| 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 |
| 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 |
| genome sequence survey identifies unique sequences and key virulence genes with unusual rates of amino acid substitution in bovine staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of mastitis in bovine and other ruminant species. we here present the results of a comparative genomic analysis between a bovine mastitis-associated clone, rf122, and the recently sequenced human-associated clones, mu50 and n315, of staphylococcus aureus. a shotgun sequence survey of approximately 10% of the rf122 genome identified numerous unique sequences and those with elevated rates of nonsynonymous substitution. taken together, these analyses show that ... | 2002 | 12065548 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| activation of human t cells with nk cell markers by staphylococcal enterotoxin a via il-12 but not via il-18. | we have reported recently that mouse liver nk cells and nk1 x 1+ t cells were activated by bacterial superantigens via the il-12 production from kupffer cells. in the present study, we examined the effect of staphyloccoccal enterotoxin a (sea) on human t cells with nk cell markers, cd56 or cd57 (nk-type t cells). after stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) with sea, pbmc produced a large amount of ifn- and acquired a potent antitumour cytotoxicity. the in vitro depletion of eithe ... | 2002 | 12109440 |
| 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 |
| bacterium-induced cxcl10 secretion by osteoblasts can be mediated in part through toll-like receptor 4. | two common pathogens known to cause bone infection, salmonella and staphylococcus aureus, were investigated to determine their abilities to induce chemokine expression in cultured mouse and human osteoblasts. while these cells are responsible for bone formation, we were surprised to find that they could respond to bacterial infection by upregulating expression of the chemokine cxcl10 (ip-10). however, there were significant differences in the abilities of the gram-negative bacterium salmonella a ... | 2002 | 12117914 |
| 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 |
| intracellular activity of clinical concentrations of phenothiazines including thioridiazine against phagocytosed staphylococcus aureus. | the effect of thioridazine (tz) was studied on the killing activity of human peripheral blood monocyte derived macrophages (hpbmdm) and of human macrophage cell line thp-1 at extracellular concentrations below those achievable clinically. these macrophages have nominal killing activity against bacteria and therefore, would not influence any activity that the compounds may have against intracellular localised staphylococcus aureus. the results indicated that whereas tz has an in vitro minimum inh ... | 2002 | 12127709 |
| 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 |
| the structure of human macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha /ccl20. linking antimicrobial and cc chemokine receptor-6-binding activities with human beta-defensins. | human macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha (mip-3alpha; ccl20) is a cc-type chemokine that binds to and activates cc chemokine receptor-6 (ccr6). although mip-3alpha does not share the binding site of ccr6 with any other chemokine, human beta-defensin-1 and -2, small cationic antimicrobial peptides, have also been found to bind to and activate ccr6. conversely, we have found that mip-3alpha possesses antibacterial activity of greater potency than human beta-defensin-1 and -2 against escherichi ... | 2002 | 12149255 |
| 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 |
| ocular infections in patients with atopic dermatitis. | | 2002 | 12189616 |
| antibacterial activity in four marine crustacean decapods. | a search for antibacterial activity in different body-parts of pandalus borealis (northern shrimp), pagurus bernhardus (hermit crab), hyas araneus (spider crab) and paralithodes camtschatica (king crab) was conducted. dried samples were extracted with 60% (v/v) acetonitrile, containing 0.1% (v/v) trifluoroacetic acid, and further extracted and concentrated on c18 cartridges. eluates from the solid phase extraction were tested for antibacterial, lysozyme and haemolytic activity. antibacterial act ... | 2002 | 12194450 |
| 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 |
| the combination of the sh metabolite of erdosteine (a mucoactive drug) and ciprofloxacin increases the inhibition of bacterial adhesiveness achieved by ciprofloxacin alone. | exposure to ciprofloxacin and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics at less than minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) reduces the production of some of the factors that contribute to bacterial virulence, particularly bacterial adhesiveness. once metabolized, erdosteine (a mucoactive drug) produces an active metabolite (met i) with a reducing sulfhydryl group that is capable of opening the disulfide bonds present in tracheobronchial mucins and pilins, a protein of bacterial fimbriae (adhesins). t ... | 2002 | 12224380 |
| increased expression of clumping factor and fibronectin-binding proteins by hemb mutants of staphylococcus aureus expressing small colony variant phenotypes. | small colony variants (scvs) of staphylococcus aureus are slow-growing subpopulations that cause persistent and relapsing infections. the altered phenotype of scv can arise from defects in menadione or hemin biosynthesis, which disrupt the electron transport chain and decrease atp concentrations. with scvs, virulence is altered by a decrease in exotoxin production and susceptibility to various antibiotics, allowing their intracellular survival. the expression of bacterial adhesins by scvs is poo ... | 2002 | 12228267 |
