| genetic diversity and ecological success of staphylococcus aureus strains colonizing humans. | the genetic determinants and phenotypic traits which make a staphylococcus aureus strain a successful colonizer are largely unknown. the genetic diversity and population structure of 133 s. aureus isolates from healthy, generally risk-free adult carriers were investigated using four different typing methods: multilocus sequence typing (mlst), amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis (aflp), double-locus sequence typing (dlst), and spa typing were compared. carriage isolates displayed grea ... | 2009 | 18978084 |
| how to handle a ca-mrsa outbreak. | community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (ca-mrsa) continues to make headlines because of large outbreaks in daycare centers and among members of athletic teams. ca-mrsa infections in children commonly lead to hospitalization. life-threatening infections, such as necrotizing pneumonitis and brain abscess, can occur. the organism has crossed into hospitals and is now a common cause of hospital-acquired sepsis. multidrug-resistant strains of mrsa are emerging in asia, with th ... | 2009 | 18984367 |
| cloning and expression of a new recombinant thrombolytic and anthithrombotic agent - a staphylokinase variant. | to develop a more potent antithrombin agent with thrombolytic and antiplatelet properties, a new staphylokinase (sak) variant was constructed. the kringle 2 domain (k2) of tissue type-plasminogen activator (t-pa) containing a fibrin-specific binding site (i), the rgd sequence (arg-gly-asp) for the prevention of platelet aggregation (ii) and the antithrombotic agent - hirulog (iii) was assembled to the c-terminal part of recombinant staphylokinase (r-sak). cdna for the hybrid protein sak-rgd-k2-h ... | 2009 | 19018330 |
| rhbmp-2 modulation of gene expression in infected segmental bone defects. | the osteoinductive capability of bmps appears diminished in the setting of acute infection. we applied rhbmp-2 to a segmental defect in a rat femur and measured the expression of key bone formation genes in the presence of acute infection. types i and ii collagen, osteocalcin, and bmp type ii receptor mrna expression were characterized in 72 sprague-dawley rats, which received either bovine collagen carrier with 200 mug rhbmp-2 plus staphylococcus aureus, carrier with bacteria only, carrier with ... | 2009 | 19018606 |
| divercin v41 from gene characterization to food applications: 1998-2008, a decade of solved and unsolved questions. | the emergence of an increasing number of antibiotic resistant human clinical bacteria has been a great cause of concern for the last decades. as an example, staphylococcus aureus isolates in the hospital environment are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics including vancomycin which is considered as a last line of defence in treatment of staphylococcus aureus-resistant methicillin. on the other hand, food safety is threatened by development of pathogenic bacteria including listeria mo ... | 2009 | 19018960 |
| development of a digital microfluidic platform for point of care testing. | point of care testing is playing an increasingly important role in improving the clinical outcome in health care management. the salient features of a point of care device are rapid results, integrated sample preparation and processing, small sample volumes, portability, multifunctionality and low cost. in this paper, we demonstrate some of these salient features utilizing an electrowetting-based digital microfluidic platform. we demonstrate the performance of magnetic bead-based immunoassays (c ... | 2008 | 19023472 |
| glycopeptide bone penetration in patients with septic pseudoarthrosis of the tibia. | in the treatment of bone infections, a major determinant of the clinical response is the active drug concentration at the infected site. because of the high prevalence of meticillin (methicillin)-resistant staphylococci and enterococci, glycopeptides are widely used for the treatment of bone and joint infections, but data on their penetration into human bone are lacking. the aim of our study was to measure vancomycin and teicoplanin concentrations in infected human bone under steady-state condit ... | 2008 | 19026035 |
| evaluation of strategies for improving proteolytic resistance of antimicrobial peptides by using variants of efk17, an internal segment of ll-37. | methods for increasing the proteolytic stability of efk17 (efkrivqrikdflrnlv), a new peptide sequence with antimicrobial properties derived from ll-37, were evaluated. efk17 was modified by four d-enantiomer or tryptophan (w) substitutions at known protease cleavage sites as well as by terminal amidation and acetylation. the peptide variants were studied in terms of proteolytic resistance, antibacterial potency, and cytotoxicity but also in terms their adsorption at model lipid membranes, liposo ... | 2009 | 19029324 |
| one-pot synthesis of 5-phenylimino, 5-thieno or 5-oxo-1,2,3-dithiazoles and evaluation of their antimicrobial and antitumor activity. | we here report the synthesis and biological evaluation of rare 4-substituted-5-phenylimino, 5-thieno- and 5-oxo-1,2,3-dithiazoles. dithiazoles were selectively obtained in moderate to high yields (25-73%) via a one-pot reaction from various ethanoneoximes with sulfur monochloride, pyridine in acetonitrile followed by treatment by corresponding nucleophiles (aniline, thioacetamide and formic acid). all the synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial (against bacteria escherichia c ... | 2009 | 19036587 |
| methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus control at the national university hospital, singapore: a historical perspective. | the national university hospital (nuh) was the first restructured public hospital in singapore. as the most recently established hospital in singapore, it has a unique record of alert organisms including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). | 2008 | 19037520 |
| identification and characterization of sigma, a novel component of the staphylococcus aureus stress and virulence responses. | s. aureus is a highly successful pathogen that is speculated to be the most common cause of human disease. the progression of disease in s. aureus is subject to multi-factorial regulation, in response to the environments encountered during growth. this adaptive nature is thought to be central to pathogenesis, and is the result of multiple regulatory mechanisms employed in gene regulation. in this work we describe the existence of a novel s. aureus regulator, an as yet uncharacterized ecf-sigma f ... | 2008 | 19050758 |
| differential innate immune responses of a living skin equivalent model colonized by staphylococcus epidermidis or staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus epidermidis is a commensal on skin, whereas staphylococcus aureus is a transient pathogen. the aim was to determine whether the skin's innate defence systems responded differently to these microorganisms. differential gene expression of a human skin equivalent (se) model was assessed by microarray technology, in response to colonization by s. epidermidis or s. aureus. only a small number of transcripts were significantly (p<0.0001) increased (12) or decreased (35) with gene expres ... | 2009 | 19054079 |
