| captopril and lisinopril suppress production of interleukin-12 by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. | angiotensin converting enzyme (ace) inhibitors have immunomodulatory functions and can suppress a number of proinflammatory, monocyte/macrophage-derived cytokines. interleukin-12 is a cytokine produced primarily by monocytes and macrophages, which plays an essential role in cell mediated immunity and stimulates the development of t helper type 1 immune responses. in this study, we investigated the ability of ace inhibitors, captopril and lisinopril, to suppress il-12 production by human peripher ... | 1998 | 9672144 |
| 3,6-diamino-10-methylacridan: uncharged precursor of acriflavine and its unique antimicrobial activity. | | 1998 | 9685231 |
| [identification of mosquitoes' human food source by using the co-agglutination technique]. | the utilization of a coagglutination technique for the identification of a human source for feeding mosquitoes is described. the dilution of ingested blood samples in filter paper was performed in 2 ml of a sodium chloride solution at 0.85%. it was used a suspension of sensibilized staphylococcus aureus with rabbit's serum, human plasmatic anti-proteins, and human anti-igg rabbit's serum discriminated well between human and non human blood. no agglutination was observed with the negative control ... | 1997 | 9685975 |
| interleukin-8 production by human monocytic cells in response to staphylococcal exotoxins is direct and independent of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. | staphylococcal exotoxins have been implicated as major virulence factors responsible for toxic shock syndrome. to elucidate further the cellular mechanisms contributing to shock, human monocytic cells were stimulated with the staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, enterotoxin a, or enterotoxin b, and the production of the chemokine interleukin-8 (il-8) was examined. all three exotoxins were potent inducers of il-8. il-8 induction occurred rapidly, within 2 h after stimulation, independent ... | 1998 | 9697747 |
| control of bacterial infections in the hard tick dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae): evidence for the existence of antimicrobial proteins in tick hemolymph. | the ability of hard ticks to prevent infection by bacteria was investigated. during a 72-h period, virtually all dermacentor variabilis females survived inoculation with bacillus subtilis, escherichia coli, and staphyloccocus aureus but few survived infection with pseudomonas aeruginosa. the hemocyte population increased to peak abundance at 48 h to approximately 6 times that of the uninfected controls. in contrast, the soluble hemolymph protein content decreased inversely as the hemocytes incre ... | 1998 | 9701927 |
| targeted superantigens for immunotherapy of haematopoietic tumours. | with the exception of childhood common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (call), treatment of other hematopoietic b cell lineage tumours such as non-hodgkin's lymphoma (b-nhl), adult all and multiple myeloma (mm) is unsatisfactory. similarly, the therapeutic outcome of acute and chronic myeloid leukaemia (aml, cml) is frequently dismal. at the same time, leukaemia/lymphoma cells represent ideal targets for immunotherapy. the present review summarizes our preclinical experience with a novel type of c ... | 1998 | 9704486 |
| ifn-alpha priming of human monocytes differentially regulates gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria-induced il-10 release and selectively enhances il-12p70, cd80, and mhc class i expression. | administration of ifn-gamma and ifn-alpha may protect or induce autoimmune diseases. although the in vitro regulation of monokine secretion by ifn-gamma have been extensively studied, the regulatory function of ifn-alpha has not yet been elucidated. we compared ifn-alpha and ifn-gamma, added alone or simultaneously before bacterial stimulation, for the control of monokine release and the expression of costimulatory molecules by human monocytes. our data show that: 1) ifn-alpha primes monocytes f ... | 1998 | 9712074 |
| current antimicrobial susceptibility of cutaneous bacteria to first line antibiotics. | antimicrobial susceptibility of common bacterial species occurring on human skin appears to be falling. data for the antimicrobial susceptibility of major groups of bacteria isolated from human skin during routine cultures were complied and analysed over a period of 9 months. routine diagnostics of specimens from skin lesions and normal human skin were analysed for the presence of specified groups of bacteria. the species were identified using standard methods. anti-microbial susceptibility was ... | 1998 | 9716294 |
| filamentous bacteriophage display of a bifunctional protein a::scfv fusion. | filamentous bacteriophage display is a powerful and widely used technology for the selection of affinity ligands. however, the commonly used phagemid systems result in the production of a population of phage of which those displaying the ligand of interest represent only a small proportion. through simple dilution and nonspecific binding effects, the presence of large numbers of ligand-free phage reduces the likelihood that weak binders will be successfully selected from a ligand library. to pro ... | 1998 | 9718579 |
| histamine potently suppresses human il-12 and stimulates il-10 production via h2 receptors. | il-12 and il-10, respectively, stimulate th1 and th2 immune responses. the development of some allergic reactions, infections, and tumors are associated with excessive histamine production and a shift toward th2 responses. here we address the possibility that this association is causally linked, at least in part, to modulation of il-12 and il-10 production by histamine. we report that histamine dose-dependently inhibited the secretion of human il-12 (p70) and increased the production of il-10 in ... | 1998 | 9725260 |
| spinal cord abscess in a heroin addict: case report. | spinal cord abscesses are extremely rare, even in intravenous drug abusers. they usually have a poor prognosis unless diagnosed and treated promptly. mri is the best imaging modality for diagnosis and follow-up. we report a 42-year-old man, an active intravenous drug user, hiv negative, who developed subacute tetraplegia from an intramedullary abscess caused by staphylococcus aureus. immediate decompressive surgery and antibiotic treatment led to progressive recovery. | 1998 | 9730347 |
| increase in the 64-kda subunit of the polyadenylation/cleavage stimulatory factor during the g0 to s phase transition. | the amount of the 64-kda subunit of polyadenylation/cleavage stimulatory factor (cstf-64) increases 5-fold during the g0 to s phase transition and concomitant proliferation induced by serum in 3t6 fibroblasts. higher levels of cstf-64 result in an increase in cstf trimer. the rise in cstf-64 occurs at a time when the amount of poly(a)-containing rna rose at least 5-8 fold in the cytoplasm. primary human splenic b cells, resting in g0, show a similar 5-fold increase in cstf-64 when cultured under ... | 1998 | 9736695 |
| effect of trifluoromethyl ketone-based elastase inhibitors on neutrophil function in vitro. | neutrophils release elastase, which is known secondarily to cause tissue damage. however, it is rapidly inactivated by the endogenous alpha1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha1pi). nevertheless, under pathological conditions, alpha1i is inactivated by oxidants released from neutrophils, resulting in an excess of elastase at the site of inflammation. this elastase/alpha1pi imbalance has been implicated as a pathogenic factor in cystic fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and emphysema. elastas ... | 1998 | 9738658 |
