditions. increasing age, cecal diameter, delay in decompression, and status of the bowel significantly influence mortality, which is approximately 40% when ischemia or perforation is present. evaluation of the markedly distended colon in the intensive care unit setting involves excluding mechanical ob ... | 2003 | 12610851 |
| leptin mediates clostridium difficile toxin a-induced enteritis in mice. | leptin regulates energy homeostasis and participates in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. although hyperleptinemia is described in experimental colitis, its role in the pathophysiology of enterotoxin-mediated diarrhea and inflammation remains unclear. we examined the role of leptin in the inflammatory diarrhea induced by toxin a from clostridium difficile, the causative agent of antibiotic-related colitis. | 2003 | 12612907 |
| rapid detection of clostridium difficile in stool using the vidasr c. difficile toxin a ii assay. | a rapid laboratory diagnosis of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad) is important in patient management and in the administration of appropriate therapeutic modalities. the vidas(r) c. difficile toxin a ii (cda 2) assay (biomerieux, inc., hazelwood, mo) was compared with the cell culture cytotoxicity assay (cca) for the rapid detection of c. difficile in stool from patients in whom c. difficile infection was suspected. thirty-eight consecutively collected cca-positive stool specimens ... | 2003 | 12614982 |
| pitavastatin-induced thrombomodulin expression by endothelial cells acts via inhibition of small g proteins of the rho family. | 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl coenzyme a reductase inhibitors (statins) can function to protect the vasculature in a manner that is independent of their lipid-lowering activity. the main feature of the antithrombotic properties of endothelial cells is an increase in the expression of thrombomodulin (tm) without induction of tissue factor (tf) expression. we investigated the effect of statins on the expression of tm and tf by endothelial cells. | 2003 | 12615662 |
| prevalence and association of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin b (mls(b)) resistance with resistance to moxifloxacin in clostridium difficile. | clostridium difficile remains the leading cause of nosocomially acquired diarrhoea. c. difficile usually exhibits resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics, whereas susceptibility to other drugs may vary. this study investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility of c. difficile to different antibiotics over a period of time and characterizes molecular mechanisms for resistance. one hundred and seventy-three toxigenic and 19 non-toxigenic c. difficile strains, recovered from patients in two unive ... | 2003 | 12615860 |
| clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea in patients with community-acquired lower respiratory infection being treated with levofloxacin compared with beta-lactam-based therapy. | the aim of the study was to compare the incidence of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (cdad) following treatment of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infection (lrti) in hospitalized patients with levofloxacin or a beta-lactam-based therapy. nine hundred and thirty-eight patients were included in the prospective open-labelled "randomized" trial. this included 490 patients treated with levofloxacin and 448 patients treated with beta-lactams such as cefuroxime or amoxicillin. th ... | 2003 | 12615873 |
| in vitro activity of linezolid against clostridium difficile. | 2003 | 12615885 | |
| changes in sensitivity patterns to selected antibiotics in clostridium difficile in geriatric in-patients over an 18-month period. | clostridium difficile-associated disease continues to be a major problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout the developed world. administration of certain antibiotics such as amoxycillin, oral cephalosporins and clindamycin is associated with the greatest risk of developing c. difficile disease. the two antibiotics used for treatment of c. difficile disease are vancomycin and metronidazole, to which there is currently very little resistance. randomly selected isolates (186) fr ... | 2003 | 12621092 |
| metabotropic glutamate receptors activate phospholipase d in astrocytes through a protein kinase c-dependent and rho-independent pathway. | metabotropic glutamate receptors (mglurs) are g protein-coupled receptors that mediate phospholipase d (pld) activation in brain, but the mechanism underlying this response remains unclear. here we used primary cultures of astrocytes as a cell model to explore the mechanism that links mglurs to pld. glutamate activated both phospholipase c (plc) and pld with equal potency and this effect was mimicked by l-cysteinesulfinic acid, a putative neurotransmitter previously shown to activate mglurs coup ... | 2003 | 12623215 |
| outbreak of clostridium difficile-related diarrhoea in an adult oncology unit: risk factors and microbiological characteristics. | we describe the risk factors and microbiological findings of an outbreak of clostridium difficile (cd)-related diarrhoea in the medical oncology department of the curie institute. screening for cd in stools was performed on 59 patients with diarrhoea and 146 patients without diarrhoea. toxin secretion, serotyping (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay) and genotyping (ap-polymerase chain reaction) were performed on 39 cd strains from 32 patients. the risk factors for toxigenic cd-positive diarrhoea ... | 2003 | 12623319 |