| pathogenomics of the staphylococci: insights into niche adaptation and the emergence of new virulent strains. | because of its importance as a major human and animal pathogen, staphylococcus aureus has been the focus of intensive research efforts. at the time of writing, the genomes of 14 isolates of s. aureus have been published and released into the public domain with many more genome sequencing projects underway, representing an excellent resource for studies of bacterial evolution and pathogenesis. recently, whole genome sequences of several other species of the staphylococcus genus have been complete ... | 2008 | 19054087 |
| hylin a1, the first cytolytic peptide isolated from the arboreal south american frog hypsiboas albopunctatus ("spotted treefrog"). | rp-hplc fractionation of the electrically stimulated skin secretion of the arboreal south american frog hypsiboas albopunctatus ("spotted treefrog") led to the isolation of a cytolytic c-terminally amidated peptide. this novel peptide, named hylin a1 (hy-a1), consists of 18 amino acid residues (ifgailplalgalknlik-nh(2)). the alpha-helical structure of the synthetic hylin a1 peptide was confirmed by cd spectroscopy in the presence of 60% (v/v) tfe. the synthetic peptide displayed broad-spectrum a ... | 2009 | 19056441 |
| detection the staphylococcus aureus producing enterotoxin isolated from skin infections in hospitalized patients. | staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that produces a wide array of toxins, thus causing various type of disease symptoms. staphyloceccal enterotoxins (ses), a family of 9 major serological types of heat-stable enterotoxins, are a main cause of gastroenteritis and skin infection. in this study to determine the extent of enterotoxin-producing s. aureus in skin infections of hospitalized patients, their samples were screened and the results showed that 42% of totally 200 patients studied ... | 2007 | 19069525 |
| the role of human beta-defensin-2 in bone. | osteomyelitis often causes functional impairment due to tissue destruction. this report demonstrates a novel previously unappreciated role of osteoblasts. samples of osteomyelitic bone and bacterially challenged osteoblasts produce increased amounts of antimicrobial peptides in order to combat bacterial bone infection. an osteomyelitis mouse model confirmed the osseous induction of the murine homologue of human beta-defensin-2, suggesting a central role in the prevention of bacterial bone infect ... | 2008 | 19094191 |
| a comparison of the antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity to cultured human skin cells of 7 commercial hand rubs and xgel, a new copper-based biocidal hand rub. | hand cleanliness is important in hospital infection control, but skin irritation from frequent alcohol-based hand rub use reduces compliance. we have compared a new copper biocide/aloe vera-based biocidal hand rub (xgel) with 7 commercially available hand rubs. | 2009 | 19118920 |
| removal of ethylene and bioaerosol by chlorine dioxide using a chemical scrubbing system in a fruit and vegetable storage facility. | ethylene (c2h4) and bioaerosol are commonly present in the inside atmosphere of postharvest fruit and vegetable storage facilities, which may affect the aging of postharvest fruit and human health. we have assessed the feasibility of chlorine dioxide (clo2) as the scrubbing solution in a chemical scrubbing tower for simultaneously removing c2h4 and bioaerosol emissions from a gas stream. parameters such as the clo2concentration, contact time, and liquid-to-gas (l/g) ratio were examined with the ... | 2009 | 19132588 |
| host defense and pathogenesis in staphylococcus aureus infections. | staphylococcus aureus is the most abundant cause of bacterial infections in the united states. as such, the pathogen has devised means to circumvent destruction by the innate immune system. neutrophils are a critical component of innate immunity and the primary cellular defense against s aureus infections. this article reviews human neutrophil function in the context of s aureus virulence mechanisms and provides an overview of community-associated methicillin-resistant s aureus pathogenicity. | 2009 | 19135914 |
| methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) strain st398 is present in midwestern u.s. swine and swine workers. | recent research has demonstrated that many swine and swine farmers in the netherlands and canada are colonized with mrsa. however, no studies to date have investigated carriage of mrsa among swine and swine farmers in the united states (u.s.). | 2009 | 19145257 |
| a case of atypical presentation of thoracic osteomyelitis & paraspinal abscess. | here presented is a case involving a 44-year-old man with a chief complaint of sharp lateral right-sided rib pain with notable radiation to the anterior portion of the thorax and minor radiation around the lateral back. the etiology of the pain and radiculopathy, which was initially attributed to a right-sided rib fracture, was later accurately credited to a paraspinal abscess discovered on a lateral x-ray of the thoracic spine. subsequently, studies including magnetic resonance imaging (mri), c ... | 2008 | 19148317 |
| application of microbiological assay to determine pharmaceutical equivalence of generic intravenous antibiotics. | demonstration of equivalent amounts of the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (api) between generic and innovator products (pharmaceutical equivalence) is a basic requirement of regulatory agencies for intravenous generic drugs prior to clinical use, and constitutes the pivotal point to assume therapeutic equivalence. physicochemical methods are preferred instead of biological assays to determine concentration of drugs in biological fluids, but it does not permit direct quantification of pote ... | 2009 | 19149891 |
| glionitrin a, an antibiotic-antitumor metabolite derived from competitive interaction between abandoned mine microbes. | the nutrient conditions present in abandoned coal mine drainages create an extreme environment where defensive and offensive microbial interactions could be critical for survival and fitness. coculture of a mine drainage-derived sphingomonas bacterial strain, kmk-001, and a mine drainage-derived aspergillus fumigatus fungal strain, kmc-901, resulted in isolation of a new diketopiperazine disulfide, glionitrin a (1). compound 1 was not detected in monoculture broths of kmk-001 or kmc-901. the str ... | 2009 | 19159274 |
| antibiotics for mastitis in breastfeeding women. | mastitis can be caused by ineffective positioning of the baby at the breast or restricted feeding. infective mastitis is commonly caused by staphylococcus aureus. incidence of mastitis in breastfeeding women may reach 33%. effective milk removal, pain medication and antibiotic therapy have been the mainstays of treatment. | 2009 | 19160255 |
| structural and functional characterization of spla, an exclusively specific protease of staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous human pathogen whose antibiotic resistance is steadily increasing and no efficient vaccine is as yet available. this serious threat drives extensive studies on staphylococcal physiology and pathogenicity pathways, especially virulence factors. spl (serine protease-like) proteins encoded by an operon containing up to six genes are a good example of poorly characterized secreted proteins probably involved in virulence. in the present study, we describe an effic ... | 2009 | 19175361 |