| 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 |
| induction of cytokine production by different staphylococcal strains. | in light of the important role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of bacterial infections, we analyzed the cytokine production induced by different staphylococcus aureus (s. aureus), s. epidermidis and s. saprophyticus strains in human mononuclear cells (mncs). mncs secreted high amounts of interleukin-1beta (il-1beta) and il-6 proteins in responses to stimulation with all three species of staphylococci. interestingly, a large majority of the s. aureus strains induced significantly higher il-12 an ... | 2002 | 12297115 |
| 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 |
| role of agr (rnaiii) in staphylococcus aureus adherence to fibrinogen, fibronectin, platelets and endothelial cells under static and flow conditions. | in the present study, the adherence of staphylococcus aureus (strain 83254) and its rnaiii mutant (wa400) to immobilised fibrinogen and fibronectin, and to human endothelial cells (ec), was studied. [3h]thymidine-labelled bacteria in stationary phase were incubated on the test surfaces for 20 min under static or flow (200/s) conditions. the results showed: (a) increased adherence of the rnaiii mutant to fibrinogen under static conditions, and decreased adherence of the mutant to fibronectin and ... | 2002 | 12358065 |
| role of charge properties of bacterial envelope in bactericidal action of human group iia phospholipase a2 against staphylococcus aureus. | mammalian group iia phospholipases a(2) (pla(2)) potently kill staphylococcus aureus. highly cationic properties of these pla(2) are important for ca(2+)-independent binding and cell wall penetration, prerequisites for ca(2+)-dependent degradation of membrane phospholipids and bacterial killing. to further delineate charge properties of the bacterial envelope important in group iia pla(2) action against s. aureus, we examined the effects of mutations that prevent specific modifications of cell w ... | 2002 | 12359734 |
| surfactant wound irrigation for the treatment of staphylococcal clinical isolates. | deep wound infection involving an implanted biomaterial is a devastating complication in orthopaedic surgery. two-thirds of such infections are monomicrobial and the most commonly isolated bacteria in human osteomyelitis and orthopaedic device infection are staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcus epidermidis. the purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of the previously reported sequential surfactant irrigation protocol against human-isolated clinical strains of staphyloco ... | 2002 | 12360010 |
| 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 |
| serum concentration of hakata antigen, a member of the ficolins, is linked with inhibition of aerococcus viridans growth. | hakata antigen (hakata) is a novel serum glycoprotein that consists of collagen- and fibrinogen-like domains, similar to ficolin/p35. our research suggested that serum hakata may be a target of a polysaccharide (psa) produced by aerococcus viridans. | 2002 | 12367778 |
| enhancement of complement activation and opsonophagocytosis by complexes of mannose-binding lectin with mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease after binding to staphylococcus aureus. | human mannose-binding lectin (mbl) is a serum protein of the innate immune system that circulates as a complex with a group of so-called mbl-associated serine proteases (masp-1, masp-2, and masp-3). complexes of mbl-masp2 are able to activate the complement system in an ab and c1-independent fashion after binding of the lectin to appropriate microbial sugar arrays. we have evaluated the additive effect of the lectin pathway relative to other complement activation pathways and the subsequent effe ... | 2002 | 12370377 |
| chlorpromazine has intracellular killing activity against phagocytosed staphylococcus aureus at clinical concentrations. | chlorpromazine (cpz) has in vitro antimicrobial activity against staphylococcus aureus at concentrations that greatly exceed those achieved clinically. it is concentrated by tissues that are rich in macrophages and it is active against phagocytosed mycobacteria when the concentration in the medium is compatible with that achieved clinically. in this report we show that nontoxic concentrations of cpz below clinical levels have killing activity against s. aureus phagocytosed by human monocyte-deri ... | 2002 | 12373485 |
| [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 |
| staphylococcus aureus aconitase inactivation unexpectedly inhibits post-exponential-phase growth and enhances stationary-phase survival. | staphylococcus aureus preferentially catabolizes glucose, generating pyruvate, which is subsequently oxidized to acetate under aerobic growth conditions. catabolite repression of the tricarboxylic acid (tca) cycle results in the accumulation of acetate. tca cycle derepression coincides with exit from the exponential growth phase, the onset of acetate catabolism, and the maximal expression of secreted virulence factors. these data suggest that carbon and energy for post-exponential-phase growth a ... | 2002 | 12379717 |
| quantity of aerobic bacteria in the bony portion of the external auditory canal of children. | the human external auditory canal (eac) hosts a commensal bacterial flora of mainly non-pathogens, but bacterial pathogens may also be present. the latter are important in the aetiopathogenesis of external otitis and middle ear cholesteatoma with discharge. the purpose of this study was to quantify the bacteria normally harboured in the healthy eac and on a well-defined region of the cavum conchae (cc) of children. | 2002 | 12393252 |