| the effect of dicloxacillin and fusidic acid on the extracellular and intracellular killing of staphylococcus aureus. | the effect of dicloxacillin and fusidic acid used alone and in combination on the extracellular and intracellular killing of four isolates of staphylococcus aureus in the presence of serum was studied. at the extracellular level, dicloxacillin (8 mg/l) had a bactericidal effect on all four isolates, whereas fusidic acid (64 mg/l) had a bacteriostatic effect on two isolates and no effect on the two other isolates. fusidic acid significantly inhibited the extracellular bactericidal effect of diclo ... | 1998 | 9738840 |
| [methi-resistant staphylococcus aureus myositis]. | pyomyositis are relatively rare in our countries. | 1997 | 9739922 |
| silver nitrate: antimicrobial activity related to cytotoxicity in cultured human fibroblasts. | the aims of this study were to ascertain whether silver nitrate (agno3) concentrations below those used in clinical practice inhibit bacterial growth, and in parallel study the cytotoxic effects on human fibroblasts. the cytoprotective effects of fetal calf serum (fcs) were also evaluated. the cytotoxic effects of eight different silver nitrate concentrations were determined by assessing mitochondrial activity of viable cells capable of cleaving tetrazolium salts. antimicrobial activity of agno3 ... | 1998 | 9745141 |
| [communication between the left ventricle and the right atrium in infectious endocarditis. diagnosis using doppler-echocardiography]. | the diagnosis of a communication between the left ventricle and right atrium was made by transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography in a 67 year old man with a recurrence of a methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infectious endocarditis complicating aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthesis seven weeks previously. this diagnosis was confirmed at surgery; the left ventricular-right atrial communication was closed by suturing its edges and a new aortic valve prosthesis was impl ... | 1998 | 9749183 |
| [pain in the hip area accompanied by a fever]. | in 3 patients, 2 women aged 16 and 64 years and 1 man aged 64 years, with pain in the left hip region and fever, the diagnosis psoas abscess was made. after antibiotic treatment and drainage they recovered well. the primary from of psoas abscess is presumably caused by haematogenous spread of bacteria, mostly staphylococcus aureus. the secondary form is caused by spread of infection from surrounding tissue, mostly gastrointestinal micro-organisms with crohn's disease and diverticulitis. painful ... | 1998 | 9752051 |
| superantigen-driven, cd8+ t cell-mediated down-regulation: cd95 (fas)-dependent down-regulation of human ig responses despite cd95-independent killing of activated b cells. | staphylococcal superantigens, including staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb), promote vigorous t cell-dependent ig responses at low dose (0.01 ng/ml). in contrast, more mitogenic high dose seb (100 ng/ml) profoundly inhibits the ig responses. to assess the contribution of cd8+ t cells to this inhibition, high dose seb-dependent killing of activated b cells and down-regulation of ig responses were determined. rapid killing (4 h) of activated b cells was effected by high dose seb-activated cd8+ t ce ... | 1998 | 9759844 |
| norwegian scabies and a toxic shock syndrome toxin 1-producing strain of staphylococcus aureus endocarditis in a patient with trisomy 21. | | 1998 | 9770170 |
| study of common aerobic flora of human cerumen. | cerumen is the product of the secretion of the sebaceous, ceruminous or apocrine glands together with cells exfoliated from the cornified stratum of the epithelium of the external auditory canal (eac). in the present study we identified and quantified common flora of human cerumen. the mean count obtained was 10(6) microorganisms per ml of cerumen suspension. in 24 pools of cerumen (33.3 per cent) the isolates were monomicrobial, staphylococcus epidermidis (12), corynebacterium spp (10), staphyl ... | 1998 | 9775288 |
| a study of the interactions between an igg-binding domain based on the b domain of staphylococcal protein a and rabbit igg. | the nonantigenic interaction between a recombinant immunoglobulin g (igg)-binding protein based on the b domain of protein a from staphylococcus aureus (termed spa1) and the fc fragment of rabbit igg has been investigated. the contribution to binding of four putative hydrogen bond contacts between spa1 and igg-fc were examined by the individual substitution of the residues in spa1 involved in these interactions by others unable to form hydrogen bonds. it was found that the most important of the ... | 1998 | 9779419 |
| high pressure pulsatile lavage of contaminated human tibiae: an in vitro study. | this study was designed to examine the effect of high pressure pulsatile lavage (hppl) on bone destruction and propagation of bacteria in experimentally contaminated human tibiae. | 1998 | 9781772 |
| heparin binding protein (cap37) is an opsonin for staphylococcus aureus and increases phagocytosis in monocytes. | heparin binding protein (hbp), also known as cationic antibiotic protein (cap37) or azurocidin, is stored in azurophilic granules of neutrophils and is released to the extracellular space when granulocytes phagocytose staphylococcus aureus. we investigated whether extracellular hbp also has the potential to increase phagocytosis of s. aureus by other phagocytes. we used flow cytometry to characterize the binding of hbp to s. aureus and to simultaneously measure phagocytosis and superoxide produc ... | 1998 | 9793796 |
| the phagocytic activity of human first trimester extravillous trophoblast. | it has been suggested previously that phagocytic activity in the human placenta is confined to cells of the macrophage lineage. however, earlier studies were hampered by the paucity and poor viability of cells inherent in primary trophoblast cell cultures, contamination by other cell types which themselves have phagocytic activity, lack of reliable markers of trophoblasts, and by limitations of methods available to demonstrate unequivocally the internalization of particulate material. we have ov ... | 1998 | 9804259 |
| the interaction of staphylococcus aureus bi-component gamma-hemolysins and leucocidins with cells and lipid membranes. | staphylococcus aureus gamma-hemolysins (hlga, hlgb and hlgc) and panton-valentine leucocidins (luks-pv and lukf-pv) are bi-component toxins forming a protein family with some relationship to alpha-toxin. active toxins are couples formed by taking one protein from each of the two subfamilies of the s-components (luks-pv, hlga and hlgc) and the f-components (lukf-pv and hlgb). we compared the mode of action of the six possible couples on leukocytes, red blood cells and model lipid membranes. all c ... | 1998 | 9804914 |