| new types of toxin a-negative, toxin b-positive strains among clostridium difficile isolates from asia. | a total of 56 c. difficile strains were selected from 310 isolates obtained from different hospitals in japan and korea and from healthy infants from indonesia. strains that had been previously typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and pcr ribotyping, were characterized by toxinotyping and binary toxin gene detection. when toxinotyped, 35 strains were determined to be toxinotype 0, whereas 21 strains showed variations in toxin genes and could be grouped into 11 variant toxinotypes. six of th ... | 2003 | 12624039 |
| clostridium difficile toxin b, an inhibitor of the small gtpases rho, rac and cdc42, influences spiral ganglion neurite outgrowth. | neurotrophins and extracellular matrix (ecm) molecules are involved in neurite guidance during the development of spiral ganglion (sg) neurons. several intracellular signaling molecules can be activated by ecms and neurotrophins via their cognate receptors. in other systems these include the rho small gtpases, which influence reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton that is required for axon growth. the aim of this study was to determine whether neurotrophin-3 (nt-3)-mediated sg neurite outgrowt ... | 2003 | 12625568 |
| moxifloxacin-induced clostridium difficile diarrhea. | 2003 | 12639182 | |
| camp-induced aqp2 translocation is associated with rhoa inhibition through rhoa phosphorylation and interaction with rhogdi. | we have recently demonstrated that inhibition of rho gtpase with clostridium difficile toxin b, or with clostridium botulinum c3 toxin, causes actin depolymerization and translocation of aquaporin 2 (aqp2) in renal cd8 cells in the absence of hormonal stimulation. here we demonstrate that rho inhibition is part of the signal transduction cascade activated by vasopressin leading to aqp2 insertion into the apical membrane. quantitation of active rhoa (gtp-bound) by selective pull down experiments ... | 2003 | 12640036 |
| bacterial hemorrhagic enterocolitis. | bacterial diarrhea can be classified into two clinical entities, noninflammatory diarrhea and inflammatory diarrhea syndromes. the latter type of diarrhea is characterized by bloody and puruloid mucus stool, and is often accompanied by fever, tenesmus, and severe abdominal pain. pathogenic bacteria causing the inflammatory diarrhea syndrome include salmonella, vibrio, shigella, enteroinvasive and enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli, campylobacter, yersinia, chlamydia, and clostridium difficile. t ... | 2003 | 12640523 |
| clostridium difficile infection and concurrent vancomycin-resistant enterococcus stool colonization in a health care worker: case report and review of the literature. | clostridium difficile diarrhea was noted in a previously healthy health care worker from the study institution after receiving oral clindamycin therapy; the worker also had vancomycin-resistant enterococcus stool colonization. health care workers should be aware that antibiotic therapy may place them at increased risk for colonization and infection with nosocomial pathogens such as clostridium difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. | 2003 | 12548259 |
| development potential of rifalazil. | rifalazil represents a new generation of ansamycins that contain a unique four-ring structure. originally rifalazil was developed as a therapeutic agent to replace rifampin as part of a multiple drug regimen in the treatment of tuberculosis. as a result of its superior antimicrobial activity and high intracellular levels, rifalazil has potential to treat indications caused by the intracellular pathogen, chlamydia trachomatis, which causes non-gonococcal urethritis and cervicitis, often leading t ... | 2003 | 12556219 |
| the effects of storage conditions on viability of clostridium difficile vegetative cells and spores and toxin activity in human faeces. | clostridium difficile is a common nosocomial pathogen and as such diagnostic and research methods may necessitate storage of faecal specimens for long periods, followed by subsequent re-examination. this study investigated the effects of storage conditions upon the viability of this organism and its toxin. | 2003 | 12560391 |
| resonance assignment and topology of a clostridial repetitive oligopeptide (crop) region of toxin a from clostridium difficile. | 2003 | 12567004 | |
| clostridium difficile colitis after forced anal-receptive intercourse. | colitis caused by clostridium difficile toxin has been reported in homosexual men. we report a case of c. difficile colitis that occurred in an immunocompetent heterosexual man after forced anal-receptive intercourse. | 2003 | 12567322 |
| endocannabinoids induce ileitis in rats via the capsaicin receptor (vr1). | intraluminal administration of the endocannabinoids n-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-ag) causes inflammation similar to that caused by clostridium difficile toxin a in the rat ileum. the effects of anandamide and 2-ag were significantly inhibited by pretreatment with the specific capsaicin receptor (vanilloid receptor subtype 1; vr1) antagonist capsazepine. pretreatment with the cb1 and cb2 cannabinoid receptor antagonists n-piperidino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-( ... | 2003 | 12538826 |
| clinical usefulness of components of the triage immunoassay, enzyme immunoassay for toxins a and b, and cytotoxin b tissue culture assay for the diagnosis of clostridium difficile diarrhea. | we studied 557 nonduplicate fresh stool specimens from adult patients clinically suspected of having clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. all samples were tested in parallel with an in-house cytotoxin b tissue culture assay (cta), the c difficile tox a/b ii test (ta/b; techlab, blacksburg, va), and the triage micro c difficile panel (biosite diagnostics, san diego, ca). the triage device detects toxin a (ta) and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) simultaneously. of the specimens, 350 were negat ... | 2003 | 12520696 |