| 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 |
| human neutrophil oxidative bursts and their in vitro modulation by different n-acetylcysteine concentrations. | reactive oxygen species released by activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes as an expression of their defensive function are considered to be a major source of the cytotoxic oxidant stress, that triggers a self-sustaining phlogogenic loop in the respiratory system. n-acetylcysteine (cas 616-91-1, nac), a known mucolytic drug, possesses also antioxidant properties, but it undergoes a rapid and extensive first-pass metabolism resulting in low tissue availability. thus to further improve the nac bio ... | 2002 | 12404881 |
| [biodistribution of low-molecular-weight proteins and technetium (99mtc) labeled peptides in an animal model of inflammation]. | the aim of this study was to evaluate accumulation of the low molecular peptides and proteins labelled with 99mtc in rat inflammatory/infection foci. peptides (human leukocyte dialysate--hld, thymosin fraction 5--tf5, aprotinin--apt), proteins (human igg-hig) were labelled with 99mtc using a redox polymer. the labelling efficiency was evaluated using paper, tlc and/or column chromatography and electrophoresis. the biodistribution of the labelled substances was evaluated in wistar rats with staph ... | 2002 | 12407925 |
| murine beta-defensin-3 is an inducible peptide with limited tissue expression and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. | beta-defensins are cationic peptides produced by epithelial cells that have been proposed to be an important component of immune function at mucosal surfaces. similarities between mammalian beta-defensins may permit the use of murine models to further define the role of these peptides in innate host defense. murine beta-defensin-3 (mbd-3) is a peptide that exhibits homology at the gene level to human beta-defensin-2 (hbd-2), one of four beta-defensins identified in man. the purpose of this study ... | 2002 | 12412627 |
| flow cytometric analysis of procalcitonin expression in human monocytes and granulocytes. | procalcitonin (pct), a precursor of calcitonin is a useful indicator of severe systemic infection and sepsis. for a better understanding of the pathophysiological background of pct induction, a study was made of the intracellular expression of pct in various human white blood cell populations-i.e. monocytes and polymorphonuclear granulocytes (pmns)-and the role of tnf-alpha in the stimulation of their pct production. the expression of pct was investigated by flow cytometric analysis with intrace ... | 2002 | 12413737 |
| telomere maintenance in human b lymphocytes. | telomere shortening has been causally linked to replicative senescence in human cells. to characterize telomere-length heterogeneity in peripheral blood cells of normal individuals, we analysed the mean length of telomeric repeat sequences in subpopulations of peripheral blood leucocytes, using fluorescence in situ hybridization and flow cytometry (flow-fish). although the telomere length of most haematopoietic subsets was within the same range, the mean telomere length was found to be 15% highe ... | 2002 | 12437664 |
| 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 |
| sensitive and specific colorimetric elisas for staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins a and b in urine and buffer. | we present here simple, sensitive and accurate colorimetric capture elisas for staphylococcal enterotoxins a and b. standard curves were linear over the range 0.5-1 ng/ml, and toxins could be accurately measured at 0.5 ng/ml in assay buffer or 0.1 ng/ml in human urine. cross-reactivity between serotypes was negligible. detection in serum was complicated by the presence of specific antibodies to se's in most normal sera. these assays offer a viable, cost-effective method for analysis of these ubi ... | 2002 | 12457885 |
| 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 |
| rp105-lacking b cells from lupus patients are responsible for the production of immunoglobulins and autoantibodies. | we previously reported that b cells lacking the rp105 molecule, which proved to be highly activated b cells, are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (sle). in the present study, we attempted to determine whether rp105-negative b cells obtained from sle patients would be capable of producing autoantibodies as well as immunoglobulins. | 2002 | 12483730 |
| human beta-defensin-2 induction in helicobacter pylori-infected gastric mucosal tissues: antimicrobial effect of overexpression. | the objective of this study was to understand more of the innate immune response to helicobacter pylori by determining the expression of human beta-defensin-2 (hbd-2) in various gastric mucosal tissues and mkn45 gastric cancer cells with or without h. pylori. semi-quantitative taqman rt-pcr and immunohistochemistry were carried out. the antimicrobial effects of a transfected hbd-2 gene against h. pylori were also evaluated. the results showed that hbd-2 was expressed in inflamed gastric mucosal ... | 2003 | 12488564 |
| a man with backache and renal failure. | backache, a common symptom, is rarely caused by infection of the lumbar discs. the authors present the case of a 60-year-old man with a staphylococcus aureus septicemia and associated lumbar discitis in whom a pauci immune crescentic glomerulonephritis and renal failure developed. treatment with antibiotics and not immunosuppressive agents resulted in improved renal function with a discharge creatinine level of 1.87 mg/dl (165 micromol/l). this case highlights an association of pauci-immune cres ... | 2003 | 12500252 |
