| immunoglobulin responses at the mucosal interface. | mucosal surfaces are colonized by large communities of commensal bacteria and represent the primary site of entry for pathogenic agents. to prevent microbial intrusion, mucosal b cells release large amounts of immunoglobulin (ig) molecules through multiple follicular and extrafollicular pathways. iga is the most abundant antibody isotype in mucosal secretions and owes its success in frontline immunity to its ability to undergo transcytosis across epithelial cells. in addition to translocating ig ... | 2011 | 21219173 |
| intravenous moxifloxacin in routine hospital treatment of respiratory tract infections in china: results of a multicenter, noninterventional study. | to investigate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of moxifloxacin (mxf) (intravenous [iv] or sequential therapy [iv followed by oral]) under daily treatment conditions in a large number of patients with respiratory tract infections. | 2011 | 21674024 |
| randomized placebo-controlled trial on azithromycin to reduce the morbidity of bronchiolitis in indigenous australian infants: rationale and protocol. | acute lower respiratory infections are the commonest cause of morbidity and potentially preventable mortality in indigenous infants. infancy is also a critical time for post-natal lung growth and development. severe or repeated lower airway injury in very young children likely increases the likelihood of chronic pulmonary disorders later in life. globally, bronchiolitis is the most common form of acute lower respiratory infections during infancy. compared with non-indigenous australian infants, ... | 2011 | 21492416 |
| comparison between nasopharyngeal swab and nasal wash, using culture and pcr, in the detection of potential respiratory pathogens. | nasopharyngeal carriage of potential pathogens is important as it is both the major source of transmission and the prerequisite of invasive disease. new methods for detecting carriage could improve comfort, accuracy and laboratory utility. the aims of this study were to compare the sensitivities of a nasopharyngeal swab (nps) and a nasal wash (nw) in detecting potential respiratory pathogens in healthy adults using microbiological culture and pcr. | 2011 | 21489228 |
| sublingual therapeutic immunization with a polyvalent bacterial preparation in patients with recurrent respiratory infections: immunomodulatory effect on antigen-specific memory cd4+ t cells and impact on clinical outcome. | recurrent respiratory tract infections (rrtis) are common clinical conditions in individuals with alterations of the immune function. a prospective open pilot study in a cohort of patients with rrtis has been performed to assess whether sublingual immunization with a polyvalent bacterial vaccine could exert an immunomodulatory effect on the antigen-specific immunological responses and have an impact on the clinical outcome. seventeen patients with rrtis were recruited. an oral polyvalent bacteri ... | 2011 | 21391984 |
| infections and immunodeficiency in down syndrome. | down syndrome (ds) is the most common genetic disease and presents with cognitive impairment, cardiac and gastrointestinal abnormalities, in addition to other miscellaneous clinical conditions. ds individuals may have a high frequency of infections, usually of the upper respiratory tract, characterized by increased severity and prolonged course of disease, which are partially attributed to defects of the immune system. the abnormalities of the immune system associated with ds include: mild to mo ... | 2011 | 21352207 |
| common cold. | each year, children suffer up to 5 colds and adults have two to three infections, leading to time off school or work, and considerable discomfort. most symptoms resolve within 1 week, but coughs often persist for longer. | 2011 | 21406124 |
| the use of c-reactive protein in predicting bacterial co-infection in children with bronchiolitis. | bronchiolitis is a potentially life-threatening respiratory illness commonly affecting children who are less than two years of age. patients with viral lower respiratory tract infection are at risk for co-bacterial infection. | 2011 | 22540082 |
| complication of warfarin therapy presenting as empyema. | a number of risk indices have been formulated in an attempt to predict risk of a major hemorrhage in an individual on warfarin therapy. no single index to date is able to reliably predict this risk in an individual patient. although most warfarin related hemorrhages are gastrointestinal or intracranial in origin this case represents a particularly rare entity of a major hemorrhage presenting as an encysted empyema. to the best of our knowledge this has never before been described. | 2011 | 22263065 |
| ligation of cd46 to cd40 inhibits cd40 signaling in b cells. | cd40 induces b cells to switch to ige in the presence of il-4 and up-regulates their expression of the low-affinity receptor for ige, cd23, which promotes the immune response to allergen complexed with ige antibody. cd40 binds to cd40l and to the c4b-binding protein (c4bp) using distinct sites. cd46 is a receptor for the product of activated complement c4b. some microbial antigens bind both c4bp and cd46, potentially bridging cd40 to cd46. in addition, immune complexes containing both c4b and c4 ... | 2011 | 21393637 |
| vesiculobullous eruption of the right arm after intravenous clarithromycin. | clarithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic. in clinical trials, adverse drug reactions of clarithromycin are usually mild and transient. only 1% of the adverse reactions are severe. herein, we present a case with vesiculobullous skin reaction and vein thrombosis caused by administration of intravenous clarithromycin. | 2011 | 21455431 |