| surface proteins that promote adherence of staphylococcus aureus to human desquamated nasal epithelial cells. | the natural habitat of staphylococcus aureus is the moist squamous epithelium in the anterior nares. about 20% of the human population carry s. aureus permanently in their noses and another 60% of individuals are intermittent carriers. the ability of s. aureus to colonize the nasal epithelium is in part due to expression of surface proteins clumping factor b (clfb) and the iron-regulated surface determinant a (isda), which promote adhesion to desquamated epithelial cells present in the anterior ... | 2009 | 19183486 |
| intracellular activity of antibiotics in a model of human thp-1 macrophages infected by a staphylococcus aureus small-colony variant strain isolated from a cystic fibrosis patient: study of antibiotic combinations. | in a companion paper (h. a. nguyen et al., antimicrob. agents chemother. 53:1434-1442, 2009), we showed that vancomycin, oxacillin, fusidic acid, clindamycin, linezolid, and daptomycin are poorly active against the intracellular form of a thymidine-dependent small-colony variant (scv) strain isolated from a cystic fibrosis patient and that the activity of quinupristin-dalfopristin, moxifloxacin, rifampin, and oritavancin remains limited (2- to 3-log cfu reduction) compared to their extracellular ... | 2009 | 19188397 |
| molecular pathogenesis of staphylococcus aureus infection. | s. aureus has evolved a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges posed by the human immune system. the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant s. aureus (ca-mrsa) infections in individuals with no predisposing conditions suggests an increased pathogenicity of the bacterium, which may be related to acquisition of novel genetic elements. remarkably, despite an abundance of research, the underlying cause of the epidemic is not known. here, the various strategies used by s. a ... | 2009 | 19190527 |
| blue 470-nm light kills methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) in vitro. | in a previous study, we showed that 405-nm light photo-destroys methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). the 390-420 nm spectral width of the 405-nm superluminous diode (sld) source may raise safety concerns in clinical practice, because of the trace of ultraviolet (uv) light within the spectrum. | 2009 | 19196103 |
| epidemiology of healthcare-associated bloodstream infection caused by usa300 strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in 3 affiliated hospitals. | to describe the epidemiology of bloodstream infection caused by usa300 strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa), which are traditionally associated with cases of community-acquired infection, in the healthcare setting. | 2009 | 19199535 |
| antibacterial effect of apatite-coated titanium dioxide for textiles applications. | an antibacterial activity of apatite-coated titanium dioxide (tio2) against four types of bacteria (staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa), and micrococcus luteus) was investigated. its antibacterial performance was observed under black light, visible light, and dark conditions. the number of viable bacteria decreased with irradiation time and became most prominent at 24 hours. distortion of bacterial cells by the nanoparticles was demonstrate ... | 2009 | 19223243 |
| novel use of antimicrobial hand sanitizer in treatment of nosocomial acinetobacter infection. | colonization of wounds with multidrug-resistant organisms is a difficult orthopedic problem. acinetobacter infections are especially difficult because they are resistant to all currently available antibiotics. we present the use of a novel skin sanitizer, stay byotrol clean (byotrol inc, spartanburg, south carolina), to treat a multidrug-resistant wound infection. a 31-year-old t10 paraplegic man presented with chronic bilateral stage iv decubitus trochanteric ulcers. cultures grew methicillin-r ... | 2009 | 19226024 |
| phagocytosis of heat-killed staphylococcus aureus by eosinophils: comparison with neutrophils. | eosinophils are characterized by several functional properties, such as chemotaxis, adhesion, superoxide anion production, and degranulation. in this article, we have studied the role of bacterial ingestion by eosinophils in comparison with that by neutrophils. eosinophils and neutrophils were purified by using the percoll gradient method followed by selection with cd16-coated immunomagnetic beads and centrifugation through a ficoll-hypaque gradient combined with dextran sedimentation, respectiv ... | 2009 | 19239433 |
| survival of staphylococcus and other bacteria in skin prick test antigens solutions. | skin prick tests are commonly used for human allergy testing and determination. because solutions are kept at 4 degrees c and patient's skin is cleaned, the same solutions are used on many patients with the same applicators without sterilization. | 2009 | 19243860 |
| lemierre syndrome: a case of a rarely isolated microorganism, staphylococcus auerus. | lemierre syndrome is an extremely rare complication of mild-to-moderate pharyngeal infections that causes septic embolization to the lungs and other distant sites. one-third of cases present a polymicrobial bacteremia, although the most isolated microorganism is fusobacterium necrophorum. a case of postanginal sepsis caused by a rarely isolated microorganism, staphylococcus auerus, in a geriatric patient is reported. | 2009 | 19247251 |
| extremely low excretion of daptomycin into breast milk of a nursing mother with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus pelvic inflammatory disease. | antibiotic treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) is often broad spectrum and targets a diverse range of vaginal flora. treatment of pid in nursing mothers presents a particular clinical challenge because use of antimicrobials during breastfeeding poses several potential risks to infants. excretion of drugs into breast milk can occur through different mechanisms and depends on the characteristics of both the drug and the mother. whether daptomycin is excreted into breast milk is unknown ... | 2009 | 19249952 |
| structure of the tyrosine-sulfated c5a receptor n terminus in complex with chemotaxis inhibitory protein of staphylococcus aureus. | complement component c5a is a potent pro-inflammatory agent inducing chemotaxis of leukocytes toward sites of infection and injury. c5a mediates its effects via its g protein-coupled c5a receptor (c5ar). although under normal conditions highly beneficial, excessive levels of c5a can be deleterious to the host and have been related to numerous inflammatory diseases. a natural inhibitor of the c5ar is chemotaxis inhibitory protein of staphylococcus aureus (chips). chips is a 121-residue protein ex ... | 2009 | 19251703 |
| staphylococcus aureus mazf specifically cleaves a pentad sequence, uacau, which is unusually abundant in the mrna for pathogenic adhesive factor srap. | escherichia coli mrna interferases, such as mazf and chpbk, are sequence-specific endoribonucleases encoded by toxin-antitoxin (ta) systems present in its genome. a mazf homologue in staphylococcus aureus (mazf(sa)) has been shown to inhibit cell growth when induced in e. coli. here, we determined the cleavage site for mazf(sa) with the use of phage ms2 rna as a substrate and cspa, an rna chaperone, which prevents the formation of secondary structures in the rna substrate. mazf(sa) specifically ... | 2009 | 19251861 |
| methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus skin infections from an elephant calf--san diego, california, 2008. | methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) infections are a major cause of human skin and soft tissue infections in the united states. mrsa colonization and infection also have been observed in turtles, bats, seals, sheep, rabbits, rodents, cats, dogs, pigs, birds, horses, and cattle, and mrsa infections with an epidemiologic link to animal contact have been reported in veterinary personnel, pet owners, and farm animal workers. on january 29, 2008, the county of san diego health and huma ... | 2009 | 19265780 |
| recent trends in spinal infections: retrospective analysis of patients treated during the past 50 years. | we retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 210 consecutive patients treated for spinal infection in tottori university hospital in japan between 1956 and 2005. until 1995, spinal infection was under control in this series; however, during the last decade, it has been on the rise. male predominance had been gradually progressing, and 69% of the patients were male during the last decade. patients with spinal infection were aging, and the ratio of immunocompromised hosts dramatically increas ... | 2010 | 19277654 |
| identification of conformational epitopes for human igg on chemotaxis inhibitory protein of staphylococcus aureus. | the chemotaxis inhibitory protein of staphylococcus aureus (chips) blocks the complement fragment c5a receptor (c5ar) and formylated peptide receptor (fpr) and is thereby a potent inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis and activation of inflammatory responses. the majority of the healthy human population has antibodies against chips that have been shown to interfere with its function in vitro. the aim of this study was to define potential epitopes for human antibodies on the chips surface. we also i ... | 2009 | 19284584 |
| identification of novel antibacterial peptides by chemoinformatics and machine learning. | the rise of antibiotic resistant pathogens is one of the most pressing global health issues. discovery of new classes of antibiotics has not kept pace; new agents often suffer from cross-resistance to existing agents of similar structure. short, cationic peptides with antimicrobial activity are essential to the host defenses of many organisms and represent a promising new class of antimicrobials. this paper reports the successful in silico screening for potent antibiotic peptides using a combina ... | 2009 | 19296598 |
| serologic assay to quantify human immunoglobulin g antibodies to the staphylococcus aureus iron surface determinant b antigen. | a direct binding luminex assay has been developed and validated for the detection of human immunoglobulin g (igg) antibodies to the staphylococcus aureus iron surface determinant b protein (isdb) in serum following natural infection or immunization with investigational saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived isdb-based vaccines. to ensure that isdb-specific igg antibodies are measured following immunization with s. cerevisiae-derived isdb, an escherichia coli-produced isdb antigen is used in the assay. ... | 2009 | 19321693 |
| treating chronic wound infections with genetically modified free flaps. | the success of antimicrobial therapy has been impaired by the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. antimicrobial peptides are ubiquitous proteins that are part of the innate immune system and are successful against such antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. the authors have previously demonstrated the feasibility of protein delivery via microvascular free flap gene therapy and here they examine this approach for recalcitrant infections. | 2009 | 19337084 |
| ribosomally synthesized thiopeptide antibiotics targeting elongation factor tu. | we identified the thiomuracins, a novel family of thiopeptides produced by a rare-actinomycete bacterium typed as a nonomuraea species, via a screen for inhibition of growth of the bacterial pathogen staphylococcus aureus. thiopeptides are a class of macrocyclic, highly modified peptides that are decorated by thiazoles and defined by a central six-membered heterocyclic ring system. mining the genomes of thiopeptide-producing strains revealed the elusive biosynthetic route for this class of antib ... | 2009 | 19338336 |
| health care-associated infections: is there an end in sight? | overview: health care-associated infections (hais) have emerged as a significant concern in policy as well as clinical circles. an hai is an infection acquired during treatment for another condition. some of the hai-causing bacteria have become drug-resistant; methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or mrsa, is a familiar example. tied to perhaps 100,000 deaths and $20 billion in health care costs each year, hais have given rise to state laws, legislative proposals at the federal level, pub ... | 2009 | 19343832 |
| endocarditis caused by staphylococcus aureus: a reappraisal of the epidemiologic, clinical, and pathologic manifestations with analysis of factors determining outcome. | staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of infectious endocarditis and its mortality has remained high despite better diagnostic and therapeutic procedures over time. we conducted a retrospective review of 133 cases of definite s. aureus endocarditis seen at a single tertiary care hospital over 22 years to assess changes in the epidemiology and incidence of the infection, manifestations, outcome, risk factors for mortality, and impact of cardiac surgery on prognosis.patients were classified i ... | 2009 | 19352296 |
| proteomics-based identification of anchorless cell wall proteins as vaccine candidates against staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen with increasing clinical impact due to the extensive spread of antibiotic-resistant strains. therefore, development of a protective polyvalent vaccine is of great clinical interest. we employed an intravenous immunoglobulin (ivig) preparation as a source of antibodies directed against anchorless s. aureus surface proteins for identification of novel vaccine candidates. in order to identify such proteins, subtractive proteome analysis (supra) o ... | 2009 | 19364833 |
| soluble fusion expression and characterization of bioactive human beta-defensin 26 and 27. | this study reports the first successful recombinant expression of cationic antimicrobial peptides human beta-defensin-26 and human beta-defensin-27 in escherichia coli. hbd26 and hbd27 genes were synthesized through codon optimization, and each gene was then cloned into the expression vector pet32, which feature fusion protein thioredoxin at the n-terminal. the recombinant plasmids were then transformed into e. coli bl21 (de3) and cultured in mbl medium, which gave yields of hbd26 and hbd27 fusi ... | 2009 | 19373462 |
