Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| mimicry of host-defense peptides by unnatural oligomers: antimicrobial beta-peptides. | we have designed beta-amino acid oligomers that are helical, cationic, and amphiphilic with the intention of mimicking the biological activity of amphiphilic, cationic alpha-helical antimicrobial peptides found in nature (e.g., magainins). we have previously identified a 17-residue beta-peptide (called beta-17) with antibiotic activity similar to that of a magainin derivative against four bacterial species, including two clinical isolates that are resistant to common antibiotics. this beta-pepti ... | 2002 | 12071741 |
| invasion of human keratinocytes by staphylococcus aureus and intracellular bacterial persistence represent haemolysin-independent virulence mechanisms that are followed by features of necrotic and apoptotic keratinocyte cell death. | colonization of human skin by staphylococcus aureus is a characteristic feature of several inflammatory skin diseases, which is often followed by tissue invasion and severe cell damage. a crucial role has been attributed to staphylococcal haemolysins in the cytotoxicity to epidermal structures. | 2002 | 12072060 |
| tissue expression of human toll-like receptors and differential regulation of toll-like receptor mrnas in leukocytes in response to microbes, their products, and cytokines. | members of the toll-like receptor (tlr) family mediate dorsoventral patterning and cellular adhesion in insects as well as immune responses to microbial products in both insects and mammals. tlrs are characterized by extracellular leucine-rich repeat domains and an intracellular signaling domain that shares homology with cytoplasmic sequences of the mammalian il-1 receptor and plant disease resistance genes. ten human tlrs have been cloned as well as rp105, a protein similar to tlr4 but lacking ... | 2002 | 11777946 |
| pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. | cystic fibrosis (cf) is an autosomal-recessive disorder and affects about 60,000 people worldwide. the cf gene, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (cftr), was found in 1989 and over 800 mutations have been sequenced. although our understanding of the pathophysiology of cf has increased, pulmonary infections remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality. during the first decade of life, staphylococcus aureus and nontypable haemophilus influenza are most common, but pseudo ... | 2002 | 11891518 |
| definition of a type of abnormal vaginal flora that is distinct from bacterial vaginosis: aerobic vaginitis. | to define an entity of abnormal vaginal flora: aerobic vaginitis. | 2002 | 11845812 |
| different aminoglycoside-resistant phenotypes in a rabbit staphylococcus aureus endocarditis infection model. | the impact of different types of enzymatic resistance on the in vivo antibacterial activity of aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, and netilmicin) was studied in the rabbit endocarditis model with four strains of staphylococcus aureus. animals were treated in a manner simulating the administration of a single daily human dose. amikacin had no effect on the three kanamycin-resistant strains despite apparent susceptibility in the disk diffusion test. gentamicin appears to be the preferable amin ... | 2002 | 11959609 |
| typing of human and bovine staphylococcus aureus by rapd-pcr and ribotyping-pcr. | aims: to investigate genetic diversity among staphylococcus aureus and to delineate the geographical distribution of the strains found. methods and results: rapd-pcr and ribotyping-pcr were employed for the characterization of staph. aureus isolates from bovine and nosocomial origin. among the strains, five to nine groups were distinguished by rapd-pcr, depending on which primer was used, while ribotyping-pcr distinguished seven ribotypes. conclusions, and significance and impact of the study: t ... | 2002 | 12081546 |
| the different process of class switching and somatic hypermutation; a novel analysis by cd27(-) naive b cells. | the relationship between class switch recombination (csr) and somatic hypermutation has been unclear. by using human cd27(-) naive b cells, we investigated the somatic hypermutation and producibility of immunoglobulins (igs) that occur after csr. although neither adult cd27(-) nor cord blood b cells, which showed the unmutated ig v-region genes, produced igg, igm, or iga in response to conventional stimuli, they produced igg and igm but not iga in the presence of staphylococcus aureus cowan stra ... | 2002 | 11781240 |
| differential role of neutrophil fcgamma receptor iiib (cd16) in phagocytosis, bacterial killing, and responses to immune complexes. | to determine the roles played by the neutrophil fcgamma receptor type ii (fcgammarii) (cd32) and fcgammariiib (cd16) in phagocytosis, bacterial killing, and activation by immune complexes (ics) and to test the hypothesis that inhibition of pathologic effector neutrophil function is possible without compromising host defense. | 2002 | 12115243 |
| staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin mediates polymorphonuclear leukocyte-induced vasocontraction and endothelial dysfunction. | the effect of staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin (alpha-toxin) on selectin-mediated neutrophil adhesion was investigated in polymorphonuclear leukocyte- (pmn) induced vasocontraction and endothelial dysfunction. adherence of human pmns to rat aortic endothelium increased significantly following stimulation of the endothelium with alpha-toxin (0.1, 0.5, and 1 microg/ml). this effect could be significantly attenuated by monoclonal antibodies directed against p-selectin or fucoidin, a carbohydrate k ... | 2002 | 11795666 |
| internalization of staphylococcus aureus by human corneal epithelial cells: role of bacterial fibronectin-binding protein and host cell factors. | wild-type staphylococcus aureus was observed to be capable of invading human corneal epithelial cells (hcec) in vitro. internalization of s. aureus required expression of fibronectin-binding proteins (fnbps); the capacity of an fnbp-deficient isogenic strain to invade hcec was reduced by more than 99%. the binding of s. aureus to hcec did not require viable bacteria, since uv-killed cells were observed to adhere efficiently. invasion of hcec by s. aureus involved active host cell mechanisms; upt ... | 2002 | 12117986 |
| aortic and mitral valve surgery on the beating heart is lowering cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross clamp time. | the concept of cardiac surgery on the beating heart is acceptable rationale for the cardiac surgery in the next millenium. beating heart (off-pump) coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg) techniques have led us to consider the possibility for performing the aortic and mitral valve surgery (mitral valve repairs and replacements - with or without cabg) on the beating heart with the technique of retrograde oxygenated coronary sinus perfusion. | 2002 | 12125670 |
| staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli adhesion to human cells is reduced by sub-mics of gemifloxacin. | this study was designed to investigate the capacity of subinhibitory concentrations of the newly developed fluoroquinolone antibiotic gemifloxacin to interfere with the mechanism of bacterial adhesion. human buccal epithelial cells were incubated with staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli, and grown in the presence of serial dilutions of gemifloxacin from 1/2 mic to 1/128 mic. a significant decrease in the adhesion of both s. aureus and e. coli was observed from 1/2 mic to 1/32 mic. morphol ... | 2002 | 11892898 |