| clostridium difficile brain empyema after prolonged intestinal carriage. | clostridium difficile, the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, is occasionally isolated from extraintestinal sites and is usually found as part of a polymicrobial flora. we report a case of brain empyema that occurred after the recurrent intestinal carriage of a nontoxigenic strain of c. difficile. brain abscess cultures contained both toxigenic and nontoxigenic isolates. pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that nontoxigenic isolates from the intestine and from the brain wer ... | 2003 | 12517909 |
| prevalence of clostridium spp. and clostridium difficile in children with acute diarrhea in são paulo city, brazil. | species of clostridium are widely distributed in the environment, inhabiting both human and animal gastrointestinal tracts. clostridium difficile is an important pathogen associated with outbreaks of pseudomembranous colitis and other intestinal disorders, such as diarrhea. in this study, the prevalence of clostridium spp. and c. difficile, from hospitalized children with acute diarrhea, was examined. these children were admitted to 3 different hospitals for over 12 months. eighteen (20%) and 19 ... | 2003 | 12937752 |
| high frequency of antibiotic-associated diarrhea due to toxin a-negative, toxin b-positive clostridium difficile in a hospital in japan and risk factors for infection. | patients hospitalized in a hospital with a high incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea due to toxin a-negative, toxin b-positive (a-/b+) clostridium difficile were retrospectively investigated to determine the clinical manifestations and risk factors for infection. of 77 clostridium difficile isolates obtained from 77 patients during the 1-year investigation period, 30 were a-/b+ and 47 were toxin a-positive, toxin b-positive (a+/b+). by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, 23 of the ... | 2003 | 12938013 |
| cellular uptake of clostridium difficile toxin b. translocation of the n-terminal catalytic domain into the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. | clostridium difficile toxin b (269 kda) is one of the causative agents of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. toxin b acts in the cytosol of eukaryotic target cells where it inactivates rho gtpases by monoglucosylation. the catalytic domain of toxin b is located at the n terminus (amino acid residues 1-546). the c-terminal and the middle region of the toxin seem to be involved in receptor binding and translocation. here we studied whether the full-length toxin or only a ... | 2003 | 12941936 |
| construction of a fusion protein carrying antigenic determinants of enteric clostridial toxins. | clostridium difficile and clostridium perfringens type a are infectious agents of enteric diseases. the main virulence factors of these microorganisms include toxins a and b of c. difficile (toxa and toxb) and enterotoxin of c. perfringens (cpe). in this study genetic constructions have been created for the expression of toxa, toxb and cpe fragments either as individual components or as a hybrid multidomain (toxa-toxb-cpe) protein. rabbit monospecific sera raised against individual peptides reac ... | 2003 | 12951260 |
| modulation of the expression of connective tissue growth factor by alterations of the cytoskeleton. | modulation of the cytoskeletal architecture was shown to regulate the expression of ctgf (connective tissue growth factor, ccn2). the microtubule disrupting agents nocodazole and colchicine strongly up-regulated ctgf expression, which was prevented upon stabilization of the microtubules by paclitaxel. as a consequence of microtubule disruption, rhoa was activated and the actin stress fibers were stabilized. both effects were related to ctgf induction. overexpression of constitutively active rhoa ... | 2003 | 12951326 |
| lactobacillus plantarum 299v for the treatment of recurrent clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. | a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed to analyse the ability of lactobacillus plantarum 299v to prevent further recurrent episodes of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (rcdad). recurrence of clinical symptoms (main outcome) was seen in 4 of 11 patients who received metronidazole in combination with l. plantarum 299v and in 6 of 9 treated with metronidazole in combination with placebo. the lactobacilli treatment had no side-effects. although the small sample size does no ... | 2003 | 12953945 |
| epidemiology and molecular characterization of clostridium difficile strains from patients with diarrhea: low disease incidence and evidence of limited cross-infection in a swedish teaching hospital. | we prospectively studied the epidemiology of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad) in a 900-bed hospital over the course of 12 months by pcr-ribotyping of c. difficile isolates. a total of 304 cases were diagnosed, corresponding to an overall incidence of 7/1,000 admissions, with higher rates in nephrology, hematology, and organ transplantation wards (37, 30, and 21/1,000), and 72% were classified as hospital associated (onset in hospital or onset at home but after a hospital stay wit ... | 2003 | 12958221 |
| recent emergence of an epidemic clindamycin-resistant clone of clostridium difficile among polish patients with c. difficile-associated diarrhea. | analysis of both the antibiotic resistance and the virulence characteristics of anaerobic human microbial pathogens is important in order to improve our understanding of a number of clinically significant infectious diseases, including clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad). we determined the presence of the clindamycin resistance-associated gene ermb and the ribotype of 33 c. difficile strains isolated from polish patients suffering from cdad. while all strains produced cytotoxin b (t ... | 2003 | 12958245 |