| the saer/s gene regulatory system is essential for innate immune evasion by staphylococcus aureus. | methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is problematic both in hospitals and in the community. currently, we have limited understanding of mechanisms of innate immune evasion used by s. aureus. to that end, we created an isogenic deletion mutant in strain mw2 (usa400) of the saer/s 2-component gene regulatory system and studied its role in mouse models of pathogenesis and during human neutrophil interaction. in this study, we demonstrate that saer/s plays a distinct role in s. aureus pathoge ... | 2009 | 19374556 |
| comparative genome-scale metabolic reconstruction and flux balance analysis of multiple staphylococcus aureus genomes identify novel antimicrobial drug targets. | mortality due to multidrug-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection is predicted to surpass that of human immunodeficiency virus/aids in the united states. despite the various treatment options for s. aureus infections, it remains a major hospital- and community-acquired opportunistic pathogen. with the emergence of multidrug-resistant s. aureus strains, there is an urgent need for the discovery of new antimicrobial drug targets in the organism. to this end, we reconstructed the metabolic netwo ... | 2009 | 19376871 |
| proinflammatory impact of staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin b on human nasal epithelial cells and inhibition by dexamethasone. | the pathophysiology and etiology of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (crswnp) are poorly understood. although a potential role of staphylococcal enterotoxins (se) in the pathogenesis of crswnp has been detected, additional studies are needed on the impact of se on nasal epithelial cells. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin b (seb) on proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine releases in primary human nasal epithelial cells (hnec) of subjects ... | 2009 | 19379606 |
| c-jun n-terminal kinase-mediated signaling is essential for staphylococcus aureus-induced u937 apoptosis. | to investigate the effect of sp600125, a specific c-jun n-terminal protein kinase (jnk) inhibitor, on staphylococcus aureus (s. aureus)-induced u937 cell death and the underlying mechanism. | 2009 | 19382420 |
| [analysis of protein interaction network and function of staphylococcus aureus]. | staphylococcus aureus is a member of gram positive bacteria,but is also one of common pathogens that are most difficult to treat. it infects human skin, soft tissue, mucous membrane, bone and joint, especially in the nosocomial environment. because studies on staphylococcus aureus before were largely based on a single gene or protein, it is necessary to study this organism from the whole genome. | 2009 | 19388265 |
| impaired tlr-2 expression and tlr-2-mediated cytokine secretion in macrophages from patients with atopic dermatitis. | in many patients with atopic dermatitis (ad), the disease is complicated by their enhanced susceptibility to bacterial skin infections, especially with staphylococcus aureus. the pattern recognition receptor toll-like receptor (tlr)-2 recognizes components of s. aureus, for example, lipoteichoic acid (lta) and peptidoglycan (pgn) and, therefore, might be crucial in the pathogenesis and flare-ups of ad. | 2009 | 19392987 |
| inactivation of chlorhexidine gluconate on skin by incompatible alcohol hand sanitizing gels. | incompatibility of leave-on products with an antimicrobial residual can negate the efficacy benefits of chlorhexidine gluconate (chg) persistence. two marketed alcohol products containing carbomer were tested using a pigskin substrate model against staphylococcus aureus. the chg residual achieved a 4.22 log(10) reduction (standard deviation [sd] = 0.32) in this study, which was dramatically reduced to a 0.54 (sd = 0.50) and 0.46 (sd = 0.56) after subsequent treatment with incompatible alcohol ge ... | 2009 | 19398245 |
| immunomodulatory effect of cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (cpg)-oligonucleotides in nonasthmatic chronic rhinosinusitis: an explant model. | the use of cytosine-phosphate-guanosine-oligodeoxynucleotides (cpg-odns) or immunostimulatory sequences (isss) in the treatment of airway diseases is gaining interest. binding of the cpg-odn ligand to toll-like receptor 9 (tlr9) triggers a shift from a th2- to a th1-type response in the target tissue. in this study, we explored the potential use of cpg-odn to dampen the predominantly th2-driven chronic inflammatory state in our cohort of patients. | 2009 | 19401034 |
| herbal therapy associated with antibiotic therapy: potentiation of the antibiotic activity against methicillin--resistant staphylococcus aureus by turnera ulmifolia l. | staphylococcus genus is widely spread in nature being part of the indigenous microbiota of skin and mucosa of animal and birds. some staphylococcus species are frequently recognized as etiological agents of many animal and human opportunistic infections this is the first report testing the antibiotic resistance-modifying activity of turnera ulmifolia against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus--mrsa strain. | 2009 | 19426487 |
| osteopontin enhances phagocytosis through a novel osteopontin receptor, the alphaxbeta2 integrin. | osteopontin (opn) is a cytokine with multiple functions, including immune defense mechanisms against invading microorganisms. opn-deficient mice are impaired in clearing intracellular pathogens, suggesting an important role of opn during phagocytosis, but it remains to be defined how opn may enhance this innate immune process. here, we demonstrate that opn binds to monocytes, but not resting t cells, nk cells, or b cells, and mediates chemoattraction of il-1-activated human monocytes. moreover, ... | 2009 | 19454691 |
| surgical removal of an infected aortic endoprosthesis using a wire cutter. | the purpose of this study is to report a new method of removing an infected endoprosthesis from the abdominal aorta using a wire cutter. a 65-year-old man with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm was admitted to our hospital. he was treated with an endovascular abdominal endoprosthesis and discharged one week later. three months after placement, the patient returned with an infection of the aortic endoprosthesis. the endoprosthesis had been fixed with barbs and hooks above the renal arteries an ... | 2009 | 19455093 |
| the alyteserins: two families of antimicrobial peptides from the skin secretions of the midwife toad alytes obstetricans (alytidae). | two families of structurally related c-terminally alpha-amidated antimicrobial peptides have been identified in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions of the midwife toad alytes obstetricans (alytidae). the alyteserin-1 peptides (gly-leu-lys-(asp/glu)-ile-phe-lys-ala-gly-leu-gly-ser-leu-val-lys-(gly/asn)-ile-ala-ala-his-val-ala-(asn/ser).nh(2)) show limited structural similarity to the ascaphins from the skins of frogs of the family leiopelmatidae. alyteserin-2a (ile-leu-gly-lys-leu-leu-ser-t ... | 2009 | 19463738 |