| resistance mechanisms of gram-positive bacteria. | the introduction and increasing use of antibiotics for antibacterial therapy has initiated a rapid development and expansion of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms, particularly in human pathogens. additionally, a shift to an increase in number and severity of gram-positive infections has been observed the last decades. common to these pathogens is their tendency to accumulate multiple resistances under antibiotic pressure and selection. methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa), th ... | 2002 | 12139425 |
| identification of a transcytosis epitope on staphylococcal enterotoxins. | staphylococcal enterotoxins (se) are exoproteins produced by staphylococcus aureus that act as superantigens and have been implicated as a leading cause of food-borne disease and toxic shock. little is known about how these molecules penetrate the gut lining and gain access to both local and systemic immune tissues. to model movement in vitro of staphylococcal enterotoxins, we have employed a monolayer system composed of crypt-like human colonic t-84 cells. seb and sea showed comparable dose-dep ... | 2002 | 11895985 |
| the origin of the synergistic effect of muramyl dipeptide with endotoxin and peptidoglycan. | although the basis for the high mortality rate for patients with mixed bacterial infections is likely to be multifactorial, there is evidence for a synergistic effect of muramyldipeptide (mdp) with lipopolysaccharide (lps) on the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines by mononuclear phagocytes. in this study, co-incubation of human mono mac 6 cells with mdp and either lps or peptidoglycan (pgn) resulted in an apparent synergistic effect on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha) secretion. altho ... | 2002 | 12151399 |
| comparative pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of gentamicin-resistant and -susceptible methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus strains isolated in france between 1991 and 1998. changes in antibiotic susceptibility. | using macrorestriction of genomic dna and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we examined 504 non-redundant, infection-causing human isolates of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus susceptible (g(s): 238 isolates) or resistant to gentamicin (g(r): 266 isolates). the strains were isolated at albert chenevier hospital (créteil, france) between 1 january 1991 and 31 december 1998. their susceptibility to erythromycin, lincomycin, tetracycline, rifampicin, fusidic acid and fosfomycin was also ... | 2002 | 12183140 |
| discrepancy between uptake and intracellular activity of moxifloxacin in a staphylococcus aureus-human thp-1 monocytic cell model. | the correlation between uptake of moxifloxacin by thp-1, a continuous line of monocytic cells devoid of intrinsic bactericidal properties, and its activity against staphylococcus aureus atcc 25923, a susceptible reference strain (mic and minimal bactericidal concentration of moxifloxacin, 0.1 mg/liter), was studied in a 5-h assay. the uptake of the drug, added to the culture medium at 0.2 to 32 mg/liter, was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. the ratio of the cellular to extrac ... | 2002 | 11796332 |
| bacterial pneumonia. managing a deadly complication of influenza in older adults with comorbid disease. | in patients with influenza, the risk of death from pneumonia is closely associated with age and chronic conditions. mortality from influenza and pneumonia in americans age > or = 65 has been increasing since 1980. pneumonia following influenza is usually caused by a secondary bacterial infection. pathogens most commonly implicated are streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and haemophilus influenzae. prompt empiric therapy effective against the suspected pathogen is indicated, whether ... | 2002 | 11899549 |
| evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of medicinal plants from the ivory coast. | a total of 148 crude ethanol extracts from 115 plant species were tested in vitro against gram-negative strains (escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa) and the gram-positive staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus faecalis. moreover, they were submitted to antifungal assays against candida albicans and cladosporium cucumerinum, a human and a plant pathogenic microorganism, respectively, known to be good indicators of antifungal activity. no activity was detected against the gram-negative bacte ... | 2002 | 12203276 |
| intravitreal penetration of cefepime after systemic administration to humans. | to investigate the penetration of cefepime (a fourth-generation cephalosporin) into the vitreous after single-dose intravenous administration to human subjects. | 2002 | 12207129 |
| pathology of a mouse model of x-linked chronic granulomatous disease. | a colony of knockout mice (gene designation cybb tm1) has been maintained at this institution for 5 years. these mice are lacking the b subunit of nadph oxidase and are susceptible to experimental infection with aspergillus fumigatus. the purpose of this study was to document the spontaneous diseases present in these mice which are a murine model of x-linked chronic granulomatous disease and to compare these lesions to those of chronic granulomatous disease in humans. lesions were documented in ... | 2002 | 12213046 |
| [antimicrobial, echinococcidial and immunostimulating properties of the drug cheblin-sk-1]. | the antimicrobial properties of the drug cheblin-ck-1 (cck-1) were determined in mice intraabdominally inoculated with proteus mirabilis-4691 in a dose of 140-200 million daily cultured microbial bodies. its comparison agent was ampicillin. cck-1 was found to act as an antibiotic similar to ampicillin in its effects. the antimicrobial activity of cck-1 against staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli isolated from the contents of echinococcal cysts from patients operated on was also establishe ... | 2002 | 12224264 |
| fibronectin-binding proteins of staphylococcus aureus are involved in adherence to human airway epithelium. | this study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of staphylococcus aureus adherence to human airway epithelium. using a humanized bronchial xenograft model in the nude mouse and primary cultures of human airway epithelial cells (haec), we showed that s. aureus adhered mainly to undifferentiated haec whereas weak adherence (11- to 20-fold lower) to differentiated haec was observed (p < 0.01). a fibronectin (fn)-binding protein (fnbp)-deficient strain of s. aureus had a fivefold-low ... | 2002 | 11796591 |
| relationships between staphylococcus aureus genetic background, virulence factors, agr groups (alleles), and human disease. | the expression of most staphylococcus aureus virulence factors is controlled by the agr locus, which encodes a two-component signaling pathway whose activating ligand is an agr-encoded autoinducing peptide (aip). a polymorphism in the amino acid sequence of the aip and of its corresponding receptor divides s. aureus strains into four major groups. within a given group, each strain produces a peptide that can activate the agr response in the other member strains, whereas the aips belonging to dif ... | 2002 | 11796592 |