| mastoparan-induced insulin secretion from insulin-secreting betatc3 and ins-1 cells: evidence for its regulation by rho subfamily of g proteins. | mastoparan, a tetradecapeptide from wasp venom, stimulates insulin secretion from the islet beta-cells, presumably via activation of trimeric g proteins. herein, we used clostridial toxins, which selectively modify and inactivate the rho subfamily of g proteins, to examine whether mastoparan-induced insulin secretion also involves activation of these signaling proteins. mastoparan, but not mastoparan 17 (an inactive analog of mastoparan), significantly stimulated insulin secretion from betatc3 a ... | 2003 | 12960065 |
| [effect of a polyoxydonium immunoregulator on the biological properties of microorganisms]. | the effect of the synthetic immunomodulator polyoxydonium (po) on some biological properties of pathogenic bacteria (shigella flexneri, salmonella enteritidis), opportunistic bacteria (klebsiella pneumoniae, escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus aureus, bacteroides fragilis, peptostreptococcus anaerobius, prevotella melaninogenica, propionibacterium propionicum, clostridium difficile) and fungi (candida albicans), isolated during enteric infections, enteric dysbiosis, pyoinfla ... | 2003 | 12966885 |
| [evaluation of the effect of medicines on biological properties of clostridium difficile]. | the presence of the persistence factors (anti-lysozyme and anti-complement activity) in the vegetative forms of c. difficile was experimentally proved. the effect of different medicines (vitamins b1, b6 and c, prebiotic inulin, probiotics bifidumbacterin and enterol) on the persistence factors of c. difficile and microbial resistance to vancomycin, thienam, lincomycin, clindamycin was evaluated. the anti-lysozyme and anti-complement activity of c. difficile was found to decrease under the influe ... | 2003 | 12966888 |
| [production of recombinant fragments of the clostridium tetani neurotoxin for the development of new immune-prophylaxis preparations against tetanus]. | tetanus belongs to dangerous infection diseases, whose effective prevention can be ensured by vaccines. the acting substance of tetanus vaccines, presently in use, is a partially purified and deprived-of-lethal-action clostridium tetani neurotoxin. the construction of a subunit preparation on the basis of toxin fragments obtained through gene engineering could be a method aimed at promoting the quality of the used tetanus vaccines. with this goal in mind, we built, within the present case study, ... | 2003 | 12966924 |
| simultaneous assays for clostridium difficile and faecal lactoferrin in ulcerative colitis. | infectious agents may be one of the important factors in initiating or perpetuating ulcerative colitis. increasing evidence has accumulated regarding the role of clostridium difficile (c. difficile) infection in the exacerbation of ulcerative colitis. the present work was undertaken to study the implications of c. difficile toxin (cdt) and faecal lactoferrin (fl) positivity in patients with idiopathic ulcerative colitis (iuc) in a north indian hospital. ninety-four faecal samples from patients o ... | 2003 | 12974208 |
| clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea after internal fixation of intertrochanteric femoral fractures. | the aim of the study presented here was to record the incidence and outcome of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea in patients undergoing surgery for intertrochanteric femoral fractures. between january 2000 and june 2001, a total of 239 patients who underwent surgery after sustaining an intertrochanteric femoral fracture were included in the study. seventeen patients developed clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (incidence risk, 7.1%), and six patients died after developing the co ... | 2003 | 13680392 |
| clostridium difficile toxin b is an inflammatory enterotoxin in human intestine. | clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis, diseases afflicting millions of people each year. although c. difficile releases 2 structurally similar exotoxins, toxin a and toxin b, animal experiments suggest that only toxin a mediates diarrhea and enterocolitis. however, toxin a-negative/toxin b-positive strains of c. difficile recently were isolated from patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis, indicating that toxin b also may be pat ... | 2003 | 12891543 |
| expression of recombinant clostridium difficile toxin a using the bacillus megaterium system. | pathogenic clostridium difficile produces two major protein toxins, toxin a and toxin b. we used the bacillus megaterium expression system for expression of recombinant toxin a. the construct for the toxin a gene was obtained by the following cloning strategy: the gene for toxin a was generated in three parts, each of them ligated into a cloning vector. the three parts were sequentially fused to the complete gene. the holotoxin gene was ligated into the expression vector pwh1520. this vector was ... | 2003 | 12893263 |
| reducing delays in the diagnosis and treatment of clostridium difficile diarrhoea. | the diagnosis of clostridium difficile diarrhoea is often delayed. | 2003 | 12897343 |
| gastrointestinal side effects of drugs. | drugs can have adverse effects on any part of the gastrointestinal (gi) tract from mouth to colon. it is essential that a detailed and accurate drug history is taken in patients presenting with gi complaints. many drug-induced effects will regress or heal on cessation of treatment. nsaids are usually associated with gastric and duodenal ulcers but are also recognised to cause lichen planus in the mouth, oesophageal inflammation and strictures, and small bowel and colonic ulcers and strictures. a ... | 2003 | 12904098 |