| isolation, identification, and characterization of small bioactive peptides from lactobacillus gg conditional media that exert both anti-gram-negative and gram-positive bactericidal activity. | diarrheal diseases remain a major human plague that still claim millions of lives every year. probiotics, including lactobacillus gg (lgg), are known to have a beneficial effect on diarrheal diseases, but their mechanism of action has not yet been completely established. therefore, the main objective of this work was to identify and characterize moieties elaborated by lgg that exert antibacterial activity. | 2009 | 19465870 |
| toll-like receptor 2 ligands on the staphylococcal cell wall downregulate superantigen-induced t cell activation and prevent toxic shock syndrome. | staphylococcal superantigens are pyrogenic exotoxins that cause massive t cell activation leading to toxic shock syndrome and death. despite the strong adaptive immune response induced by these toxins, infections by superantigen-producing staphylococci are very common clinical events. we hypothesized that this may be partly a result of staphylococcal strains having developed strategies that downregulate the t cell response to these toxins. here we show that the human interleukin-2 response to st ... | 2009 | 19465927 |
| detection and identification of specific bacteria in wound biofilms using peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization (pna fish). | biofilms provide a reservoir of potentially infectious micro-organisms that are resistant to antimicrobial agents, and their importance in the failure of medical devices and chronic inflammatory conditions is increasingly being recognized. particular research interest exists in the association of biofilms with wound infection and non-healing, i.e. chronic wounds. in this study, fluorescent in situ hybridization (fish) was used in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy (clsm) to dete ... | 2009 | 19477903 |
| lactococcus lactis expressing either staphylococcus aureus fibronectin-binding protein a or listeria monocytogenes internalin a can efficiently internalize and deliver dna in human epithelial cells. | lactococci are noninvasive bacteria frequently used as protein delivery vectors and, more recently, as in vitro and in vivo dna delivery vehicles. we previously showed that a functional eukaryotic enhanced green fluorescent protein (egfp) expression plasmid vector was delivered in epithelial cells by lactococcus lactis producing listeria monocytogenes internalin a (l. lactis inla(+)), but this strategy is limited in vivo to transgenic mice and guinea pigs. in this study, we compare the internali ... | 2009 | 19482952 |
| the heme sensor system of staphylococcus aureus. | the important human pathogen staphylococcus aureus is able to satisfy its nutrient iron requirement by acquiring heme from host hemoglobin in the context of infection. however, heme acquisition exposes s. aureus to heme toxicity. in order to detect the presence of toxic levels of exogenous heme, s. aureus is able to sense heme through the heme sensing system (hssrs) two-component system. upon sensing heme, hssrs directly regulates the expression of the heme-regulated abc transporter hrtab, which ... | 2009 | 19494582 |
| [antimicrobial activities of the culture supernatant of 293 cells transfected with recombinant hbd-2 gene eukyriotic expressive plasmid]. | in this study, hbd-2 eukaryotic expression recombinant plasmid pcdna 3.1-zeo(+)-hbd-2 was constructed by the molecular cloning technologies, and 293 cells were transfected by liposome. the cell culture supernatant was collected and its antibacterial activities against staphylococcus aureus atcc25923 and pseudomonas aeruginosa atcc27853 were tested. the antibacterial activity against s. aureus of the culture supernatant of the hbd-2 gene transfected-293 cells was detected, whereas in the same con ... | 2009 | 19499805 |
| tnfr and ltbetar agonists induce follicle-associated epithelium and m cell specific genes in rat and human intestinal epithelial cells. | m cells assist mucosal immune surveillance by transcytosis of particles to underlying lymphoid tissue, but the mechanisms of m cell differentiation are poorly understood. to develop a better defined cell culture model of m cell differentiation, we treated human (caco-2bbe) and rat (iec-6) intestinal epithelial cell lines with lymphotoxin beta receptor (ltbetar) and tnf receptor (tnfr) agonists. treated cells were studied for regulation of genes associated with m cell and follicle-associated epit ... | 2009 | 19501526 |
| high hydrostatic pressure for disinfection of bone grafts and biomaterials: an experimental study. | autoclaving, heat, irradiation or chemical detergents are used to disinfect autografts, allografts and biomaterials for tissue reconstruction. these methods are often associated with deterioration of mechanical, physical, and biological properties of the bone grafts and synthetic implants. high hydrostatic pressure has been proposed as a novel method preserving biomechanical and biological properties of bone, tendon and cartilage. this is the first study to assess the inactivation of clinically ... | 2009 | 19516918 |
| occurrence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in rats living on pig farms. | in the netherlands, mrsa st398 has emerged in hospitals and human carriers have been associated with exposure to pigs and cattle. high prevalences of mrsa st398 in pigs and pig farmers have been determined and the transmission routes of mrsa on pig farms need to be elucidated. in the south of the netherlands, in recent years, the black rat (rattus rattus) has emerged as a prominent rodent on livestock farms. from march till may 2008, a survey on mrsa in rats living on livestock farms in the sout ... | 2009 | 19523703 |
| diversity of the tetracycline resistance gene tet(m) and identification of tn916- and tn5801-like (tn6014) transposons in staphylococcus aureus from humans and animals. | to analyse the sequence diversity of the tetracycline resistance gene tet(m) in staphylococcus aureus from humans and animals and to determine mobile elements associated with tet(m) in s. aureus. | 2009 | 19531603 |
| macrophage elastase kills bacteria within murine macrophages. | macrophages are aptly positioned to function as the primary line of defence against invading pathogens in many organs, including the lung and peritoneum. their ability to phagocytose and clear microorganisms has been well documented. macrophages possess several substances with which they can kill bacteria, including reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and antimicrobial proteins. we proposed that macrophage-derived proteinases may contribute to the antimicrobial properties of macrophages. macr ... | 2009 | 19536155 |
| recombinant human growth hormone improves survival and protects against acute lung injury in murine staphylococcus aureus sepsis. | to investigate whether recombinant human growth hormone (rhgh) reduces mortality and protects against staphylococcus aureus sepsis-induced acute lung injury. | 2009 | 19536455 |
| new ways to squash superbugs. | | 2009 | 19555023 |
| a case of nasal natural killer/t lymphoma revealed by repeated deep neck abscess. | a diagnosis of natural killer (nk)/t-cell lymphoma was clarified after repeated deep neck abscess in a 63-year-old man. the absolute number of lymphocytes was mildly decreased. lymphopenia induced by latent malignant lymphoma in this case likely caused the immunodeficiency, which induced repeated infection in the head and neck region. we conclude that it is always necessary to consider diseases caused by immunodeficiency conditions, such as malignant lymphoma, into consideration in a case of rep ... | 2009 | 19563940 |