| multidrug pump inhibitors uncover remarkable activity of plant antimicrobials. | plant antimicrobials are not used as systemic antibiotics at present. the main reason for this is their low level of activity, especially against gram-negative bacteria. the reported mic is often in the range of 100 to 1,000 micro g/ml, orders of magnitude higher than those of common broad-spectrum antibiotics from bacteria or fungi. major plant pathogens belong to the gram-negative bacteria, which makes the low level of activity of plant antimicrobials against this group of microorganisms puzzl ... | 2002 | 12234835 |
| characterization of staphylococcus aureus isolated from poultry meat in spain. | ninety-six staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail chicken carcasses in spain were characterized using cultural and biochemical tests. the strains were phage typed with the international bacteriophage set for typing s. aureus of human origin. eighty-eight (91.7%) strains were of the poultry ecovar. strains of human ecovar were not found. these facts are congruent with findings of other authors. ninety (93.7%) strains were phage typeable. lysis by phages of group iii was the most frequent with ... | 2002 | 11902420 |
| effect of protein binding on the in vitro activity and pharmacodynamics of faropenem. | the influence of protein binding upon different aspects of the in vitro activity of faropenem on recently isolated staphylococcus aureus and respiratory pathogens was determined. the protein binding of faropenem was investigated in inactivated human serum and albumin by ultrafiltration. the effect of the presence of inactivated human serum and albumin on the in vitro activity of faropenem and amoxicillin was established and the influence of protein binding on the pharmacodynamic properties of fa ... | 2002 | 12356797 |
| distribution of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes among staphylococcus aureus isolates from poultry and humans with invasive staphylococcal disease. | food poisoning by staphylococcus aureus affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. staphylococcus aureus also causes invasive diseases such as arthritis (in poultry) and septicemia (in poultry and humans). foodborne disease is caused by the ingestion of a staphylococcal enterotoxin (se). enterotoxin has also been associated with other s. aureus illnesses in humans and domestic animals. in this study, polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the staphylococcal enterotoxin genes, sea, ... | 2002 | 11922324 |
| corneal expression of the inflammatory mediator cap37. | cap37 is a polymorphonuclear neutrophil (pmn)-derived inflammatory protein with potent antibiotic and chemotactic activity. to further investigate the biological significance of cap37 in infection and inflammation, a well-characterized in vivo rabbit model of bacterial keratitis was selected to study its contribution to host defenses. | 2002 | 11980855 |
| function of the 90-loop (thr90-glu100) region of staphylokinase in plasminogen activation probed through site-directed mutagenesis and loop deletion. | staphylokinsae (sak) forms a bimolecular complex with human plasmin(ogen) and changes its substrate specificity by exposing new exosites that enhances accession of substrate plasminogen (pg) to the plasmin (pm) active site. protein modelling studies indicated the crucial role of a loop in sak (sak 90-loop; thr(90)-glu(100)) for the docking of the substrate pg to the sak-pm complex. function of sak 90-loop was studied by site-directed mutagenesis and loop deletion. deletion of nine amino acid res ... | 2002 | 11936951 |
| influence of several uropathogenic microorganisms on human sperm motility parameters in vitro. | the effects of certain uropathogenic microorganisms (neisseria gonorrhoeae, staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus epidermidis and mycobacterium tuberculosis) on human sperm motility characteristics were studied in vitro. | 2002 | 12364972 |
| in vitro interactions of biomedical polyurethanes with macrophages and bacterial cells. | three commercial medical-grade polyurethanes (pus), a poly-ether-urethane (pellethane), and two poly-carbonate-urethanes, the one aromatic (bionate) and the other aliphatic (chronoflex), were tested for macrophages and bacterial cells adhesion, in the presence or absence of adhesive plasma proteins. all the experiments were carried out on pus films obtained by solvent casting. the wettability of these films was analysed by measuring static contact angles against water. the ability of the selecte ... | 2002 | 11939455 |
| tailoring an antibacterial peptide of human lysosomal cathepsin g to enhance its broad-spectrum action against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. | neutrophils contain several cationic antimicrobial proteins or peptides (caps) that exert antibiotic-like action against bacteria. these host-derived antibiotics kill susceptible bacteria by oxygen-independent mechanisms. considerable interest in their activity has been generated in recent years due not only to their likely important role in innate host defense against infection, but also their possible use as therapeutic agents in treating infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. we ... | 2002 | 11945165 |
| transferrin binding in staphylococcus aureus: involvement of a cell wall-anchored protein. | the ability to gain access to iron is pivotal for bacterial pathogens during infection. although much is known about iron acquisition systems in gram-negative bacteria, comparatively little is known about how gram-positive pathogens access iron from host iron sources. a previous study showed that, in the gram-positive human pathogen staphylococcus aureus, a cell surface-associated glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) enzyme (gap, or tpn) is capable of binding human transferrin, repre ... | 2002 | 11952908 |
| [in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of pazufloxacin mesilate, a new injectable quinolone]. | we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of pazufloxacin mesilate (pzfx mesilate), a new injectable quinolone, and obtained the following results. 1) the mic50 and mic90 values of pzfx against clinically isolated gram-positive and -negative bacteria, ranged from 0.0125 to 12.5 micrograms/ml and 0.025 to 100 micrograms/ml, respectively. pzfx showed broad spectrum activity. the antibacterial activities of pzfx against quinolone-susceptible, methicillin-resistant staphyloco ... | 2002 | 12378871 |
| profound differences in leukocyte-endothelial cell responses to lipopolysaccharide versus lipoteichoic acid. | we have investigated the effects of lps from escherichia coli, lipoteichoic acid (lta), and peptidoglycan (pepg) from staphylococcus aureus, and live s. aureus on leukocyte-endothelial interactions in vivo using intravital microscopy to visualize muscle microvasculature. systemic vs local administration of lps induced very different responses. local administration of lps into muscle induced significant leukocyte rolling, adhesion, and emigration in postcapillary venules at the site of injection. ... | 2002 | 11971014 |