| bacterial competition for human nasal cavity colonization: role of staphylococcal agr alleles. | we examined the bacterial aerobic nasal flora of 216 healthy volunteers to identify potential competitive interactions among different species, with special emphasis on the influence of staphylococcal agr alleles. the staphylococcus aureus colonization rate correlated negatively with the rate of colonization by corynebacterium spp. and non-aureus staphylococci, especially s. epidermidis, suggesting that both corynebacterium spp. and s. epidermidis antagonize s. aureus colonization. most of the s ... | 2003 | 12513972 |
| human rnase 7: a new cationic ribonuclease of the rnase a superfamily. | here we report on the expression and function of rnase 7, one of the final rnase a superfamily ribonucleases identified in the human genome sequence. the human rnase 7 gene is expressed in various somatic tissues including the liver, kidney, skeletal muscle and heart. recombinant rnase 7 is ribonucleolytically active against yeast trna, as expected from the presence of eight conserved cysteines and the catalytic histidine-lysine- histidine triad which are signature motifs of this superfamily. th ... | 2003 | 12527768 |
| evaluation of the pathology, pathogenesis and aetiology of auricular elephantiasis in slaughter pigs. | ears from slaughter pigs with auricular elephantiasis (n = 24) and the corresponding lymph nodes (lnn.) (n = 26) were grossly, histopathologically and microbiologically examined. immunostaining for igm, igg, cd3epsilon and bacterial antigens of arcanobacterium pyogenes and staphylococcus aureus was performed by indirect enzyme-based techniques. ears were variably thickened depending on the sampled area (basis, centre and apex). however, at all locations the thickness, the length from basis to ap ... | 2002 | 12549830 |
| antimicrobial and antiviral activities of polyphenolics from cocos nucifera linn. (palmae) husk fiber extract. | the decoction of cocos nucifera l. husk fiber has been used in northeastern brazil traditional medicine for treatment of diarrhea and arthritis. water extract obtained from coconut husk fiber and fractions from adsorption chromatography revealed antimicrobial activity against staphylococcus aureus. the crude extract and one of the fractions rich in catechin also showed inhibitory activity against acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 (hsv-1-acvr). all fractions were inactive against th ... | 2002 | 12558183 |
| plicatamide, an antimicrobial octapeptide from styela plicata hemocytes. | plicatamide (phe-phe-his-leu-his-phe-his-dc delta dopa), where dc delta dopa represents decarboxy-(e)-alpha,beta-dehydro-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is a potently antimicrobial octapeptide from the blood cells of the solitary tunicate, styela plicata. wild type and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) responded to plicatamide exposure with a massive potassium efflux that began within seconds. soon thereafter, treated bacteria largely ceased consuming oxygen, and most became nonviab ... | 2003 | 12569105 |
| mouse swam1 and swam2 are antibacterial proteins composed of a single whey acidic protein motif. | antibacterial proteins are important participants in the innate immunity system. elafin and slpi are the whey acidic protein (wap) motif proteins with both antibacterial activity and antiprotease activity, and their role in innate immunity is under intense investigation. we cloned two novel antibacterial wap motif proteins from mice, swam1 and swam2. swam1 and swam2 are composed of a signal sequence and a single wap motif that has high homologies with the wap motifs of elafin and slpi. swam1 is ... | 2003 | 12574366 |
| desmoglein as a target in autoimmunity and infection. | clinical phenotypes of most diseases are complex. however, once the mechanism behind the scene is clarified, the nature shows amazing beauty. there is a simple logic behind a complex disease. the exact molecular mechanism of the blister formation in staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (ssss) remained to be elucidated for 3 decades since exfoliative toxin was discovered by melish and glasgow in 1970. a knowledge accumulated to understand the pathogenesis of pemphigus and cell-cell adhesion of ke ... | 2003 | 12582396 |
| infecton: a 99mtc-ciprofloxacin radiopharmaceutical for the detection of bone infection. | to evaluate infecton scintigraphy, with technetium-99m-radiolabeled ciprofloxacin, as a means to detect bone infection, in comparison with other conventional scintigraphic and radiologic methods. | 2003 | 12588329 |
| design and synthesis of some substituted 1h-pyrazolyl-thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines as anti-inflammatory-antimicrobial agents. | the synthesis of two novel series of structurally related 1h-pyrazolyl derivatives of thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines is described. all the newly synthesised compounds were examined for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity in two different bioassays namely; cotton pellet-induced granuloma and carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. the in vitro inhibitory activity of the most active compounds towards human cox-1 and cox-2 enzymes was also estimated. in addition, the ulcerogenic effects and acute t ... | 2003 | 12593914 |