| chitosan derivative nanocarrier: safety evaluation,antibacterial property and ascorbyl palmitate encapsulation. | a chitosan derivative, methyl ether-terminated poly(ethylene oxide)-4-methoxycinnamolyphthaloylchitosan (pcplc) was prepared, characterized and self-assembled into nanoparticles. encapsulation of ascorbyl palmitate (ap) into pcplc gave 6890.98 nm particles with encapsulation efficiency of 84% at 56% drug loading. the encapsulated ap showed significant improved stability as examined by 1h nmr spectroscopy.the obtained particles displayed no short-term cytotoxicity against the human skin melanoma ... | 2010 | 19566395 |
| kkkkplfglffglf: a cationic peptide designed to exert antibacterial activity. | with 14 residues organized as two domains linked by a single proline, the de novo peptide called k4 was designed, using antimicrobial peptide database, to exert antibacterial activity. the n-terminal domain is composed of four lysines enhancing membrane interactions, and the c-terminal domain is putatively folded into a hydrophobic alpha-helix. following the synthesis, the purification and the structural checking, antibacterial assays revealed a strong activity against gram-positive and gram-neg ... | 2009 | 19573572 |
| forever unprepared--the predictable unpredictability of pathogens. | | 2009 | 19587337 |
| biogeography and virulence of staphylococcus aureus. | staphylococcus aureus is commonly carried asymptomatically in the human anterior nares and occasionally enters the bloodstream to cause invasive disease. much of the global diversity of s. aureus remains uncharacterised, and is not clear how disease propensity varies between strains, and between host populations. | 2009 | 19593449 |
| identification and characterization of antimicrobial peptide, defensin, in the taiga tick, ixodes persulcatus. | ixodes persulcatus is the primary vector for human tick-borne diseases in japan. a cdna library was constructed from whole body homogenates of fed nymphs of i. persulcatus. from this library, one cdna encoding defensin-like antimicrobial peptide was identified. the amino-acid sequence showed high similarity to those of the defensins of other ticks and arthropods. i. persulcatus defensin mrna transcripts were detected at all life cycle stages of fed ticks and found to be predominantly expressed i ... | 2009 | 19604312 |
| eleucine indica possesses antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic properties. | the use of evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine is increasing rapidly. eleucine indica (ei) is traditionally used in ailments associated with liver and kidneys. the therapeutic benefit of the medicinal plants is often attributed to their antioxidant properties. therefore, the aim of this study was to screen the hexane, dicholoromethane, ethyl acetate (ea) and methanol extracts (meth) of ei for their antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-cancer effects using total phenolic contents ... | 2009 | 19617201 |
| thapsigargin and flavin adenine dinucleotide ex vivo treatment rescues trafficking-defective gp91phox in chronic granulomatous disease leukocytes. | mutations in leukocyte nadph oxidase genes lead to defective respiratory burst in leukocytes and cause chronic granulomatous diseases (cgd) in humans. the most common form of cgd is caused by mutations in the membrane-bound oxidase component gp91phox, which is encoded by the cybb gene on the x chromosome. we previously reported on a patient with a cybb mutation (h338y) that prevents the intracellular trafficking and expression of gp91phox on leukocytes. the capacity of the leukocytes to produce ... | 2009 | 19631269 |
| collagen and glycopolymer based hydrogel for potential corneal application. | 6-methacryloyl-alpha-d-galactopyranose (mg) was synthesized, and characterized by fourier transform infrared (ftir) and nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectrometry, and single-crystal x-ray diffraction. a series of interpenetrating polymer network (ipn) hydrogels was fabricated by simultaneously photocuring mg crosslinked by poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and chemically crosslinking type i collagen with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and n-hydroxysuccinimide. the successful i ... | 2010 | 19632359 |
| characterizing t-cell phenotypes in nasal polyposis in chinese patients. | nasal polyposis has different etiologies in western and eastern countries. furthermore, its pathogenesis is still poorly understood. | 2009 | 19639723 |
| change in environmental bacterial flora in a new hospital building. | microbial surveillance of environmental bacteria was performed in order to study the microbial changes in a newly established hospital building. airborne bacteria and surface-associated bacteria on floors and sinks were systematically collected between 2002 and 2005. the number of isolates obtained from frequently used floors was significantly higher than that obtained from those floors used less often. a significant increase in staphylococcus aureus, the appearance of pseudomonas aeruginosa, an ... | 2009 | 19640607 |
| through the looking glass, mechanistic insights from enantiomeric human defensins. | despite the small size and conserved tertiary structure of defensins, little is known at a molecular level about the basis of their functional versatility. for insight into the mechanism(s) of defensin function, we prepared enantiomeric pairs of four human defensins, hnp1, hnp4, hd5, and hbd2, and studied their killing of bacteria, inhibition of anthrax lethal factor, and binding to hiv-1 gp120. unstructured hnp1, hd5, and hbd3 and several other human alpha- and beta-defensins were also examined ... | 2009 | 19640840 |
| vacuum-assisted closure for bilateral severe ischemic foot after revascularization: a case report. | vacuum-assisted closure (vac) therapy is a unique system that helps promote wound healing. we report a case of severe ischemic foot in which vac therapy markedly improved wound healing. a 73-year-old man underwent left axillopopliteal bypass and left 3rd, 4th , and 5th digital amputations for gangrene. although his amputation stumps were complicated with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) infection, the stumps were successfully healed by vac. he also had gangrene in his right 1st ... | 2009 | 19648880 |
| primary immune deficiencies affecting lymphocyte differentiation: lessons from the spectrum of resulting infections. | understanding primary immunodeficiencies has elucidated many aspects of human immunity and susceptibility to infections. recently, defects have been identified that result in deficiencies of terminally differentiated subsets of lymphocytes including deficiencies of memory b cells, nkt cells and t(h)17 t cells. together with defects specific to t(h)1 responses, these disorders revealed that dedicated pathogen-specific mechanisms exist for prevalent human pathogens, and that some host defence stra ... | 2009 | 19651645 |