| the extracellular toll-like receptor 2 domain directly binds peptidoglycan derived from staphylococcus aureus. | toll-like receptor 2 (tlr2) has been recognized to mediate cell signaling in response to peptidoglycan (pgn), a major cell wall component of gram-positive bacteria. the mechanism by which tlr2 recognizes pgn is unknown. it is not even clear whether tlr2 directly binds to pgn. in this study, we generated a soluble form of recombinant tlr2 (stlr2) possessing only its putative extracellular domain by using the baculovirus expression system to examine the direct interaction between stlr2 and pgn. st ... | 2002 | 11986301 |
| antibiogram and beta-lactamase production of staphylococcus aureus isolates from different human clinical specimens in edo state, nigeria. | the antibiogram and beta-lactamase of 73 isolates of staphylococcus aureus from 235 different human clinical specimens were determined using standard procedures. these various clinical specimens were got from teaching hospitals and some private hospitals in edo state. the results of the antibiogram showed 100% susceptibiity to vancomycin, 78.1% to gentamicin, 71.3% to chloramphenicol, 69.8% to erythromycin and 61.6% to cloxacillin. the results of the beta-lactamase detection showed that 84.1% of ... | 2002 | 12403034 |
| identification of in vivo expressed vaccine candidate antigens from staphylococcus aureus. | for the design of potent subunit vaccines, it is of paramount importance to identify all antigens immunologically recognized by a patient population infected with a pathogen. we have developed a rapid and efficient procedure to identify such commonly recognized antigens, and here we provide a comprehensive in vivo antigenic profile of staphylococcus aureus, an important human pathogen. s. aureus peptides were displayed on the surface of escherichia coli via fusion to one of two outer membrane pr ... | 2002 | 11997460 |
| mitral valve endocarditis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: case report and literature review. | mitral endocarditis complicating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs predominantly on the left ventricular aspect of the anterior mitral valve leaflet in the presence of outflow tract obstruction. it is a rare condition and the estimated cumulative 10 year probability of developing endocarditis in patients with obstruction is < 5%. combined mitral valve replacement and septal myectomy has been reported in this setting. a case of community acquired staphylococcus aureus mitral valve endocarditis i ... | 2002 | 12010956 |
| regulation of human b cell function by sulfasalazine and its metabolites. | although sulfasalazine is a well-known disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (dmard), the mechanisms of its action remain unclear. indeed, it remains uncertain whether sulfasalazine itself or one of its metabolites is responsible for the antirheumatic effects of sulfasalazine. since one of the characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis (ra) is chronic stimulation of b cells, we compared the effects of sulfasalazine and its metabolites on the in vitro function of human b cells. ig production ... | 2002 | 12013503 |
| brachyspira (serpulina) pilosicoli of human origin interfere with the haemolytic activity and the growth of staphylococcus aureus beta-toxin producer. | brachyspira (serpulina) pilosicoli related to intestinal spirochaetosis were found to interfere in vitro with the haemolytic activity and the growth of staphylococcus aureus beta-toxin producer. this interference was clearly appreciated because a reduction of the zone of the staphylococcal beta-toxin activity, the reduction and/or absence of cooperative haemolysis between bacteria, and the growth reduction of s. aureus were observed when b. (s.) pilosicoli were grown 72-96 hours sooner than s. a ... | 2002 | 12019720 |
| monocyte deactivation in severe human sepsis or following cardiopulmonary bypass. | we investigated the specificity for gram-negative stimuli as well as the contribution of signal transduction pathways for leukocyte hyporesponsiveness in sepsis or following cardiopulmonary bypass (cpb). whole blood of nine patients undergoing cpb and 25 patients with severe sepsis was stimulated ex vivo with lps (e. coli o111:b4) or with staphylococcus aureus cowan strain i (sac-i) lysate in the absence or presence of inhibitors of protein kinase c (pkc), protein-tyrosine kinase (ptk), or prote ... | 2002 | 12022753 |
| synthesis and antibacterial activity of fused mannich ketones. | new mannich ketones of fused bicyclic ketones as 1-indanones and 1-tetralones were prepared using the classical acid-catalysed mannich reaction. known members of this family were used in comparative biological tests. antibacterial activity of these new water-soluble compounds was reported against pseudomonas aeruginosa, escherichia coli, e. coli red31m4, salmonella minnesota re595, shigella sonnei re4350, staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus saprophyticus, micrococcus luteus and bacillus subtil ... | 2002 | 12446038 |
| overproduction of type 8 capsular polysaccharide augments staphylococcus aureus virulence. | type 8 capsular polysaccharide (cp8) is the most prevalent capsule type in clinical isolates of staphylococcus aureus. however, its role in virulence has not been clearly defined. cp8 strains such as strain becker produce a small amount of capsule on their surface in vitro. in contrast, cp1 strains such as strain m produce a large amount of capsule, which has been shown to be an important antiphagocytic virulence factor. the cap8 and cap1 operons, required for the synthesis of cp8 and cp1, respe ... | 2002 | 12065477 |
| interference of sub-inhibitory concentrations of gatifloxacin on various determinants of bacterial virulence. | the physico-chemical characteristics of the molecular array on the outermost surface of bacteria modulate various bacterial functions which, when expressed in the human environment, constitute important determinants of bacterial virulence. the present study investigated the ability of subinhibitory concentrations of gatifloxacin to interfere with various virulence determinants of escherichia coli and with the adhesiveness of staphylococcus aureus. the adhesiveness of s. aureus and e. coli to hum ... | 2002 | 12462427 |
| immunoglobulin purification by affinity chromatography using protein a mimetic ligands prepared by combinatorial chemical synthesis. | affinity chromatography using protein a from staphylococcus aureus as the ligand has been widely used for the isolation of immunoglobulin g (igg) from various species. since ligand leakage from the affinity support can occur, time consuming analytical controls are required to detect the presence of contaminants associated with the isolated igg prior to its use for therapeutic purpose in humans. besides, protein a is an expensive bacterial product, whose isolation involves complex and labor inten ... | 2002 | 12472184 |
| molecular characterization of bovine cd26 upregulated by a staphylococcal superantigen. | in this report, we describe the cloning, sequencing, and expression of the bovine orthologue of cd26 (bocd26). several monoclonal antibodies specific for a molecule, activation molecule 3 (act3), aberrantly expressed on superantigen-stimulated bovine cd8(+) lymphocytes, reacted with recombinant bocd26 expressed in cos-7 and cho cells. we also showed that human cd8(+) t cells stimulated by a superantigen expressed cd26 at high levels. these results demonstrate that act3 is identical to bocd26 and ... | 2002 | 12073152 |