| virulence factors of staphylococcus aureus strains causing infective endocarditis--a comparison with strains from skin infections. | the objective was to study potential bacterial virulence factors in s. aureus endocarditis. s. aureus strains isolated from patients with well-classified episodes of infective endocarditis (ie) (n=26) were compared with control s. aureus strains from consecutive patients with skin infections (n=30). the potential virulence factors studied were staphylococcal enterotoxin a-d (sea, seb, sec, sed) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tsst-1) production and binding capacity to the extracellular matrix ... | 1998 | 9808417 |
| [staphylokinase]. | myocardial infarction is due to thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery. current thrombolytic agents have demonstrated their major value by inducing a significant reduction of mortality, but they nevertheless present certain limits: 1) excellent arterial patency is obtained in only about 50% of cases; 2) reocclusions persist in 5 to 10% of cases; 3) very severe complications, such as cerebral haemorrhages, have not disappeared (about 0.5% of cases). there is therefore a large field of action f ... | 1998 | 9809144 |
| circulating cla+ lymphocytes from children with atopic dermatitis contain an increased percentage of cells bearing staphylococcal-related t-cell receptor variable segments. | atopic dermatitis is an allergic t-cell mediated skin inflammation. staphylococcus aureus colonization is very common in cutaneous atopic dermatitis lesions. the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (cla) is a t cell skin homing receptor that defines t lymphocytes associated with the cutaneous immune response. | 1998 | 9824394 |
| bacteremia and fungemia in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection in taiwan. | to understand the etiology and clinical outcome of bacterial and fungal sepsis in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection in taiwan, we conducted a prospective study of nonmycobacterial bacteremia and fungemia in hiv-infected patients with fever who were admitted to a university hospital in taiwan during a 42-month period. of 210 patients, 41 (19.5%) had a total of 52 episodes of sepsis due to nonmycobacterial bacteria or fungi, or both (15.5% of 336 episodes of fever ... | 1998 | 9830279 |
| a new in vitro model for studying human t cell differentiation: t(h1)/t(h2) induction following activation by superantigens. | a new t(h1)/t(h2) in vitro model for mechanistic studies and drug screening in human t cells was established working with ficoll-separated pbmcs or elutriated lymphocytes cultured in serum-free medium. human t cells could be kept viable and reactive in this medium for several months. in this model, superantigens (sas) were used to activate exclusively those t cell clones which were known to express specifically sa-binding vbeta-chains of the t cell receptor. it was possible to identify the activ ... | 1998 | 9831390 |
| antibiotic-induced release of lipoteichoic acid and peptidoglycan from staphylococcus aureus: quantitative measurements and biological reactivities. | antibiotics with different mechanisms of action may vary with respect to their effects on the release and immunostimulatory activities of cell wall fragments from gram-positive bacteria. therefore, after staphylococcus aureus was cultured for 4 h in the absence of antibiotics (control) and in the presence of beta-lactam antibiotics (imipenem, flucloxacillin, or cefamandole) and protein synthesis-inhibiting antibiotics (erythromycin, clindamycin, or gentamicin), the lipoteichoic acid (lta) and pe ... | 1998 | 9835493 |
| in vitro resistance to thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal protein among clinical bacteremic isolates of staphylococcus aureus correlates with an endovascular infectious source. | platelet microbicidal proteins (pmps), small cationic peptides released at sites of endovascular damage, kill common bloodstream pathogens in vitro. our group previously showed that in vitro resistance of clinical staphylococcal and viridans group streptococcal bacteremic strains to pmps correlated with the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (ie) (wu et al., antimicrob. agents chemother. 38:729-732, 1994). however, that study was limited by (i) the small number of staphylococcus aureus isolates ... | 1998 | 9835510 |
| expression of functional major histocompatibility complex class ii molecules on hmc-1 human mast cells. | mast cells hold a key position in the defensive mechanisms against exogenous intruders. in this study, we investigated whether human mast cells express functional major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii molecules that can transduce endogenous signals and present staphylococcal enterotoxin a (sea) to t cells. similar to hmc-1 human mast cell line, umbilical cord blood-derived mast cells express hla-dr, -dp and -dq molecules on their surface. mhc class ii molecules expressed on hmc-1 cells ... | 1998 | 9850162 |
| mhc class ii-independent, vbeta-specific activation of t cells by superantigen mutants fused to anti-tumor fab fragments: implications for use in treatment of human colon carcinoma. | genetically engineered fusion proteins of the super-antigen staphylococcal enterotoxin a (sea) and tumor-reactive monoclonal antibodies, c215fab-sea and c242fab-sea, have been generated and shown to be effective in mediating superantigen-antibody directed cellular cytotoxicity against human carcinoma cells expressing the ca215 or ca242 antigens in an mhc class ii-independent manner. in an attempt to reduce the in vivo toxicity of superantigen administration, alanine substitution mutations in sea ... | 1998 | 9852214 |
| production of exfoliative toxin a by staphylococcus aureus isolated from mastitic cow's milk and farm bulk milk. | the production of exfoliative toxins a and b (eta and etb) by staphylococcus aureus isolated from mastitic cow's milk and farm bulk milk was examined by the reverse passive latex agglutination method (rpla). eta was detected in 2 (1.2%) of 162 isolates from mastitic cow's milk and in 1 (0.6%) of 166 isolates from farm bulk milk. rpla titers of these isolates were much lower than in human isolates. no etb was detected in any of the isolates tested. these eta-positive isolates belonged to bovine e ... | 1998 | 9853316 |
| quiescent memory b cells in human peripheral blood co-express bcl-2 and bcl-x(l) anti-apoptotic proteins at high levels. | the anti-apoptotic proteins bcl-2 and bcl-xl seem to exhibit strictly opposite expression patterns in normal lymphoid cell differentiation stages, with bcl-2 low and bxl-xl high in immature and mature proliferating cells, the reverse being the case in recirculating quiescent cells. however, it is in fact not known whether recirculating memory cells are bcl-xl low or high. we analyzed memory (immunoglobulin isotype-switched) b cells in human peripheral blood, which were small lymphocytes in the g ... | 1998 | 9862379 |
| structural basis of the gp120 superantigen-binding site on human immunoglobulins. | b cell superantigens (sag) interact with normal human nonimmune igs (igs), independently of the light chain isotype, and activate a large proportion of the b cell repertoire. recently, the major envelope protein of hiv-1, gp120, was found to exhibit sag-like properties for b cells with potential pathologic consequences for the infected host. this unconventional mode of interaction contrasts with its binding to immunization-induced abs, which requires the tertiary structure of the heavy and light ... | 1998 | 9862697 |