| lipoteichoic acid (lta) of streptococcus pneumoniae and staphylococcus aureus activates immune cells via toll-like receptor (tlr)-2, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (lbp), and cd14, whereas tlr-4 and md-2 are not involved. | lipoteichoic acid (lta) derived from streptococcus pneumoniae, purified employing a chloroform/methanol protocol, and from staphylococcus aureus, prepared by the recently described butanol extraction procedure, was investigated regarding its interaction with lipopolysaccharide (lps)-binding protein (lbp), cd14, toll-like receptors (tlrs)-2 and -4, and md-2. lta from both organisms induced cytokine synthesis in human mononuclear phagocytes. activation was lbp- and cd14-dependent, and formation of ... | 2003 | 12594207 |
| functional cd40 expression induced following bacterial infection of mouse and human osteoblasts. | bacterially induced bone infections often result in significant local inflammatory responses which are coupled with loss of bone. however, the mechanisms necessary for the protective host response, or those responsible for pathogen-induced bone loss, are not clear. recent evidence demonstrates that bacterially infected osteoblasts secrete chemokines and cytokines, suggesting that these cells may have an unappreciated role in supporting localized inflammation. in this study, mouse and human osteo ... | 2003 | 12595434 |
| complement activation influences staphylococcus aureus adherence to endothelial cells. | the ability of staphylococcus aureus to adhere to endothelial cells (ec) is a critical step in the development of metastatic infection. the role of complement in s. aureus binding to ec remains uninvestigated. log-phase s. aureus, expressing minimal capsule, was incubated with serum under various conditions, washed, and then incubated at 37 degrees c for 30 min with cultured human umbilical vein ec (atcc crl-1730). adherence was scored visually after staining with acridine orange. incubation in ... | 2003 | 12595448 |
| [removal of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infected pacemaker leads under cardiopulmonary bypass: report of a case]. | a 71-year-old man, who underwent an intravenous pacemaker implantation previously, suffered from fever and local infection of the generator pocket. a blood culture showed positive for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). he underwent removal of total pacemaker system under cardiopulmonary bypass support successfully. two leads were tightly adhered to the right atrial free wall, tricuspid valve and right ventricular trabeculation. postoperative course was uneventful with administra ... | 2003 | 12635325 |
| staphylococcal and streptococcal superantigens: molecular, biological and clinical aspects. | superantigens (sags) include a class of certain bacterial and viral proteins exhibiting highly potent lymphocyte-transforming (mitogenic) activity towards human and or other mammalian t lymphocytes. unlike conventional antigens, sags bind to certain regions of major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii molecules of antigen-presenting cells (apcs) outside the classical antigen-binding groove and concomitantly bind in their native form to t cells at specific motifs of the variable region of t ... | 2003 | 12635926 |
| a fast-acting, modular-structured staphylokinase fusion with kringle-1 from human plasminogen as the fibrin-targeting domain offers improved clot lysis efficacy. | to develop a fast-acting clot dissolving agent, a clot-targeting domain derived from the kringle-1 domain in human plasminogen was fused to the c-terminal end of staphylokinase with a linker sequence in between. production of this fusion protein in bacillus subtilis and pichia pastoris was examined. the kringle domain in the fusion protein produced from b. subtilis was improperly folded because of its complicated disulfide-bond profile, whereas the staphylokinase domain produced from p. pastoris ... | 2003 | 12646571 |
| [infected false aneurysm due to methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus after proximal aortic grafting]. | a 70-year-old man developed meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) mediastinitis after prosthetic graft replacement of the ascending aorta. the sternal wound was reexplored and a single-stage procedure of irrigation, debridement, and omental transposition was performed. ten months after the first operation, he suffered recurrence of pyrexia and the presence of false aneurysm originated from the distal suture line was diagnosed by the chest computed tomography (ct) scan. re-replacement ... | 2003 | 12649912 |
| 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 |
| local anesthetics impair human granulocyte phagocytosis activity, oxidative burst, and cd11b expression in response to staphylococcus aureus. | with invasion of bacteria, the host defense system is activated by a complex cascade of various mechanisms. local anesthetics previously were shown to interact with diverse components of the immune response, such as leukocyte adherence on endothelial monolayers, oxidative burst, or crosstalk within lymphocyte subset populations. however, effects of newer local anesthetics like bupivacaine and ropivacaine on antibacterial host defense-primarily phagocytosis activity, oxidative burst, or cd11b exp ... | 2003 | 12657844 |
| priapism caused by infection and an inflammatory process in the pelvic region. | priapism caused by an inflammatory process is rare. we report on a 25-year-old man with priapism due to an infiltration in the pelvic region, enclosing the right sacral plexus. blood cultures revealed staphylococcus aureus to be the causal organism. treatment consisted of parenteral antibiotics, aspiration of the corpora cavernosa and injection of epinephrine, resulting in a flaccid penis and full recovery of potency after 3 weeks. a literature review was conducted for infection and inflammatory ... | 2003 | 12660466 |