| approaches to selectivity in the zn(ii)-phthalocyanine-photosensitized inactivation of wild-type and antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus aureus. | a number of zn(ii)- phthalocyanines bearing peripheral substituents of cationic nature due to the presence of quaternarized anilinium or ammonium groups were shown to be efficient photoantimicrobial agents: a 4-5 log decrease in the survival of both wild-type or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus was obtained upon short irradiation times in the presence of phthalocyanine concentrations as low as 0.1 microm. a careful selection of the experimental protocol, and in particular the use of s ... | 2002 | 12656484 |
| [application of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) to methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus from humans and domestic animals]. | the aim of the research was to isolate and to identify the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) strains from cattle and human and to determine their genetic relatedness comparing the dna restriction patterns. | 2002 | 12700438 |
| host-pathogen interactions: leukocyte phagocytosis and associated sequelae. | polymorphonuclear leukocytes (pmns) are a critical component of the human innate immune response and are the first line of defense against invading microorganisms. phagocytosis of invading microbes induces production of reactive oxygen species (ros) by pmns, which facilitates bactericidal activity. in addition to eliminating microorganisms, phagocytosis also accelerates pmn apoptosis, a process critical for resolution of inflammation. inasmuch as leukocyte phagocytosis and ros production are key ... | 2002 | 12815296 |
| the bactericidal and cytotoxic effects of antimicrobial wound cleansers. | objective: wound care is a part of daily activity for many athletic trainers. knowing which cleansers are effective against the bacteria that most commonly cause infection and whether they are toxic to healthy cells enables athletic trainers to make educated decisions on which cleanser to use. we compared the bactericidal effectiveness and cytotoxicity to human fibroblast cells of 4 cleansers at various dilutions. design and setting: a 4 x 4 factorial design was used for the cytotoxicity testing ... | 2002 | 12937444 |
| expression of human beta-defensin-1 promotes differentiation of keratinocytes. | epithelial cells have been shown to express the antibiotic peptides human beta-defensins-1 and 2. while beta-defensin-2 is known to be up-regulated by bacterial factors and proinflammatory mediators, the expression of beta-defensin-1 does not appear to be affected by these mediators. to determine the regulation and function of beta-defensin-1 we analyzed its expression upon stimulation of inflammatory mediators in vitro and ex vivo. in immortalized human cell lines (hacat) and nasal polyps beta- ... | 2001 | 11485020 |
| a study on staphylococcus aureus strains submitted to a reference laboratory. | staphylococcus aureus is regarded as one of the most devastating human pathogens. recently there have been reports of increasing incidence of s. aureus strains resistant to methicillin (mrsa). a surveillance study was undertaken to record the occurrence of mrsa and to study the prevalence of various phage groups in india. | 2001 | 11873403 |
| the two-component system arls-arlr is a regulator of virulence gene expression in staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that produces many virulence factors in a temporally regulated manner controlled by at least two global virulence regulatory loci (agr and sara). we identified previously a two-component system, arls-arlr, that modifies the activity of extracellular serine protease and may be involved in virulence regulation. here, we show that mutations in either arlr or arls increase the production of secreted proteins [alpha-toxin (hla), beta-haemolysin, lipase, ... | 2001 | 11454217 |
| hematogenous cervical spondylodiscitis after severe burn injury. | a 47-year-old man sustained a 31% tbsa burn injury. in spite of early escharectomy and mesh-graft-transplantation the patient suffered a septicaemic phase in the first week, which was treated by a specific antibiotic. five weeks after the burn injury a cervical spondylodiscitis was diagnosed. immediate wound debridement, ventral and dorsal spondylodesis with a tricortical bone-graft from the left iliac crest and titanium plates and specific antibiotic therapy led to the stabilization and healing ... | 2001 | 11718988 |
| treatment of acrodermatitis continua of hallopeau with oral propylthiouracil and methotrexate. | a 71-year-old man with acrodermatitis continua of hallopeau was treated successfully with a combination of oral propylthiouracil and methotrexate. after 14 weeks, he developed acute pancytopenia, an uncommon idiosyncratic side-effect of propylthiouracil, and presented with a life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. this illustrates the potential value and associated risks of propylthiouracil in the management of this difficult condition. | 2001 | 11722449 |
| characterization of a novel proapoptotic caspase-2- and caspase-9-binding protein. | caspases play important roles in regulating apoptotic signaling pathways. here we report the cloning, by the yeast two hybrid system with dominant negative caspase-2 as "bait," of a proapoptotic molecule named proapoptotic caspase adaptor protein (pacap), encoded by a 372-base pair open reading frame. binding of this novel protein to caspase-2 (casp-2) was confirmed in yeast two hybrid, in vitro, and in vivo assays. the deduced amino acid sequence revealed homology to functional motifs, includin ... | 2001 | 11350957 |
| survey of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes, exfoliative toxin genes, and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 gene in non-staphylococcus aureus species. | the aim of this study was to analyze the presence of staphylococcal exotoxin genes in staphylococci other than staphylococcus aureus. whereas for staphylococcus aureus a large spectrum of different exotoxins responsible for toxin-mediated diseases has been described, only few and conflicting data are available regarding toxin production in all other staphylococcal species. a collection of clinical non-staphylococcus aureus staphylococcal isolates were systematically screened for the presence of ... | 2001 | 11476441 |
| enterotoxin production and dna fingerprinting in staphylococcus aureus isolated from human and food samples. relations between genetic types and enterotoxins. | a total of 224 staphylococcus aureus strains from human carriers (110 strains) and manually handled foods (114 strains) collected in the principality of asturias, spain over 1995-1999 were analysed for the production of enterotoxins (ses) a, b, c, and d by a reversed passive latex agglutination test and by amplification of ent genes (a, b, c, d, e, and j) using pcr. sixty-two strains were enterotoxigenic and a good relation between detection of ses and their ent genes was found. no strain carrie ... | 2001 | 11482562 |