| antitumor response elicited by a superantigen-transmembrane sequence fusion protein anchored onto tumor cells. | superantigens stimulate t cells bearing certain tcr beta-chain variable regions when bound to mhc ii molecules. we investigated whether the superantigen toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tsst1) could induce an antitumor immune response when anchored onto mhc ii-negative tumor cells. our approach was to facilitate association of tsst1 with cell membranes by fusing its coding region to the transmembrane region (tm) sequence of the proto-oncogene c-erb-b-2. tsst1-tm was expressed in bacteria with an n- ... | 1998 | 9862706 |
| uptake and intracellular activity of moxifloxacin in human neutrophils and tissue-cultured epithelial cells. | the penetration by moxifloxacin of human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [pmn]) and tissue-cultured epithelial cells (mccoy cells) was evaluated by a fluorometric assay. at extracellular concentrations of 5 mg/liter, the cellular-to-extracellular concentration ratios (c/e) of moxifloxacin in pmn and mccoy cells were 10.9 +/- 1.0 and 8.7 +/- 1.0, respectively (20 min; 37 degrees c). the uptake of moxifloxacin by pmn was rapid, reversible, nonsaturable (at extracellular concentrations ra ... | 1999 | 9869557 |
| chimeric plant virus particles administered nasally or orally induce systemic and mucosal immune responses in mice. | the humoral immune responses to the d2 peptide of fibronectin-binding protein b (fnbp) of staphylococcus aureus, expressed on the plant virus cowpea mosaic virus (cpmv), were evaluated after mucosal delivery to mice. intranasal immunization of these chimeric virus particles (cvps), either alone or in the presence of iscom matrix, primed cpmv-specific t cells and generated high titers of cpmv- and fnbp-specific immunoglobulin g (igg) in sera. furthermore, cpmv- and fnbp-specific iga and igg could ... | 1999 | 9882293 |
| t cell activation signals up-regulate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and induce tnf-alpha production in a manner distinct from lps activation of monocytes. | p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) (p38) is involved in various cellular responses, including lps stimulation of monocytes, resulting in production of proinflammatory cytokines such as tnf-alpha. however, the function of p38 during antigenic stimulation of t cells is largely unknown. stimulation of the human th cell clone ha-1.70 with either the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb) or with a specific antigenic peptide resulted in p38 activation and the release of tnf-alpha. m ... | 1999 | 9916683 |
| [tricalcium phosphate, an antibiotic carrier: a study focused on experimental osteomyelitis in rabbits]. | macroporous beta tricalcium phosphate ceramic beads were elaborated to be a resorbable bone substitute and a drug delivery system carrying gentamicin or vancomycin. the aim of this study was to evaluate this implant into a rabbit experimental osteomyelitis. | 1998 | 9922597 |
| [pulmonary cavitation lesions in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus: an analysis of a series of 78 cases]. | to assess the clinical, radiologic and microbiological features of lung cavitation and hiv infection. evaluation of the differences related to this disease in the last years. | 1998 | 9922954 |
| risk factors for colonization or infection due to methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in hiv-positive patients: a retrospective case-control study. | to determine the risk factors for colonization or infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected patients. | 1999 | 9927262 |
| cd20 is physically and functionally coupled to mhc class ii and cd40 on human b cell lines. | engagement of mhc class ii and cd40 on b cell lines triggers intracellular signals that activates cell surface adhesion receptors, resulting in lfa-1-dependent and -independent cell-cell adhesion. in this study, a murine monoclonal antibody (mab r21) has been produced against a lfa-1-negative human b cell line and proven to completely block mhc class ii- and cd40-induced lfa-1-independent homotypic adhesion. however, this mab failed to prevent mhc class ii- or cd40-induced homotypic adhesion in ... | 1999 | 9933087 |
| differential regulation of in vitro cytokine production by human blood cells in response to methylmethacrylate. | the effect of methylmethacrylate (mma) on human whole blood cultures (wbc) obtained from healthy donors was investigated. lymphocyte transformation and cytokine production, that is, interleukin 6 (il-6), interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha), were used to evaluate the immunological activities of mma. primary cytotoxicity testing of mma in jurkat cells showed that this compound decreased the cell proliferation to 50% at a concentration of >60 mmol/l. similarly, ... | 1999 | 9973002 |
| u18666a inhibits intracellular cholesterol transport and neurotransmitter release in human neuroblastoma cells. | to determine if neurochemical function might be impaired in cell models with altered cholesterol balance, we studied the effects of u18666a (3-beta-[(2-diethyl-amino)ethoxy]androst-5-en-17-one) on intracellular cholesterol metabolism in three human neuroblastoma cell lines (sk-n-sh, sk-n-mc, and sh-sy5y). u18666a (< or =0.2 microg/ml) completely inhibited low density lipoprotein (ldl)-stimulated cholesterol esterification in sk-n-sh cells, while cholesterol esterification stimulated by 25-hydrox ... | 1999 | 9973239 |
| biological activities of 1,1,6-trisubstituted indanes: beyond magainin 2. | msi-78 is a peptide analog of naturally occurring magainin 2 isolated from the skin of xenopus laevis. the peptide is known to have one of the strongest antibacterial activities in magainin 2 analogs against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). to find novel compounds superior to msi-78, we have further designed, synthesizing 1,1-di(4-aminobutyl)-6-benzylindane (pm4) and 1,1-dibenzyl-6-(4-aminobutyl) indane (pm5), and tested their inhibitory ability of the growth of s. aureus. in ... | 1999 | 9989665 |
| staphylococcal toxins augment specific ige responses by atopic patients exposed to allergen. | microbial agents are known to play a significant role in aggravating allergic diseases. recently described viral and bacterial superantigens represent one important strategy by which infectious agents can stimulate the immune response. in previous work, we reported that the staphylococcal toxin toxic shock toxin-1 (tsst-1), a prototypic superantigen, induces in vitro total ige synthesis after cross-linking t and b cells. this study was carried out to establish a potential link between superantig ... | 1999 | 9989792 |
| role of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase cascade in human neutrophil killing of staphylococcus aureus and candida albicans and in migration. | killing of staphylococcus aureus and candida albicans by neutrophils involves adherence of the microorganisms, phagocytosis, and a collaborative action of oxygen reactive species and components of the granules. while a number of intracellular signalling pathways have been proposed to regulate neutrophil responses, the extent to which each pathway contributes to the killing of s. aureus and c. albicans has not been clearly defined. we have therefore examined the effect of blocking one such pathwa ... | 1999 | 10024574 |