| detection of sporothrix schenckii in clinical samples by a nested pcr assay. | cutaneous sporotrichosis is a chronic granulomatous fungal infection caused by sporothrix schenckii with worldwide distribution. its traditional diagnosis is time-consuming and difficult to differentiate from that of a clinical sporotrichoid lesion caused by various pathogens. in this study, a nested pcr assay for the detection of s. schenckii was evaluated by using a sequence of 18s rrna gene as a target. for the examination of specificity and sensitivity, five clinical isolates with 1 atcc 102 ... | 2003 | 12682123 |
| definition of structural prerequisites for lipoteichoic acid-inducible cytokine induction by synthetic derivatives. | the controversy about the immune stimulatory properties of lipoteichoic acid (lta) from staphylococcus aureus was solved recently by showing decomposition and inactivation of lta obtained by conventional purification strategies, as well as pronounced lps contamination of commercial preparations. by introducing a novel preparation method, the structure of bioactive lta was elucidated. this structure was confirmed by chemical synthesis. in this work, synthetic lta derivatives were employed to stud ... | 2003 | 12682244 |
| pyogenic brain abscess following haematogenous seeding of a thalamic haemorrhage. | we report the rare occurrence of a pyogenic brain abscess at the site of a preceding intracerebral haemorrhage in a 58-year-old man. the diagnosis was based on clinical observations, isolation of staphylococcus aureus from blood cultures, and characteristic cerebrospinal fluid and cerebral computed tomography findings. the patient had a favourable response to antibiotic therapy. | 2003 | 12684718 |
| enhancement of antibacterial and lipopolysaccharide binding activities of a human lactoferrin peptide fragment by the addition of acyl chain. | cationic antibacterial peptides are potentially therapeutic in the treatment of sepsis, because of their amalgamated antibacterial and lipopolysaccharide-binding activities. we prepared acyl analogues of the peptide fragment of human lactoferrin, which originally had weak antibacterial activity. it was found that 12 carbon units constitute the optimal acyl chain length, enhancing the antibacterial activity and binding of lipopolysaccharide by up to two orders of magnitude. lactoferrin-based lipo ... | 2003 | 12697647 |
| persistent secretion of il-18 in the skin contributes to ige response in mice. | after exposure of the skin to microbes, the host develops skin-specific inflammation and an acquired immune response, in which keratinocytes (kc) and langerhans cells play critical roles respectively. we established two animal models. (i) we examined the importance of kc-derived il-18 for the systemic ige response by using a skin transplantation model. as previously reported, transgenic mice (kcasp1tg), that over-express caspase-1 in their kc, display high serum levels of ige, and spontaneously ... | 2003 | 12697661 |
| toxicity of the staphylococcal enterotoxin b mutants with histidine-to-tyrosine substitutions. | in this study we made a series of site-directed mutants of staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb), in which histidine residues in the molecule were replaced by tyrosine. the mutant genes were cloned and expressed, and the corresponding proteins were purified. these mutant proteins were tested for binding to human hla-dr4 and for mitogenetic activity in mouse splenocyte culture. toxicity of the proteins in vivo was evaluated in the actinomycin d-primed c3h/hej mouse model. we found that seb mutant pr ... | 2003 | 12699911 |
| [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 |
| efficacy of daptomycin in experimental endocarditis due to methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. | methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is becoming increasingly prevalent as both a nosocomial and a community-acquired pathogen. daptomycin, a lipopeptide antibiotic now in phase iii clinical trials, is rapidly bactericidal in vitro against a range of gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant s. aureus (mrsa). in this study, we compared the efficacy of daptomycin with that of vancomycin, each with or without rifampin, in a model of experimental aortic valve endocarditis due ... | 2003 | 12709345 |
| release of antimicrobial peptide dhvar-5 from polymethylmethacrylate beads. | osteomyelitis is still a major cause of morbidity and remains a difficult complication to treat in orthopaedic surgery. the treatment of choice is a combination of systemic and local antibiotics. the insertion of gentamicin-loaded polymethylmethacrylate (pmma) beads into the bone results in high local concentrations of gentamicin and low systemic concentrations. however, the effectiveness of this treatment is being hampered by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. new antimicrobial agents a ... | 2003 | 12716782 |
| peripheral blood mononuclear cell expression of toll-like receptors and relation to cytokine levels in cirrhosis. | activation of macrophages by endotoxin is assumed responsible for increased circulating tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-alpha) and soluble tnf receptor (stnfr) levels in cirrhosis. relevant to this is expression of toll-like receptor (tlr) 4 and tlr2, which is critically involved in production of tnf-alpha in response to endotoxin and gram-positive microbial stimuli, respectively. the first studies on this in cirrhosis are reported here. in 36 cirrhotic patients and 32 controls, we measured (1) ... | 2003 | 12717397 |