| superantigen antagonist blocks th1 cytokine gene induction and lethal shock. | bacterial superantigens trigger an excessive, th1-cytokine response leading to toxic shock. we designed a peptide antagonist that inhibits seb-induced expression of human genes for il-2, ifn-gamma, and tnf-beta, cytokines that mediate shock. the peptide antagonist shows homology to a beta-strand-hinge-alpha-helix domain that is conserved structurally in superantigens produced by staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus pyogenes yet remote from known binding sites for the major histocompatibility ... | 2001 | 11404377 |
| oral clearance and pathogenic oropharyngeal colonization in the elderly. | the elderly have an increased incidence of oropharyngeal colonization with respiratory pathogens, a well-known risk factor for the development of pneumonia. changes in the oral milieu may occur secondary to decreased salivary production and abnormalities in swallowing. these abnormalities, common in the elderly, may result in impaired clearance of organisms, allowing pathogenic colonization. to test this hypothesis, we performed a prospective cross-sectional analysis of 75 elderly institutionali ... | 2001 | 11500351 |
| human milk anti-inflammatory component contents during acute mastitis. | mastitis is a common complication of human lactation. we examined milk specimens from eight women with clinical mastitis to determine their content of anti-inflammatory components. antioxidant activity (spontaneous cytochrome c reducing activity), selected pro-inflammatory cytokines (il-6, il-1beta), selected endogenous cytokine control molecules (sil-6r, sil-1rii, and stnfri), lactoferrin, na(+):k(+) ratios, and milk bioactivities that cause shedding of sil-1rii from human polymorphonuclear leu ... | 2001 | 11520075 |
| subsets of human dendritic cell precursors express different toll-like receptors and respond to different microbial antigens. | toll-like receptors (tlrs) are ancient microbial pattern recognition receptors highly conserved from drosophila to humans. to investigate if subsets of human dendritic cell precursors (pre-dc), including monocytes (pre-dc1), plasmacytoid dc precursors (pre-dc2), and cd11c(+) immature dcs (imdcs) are developed to recognize different microbes or microbial antigens, we studied their tlr expression and responses to microbial antigens. we demonstrate that whereas monocytes preferentially express tlr ... | 2001 | 11561001 |
| dissecting folliculitis of the scalp with marginal keratitis. | we describe a young man with dissecting folliculitis of the scalp, who subsequently developed marginal keratitis. we are unaware of any previous reports of this association. the aetiology of dissecting folliculitis is thought to relate to abnormal follicular occlusion with subsequent suppuration, although an infective process has never been established. marginal keratitis is postulated, but not proven, to be caused by an enhanced immune response to staphylococcus aureus antigens. we suggest that ... | 2001 | 11678871 |
| antibacterial effect of human v gamma 2v delta 2 t cells in vivo. | v gamma 2v delta 2 cells, a class of t cells found only in primates, are reactive to nonpeptide organophosphate and alkylamine antigens secreted by bacteria and parasites. these cells make up 2-5% percent of human peripheral blood t cells but expand to make up 8-60% of peripheral blood t cells during bacterial and parasitic infections. we show here, using a chimeric severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mouse (hu-scid) model, that human v gamma 2v delta 2 t cells mediate resistance to extracel ... | 2001 | 11696580 |
| effect of pinealectomy on immune parameters in rats with staphylococcus aureus infection. | it is generally accepted that the pineal gland is a neuroendocrine organ. several recent experiments have shown that the pineal gland has functional and anatomical connections, particularly with the immune system, and therefore the gland is now recognized as an important immunoneuroendocrine organ in both man and animals. the present study investigates the effect of pinealectomy on some immune parameters, including hematological alterations, and the response of the brain tissue against infection ... | 2001 | 11339464 |
| effects of helichrysum italicum extract on growth and enzymatic activity of staphylococcus aureus. | helichrysum italicum g. don (compositae) is a shrub commonly found in dry, sandy and stony areas of mediterranean regions. this plant is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and antimicrobial activity. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the diethyl ether extract on growth of staphylococcus aureus (atcc 6538p, mrsa and mssa isolates) and the influence of subminimum inhibitory concentrations (submics) on some enzymes which are considered virulence factors. the results in ... | 2001 | 11397624 |
| influenza pneumonia: a descriptive study. | to describe the clinical features and complications of patients hospitalized with influenza during the 1999-2000 influenza season. | 2001 | 11399696 |
| adherence properties of staphylococcus aureus under static and flow conditions: roles of agr and sar loci, platelets, and plasma ligands. | global regulatory genes in staphylococcus aureus, including agr and sar, are known to regulate the expression of multiple virulence factors, including cell wall adhesins. in the present study, the adherence of s. aureus rn6390 (wild type), rn6911 (agr), alc136 (sar), and alc135 (agr sar) to immobilized fibrinogen, fibronectin, von willebrand factor (vwf), extracellular matrix (ecm), and human endothelial cells (ec) eahy.926 was studied. bacteria grown to postexponential phase were subjected to l ... | 2001 | 11401988 |
| environmental and body contamination through aerosols produced by high-speed cutters in lumbar spine surgery. | a cadaver study to evaluate contamination in the operating room through the use of a high-speed bone cutter. | 2001 | 11698896 |
| [the effect of lactate-buffered peritoneal dialysis fluid in human peritoneal mesothelial cells function]. | to investigate the effect of lactate-buffered peritoneal dialysis fluid (l-pdf) on human peritoneal mesothelial cells (hpmc) function. | 2001 | 11798616 |
| [drug-induced pneumonitis caused by sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim]. | a 33-year-old man was treated with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (smt-tmp) for an infection in the cervical vertebrae by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). two weeks later a fever of 39 degrees c appeared, and a productive cough, hemosputum, and dyspnea developed a further three weeks later. chest radiographs showed bilateral ground-glass opacity. cell differentiation of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (balf) revealed increases of lymphocytes and eosinophils, and the cd4/cd8 ratio ... | 2001 | 11729685 |
| model systems: modeling human staphylococcal arthritis and sepsis in the mouse. | the staphylococci have been recognized as serious pathogens for over a century and are the etiological agent of a variety of diseases ranging from mild cutaneous infections to often fatal forms of septic arthritis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome and sepsis. despite intensive efforts to halt their spread, they remain the most common cause of community- and nosocomially acquired bacteremia. murine models of staphylocococus aureus-mediated arthritis and sepsis exist and are being used to gain a ... | 2001 | 11435106 |