| [comparison of ap-pcr methods, ribotyping (pcr-ribotyping) and pulsed-field electrophoresis (pfge) for strains of clostridium difficile producing toxin b and not producing toxin a]. | in this study were used ap-pcr, pcr-ribotyping and pulsed-field elecrophoresis (pfge) for comparative study of toxin a-negative/toxin b-posi-tive clostridium difficile strains with deletion in toxin a gen. we investigated nine unrelated clinical strains, isolated from different units and different time from patients suffering to antibiotic associated diarrhea (aad). we found that toxin a-negative/toxin b-positive c. difficile strains isolated in poland belonging to a single genotype a, are being ... | 2003 | 12908415 |
| [detection of ermb gene responsible for high level resistance to clindamycin (mls type resistance) among clostridium difficile strains isolated from antibiotic associated diarrhea (aad)]. | in 68 c. difficile strains isolated from feacal samples of patients with antibiotic associated diarrhoea (aad) investigated presence of ermb gene transferable of high level resistance to clindamycin. the primers set 2980/2981 used for identification of ermb gene amplified a 688 bp segment. we used the etest to assess all strains for susceptibility to clindamycin. this study demonstrates that 57% of strains isolated from faecal samples of patients with aad were highly resistant to clindamycin (mi ... | 2003 | 12908416 |
| detection of clostridium difficile cytotoxin and clostridium perfringens enterotoxin in cases of diarrhoea in the community. | faecal specimens from 843 cases of diarrhoea in the community were tested for the presence of clostridium difficile cytotoxin and clostridium perfringens enterotoxin. c. difficile cytotoxin was detected in faecal specimens from 0.6 % of cases aged at least 2 years by using a vero cell assay. factors associated with detection of c. difficile cytotoxin were antibiotic therapy, age over 60 years and living in a home with other elderly people. three methods were used for the detection of c. perfring ... | 2003 | 12909650 |
| antimicrobial activity of smap-29 against the bacteroides fragilis group and clostridia. | the cathelicidin-derived peptide smap-29 exerts rapid and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against aerobic bacteria and fungi. in this study, the effects of the peptide against the bacteroides fragilis group, including antibiotic-resistant isolates, clostridium perfringens and clostridium difficile reference and clinical isolates, were investigated. | 2003 | 12917245 |
| involvement of rho family g protein in the cell signaling for sperm incorporation during fertilization of mouse eggs: inhibition by clostridium difficile toxin b. | sperm-egg interaction was investigated in mouse eggs freed from the zona pellucida and injected with clostridium difficile toxin b, the inhibitor of rho family small g proteins. toxin b reduced in a dose-dependent manner the percentage of eggs associated with sperm fusion on the surface or sperm nucleus decondensation in the ooplasm, examined by injection of a dna-staining dye into the egg and transfer of the dye to the fused sperm head after recording intracellular ca(2+) responses for 100 min ... | 2003 | 12921750 |
| association of common variable immunodeficiency with atypical collagenous colitis. | collagenous colitis is a condition characterized by chronic, watery diarrhoea, which is diagnosed histologically as most cases reveal a normal colonoscopic appearance. the aetiology is poorly understood, but nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or infections may act as triggers for an immune-mediated process. in this report, an unusual case of collagenous colitis associated with pseudomembrane formation is described. stool assay was negative for clostridium difficile cytotoxin b. there are only ... | 2003 | 12923382 |
| inhibition of rho family gtpases results in increased tnf-alpha production after lipopolysaccharide exposure. | these studies demonstrate that treatment of macrophages with lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug that blocks farnesylation and geranylgeranylation of target proteins, increases lps-induced tnf-alpha production. this is reversed by the addition of mevalonate, which bypasses the lovastatin block. examination of membrane localization of rhoa, cdc42, rac1, and ras demonstrated decreased membrane localization of the geranylgeranylated rho family members (rhoa, cdc42, and rac1) with no change in t ... | 2003 | 12928415 |
| regulation of parathyroid hormone-stimulated phospholipase d in umr-106 cells by calcium, map kinase, and small g proteins. | signaling intermediates for pth and phorbol activation of pld in umr-106 cells were determined. calcium was required, and the effects of pth, phorbol, and calcium were dependent on p42/44 map kinase and small g proteins, specifically rhoa, acting through rho kinase. | 2003 | 12929934 |
| [diarrhea associated with clostridium difficile: experience at a secondary hospital]. | our purpose was to know the incidence, clinical profile, evolution and mortality of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. | 2003 | 14499069 |
| evaluation of the clearview clostridium difficile toxin a test and various selective culture media in comparison with the cytotoxin assay for the diagnosis of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea. | clostridium difficile is the major pathogen associated with nosocomial diarrhoea. we evaluated the performances of a commercially available toxin a enzyme immunoassay (eia; clearview c. difficile toxin a test), culture and tissue culture cytotoxin assay in the diagnosis of c. difficile-associated diarrhoea. | 2003 | 14506970 |