| population-based study of the epidemiology of and the risk factors for invasive staphylococcus aureus infections. | a population-based active-surveillance study of the calgary health region (population, 929,656) was conducted from may 1999 to april 2000, to define the epidemiology of invasive staphylococcus aureus (isa) infections. the annual incidence was 28.4 cases/100,000 population; 46% were classified as nosocomial. infection was most common in people at the extremes of the age spectrum and in males. several conditions were associated with acquisition of isa infection, and the highest risk was observed i ... | 2003 | 12717627 |
| treatment with hypericum perforatum l. does not trigger decreased resistance in staphylococcus aureus against antibiotics and hyperforin. | most scientific investigations of hypericum perforatum l. (saint john's wort) concentrated on its antidepressant activity. only recently, its antibacterial activity against multiresistant staphylococcus aureus led to speculations regarding the use of hyperforin, an antibacterial principle of hypericum, as an antibiotic. in the present investigation, we show that staphylococcus aureus is able to acquire a resistance against hyperforin which did not lead to a cross resistance against clinically us ... | 2003 | 12725578 |
| optimization of dna-based vaccination in cows using green fluorescent protein and protein a as a prelude to immunization against staphylococcal mastitis. | staphylococcus aureus is a contagious pathogen that often results in chronic intramammary infections in dairy cows. current vaccine formulations are ineffective in preventing this infection. the objective of this study was to stimulate an immune response in dairy cows through injection of plasmid dna designed to express staphylococcal protein a in transfected cells. intramuscular and intradermal vaccination sites were evaluated using a plasmid containing the human cytomegalovirus (cmv) promoter/ ... | 2003 | 12741542 |
| high-level expression of human glycosyltransferases in insect cells as biochemically active form. | cdnas, encoding human beta1,4-galactosyltransferase (hgalt i, ec 2.4.1.22), human galbeta1,3(4)-glcnac alpha2,3-sialyltransferase (hst3galiii, ec 2.4.99), and human galbeta1,4-glcnac alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (hst6gal i, ec 2.4.99.1), were cloned from human cell lines. in order to express these glycosyltransferases as secreted form in insect cells, cdnas were inserted into a novel baculovirus transfer vector equipped with the mouse igm signal peptide and igg binding domain of the staphylococcus ... | 2003 | 12763019 |
| evaluation of the bactericidal effect of five products for surgical hand disinfection according to pren 12054 and pren 12791. | surgical hand disinfection (with an alcohol-based hand rub) and surgical handwash (with an antiseptic-based liquid soap) are accepted measures to reduce the risk for surgical site infections. the new european standards allow a comparison of their antimicrobial efficacy. the bactericidal activity of surgical hand rubs [sterillium and softaman, (active ingredient=alcohols)] and handwashes [derman plus (triclosan), hibiscrub (chlorhexidine) and betadine (pvp-iodine)] was tested according to the pre ... | 2003 | 12767849 |
| the causes of and cures for contact lens-induced peripheral ulcer. | contact lens-induced peripheral ulceration (clpu) is a relatively common adverse response associated with wearing hydrogel lenses, especially on an extended wear schedule. bacteriologic examination of lenses at the time of an event has demonstrated an association with staphylococci spp. we sought to investigate the causes of clpu in a rabbit model of contact lens wear. | 2003 | 12772734 |
| horizontal gene transfer-emerging multidrug resistance in hospital bacteria. | the frequency and spectrum of antibiotic resistant infections have increased worldwide during the past few decades. this increase has been attributed to a combination of microbial characteristics, the selective pressure of antimicrobial use, and social and technical changes that enhance the transmission of resistant organisms. the resistance is acquired by mutational change or by the acquisition of resistance-encoding genetic material which is transferred from another bacteria. the spread of ant ... | 2003 | 12791177 |
| antitumour activity and specificity as a function of substitutions in the lipophilic sector of helical lactoferrin-derived peptide. | a peptide l5 (pawrkafrwawrmlkkaa), derived from the n-terminal alpha-helical region of bovine lactoferrin (lfb 14-31), that is highly active against several tumour cell lines was reported earlier. in this study, a number of l5 analogues were designed in order to investigate how subsequent replacements of the aromatic amino acids in l5 with three amino acids representing different structural parameters influenced antitumour activity and tumour cell specificity relative to normal human cells. the ... | 2003 | 12803496 |
| survivability and long-term preservation of bacteria in water and in phosphate-buffered saline. | to evaluate the suitability of using sterile water and phosphate-buffered saline (pbs) for preservation of bacteria pathogenic to plants or humans. | 2003 | 12803555 |
| antibiotic resistance in animals. | there is currently no systematic surveillance or monitoring of antibiotic resistance in australian animals. registration of antibiotics for use in animals is tightly controlled and has been very conservative. fluoroquinolones have not been registered for use in food producing animals and other products have been removed from the market because of human health concerns. in the late 1970s, the animal health committee coordinated a survey of resistance in salmonella and escherichia coli isolates fr ... | 2003 | 12807287 |
| 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 |