| evolutionary genomics of staphylococcus aureus: insights into the origin of methicillin-resistant strains and the toxic shock syndrome epidemic. | an emerging theme in medical microbiology is that extensive variation exists in gene content among strains of many pathogenic bacterial species. however, this topic has not been investigated on a genome scale with strains recovered from patients with well-defined clinical conditions. staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen and also causes economically important infections in cows and sheep. a dna microarray representing >90% of the s. aureus genome was used to characterize genomic divers ... | 2001 | 11447287 |
| clumping factor a mediates binding of staphylococcus aureus to human platelets. | the direct binding of bacteria to platelets may be an important virulence mechanism in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis. we have previously described staphylococcus aureus strain ps12, a tn551-derived mutant of strain isp479, with reduced ability to bind human platelets in vitro. when tested in an animal model of endocarditis, the ps12 strain was less virulent than its parental strain, as measured by bacterial densities in endocardial vegetations and incidence of systemic embolization. ... | 2001 | 11292731 |
| enterotoxigenic potential of staphylococcus intermedius. | staphylococcal food poisoning (sfp) caused by enterotoxigenic staphylococci is one of the main food-borne diseases. in contrast to staphylococcus aureus, a systematic screening for the enterotoxins has not yet been performed on the genomic level for the coagulase-positive species s. intermedius. therefore, the enterotoxigenic potential of 281 different veterinary (canine, n = 247; equine, n = 23; feline, n = 9; other, n = 2) and 11 human isolates of s. intermedius was tested by using a multiplex ... | 2001 | 11722906 |
| methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus sepsis associated with the transfusion of contaminated platelets: a case report. | platelet transfusion-associated sepsis is usually due to donor skin flora introduced into the unit during phlebotomy. an unusual case of a platelet component contaminated with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) is reported. | 2001 | 11724990 |
| potential impact of the vitek 2 system and the advanced expert system on the clinical laboratory of a university-based hospital. | a study was designed to assess the impact of the vitek 2 automated system and the advanced expert system (aes) on the clinical laboratory of a typical university-based hospital. a total of 259 consecutive, nonduplicate isolates of enterobacteriaceae members, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and staphylococcus aureus were collected and tested by the vitek 2 system for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and the results were analyzed by the aes. the results were also analyzed by a huma ... | 2001 | 11427542 |
| trem-1 amplifies inflammation and is a crucial mediator of septic shock. | host innate responses to bacterial infections are primarily mediated by neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. these cells express pattern recognition receptors (prrs) that bind conserved molecular structures shared by groups of microorganisms. stimulation of prr signalling pathways initiates secretion of proinflammatory mediators, which promote the elimination of infectious agents and the induction of tissue repair. excessive inflammation owing to bacterial infections can lead to tissue damage ... | 2001 | 11323674 |
| sequence of the 50-kb conjugative multiresistance plasmid pre25 from enterococcus faecalis re25. | the complete 50,237-bp dna sequence of the conjugative and mobilizing multiresistance plasmid pre25 from enterococcus faecalis re25 was determined. the plasmid had 58 putative open reading frames, 5 of which encode resistance to 12 antimicrobials. chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and the 23s rna methylase are identical to gene products of the broad-host-range plasmid pip501 from streptococcus agalactiae. in addition, a 30.5-kb segment is almost identical to pip501. genes encoding an aminoglycos ... | 2001 | 11735367 |
| lactoferrin, amylase and mucin muc5b and their relation to the oral microflora in hyposalivation of different origins. | there are several reasons for hyposalivation, each affecting the salivary composition in different ways. the aim of this study was to analyze and compare lactoferrin, amylase and mucin muc5b in stimulated whole saliva collected from subjects with hyposalivation of different origins and to relate the results to the presence of some microbial species associated with oral disorders. albumin was determined as a marker of serum leakage. the characteristic feature for subjects with radiation-induced h ... | 2001 | 11737657 |
| acute gastric dilatation accompanied by diabetes mellitus. | a 72-year-old man with diabetic triopathy was hospitalized with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. six hours after the admission, his abdomen was fully expanded. an abdominal x-ray showed gastric dilatation. after insertion of a gastric tube to extract gastric air, his abdomen was flat and gastric dilatation improved. a positive schellong test and decreased coefficient of rr interval in electrocardiogram variation indicated autonomic neuropathy, which may explain the reason f ... | 2001 | 11334392 |
| cutaneous leucocytoclastic vasculitis associated with oxacillin. | a 67-year-old man who was treated with oxacillin for one week because of staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, developed renal failure and diffuse, symmetric, palpable purpuric lesions on his feet. necrotic blisters were noted on his fingers. skin biopsies showed findings diagnostic of leucocytoclastic vasculitis. oxacillin was discontinued and patient was treated with corticosteroids. the rash disappeared after three weeks and renal function returned to normal. leucocytoclastic vasculitis presents ... | 2001 | 11337188 |
| molecular cloning and biochemical characterisation of proteases from staphylococcus epidermidis. | we report the complete coding sequence and the partial amino acid sequence (determined by chemical sequencing) of staphylococcus epidermidis extracellular cysteine (ecp) and serine (esp) proteases. the first enzyme shows an extended sequence similarity to staphylococcus aureus cysteine protease (staphopain) and the second one resembles the serine protease produced by that species. the region directly upstream of the sequence coding for the mature protein in both enzymes displays significant homo ... | 2001 | 11767947 |
| antibacterial effect of the culture fluid of lentinus edodes mycelium grown in submerged liquid culture. | the antimicrobial activity of the culture fluid of lentinus edodes mycelium grown in submerged liquid culture was tested against some common bacterial species and candida albicans. the mycelium-free culture fluid was bacteriostatic against streptococcus pyogenes, staphylococcus aureus and bacillus megaterium. the substance responsible for the activity was heat-stable, could be extracted with chloroform and had a molecular weight under 10000. these characteristics suggested that the component mig ... | 2001 | 11137653 |
| breast milk transmission of a panton-valentine leukocidin-producing staphylococcus aureus strain causing infantile pneumonia. | we report on a 38-day-old infant who developed pleuropneumonia due to a staphylococcus aureus strain responsible for familial furunculosis, which was acquired by maternal breast-feeding. all isolates from the infant and parents were genetically related by randomly amplified polymorphic dna analysis and produced panton-valentine leukocidin. | 2001 | 11158136 |