| probiotics to enhance anti-infective defences in the gastrointestinal tract. | several clinical studies have demonstrated the therapeutic and/or prophylactic efficacy of specific probiotics against acute viral gastroenteritis and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (including clostridium difficile infection). emerging evidence also suggests beneficial effects against helicobacter pylori infection. the evidence of efficacy against traveller's diarrhoea remains, however, inconclusive. the precise mechanisms by which probiotics potentiate host gastrointestinal defences and mediat ... | 2003 | 14507586 |
| probiotics, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and clostridium difficile diarrhoea in humans. | probiotics are living organisms which, when ingested, have a beneficial therapeutic effect. examples are bacteria, especially lactobacillus rhamnosus gg, and the yeast saccharomyces boulardii. controlled trials indicate a benefit of both of these in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. other less effective probiotics are lactinex, enterococcus faecium and bifidobacteria. in the difficult clinical problem of recurrent clostridium difficile disease, s. boulardii as an adjunct to anti ... | 2003 | 14507587 |
| pseudomembranous collagenous colitis. | the classic clinical and histologic features of collagenous colitis are well characterized; however, the acute or neutrophilic inflammatory changes that may accompany this entity are less well established. in this report of 10 patients, we describe the first series of pseudomembranous collagenous colitis. because superimposed clostridium difficile infection was only demonstrated in one patient and no other causes of pseudomembranous colitis were evident in the remaining nine patients, we conclud ... | 2003 | 14508399 |
| [present state and disadvantage of rapid diagnosis method in clinical microbiology--analysis of questionnaire survey]. | to investigate the present state and the disadvantages of rapid diagnosis methods in clinical microbiology in japan, we have conducted a questionnaire survey of 360 medical facilities accredited by the japanese association for rapid method and automation in microbiology (jarmam). major rapid diagnosis methods being used in clinical microbiology are, in the order of its use rate, influenza virus, adenovirus, mycobacterium tuberculosis, clostridium difficile toxin a, rotavirus, hepatitis b virus, ... | 2003 | 14509945 |
| favorable impact of a multidisciplinary antibiotic management program conducted during 7 years. | to evaluate the impact of an interventional multidisciplinary antibiotic management program on expenditures for antibiotics and on the incidence of nosocomial infections caused by clostridium difficile and antibiotic-resistant pathogens during 7 years. | 2003 | 14510254 |
| [comment on the article by e. zemanova et al: "clostridium difficile infection associated with pseudomembranous colitis in district hospitals]. | 2003 | 14518079 | |
| [clostridium difficile infection associated with pseudomembranous colitis in district hospitals]. | at a regional hospital serving 150,000 inhabitants, the authors were tracking the occurrence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by a nosocomial infection of the clostridium difficile, especially its most serious form--pseudomembranous colitis. six cases of the disease were found in a retrospective study in 2001, another 20 cases were diagnosed while actively searching for the disease from january till september of 2002. the patients suffered from many complications, were of an average age ... | 2003 | 14518090 |
| identification and characterization of a fibronectin-binding protein from clostridium difficile. | a 68 kda fibronectin-binding protein (fbp68) from clostridium difficile displaying significant homology to several established or putative fbps from other bacteria was identified. the one-copy gene is highly conserved in c. difficile isolates. fbp68 was expressed in escherichia coli in fusion with glutathione s-transferase; the fusion protein and the native fbp68 were purified. immunoblot analysis and cell fractionation experiments revealed that fbp68 is present on the surface of the bacteria. f ... | 2003 | 14523111 |
| [treatment of infections associated with clostridium difficile]. | cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (aad) associated with toxigenic c. difficile strains more frequently are described recently. in polish studies diagnosis of aad or pmc (pseudomembranous colitis) was confirmed by isolation of c. difficile strains in 52% of suspected cases. strains of c. difficile were isolated also from samples taken from hospital environment (10.5% positive samples). problem of c. difficile-associated infection is more frequently observed in poland also because of uncont ... | 2003 | 14526488 |
| comparison of ap-pcr typing and pcr-ribotyping for estimation of nosocomial transmission of clostridium difficile. | we recently attempted to clarify an increased incidence of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (cdad) in our hospital by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (ap-pcr) typing of isolates from 147 consecutive patients collected during a 12 month period (wullt et al. j hosp infect 1999;43:265-273). in the present study we compared the results based on previous ap-pcr data with those based on recent pcr ribotyping of the same isolates and re-analysis of a subset of isolates by ap-pcr ... | 2003 | 14529637 |
| novel roles for the rho subfamily of gtp-binding proteins in succinate-induced insulin secretion from betatc3 cells: further evidence in support of the succinate mechanism of insulin release. | we have previously demonstrated regulatory roles for rho subfamily of g-proteins in glucose- and calcium-induced insulin secretion. herein, we examined regulation by these proteins of insulin secretion from betatc3 cells elicited by mitochondrial fuels, such as the succinic acid methyl ester (same). preincubation of these cells with clostridium difficile toxin-b (200 ng/ml), which monoglucosylates and inactivates cdc42 and rac1, markedly decreased (> 70%) same-induced insulin secretion. furtherm ... | 2003 | 14535637 |