| surface protein adhesins of staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus can colonize the host to initiate infection by adhering to components of the extracellular matrix. adherence is mediated by surface protein adhesins (mscramms). ligand binding by these fibronectin-, fibrinogen- and collagen-binding proteins occurs by distinct mechanisms that are being investigated at the molecular level. | 1998 | 10036727 |
| human immunodeficiency virus-associated pericardial effusion: report of 40 cases and review of the literature. | human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-associated pericardial effusion is common. we present its clinical features, cause, and prognosis on the basis of a review of 40 cases at a single public hospital. | 1999 | 10047635 |
| lactoferricin of bovine origin is more active than lactoferricins of human, murine and caprine origin. | the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin is generated by gastric pepsin cleavage of lactoferrin. we have examined the antimicrobial activity of lactoferricins derived from lactoferrin of human, murine, caprine and bovine origin with minimal inhibitory concentration (mic) and minimal bactericidal concentration (mbc) against e. coli atcc 25922 and s. aureus atcc 25923. we found that lactoferricin of bovine origin (lf-cin b) was the most efficacious of the lactoferricins tested. by comparing the lin ... | 1998 | 10066056 |
| epidemiology of emerging/re-emerging antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens. | the rapid global expansion of bacteria resistant to antimicrobials is the most important development over the past year in emerging bacterial diseases. the critical events are the emergence of staphylococcus aureus with decreased sensitivity to vancomycin, worldwide resistance to penicillin in streptococcus pneumoniae, and the remorseless progression of multiply-resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis. most startling was the isolation from a human in madagascar of a plague bacillus possessing a pla ... | 1998 | 10066471 |
| glycosylation of asparagine-28 of recombinant staphylokinase with high-mannose-type oligosaccharides results in a protein with highly attenuated plasminogen activator activity. | the properties of recombinant staphylokinase (sakstar) expressed in pichia pastoris cells have been determined. the single consensus n-linked oligosaccharide linkage site in sakstar (at asn28 of the mature protein) was occupied in approximately 50% of the expressed protein with high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. the majority of these glycans ranged in polymerization state from man8glcnac2 to man14glcnac2, with the predominant species being man10glcnac2 and man11glcnac2. glycosylated sakstar (sa ... | 1999 | 10075668 |
| growth inhibition of staphylococcus aureus by h2o2-producing lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei isolated from the human vagina. | h2o2 production by certain lactobacillus strains is one of the mechanisms that helps to regulate the vaginal ecosystem. this paper describes the kinetics of h2o2 production by two different strains of lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei under different culture conditions and the effect of this metabolite on the growth of staphylococcus aureus. l. paracasei f2 produced 2.72 mmol 1-1 h2o2 while l. paracasei f28 produced 1.84 mmol l(-1), both in agitated cultures. although l. paracasei f2 prod ... | 1999 | 10076905 |
| elution of vancomycin and tobramycin bonded to vascular grafts. | the elution of vancomycin and tobramycin from vascular grafts sealed with collagen and human blood was studied in vitro. the release of antibiotics was measured in three different types of soaked grafts, including grafts soaked with antibiotic after being sealed with albumin, those sealed with antibiotic and albumin mixture and those impregnated with fresh blood and antibiotic mixture. each antibiotic was tested at two different concentrations, i.e. 5 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml for vancomycin and 2 mg/m ... | 1999 | 10078780 |
| influence of recombinant human erythropoietin on neutrophil function in premature neonates. | the in vivo influence of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhepo) and iron on human neutrophil (pmn) antimicrobial function was assessed. a total of 21 preterm infants were randomized to receive either 200 u/kg/other day of rhuepo+12 mg/kg/day of iron (epo+high fe, seven infants) or 200 u/kg/other day of rhepo+4 mg/kg/day of iron (epo+standard fe, 9 infants) or 4 mg/kg/day of iron only (standard fe, five infants). pmns were isolated from blood of these infants 60+/-5 days after birth and from ei ... | 1999 | 10080880 |
| new plasminogen activators: a clinical review. | rapid restoration of patency of the infarct-related artery is the key to preserving myocardium and improving survival. this understanding has led to the application of genetic engineering to develop new plasminogen activators with specific clinical features. these novel activators may provide faster and more complete reperfusion in a greater number of patients, and do so with less risk of bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage. this article reviews the pharmacologic profiles and clinical performan ... | 1999 | 10084057 |
| ehrlich's ascites fluid adsorbed over protein a containing staphylococcus aureus cowan i produces inhibition of tumor growth. | our earlier studies have shown that removal of various blocking factors from the sera of tumor-bearing animals and humans by adsorption over heat-attenuated and formalin-fixed-staphylococcus aureus cowan i (sac) containing protein a (pa) causes antitumor immune response. it was also shown that this procedure caused regression of a wide variety of established animal and human tumors. in the present investigation, the therapeutic potential of inoculation of ascites fluid adsorbed in vitro over non ... | 1999 | 10084332 |
| [a chromogenic method for rapid identification of staphylococcus aureus]. | staphylococcus aureus is responsible for septicaemia and serious nosocomial infections. a rapid and specific identification of this species is of great importance in clinical microbiology. current methods for s. aureus identification require a 18 to 24 h-incubation. we describe a two hour-identification method based on the detection of the staphylocoagulase, using human prothrombin and a chromogenic substrate. 242 staphylococcal strains (160 s. aureus, 82 coagulase-negative staphylococci (cns)) ... | 1999 | 10210745 |
| effects of trauma and infection on ciprofloxacin levels in the vitreous cavity. | this study was designed to determine the effects of trauma and infection on vitreous ciprofloxacin levels after intravitreal injection of ciprofloxacin in rabbits. | 1999 | 10213238 |
| pleural fluid findings in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: correlation with concomitant pulmonary disease. | we sought to define the spectrum of conditions associated with pleural effusion (pe) in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids) who submitted to diagnostic thoracentesis. | 1999 | 10219358 |
| unresponsiveness of peripheral t cells induced by apoptotic bodies derived from autologous t cells. | several reports described the dose-dependent effect of staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin b (seb) regarding both levels of apoptosis and anergy of t cells. we investigated here whether t-cell apoptosis induced with seb causes unresponsiveness of naive t cells. apoptotic bodies were isolated from human t cells stimulated with antigen-presenting cells (apcs) and seb by the continuous density gradient centrifugation method. when naive t cells were stimulated with apcs and seb in the presence of apop ... | 1999 | 10222056 |