| parental administration of antipyretics to children with upper respiratory tract infections without consultation with a physician. | to evaluate the administration of antipyretics to children with upper respiratory tract infections (urti) by their parents or guardians without consultation with physicians, and compare epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients who received antipyretics and of untreated patients. | 2011 | 21328720 |
| a computational and experimental study of the regulatory mechanisms of the complement system. | the complement system is key to innate immunity and its activation is necessary for the clearance of bacteria and apoptotic cells. however, insufficient or excessive complement activation will lead to immune-related diseases. it is so far unknown how the complement activity is up- or down- regulated and what the associated pathophysiological mechanisms are. to quantitatively understand the modulatory mechanisms of the complement system, we built a computational model involving the enhancement an ... | 2011 | 21283780 |
| effect of pasteurization temperature on quality of aonla juice during storage. | a study was carried out to detect the changes in colour and quality attributes of aonla juice during storage after pasteurization at different temperatures. after extracting juice from aonla cv. chakaiya, it was pasteurized at five different temperatures and preserved with 500 ppm so2 in pet bottles under ambient conditions. juice was periodically analysed for colour and chemical characters up to 9 months of storage. though the contents of ascorbic acid and polyphenols in juice decreased with in ... | 2011 | 23572745 |
| are there any differences in clinical and laboratory findings on admission between h1n1 positive and negative patients with flu-like symptoms? | the world health organization alert for the h1n1 influenza pandemic led to the implementation of certain measures regarding admission of patients with flu-like symptoms. all these instructions were adopted by the greek national health system. the aim of this study was to retrospectively examine the characteristics of all subjects admitted to the unit of infectious diseases with symptoms indicating h1n1 infection, and to identify any differences between h1n1 positive or negative patients. patient ... | 2011 | 21214902 |
| yersinia infection tools-characterization of structure and function of adhesins. | among the seventeen species of the gram-negative genus yersinia, three have been shown to be virulent and pathogenic to humans and animals-y. enterocolitica, y. pseudotuberculosis, and y. pestis. in order to be so, they are armoured with various factors that help them adhere to tissues and organelles, cross the cellular barrier and escape the immune system during host invasion. the group of proteins that mediate pathogen-host interactions constitute adhesins. invasin, ail, yada, yadb, yadc, pla, ... | 2012 | 23316485 |
| yersinia infection tools-characterization of structure and function of adhesins. | among the seventeen species of the gram-negative genus yersinia, three have been shown to be virulent and pathogenic to humans and animals-y. enterocolitica, y. pseudotuberculosis, and y. pestis. in order to be so, they are armoured with various factors that help them adhere to tissues and organelles, cross the cellular barrier and escape the immune system during host invasion. the group of proteins that mediate pathogen-host interactions constitute adhesins. invasin, ail, yada, yadb, yadc, pla, ... | 2012 | 23316485 |
| influence of bacterial interactions on pneumococcal colonization of the nasopharynx. | streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a common commensal inhabitant of the nasopharynx and a frequent etiologic agent in serious diseases such as pneumonia, otitis media, bacteremia, and meningitis. multiple pneumococcal strains can colonize the nasopharynx, which is also home to many other bacterial species. intraspecies and interspecies interactions influence pneumococcal carriage in important ways. co-colonization by two or more pneumococcal strains has implications for vaccine serot ... | 2012 | 23273566 |
| influence of bacterial interactions on pneumococcal colonization of the nasopharynx. | streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a common commensal inhabitant of the nasopharynx and a frequent etiologic agent in serious diseases such as pneumonia, otitis media, bacteremia, and meningitis. multiple pneumococcal strains can colonize the nasopharynx, which is also home to many other bacterial species. intraspecies and interspecies interactions influence pneumococcal carriage in important ways. co-colonization by two or more pneumococcal strains has implications for vaccine serot ... | 2012 | 23273566 |
| asthma-associated differences in microbial composition of induced sputum. | it is increasingly evident that microbial colonization of the respiratory tract might have a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. | 2012 | 23265859 |
| asthma-associated differences in microbial composition of induced sputum. | it is increasingly evident that microbial colonization of the respiratory tract might have a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. | 2012 | 23265859 |