| molecular cloning, overexpression in escherichia coli, and purification of 6x his-tagged c-terminal domain of clostridium difficile toxins a and b. | genomic dna from ribotype-01 and -17 clostridium difficile strains was used for amplification of the sequences encoding the carboxy-terminal domain of toxins a (tcda) and b (tcdb). the deduced c-terminal tcdb ribotype-01 and -17 domains share 99.5% amino acid sequence identity while tcda ribotype-17 comprises a 607 amino acid deletion compared to tcda-01. when compared to previously sequenced c. difficile toxins, 99.3% amino acid identity was found between tcda-01 and tcda from strain vpi10643 a ... | 2003 | 14550648 |
| bacterial-associated diarrhea in the dog: a critical appraisal. | the clinical documentation of enteropathogenic bacteria causing diarrhea in dogs is clouded by the presence of many of these organisms existing as normal constituents of the indigenous intestinal flora. the diagnosis of a putative bacterial enteropathogen(s) in dogs should be made based on a combination of parameters, including signalment and predisposing factors, clinical signs, serologic assays for toxins, fecal culture, and pcr. relying on results of fecal culture alone is problematic, becaus ... | 2003 | 14552160 |
| involvement of cdc42 signaling in apoa-i-induced cholesterol efflux. | cholesterol efflux, an important mechanism by which high density lipoproteins (hdl) protect against atherosclerosis, is initiated by docking of apolipoprotein a-i (apoa-i), a major hdl protein, to specific binding sites followed by activation of atp-binding cassette transporter a1 (abca1) and translocation of cholesterol from intracellular compartments to the exofacial monolayer of the plasma membrane where it is accessible to hdl. in this report, we investigated potential signal transduction pa ... | 2003 | 14563854 |
| clostridium difficile pericarditis complicating pseudomembranous colitis in a trauma patient. | 2003 | 14566136 | |
| in vitro activities of a new des-fluoro(6) quinolone, garenoxacin, against clinical anaerobic bacteria. | the antimicrobial activities of garenoxacin and eight other antibiotics against 641 anaerobic isolates were evaluated with the nccls agar dilution method. overall, the mics of garenoxacin for 50 and 90% of the strains tested (in micrograms per milliliter) were as follows: bacteroides fragilis group, 0.5 and 2; prevotella spp., 0.25 and 2; fusobacterium spp., 0.25 and 0.5; porphyromonas spp., 0.125 and 0.25; bilophila wadsworthia, 0.5 and 1; veillonella spp., 0.25 and 0.5; clostridium spp., 0.25 ... | 2003 | 14576144 |
| signet-ring cell change versus signet-ring cell carcinoma: a comparative analysis. | signet-ring cell change (scc) is a nonneoplastic condition that morphologically simulates signet-ring cell carcinoma (srca). the few case reports on scc have focused on morphologic characteristics in distinguishing benign from malignant. in biopsy specimens, however, scc can be easily confused with srca, which often demonstrates innocuous cytologic features. the object of this study is twofold: 1) to report 14 additional cases of scc, comparing their morphologic and phenotypic features with that ... | 2003 | 14576475 |
| archival pcr-based diagnosis of clostridium difficile in piglets. | 2003 | 14584577 | |
| [pseudomembranous colitis during antibiotic therapy]. | the use of antibiotics is commonly accompanied by diarrhea: idiopathic diarrhea with a benign process and diarrhea caused by clostridium difficile and pseudomembranous colitis. clostridium difficile colonizes the gastrointestinal tract and produces a toxin in cases when normal flora is suppressed by antibiotics. pseudomembranous colitis most frequently appears after application of clindamycin, lincomycin, ampicillin, cephalosporins and other antibiotics. diagnosis is established after rectoscopi ... | 2003 | 14587259 |
| activity of three disinfectants and acidified nitrite against clostridium difficile spores. | to identify environmentally safe, rapidly acting agents for killing spores of clostridium difficile in the hospital environment. | 2003 | 14587940 |
| international typing study of toxin a-negative, toxin b-positive clostridium difficile variants. | clinically important strains of clostridium difficile that do not produce toxin a but produce toxin b and are cytotoxic (a(-)/b(+)) have been reported from multiple countries. in order to compare the relatedness of these strains, we typed 23 a(-)/b(+) c. difficile isolates from the united kingdom (6 isolates), belgium (11 isolates), and the united states (6 isolates) by three well-described typing methods. restriction endonuclease analysis (rea), pcr ribotyping, and serogrouping differentiated 1 ... | 2003 | 12682143 |
| genotypic and phenotypic characterization of clostridium perfringens and clostridium difficile in diarrheic and healthy dogs. | 2003 | 12683608 | |
| the role of rho and rho-dependent kinase in serotonin-induced contraction observed in bovine middle cerebral artery. | the current study was designed to characterize the role of rho and rho-dependent kinase (rho-kinase) in isometric contractile responses induced by serotonin (5-ht) and a solution containing 40 mm k(+) (high k(+)) in ring preparations of the middle cerebral artery of bovine. application of w-7, a ca(2+)-calmodulin inhibitor, reversibly and equally attenuated the amplitudes of contractions produced by both 5-ht and high k(+). similar effects were observed with ml-7, an inhibitor of myosin light ch ... | 2003 | 14690016 |