| epithelial defensins impair adenoviral infection: implication for adenovirus-mediated gene therapy. | epithelial cells have been to participate actively in host defense by producing small cationic peptides called defensins. to investigate the biological activity of epithelial defensins in more detail, we expressed two defensins, hbd-1 and hd-5, in eukaryotic cell lines. defensins were localized in the cytoplasm and in cell culture medium and exhibited strong microbicidal activity toward escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and staphylococcus aureus. moreover, our data indicate that the pres ... | 1999 | 10223729 |
| role of the scavenger receptor marco in alveolar macrophage binding of unopsonized environmental particles. | alveolar macrophages (ams) avidly bind and ingest unopsonized environmental particles and bacteria through scavenger-type receptors (srs). ams from mice with a genetic deletion of the major macrophage sr (types ai and aii; sr-/-) showed no decrease in particle binding compared with sr+/+ mice, suggesting that other srs are involved. to identify these receptors, we generated a monoclonal antibody (mab), pal-1, that inhibits hamster am binding of unopsonized particles (tio2, fe2o3, and latex beads ... | 1999 | 10224290 |
| intramedullary spinal cord abscess associated with cervical spondylodiskitis and epidural abscess. | a 50-year-old man presented a cervical vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess due to staphylococcus aureus. there were significant changes in the cervical region, as revealed by ct scan and mri, leading to the diagnosis of associated intramedullary abscess of the spinal cord, which was confirmed by anatomopathological study. | 1998 | 10225397 |
| mechanisms of internalization of staphylococcus aureus by cultured human osteoblasts. | staphylococcus aureus is an important bone pathogen, and evidence shows that this organism is internalized by chick osteoblasts. here we report that s. aureus is internalized by human osteoblasts. internalization was inhibited by monodansylcadaverine and cytochalasin d and to a lesser extent by ouabain, monensin, colchicine, and nocodazole. we propose that internalization occurs via a receptor-mediated pathway, requiring the participation of cytoskeletal elements, principally actin. | 1999 | 10225942 |
| a novel microbial infection-responsive drug release system. | the aim of this study was to construct a novel drug delivery system suitable for controlled release of antibiotics. there is a need for devices that release antibiotics only during microbial infection, because prophylactic or prolonged use of antibiotics leads to serious problems, such as renal and liver toxicity and the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria (e.g., meticillin-resistant staphylococcusaureus). we found previously that staphylococcus aureus-infected wound fluid showed high thrombin- ... | 1999 | 10229641 |
| effects of erdosteine and its metabolites on bacterial adhesiveness. | erdosteine (cas 84611-23-4) is administered as a mucolytic drug in patients with pulmonary disorders who suffer from a thickening of bronchial mucus with altered physico-chemical characteristics. erdosteine itself does not have a free thiol group but its metabolization produces active metabolites with a -sh group that is capable of breaking disulfide bonds of mucins and improving the mucociliary clearance of the airways, and thus reproducing the effects of the class of muco-active drugs having a ... | 1999 | 10337454 |
| mechanisms of staphylococcus aureus invasion of cultured osteoblasts. | staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen causing approximately 80% of all cases of human osteomyelitis. this bacterium can adhere to and become internalized by osteoblasts and previous studies indicate that osteoblasts are active in the internalization process. in the current study, we examined the roles of microfilaments, microtubules and clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis in the internalization of s. aureus by mc3t3-e1 mouse osteoblast cells. microfilament and microtubule po ... | 1999 | 10343060 |
| broadly protective vaccine for staphylococcus aureus based on an in vivo-expressed antigen. | vaccines based on preferential expression of bacterial antigens during human infection have not been described. staphylococcus aureus synthesized poly-n-succinyl beta-1-6 glucosamine (pnsg) as a surface polysaccharide during human and animal infection, but few strains expressed pnsg in vitro. all s. aureus strains examined carried genes for pnsg synthesis. immunization protected mice against kidney infections and death from strains that produced little pnsg in vitro. nonimmune infected animals m ... | 1999 | 10348739 |
| effect of teicoplanin on isolation of staphylococcus aureus from blood culture media. | intraoperative bacteraemia has been used as an indicator of the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics. two clinical isolates of staphylococcus aureus in nutrient broth, with or without human serum, were exposed to teicoplanin (50 mg/l) and, either immediately or after 30 min, inoculated into blood culture bottles. bottles with and without resin were used and the experiment was repeated five times with one strain. in the absence of teicoplanin, an inoculum of 10 cfu/ml produced growth in both resi ... | 1999 | 10350393 |
| [a case of interstitial nephritis induced by a super antigen produced by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) presenting as acute renal failure]. | we report the case of a 21-year-old man who had been developing acute renal failure with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) colitis and sepsis. he was admitted for consciousness disturbance, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. oliguria was also observed and his serum creatinine level was elevated to 10 mg/dl. urinary protein was positive and an abundance of hyaline cast were seen in urinary sedimentation. diarrhea and pyrexia were prolonged and serum c-reactive proteins were elevated ... | 1999 | 10361425 |
| [combination effect of teicoplanin and panipenem on highly resistant strains of mrsa]. | we investigated the in vitro combination effect of teicoplanin (teic) and panipenem (papm) on highly oxacillin-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) isolated from various clinical specimens. combination of teic and papm using checkerboard titration technique by agar dilution exhibited an excellent effect with mean fractional inhibitory concentration index of 0.18 +/- 0.07 on 47 mrsa strains, and the effects were judged as synergistic against all of the strains tested. in the combinat ... | 1999 | 10367264 |
| assembly of staphylococcus aureus leukocidin into a pore-forming ring-shaped oligomer on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and rabbit erythrocytes. | staphylococcal leukocidin consists of two separate proteins, luks and lukf, which cooperatively lyse human and rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes and rabbit erythrocytes. here we studied the pore-forming properties of leukocidin and the molecular architecture of the leukocidin pore. (1) leukocidin caused an efflux of potassium ions from rabbit erythrocytes and swelling of the cells before hemolysis. however, ultimate lysis of the toxin-treated swollen erythrocytes did not occur when polyethylen ... | 1999 | 10380630 |