| epidemic spread of a single clone of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus among injection drug users in zurich, switzerland. | we describe an outbreak of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) among injection drug users (idus). from august 1994 through december 1999, we registered 31 idus with mrsa infections (12 with soft-tissue infection, 7 with pneumonia [fatal in 1], 7 with endocarditis [fatal in 1], 2 with osteomyelitis, 2 with septic arthritis, and 1 with ulcerative tonsillitis), with a marked increase in the number of idus registered during 1998 and 1999. of 31 patients, 15 (48%) were infected with hu ... | 2001 | 11181121 |
| crystal structures of sara, a pleiotropic regulator of virulence genes in s. aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen, the potency of which can be attributed to the regulated expression of an impressive array of virulence determinants. a key pleiotropic transcriptional regulator of these virulence factors is sara, which is encoded by the sar (staphylococcal accessory regulator) locus. sara was characterized initially as an activator of a second virulence regulatory locus, agr, through its interaction with a series of heptad repeats (agttaag) within the agr promote ... | 2001 | 11196648 |
| common infections in older adults. | infectious diseases account for one third of all deaths in people 65 years and older. early detection is more difficult in the elderly because the typical signs and symptoms, such as fever and leukocytosis, are frequently absent. a change in mental status or decline in function may be the only presenting problem in an older patient with an infection. an estimated 90 percent of deaths resulting from pneumonia occur in people 65 years and older. mortality resulting from influenza also occurs prima ... | 2001 | 11201692 |
| deep wound infection after vagus nerve stimulator implantation: treatment without removal of the device. | effective treatment of deep wound infection without removal of a previously implanted foreign body is difficult. the neurocybernetic prosthesis (ncp) system (cyberonics inc., webster, tx, u.s.a.), implanted for vagus nerve stimulation in patients with medically refractory epilepsy, uses coil-like electrodes placed around the left vagus nerve after exposure of the nerve in the carotid sheath. infection within this compartment endangers the contained structures and makes removal of the system haza ... | 2001 | 11207797 |
| [age determination using peptide mapping of non-collagenous proteins in human dentin]. | the submitted paper deals with possibilities of assessment of human age based on findings of stereospecific breakdown of proteins containing d-forms of aspartic acid. the stereospecificity of enzymatic breakdown assumes that after enzymatic hydrolysis peptide breakdown products with different molecular weights--the so-called peptide map--will be formed, depending how many d-aspartyl residues the protein contains. the authors proved in the submitted preliminary study in subjects of different age ... | 2001 | 11269023 |
| synergistic interactions between mammalian antimicrobial defense peptides. | a single animal can express several cationic antimicrobial peptides with different sequences and structures. we demonstrate that mammalian peptides from different structural classes frequently show synergy with each other and selectively show synergy with human lysozyme. | 2001 | 11302828 |
| inactivation of the srta gene in streptococcus gordonii inhibits cell wall anchoring of surface proteins and decreases in vitro and in vivo adhesion. | the srta gene product, srta, has been shown to be required for cell wall anchoring of protein a as well as virulence in the pathogenic bacterium staphylococcus aureus. there are five major mechanisms for displaying proteins at the surface of gram-positive bacteria (p. cossart and r. jonquieres, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 97:5013-5015, 2000). however, since many of the known surface proteins of gram-positive bacteria are believed to be exported and anchored via the sortase pathway, it was of inte ... | 2001 | 11119491 |
| biochemical and biological properties of staphylococcal enterotoxin k. | staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen which is implicated in a wide variety of diseases. major determinants of the virulence of this organism include extracellular virulence factors. staphylococcal enterotoxins (ses) are important causative agents in staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome and food poisoning. our study identified a novel enterotoxin, sek, and examined its biochemical and biological properties. sek had a molecular weight of 26,000 and an experimentally determined pi of ... | 2001 | 11119525 |
| 99mtc-labeled antimicrobial peptides for detection of bacterial and candida albicans infections. | this study compared the possibilities and limitations of 99mtc-labeled synthetic peptides derived from two human antimicrobial peptides, namely, ubiquicidin (ubi) and lactoferrin (hlf), for the scintigraphic detection of bacterial and fungal infections in mice and rabbits. the rationale of our approach was that selected peptides accumulate in infected areas but not in sterile inflammatory lesions, because they bind preferentially to microorganisms. 99mtc-labeled human neutrophil peptides (defens ... | 2001 | 11337578 |
| production of il-12 by human monocyte-derived dendritic cells is optimal when the stimulus is given at the onset of maturation, and is further enhanced by il-4. | dendritic cells produce il-12 both in response to microbial stimuli and to t cells, and can thus skew t cell reactivity toward a th1 pattern. we investigated the capacity of dendritic cells to elaborate il-12 with special regard to their state of maturation, different maturation stimuli, and its regulation by th1/th2-influencing cytokines. monocyte-derived dendritic cells were generated with gm-csf and il-4 for 7 days, followed by another 3 days +/- monocyte-conditioned media, yielding mature (c ... | 2001 | 11123347 |
| staphylococcus aureus resistance to human defensins and evasion of neutrophil killing via the novel virulence factor mprf is based on modification of membrane lipids with l-lysine. | defensins, antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system, protect human mucosal epithelia and skin against microbial infections and are produced in large amounts by neutrophils. the bacterial pathogen staphylococcus aureus is insensitive to defensins by virtue of an unknown resistance mechanism. we describe a novel staphylococcal gene, mprf, which determines resistance to several host defense peptides such as defensins and protegrins. an mprf mutant strain was killed considerably faster by ... | 2001 | 11342591 |
| csf oligoclonal bands in ms include antibodies against chlamydophila antigens. | considerable evidence suggests the role of an infectious agent in ms. the presence of chlamydophila pneumoniae in csf from patients with ms was shown earlier; to further examine this association the reactivity of the oligoclonal antibody response in the csf of patients with ms to c pneumoniae antigens was determined and compared with other antigens. | 2001 | 11342681 |