| pseudomembranous colitis caused by toxin a-negative/toxin b-positive variant strain of clostridium difficile. | we report the first case of pseudomembranous colitis (pmc) due to a toxin a-negative, toxin b-positive strain (toxin a variant strain) of clostridium difficile in japan. the toxin a variant strain of c. difficile is capable of causing pmc and is undetectable in clinical laboratories that use only toxin a immunoassays for c. difficile testing. if c. difficile-associated diarrhea is clinically suspected and toxin a is not detected, then the possibility of a toxin a variant strain should be conside ... | 2003 | 14691659 |
| [assessment of susceptibility to metronidazole and vancomycin of clostridium difficile strains isolated between 1998-2002]. | the drugs of choice used to treat c. diffcile associated diarrhoea (cdad) are metronidazole and vancomycin. c. difficile strains isolated in most laboratories are susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin. communication about emergence of antimicrobial resistance among c. difficile strains in some countries to metronidazole and intermediate resistance to vancomycin are alarming. this study was performed to determine the susceptibility to metronidazole and vancomycin of 140 c. difficile strains ... | 2003 | 14702667 |
| clostridium difficile: towards a standard operating procedure. | 2003 | 14708280 | |
| prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal complications in patients on mechanical ventilation. | there exists a complex, dynamic interaction between mechanical ventilation and the splanchnic vasculature that contributes to a myriad of gastrointestinal tract complications that arise during critical illness. positive pressure-induced splanchnic hypoperfusion appears to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of these complications, the most prevalent of which are stress-related mucosal damage, gastrointestinal hypomotility and diarrhea. furthermore, characteristics of the splanchnic vasculatu ... | 2003 | 14719992 |
| clostridium difficile--not just a nosocomial infection. | 2003 | 14596234 | |
| molecular structure and evolution of the conjugative multiresistance plasmid pre25 of enterococcus faecalis isolated from a raw-fermented sausage. | plasmid pre25 from enterococcus faecalis transfers resistances against kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, clindamycin, lincomycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, tylosin, chloramphenicol, and nourseothricin sulfate by conjugation in vitro to e. faecalis jh2-2, lactococcus lactis bu2, and listeria innocua l19. its nucleotide sequence of 50237 base pairs represents the largest, fully sequenced conjugative multiresistance plasmid of enterococci (plasmid 46 (2001) 170). t ... | 2003 | 14597005 |
| clostridium difficile infection in patients with unexplained leukocytosis. | to determine whether unrecognized clostridium difficile infection is responsible for a substantial proportion of cases of unexplained leukocytosis in a tertiary care hospital setting. | 2003 | 14599633 |
| risk factors for clostridium difficile colonisation and toxin production. | to examine risk factors for patients becoming clostridium difficile culture and toxin positive. | 2003 | 14600008 |
| frequency of binary toxin genes among clostridium difficile strains that do not produce large clostridial toxins. | pathogenic strains of clostridium difficile commonly produce two large clostridial toxins (lcts), a and b, virulence factors responsible for c. difficile disease. some strains have been reported to produce an additional toxin, a binary toxin designated cdt. binary toxin has cytotoxic effects on cells in culture, but its role in human disease is not yet defined. in this study we examined the frequency of binary toxin genes (cdtb and cdta) among c. difficile isolates that do not produce lcts (a(-) ... | 2003 | 14605169 |
| human uterine epithelial rl95-2 cells reorganize their cytoplasmic architecture with respect to rho protein and f-actin in response to trophoblast binding. | embryo implantation is initiated by interaction of trophoblast with uterine epithelium via the apical cell poles of both partners. using spheroids of human trophoblastoid jar cells and monolayers of human uterine epithelial rl95-2 cells to simulate this initial interaction, we previously demonstrated that formation of stable cell-to-cell bonds depends on actin cytoskeleton (f-actin) and small gtpases of the rho family, most likely rhoa. in this study, we determined the apical as well as the basa ... | 2003 | 14605490 |
| development of an integrative vector for the expression of antisense rna in clostridium difficile. | a method was developed to use the conjugative transposon tn916 as a vector for introducing recombinant dna into clostridium difficile. this was used to introduce antisense rna for the adhesin encoding gene cwp66 into c. difficile 79-685. rt-pcr demonstrated that cwp66 specific antisense rna was produced. however, there was no statistically significant difference in the protein expression or in the adherence of recombinant c. difficile strains. this may be due to the amount of transcripts of the ... | 2003 | 14607405 |
| effects of sub-mic concentrations of antibiotics on growth of and toxin production by clostridium difficile. | effects on growth and toxin a production of sub-mic concentrations of six different antibiotics were investigated in three strains of clostridium difficile: reference strain nctc 11223, a fully sequenced strain (630) and a locally endemic isolate (strain 338a). the antibiotics chosen for investigation were the agents used to treat c. difficile-associated disease (cdad), i.e. vancomycin and metronidazole, and four antibiotics that are commonly involved in precipitating cdad (amoxycillin, clindamy ... | 2003 | 14614060 |