| targetting of desmoglein 1 in inherited and acquired skin diseases. | desmoglein 1 is a member of the desmosomal cadherin family that comprise the desmogleins and desmocollins. the desmoglein 1 gene (dsg1) is centromeric to the desmoglein gene cluster and spans approximately 45 kb of 18q12, comprising 15 exons. the transcript encodes a precursor protein of 1049 amino acids that is cleaved to yield a mature protein of 1000 residues. this mature protein is expressed in certain specialized epithelia, and in the epidermis is expressed within the superficial layers. wi ... | 2003 | 12823304 |
| identification of a novel iron regulated staphylococcal surface protein with haptoglobin-haemoglobin binding activity. | staphylococcus aureus is an extremely adaptable pathogen causing a wide variety of infections. staphylococcal surface proteins that directly interact with host extracellular proteins greatly contribute to virulence and are involved in adhesion, immune escape and nutrient acquisition. in our extensive search for highly immunogenic, in vivo-expressed, staphylococcal proteins, previously, we identified a novel member of the family of gram-positive anchor motif proteins with a predicted 895 amino ac ... | 2003 | 12823809 |
| sortase from staphylococcus aureus does not contain a thiolate-imidazolium ion pair in its active site. | many surface proteins are anchored to the cell wall by the action of sortase enzymes, a recently discovered family of cysteine transpeptidases. as the surface proteins of human pathogens are frequently required for virulence, the sortase-mediated anchoring reaction represents a potential target for new anti-infective agents. it has been suggested that the sortase from staphylococcus aureus (srta), may use a similar catalytic strategy as the papain cysteine proteases, holding its cys184 side chai ... | 2003 | 12824164 |
| skin and subcutaneous infections. | cutaneous infections most commonly are caused by staphylococcus aureus and gabhs. life-threatening complications can occur and are preventable with early diagnosis and specific therapy. dermatophytoses frequently are seen in children and immune-compromised adults with poor hygiene. sporotrichosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous and can cause indolent granulomatous lesions. vesicular and fleshy lesions are manifestations of cutaneous viral infections due to hsv, varicella-zoster vi ... | 2003 | 12825248 |
| differential susceptibility to staphylococcal superantigen (ssag)-induced apoptosis of cd4+ t cells from atopic dermatitis patients and healthy subjects: the inhibitory effect of il-4 on ssag-induced apoptosis. | this study had two aims: 1) to determine whether there are differences between atopic dermatitis (ad) patients and healthy subjects in staphylococcal superantigen (ssag)-induced cd4(+) t cell activation, cytokine production, chemokine receptor expression, and apoptosis; and 2) to investigate the effect of il-4 on ssag-induced apoptosis. by using immunofluorescence and annexin v staining, we analyzed pbmc with or without staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb) stimulation in the presence or absence of ... | 2003 | 12847285 |
| real-time pcr duplex assay for rickettsia prowazekii and borrelia recurrentis. | rickettsia prowazekii, the etiologic agent for epidemic typhus, and borrelia recurrentis, the etiologic agent of relapsing fever, both utilize the same vector, the human body louse (pediculus humanus), to transmit human disease. we have developed an assay to detect both bacterial pathogens in a single tube utilizing real-time pcr. assays for both agents are specific. the r. prowazekii and b. recurrentis assays do not detect nucleic acid from r. typhi, r. canada, or any of eight spotted fever ric ... | 2003 | 12860643 |
| antiviral activity of n-benzoylphenylisoserinates of lactarius sesquiterpenoid alcohols in vitro. | cytotoxic, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties of a new, originally synthesised group of compounds: the n-benzoylphenylisoserinates of sesquiterpenoid alcohols - derivatives of taxol and various sesquiterpenes of lactarius origin were evaluated in vitro. among 16 compounds tested, 6 decreased hsv-1 titres. selectivity indices ranged from 13.9 to 31.7. no activity against rna viruses (parainfluenza 3, coxsackie b3, vesicular stomatitis virus, and encephalomyocarditis virus), bacter ... | 2003 | 12865976 |
| functional selection of vaccine candidate peptides from staphylococcus aureus whole-genome expression libraries in vitro. | an in vitro protein selection method, ribosome display, has been applied to comprehensively identify and map the immunologically relevant proteins of the human pathogen staphylococcus aureus. a library built up from genomic fragments of the virulent s. aureus col strain (methicillin-resistant s. aureus) allowed us to screen all possible encoded peptides for immunoreactivity. as selective agents, human sera exhibiting a high antibody titer and opsonic activity against s. aureus were used, since t ... | 2003 | 12874343 |
| effect of linezolid on the phagocytic functions of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. | the effect of linezolid on the phagocytic and bactericidal functions of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmn) against gram-positive cocci was evaluated. preincubation (30 min; 37 degrees c) of pmn with different concentrations of linezolid (2, 10 and 20 mg/l) did not significantly affect the phagocytosis of either staphylococcus aureus (methicillin susceptible and resistant) or enterococcus faecalis (vancomycin susceptible and resistant). overnight exposure of vancomycin-resistant e. faecali ... | 2003 | 12886050 |