| inhibitory activity of paenibacillus polymyxa sce2 against human pathogenic micro-organisms. | paenibacillus polymyxa strain sce2 was shown to inhibit the growth of different potential human pathogenic bacterial strains and fungi in vitro. to determine the genetic characterization of this antimicrobial substance, strain sce2 was transformed with plasmid ptv32(ts), a delivery vector for tn917-lac. after transposition, four mutants were shown to have lost their capability to inhibit micrococcus sp. and staphylococcus aureus rn450, but they continued to inhibit the growth of corynebacterium ... | 1999 | 10389257 |
| feglymycin, a novel inhibitor of the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus. fermentation, isolation and structure elucidation. | the novel peptide feglymycin has been isolated from cultures of streptomyces sp. dsm 11171 by solid phase extraction, size exclusion chromatography and repeated reversed-phase chromatography. the molecular weight was found to be 1900.90 g/mol and the molecular formula is c95h97nl3o30. feglymycin contains 13 amino acids of which four are 3-hydroxyphenylglycine and five are 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine residues. the structure of the linear peptide has been determined by 1h and 13c nmr spectroscopy. ... | 1999 | 10395273 |
| [methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) mediastinitis after cardiovascular operations]. | we described three cases of poststernotomy mediastinitis caused by mrsa. the first case 74-year-old woman who had undergone emergent cabg was treated by continuous closed irrigation and consecutive omental transfer. she was suffered from multiple organ failure and died. the other two cases 50-year-old woman and 66-year-old man after double valves replacement and total aortic arch replacement were managed successfully with simultaneous combination of surgical debridement and placement of omental ... | 1999 | 10402786 |
| cell surface characteristics of microbiological isolates from human percutaneous titanium implants in the head and neck. | percutaneous implants are commonly associated with several problems, and different failure modes have been described. infections constitute one serious complication which may lead to the removal of the implant. in contrast to infections around polymer implants, infections around skin-penetrating titanium implants anchored in the temporal bone are often cured by local treatment. coagulase-negative staphylococci are the most common etiological agents in infections related to polymers whereas staph ... | 1999 | 10403050 |
| induction of cc chemokines in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by staphylococcal exotoxins and its prevention by pentoxifylline. | we investigated the inflammatory processes that might be associated with the arthrogenic activity of staphylococcus aureus, the principal causative agent of bacterial arthritis. human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) were stimulated with the staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tsst-1) or enterotoxin b (seb) and the production of chemokines was examined. both tsst-1 and seb induced high levels (ng/ml) of mip-1alpha, mip-1beta, and mcp-1. the induction of these chemokines occurre ... | 1999 | 10411004 |
| cystic fibrosis: an inherited susceptibility to bacterial respiratory infections. | cystic fibrosis is a severe monogenic disorder of ion transport in exocrine glands. the basic defect predisposes to chronic bacterial airway infections with staphylococcus aureus, haemophilus influenzae, pseudomonas aeruginosa and burkholderia cepacia. the pseudomonas infections in cystic fibrosis are a paradigm of how versatile environmental bacteria can conquer, adapt and persist in an atypical habitat and successfully evade defence mechanisms and chemotherapy in a susceptible host. regular ch ... | 1999 | 10431168 |
| a patient who survived total colonic type ulcerative colitis complicated by toxic megacolon, disseminated intravascular coagulation, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection and bilateral femoral phlebothrombosis. | we report a patient who survived total colonic type ulcerative colitis (uc) complicated by toxic megacolon (tm), disseminated intravascular coagulation (dic), methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection, and phlebothrombosis. a 69-year-old man was treated for about 4 months under the diagnosis of ischemic colitis at another hospital, and was transferred to our hospital. based on endoscopic and pathological findings, we strongly suspected uc, and administered salazosulfapyridine and met ... | 1999 | 10433020 |
| a randomized clinical trial of mupirocin in the eradication of staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in human immunodeficiency virus disease. | seventy-six human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected patients with staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage were randomized to treatment groups receiving intranasal mupirocin or placebo twice daily for 5 days. nasal cultures for s. aureus were obtained at 1, 2, 6, and 10 weeks after therapy. at 1 week, 88% of mupirocin-treated patients had negative nasal cultures compared with 8% in placebo patients (p<.001). the percentage of mupirocin-treated patients with persistently negative nasal cultures d ... | 1999 | 10438389 |
| varicella arthritis diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction. | we report a 2-year-old girl who developed acute arthritis of the left knee 4 days after the onset of a typical varicella infection. she was first thought to have pyogenic arthritis caused by staphylococcus aureus. accordingly, oxacillin was administered upon hospitalization. on the third day after hospitalization, bacterial cultures of the synovial fluid and blood showed no growth and oxacillin was discontinued. although a viral culture of the synovial fluid for varicella-zoster virus (vzv) was ... | 1999 | 10463004 |
| [a case of empyema after pneumonectomy caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection treated successfully with local administration with vancomycin]. | a 55-year-old man underwent left pneumonectomy due to squamous cell carcinoma. three weeks later bronchopleural fistula and pleural empyema with mrsa infection were recognized. treatment was based on closed pleural drainage and antibiotic therapy. initially patient was treated with trimethoprin-sulfamethoxazole and then vancomycin intravenously but empyema was not cured completely. therefore repeated instillation of vancomycin into the empyema cavity was applied. after 6 days of treatment, cultu ... | 1999 | 10481526 |
| development and characterization of a staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization model in mice. | staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage is a risk factor for infection in humans, particularly in the hospital environment. attenuation of carriage has proven effective in reducing the prevalence of infection in some high-risk groups. to study staphylococcal factors that influence nasal colonization, a mouse model of s. aureus nasal colonization was developed. mice were inoculated intranasally with s. aureus reynolds, and nasal carriage was evaluated by quantitating cultures of the nasal tissues fr ... | 1999 | 10496870 |