| association between early bacterial carriage and otitis media in aboriginal and non-aboriginal children in a semi-arid area of western australia: a cohort study. | streptococcus pneumoniae (pnc), nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi) and moraxella catarrhalis (mcat) are the most important bacterial pathogens associated with otitis media (om). previous studies have suggested that early upper respiratory tract (urt) bacterial carriage may increase risk of subsequent om. we investigated associations between early onset of urt bacterial carriage and subsequent diagnosis of om in aboriginal and non-aboriginal children living in the kalgoorlie-boulder region ... | 2012 | 23256870 |
| 16s rrna terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism for the characterization of the nasopharyngeal microbiota. | a novel non-culture based 16s rrna terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (t-rflp) method using the restriction enzymes tsp509i and hpy166ii was developed for the characterization of the nasopharyngeal microbiota and validated using recently published 454 pyrosequencing data. 16s rrna gene t-rflp for 153 clinical nasopharyngeal samples from infants with acute otitis media (aom) revealed 5 tsp509i and 6 hpy166ii terminal fragments (tfs) with a prevalence of >10%. cloning and sequencing ... | 2012 | 23284951 |
| post-transfusion purpura in an african-american man due to human platelet antigen-5b alloantibody: a case report. | | 2012 | 23234542 |
| rhinosinusitis in children. | rhinosinusitis is the inflammation of the mucous membranes of nose and paranasal sinus(es). 5-13% of upper respiratory tract infections in children complicate into acute rhinosinusitis. though not life threatening, it profoundly affects child's school performance and sleep pattern. if untreated, it could progress to chronic rhinosinusitis (crs). the pathogens involved in perpetuation of crs consist of multidrug-resistant mixed microflora. crs is challenging to manage and could further extend to ... | 2012 | 23762621 |
| development of a lacz-based transcriptional reporter system for use with moraxella catarrhalis. | the lack of a transcriptional reporter system for use in moraxella catarrhalis has hindered studies of gene regulation in this pathogen. pcr and recombinant dna methods were used to insert a multicloning site (mcs) and promoterless full-length escherichia coli lacz gene, flanked by transcriptional terminators both immediately upstream and downstream, into the m. catarrhalis recombinant plasmid pww115. insertion into the mcs in the newly constructed plasmid pase222 of m. catarrhalis promoter regi ... | 2012 | 23219721 |
| development of a lacz-based transcriptional reporter system for use with moraxella catarrhalis. | the lack of a transcriptional reporter system for use in moraxella catarrhalis has hindered studies of gene regulation in this pathogen. pcr and recombinant dna methods were used to insert a multicloning site (mcs) and promoterless full-length escherichia coli lacz gene, flanked by transcriptional terminators both immediately upstream and downstream, into the m. catarrhalis recombinant plasmid pww115. insertion into the mcs in the newly constructed plasmid pase222 of m. catarrhalis promoter regi ... | 2012 | 23219721 |
| complete fiber structures of complex trimeric autotransporter adhesins conserved in enterobacteria. | trimeric autotransporter adhesins (taas) are modular, highly repetitive surface proteins that mediate adhesion to host cells in a broad range of gram-negative pathogens. although their sizes may differ by more than one order of magnitude, they all follow the same basic head-stalk-anchor architecture, where the head mediates adhesion and autoagglutination, the stalk projects the head from the bacterial surface, and the anchor provides the export function and attaches the adhesin to the bacterial ... | 2012 | 23213248 |
| thin-section ct findings in pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary infection. | the aim of this study was to assess clinical and pulmonary thin-section ct findings in patients with acute pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa) pulmonary infection. | 2012 | 22844034 |
| direct and indirect antimicrobial activities of neuropeptides and their therapeutic potential. | as global resistance to conventional antibiotics rises we need to develop new strategies to develop future novel therapeutics. in our quest to design novel anti-infectives and antimicrobials it is of interest to investigate host-pathogen interactions and learn from the complexity of host defense strategies that have evolved over millennia. a myriad of host defense molecules are now known to play a role in protection against human infection. however, the interaction between host and pathogen is r ... | 2012 | 23305360 |
| rhinovirus infection induces degradation of antimicrobial peptides and secondary bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) exacerbations are associated with virus (mostly rhinovirus) and bacterial infections, but it is not known whether rhinovirus infections precipitate secondary bacterial infections. | 2012 | 23024024 |
| carriage of neisseria lactamica in 1- to 29-year-old people in burkina faso: epidemiology and molecular characterization. | neisseria lactamica is a true commensal bacterium occupying the same ecological niche as the pathogenic neisseria meningitidis, which is responsible for outbreaks and large epidemics, especially in sub-saharan africa. to better understand the epidemiology of n. lactamica in africa and its relationship to n. meningitidis, we studied n. lactamica carriage in 1- to 29-year-old people living in three districts of burkina faso from 2009 to 2011. n. lactamica was detected in 18.2% of 45,847 oropharyng ... | 2012 | 23035186 |