| trends in udder health and emerging mastitogenic pathogens in south african dairy herds. | the aim of this study was to retrospectively analyse the results of milk samples obtained from south african dairy herds during the period 1996 to april 2007 in order to identify possible trends in isolates of microorganisms and their pathogenicity under field conditions. milk samples were obtained from 7 of the 9 provinces in south africa where there are low numbers of dairy cows. although there is scientific limitation to a country wide survey, such as the variation in herd size, management sk ... | 2009 | 19653514 |
| phenol-soluble modulin alpha 3 enhances the human neutrophil lysis mediated by panton-valentine leukocidin. | panton-valentine leukocidin (pvl) has long been considered a critical toxin in severe staphylococcus aureus infection. pvl presumably breaches the body's defense system by lysing human polymorphonuclear cells (pmns). recently, however, bioactive peptides--phenol-soluble modulins (psms)--have been proposed as the main player in the lysis of pmns, rather than pvl. this study aimed to resolve uncertainty concerning the cause of the lysis of human pmns by using recombinant pvl toxins and pvl-neutral ... | 2009 | 19653829 |
| keratinocytes treated with peptidoglycan from staphylococcus aureus produce vascular endothelial growth factor, and its expression is amplified by the subsequent production of interleukin-13. | vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf)-transgenic mice develop psoriasiform plaques that resemble human psoriasis, demonstrating that vegf is an important factor in the development of psoriasis. in human keratinocytes, vegf is regulated by human cathelicidin ll37, and the expression of this peptide, as well as interleukin-13 receptor-alpha1 (il-13ralpha1) and vegf, is increased in psoriatic skin. peptidoglycan (pgn) stimulates innate immunity, inducing cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (ca ... | 2009 | 19659863 |
| mrsa-pyomyositis in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia after intensive chemotherapy. | background: a case of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa)-pyomyositis in association with acute myelogenous leukemia (aml) is reported. mrsa-sepsis developed in a 51-year-old japanese man with aml, during the neutropenic period after high-dose 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-c). although the mrsa-sepsis initially improved with arbekacin sulfate (abk) administration, a high fever recurred with left thigh pain despite recovery of the neutrophil count after abk was stopped. a ... | 2009 | 19661356 |
| anopheles gambiae pgrplc-mediated defense against bacteria modulates infections with malaria parasites. | recognition of peptidoglycan (pgn) is paramount for insect antibacterial defenses. in the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster, the transmembrane pgn recognition protein lc (pgrp-lc) is a receptor of the imd signaling pathway that is activated after infection with bacteria, mainly gram-negative (gram-). here we demonstrate that bacterial infections of the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae are sensed by the orthologous pgrplc protein which then activates a signaling pathway that involves the rel/nf ... | 2009 | 19662170 |
| tinea capitis mimicking tufted hair folliculitis. | we report a case of tinea capitis mimicking tufted hair folliculitis in a 56-year-old european man, who presented with a 4-year history of pain and erythema in an area of scarring alopecia of the occipital scalp, with scales and tufts of hair emerging from individual follicles. histological examination showed hair plugging, and a dense perifollicular infiltrate of plasma cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils. there was widespread scarring and fibrosis. bacterial cultures were negative for staphylo ... | 2009 | 19663859 |
| loss of viability and induction of apoptosis in human keratinocytes exposed to staphylococcus aureus biofilms in vitro. | bacteria colonizing chronic wounds are believed to exist as polymicrobial, biofilm communities; however, there are few studies demonstrating the role of biofilms in chronic wound pathogenesis. this study establishes a novel method for studying the effect of biofilms on the cell types involved in wound healing. cocultures of staphylococcus aureus biofilms and human keratinocytes (hk) were created by initially growing s. aureus biofilms on tissue culture inserts then transferring the inserts to ex ... | 2009 | 19671124 |
| tln-05220, tln-05223, new echinosporamicin-type antibiotics, and proposed revision of the structure of bravomicins(*). | the deposited strain of the hazimicin producer, micromonospora echinospora ssp. challisensis nrrl 12255 has considerable biosynthetic capabilities as revealed by genome scanning. among these is a locus containing both type i and type ii pks genes. the presumed products of this locus, tln-05220 (1) and tln-05223 (2), bear a core backbone composed of six fused rings starting with a 2-pyridone moiety. the structures were confirmed by conventional spectral analyses including ms, and 1d and 2d nmr ex ... | 2009 | 19680283 |
| are national targets the right way to improve infection control practice? | the 'right way to improve infection control practice' should be cost-effective and lead to a fair distribution of infection control resources. cost-effectiveness is a measure of aggregate 'good', and fairness emphasises similar treatment for individuals under similar circumstances. the uk national meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) bloodstream infection (bsi) target encourages national health service trusts to prioritise strategies aimed at mrsa bsi prevention. under resource-limi ... | 2009 | 19699553 |
| prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) among pigs on german farms and import of livestock-related mrsa into hospitals. | the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) among pigs and estimate the impact of this animal reservoir on human healthcare. nasal swabs were derived from 1,600 pigs at 40 german farms. the mrsa were characterized using s. aureus protein a (spa) typing, multilocus sequence typing (mlst) and detection of toxin genes. in a retrospective case control study, we compared risk factors for the carriage of mrsa ... | 2009 | 19701815 |
| selective reciprocity in antimicrobial activity versus cytotoxicity of hbd-2 and crotamine. | recent discoveries suggest cysteine-stabilized toxins and antimicrobial peptides have structure-activity parallels derived by common ancestry. here, human antimicrobial peptide hbd-2 and rattlesnake venom-toxin crotamine were compared in phylogeny, 3d structure, target cell specificity, and mechanisms of action. results indicate a striking degree of structural and phylogenetic congruence. importantly, these polypeptides also exhibited functional reciprocity: (i) they exerted highly similar antim ... | 2009 | 19706485 |
| small-molecule costimulatory blockade: organic dye inhibitors of the cd40-cd154 interaction. | costimulatory blockade is one of the most promising therapeutic targets in autoimmune diseases as well as in transplant recipients, and inhibition of the cluster of differentiation (cd)40-cd154 interaction, which is required for t cell activation and development of an effective immune response, is particularly promising in islet transplant recipients. here, we report the ability of several small-molecule organic dyes to concentration dependently inhibit this interaction with ic(50) values in the ... | 2009 | 19707732 |