| the antimicrobial efficiency of piper betle linn leaf (stalk) against human pathogenic bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi. | the in vitro antimicrobial activity of different varieties of piper betle linn, leaf stalk extracts were studied against human pathogenic bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi by comparing the results with standard microbial susceptibility testing biodiscs. the ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts of all the four varieties have shown significant activity against bacteria vibrio cholerae ogawa, staphylococcus aureus, diplococcus pneumoniae and klebsiella aerogenes. the hexane and benzene extracts have ... | 1999 | 10499145 |
| [superantigens and their importance for inflammatory skin diseases]. | superantigens are a group of bacterial and viral proteins that are characterized by their capacity to stimulate a large number of t-cells simultaneously. superantigens bind directly to the mhc class ii molecule on the antigen-presenting cell and crosslink the cell with t-cells expressing certain v beta-chains on their t-cell receptor which leads to a vigorous polyclonal t-cell activation. staphylococcal superantigens seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic diseases such as toxic shoc ... | 1999 | 10500463 |
| staphylococcus aureus adherence to nasal epithelial cells in a physiological in vitro model. | nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus represents a risk factor for subsequent invasive infections and interpatient transmission of strains. no physiological in vitro model of nasal epithelial cells is available to study both patient- and bacteria-related characteristics and their interaction, leading to adherence and colonization. starting with tissues from human nasal polyps, a confluent, squamous, nonkeratinized epithelium in collagen-coated 96-well microtiter plates was obtained after 14 d. ... | 1999 | 10501087 |
| the effects of nora inhibition on the activities of levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin against two genetically related strains of staphylococcus aureus in an in-vitro infection model. | nora is a membrane-associated multidrug efflux protein that can decrease susceptibility to fluoroquinolones in staphylococcus aureus. we have previously determined that nora inhibition can increase fluoroquinolone killing activity and post-antibiotic effect. in the current investigation, we studied the killing activity and development of resistance for levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin with or without the h+/k+ atpase inhibitor omeprazole, in a wild-type strain of s. aureus (sa-1199) a ... | 1999 | 10511401 |
| antibacterial activity of multiple antigen peptides homologous to a loop region in human lactoferrin. | an 11-residue peptide (fqwqrnmrkvr) homologous to just over half the loop region of human lactoferricin is thought to be responsible for antimicrobial properties of human lactoferricin. multiple antigen peptides (map) of the 11-residue peptide exerted significant antibacterial effects against a broad spectrum of bacteria including mrsa. more than eight branching was favourable for increasing its antibacterial activity. our report shows a novel possibility for map to increase the activity of anti ... | 1999 | 10517161 |
| formation of a carcinogenic aromatic amine from an azo dye by human skin bacteria in vitro. | azo dyes represent the major class of dyestuffs. they are metabolised to the corresponding amines by liver enzymes and the intestinal microflora following incorporation by both experimental animals and humans. for safety evaluation of the dermal exposure of consumers to azo dyes from wearing coloured textiles, a possible cleavage of azo dyes by the skin microflora should be considered since, in contrast to many dyes, aromatic amines are easily absorbed by the skin. a method for measuring the abi ... | 1999 | 10523869 |
| the synthesis and antibacterial activity of totarol derivatives. part 1: modifications of ring-c and pro-drugs. | a series of analogues of, and potential pro-drugs derived from, the potent antibacterial diterpene totarol (1) were synthesized in order to elucidate the minimum structural requirements for antibacterial activity and to seek compounds with good bioavailability in vivo. these analogues varied in the structural features of their aromatic rings and the prodrugs were o-glycosylated derivatives. they were tested in vitro against three gram-positive bacteria: beta-lactamase-positive and high level gen ... | 1999 | 10530944 |
| bacterial species- and strain-dependent induction of tissue factor in human vascular endothelial cells. | a cardinal process in bacterial endocarditis (be) is the activation of the clotting system and the formation of a fibrin clot on the inner surface of the heart, the so-called endocardial vegetation. the processes that lead to the activation of the clotting system on endothelial surfaces upon exposure to bacteria are largely unknown. in the present study, we investigated in an in vitro model whether infection of human endothelial cells (ec) with bacteria that are relevant to be, such as staphyloc ... | 1999 | 10531276 |
| stress resistance in staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen of increasing importance as a result of the spread of antibiotic resistance. it causes a wide range of diseases and survives outside the host by virtue of its adaptability and resistance to environmental stress. several cellular components involved in staphylococcus aureus stress resistance have begun to be characterized. | 1999 | 10542426 |
| slime production by staphylococci isolated from prosthesis-associated infections. | clinical isolates of staphylococcus epidermidis are frequently referred to produce a biofilm, known as slime, involved in adherence to medical devices and in resistance to host defences. a high frequency of slime producing staphylococcus aureus strains was never reported, at least in the case of human isolates. in the present study the production of slime by clinical isolates of s. aureus and s. epidermidis from catheter associated infections and from post-surgical infections was studied by a se ... | 1999 | 10555204 |
| vitronectin and its fragments purified as serum inhibitors of staphylococcus aureus gamma-hemolysin and leukocidin, and their specific binding to the hlg2 and the luks components of the toxins. | staphylococcal gamma-hemolysin and leukocidin are bi-component cytolysins, consisting of lukf (or hlg1)/hlg2 and lukf/luks, respectively. here, we purified serum inhibitors of gamma-hemolysin and leukocidin from human plasma. protein sequencing showed that the purified inhibitors of 62, 57, 50 and 38 kda were the vitronectin fragments with truncation(s) of the c-terminal or both n- and c-terminal regions. the purified vitronectin fragments specifically bound to the hlg2 component of gamma-hemoly ... | 1999 | 10556515 |
| organotin compounds decrease in vitro survival, proliferation and differentiation of normal human b lymphocytes. | organotin compounds (otc) are organometallic compounds with vast industrial and agriculture applications that give rise to ubiquitous environmental contamination. otc are immunotoxic, but most studies have been performed in rodents and almost exclusively focused on t cell immunity. humans can be exposed to otc by inhalation, absorption, and consumption of contaminated food and water. to analyse the effects of otc in human immune tissue, we isolated b cells from tonsils and exposed them to five o ... | 1999 | 10557013 |