| alternative sampling methods for detecting bacterial pathogens in children with upper respiratory tract infections. | nasopharyngeal sampling is used for detecting bacteria commonly involved in upper respiratory tract infections, but it requires training and may not always be well tolerated. we sampled children (n = 66) of ages 0 to 4 years, with rhinorrhea, by using a nasopharyngeal swab, a nasal swab, and nose blowing/wiping into a paper tissue. streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, moraxella catarrhalis, and staphylococcus aureus were cultured at similar rates across methods with high concordance ... | 2012 | 23052306 |
| pneumococci can persistently colonize adult patients with chronic respiratory disease. | streptococcus pneumoniae plays an important role in causing acute exacerbations in patients with chronic respiratory disease. however, few data are available regarding pneumococcal persistence in adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases. fifty pneumococci recovered from sputum samples (1995 to 2010) from 13 adult patients with ≥ 3 episodes of acute exacerbation or pneumonia, with the same serotype and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) pattern, were studied. multilocus sequence typi ... | 2012 | 23052300 |
| coinfection with staphylococcus aureus increases risk of severe coagulopathy in critically ill children with influenza a (h1n1) virus infection. | h1n1 influenza with coinfections has been implicated to have high morbidity and mortality. we hypothesized that critically ill children with 2009 h1n1 and coinfections are at a higher risk of developing disseminated intravascular coagulation. | 2012 | 22971587 |
| viral-bacterial interactions in acute otitis media. | acute otitis media (aom) is a polymicrobial disease, which usually occurs as a complication of viral upper respiratory tract infection (uri). while respiratory viruses alone may cause viral aom, they increase the risk of bacterial middle ear infection and worsen clinical outcomes of bacterial aom. uri viruses alter eustachian tube (et) function via decreased mucociliary action, altered mucus secretion and increased expression of inflammatory mediators among other mechanisms. transient reduction ... | 2012 | 22968233 |
| regulation of frontline antibody responses by innate immune signals. | mature b cells generate protective immunity by undergoing immunoglobulin (ig) class switching and somatic hypermutation, two ig gene-diversifying processes that usually require cognate interactions with t cells that express cd40 ligand. this t-cell-dependent pathway provides immunological memory but is relatively slow to occur. thus, it must be integrated with a faster, t-cell-independent pathway for b-cell activation through cd40 ligand-like molecules that are released by innate immune cells in ... | 2012 | 22477522 |
| macrophage/epithelial cell ccl2 contributes to rhinovirus-induced hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in a mouse model of allergic airways disease. | human rhinovirus (hrv) infections lead to exacerbations of lower airways disease in asthmatic patients but not in healthy individuals. however, underlying mechanisms remain to be completely elucidated. we hypothesized that the th2-driven allergic environment enhances hrv-induced cc chemokine production, leading to asthma exacerbations. ovalbumin (ova)-sensitized and -challenged mice inoculated with hrv showed significant increases in the expression of lung cc chemokine ligand (ccl)-2/monocyte ch ... | 2012 | 23204071 |
| macrophage/epithelial cell ccl2 contributes to rhinovirus-induced hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in a mouse model of allergic airways disease. | human rhinovirus (hrv) infections lead to exacerbations of lower airways disease in asthmatic patients but not in healthy individuals. however, underlying mechanisms remain to be completely elucidated. we hypothesized that the th2-driven allergic environment enhances hrv-induced cc chemokine production, leading to asthma exacerbations. ovalbumin (ova)-sensitized and -challenged mice inoculated with hrv showed significant increases in the expression of lung cc chemokine ligand (ccl)-2/monocyte ch ... | 2012 | 23204071 |
| preliminary pediatric clinical evaluation of the oral probiotic streptococcus salivarius k12 in preventing recurrent pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis caused by streptococcus pyogenes and recurrent acute otitis media. | the oral probiotic streptococcus salivarius k12 has been shown clearly to antagonize the growth of streptococcus pyogenes, the most important bacterial cause of pharyngeal infections in humans, by releasing two bacteriocins named salivaricin a2 and salivaricin b. unpublished observations indicate that it can also antagonize the growth of other bacteria involved in acute otitis media. because of its ability to colonize the oral cavity and its safety profile, we have tested its efficacy in reducin ... | 2012 | 23233809 |
| multiple facets of camp signalling and physiological impact: camp compartmentalization in the lung. | therapies involving elevation of the endogenous suppressor cyclic amp (camp) are currently used in the treatment of several chronic inflammatory disorders, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd). characteristics of copd are airway obstruction, airway inflammation and airway remodelling, processes encompassed by increased airway smooth muscle mass, epithelial changes, goblet cell and submucosal gland hyperplasia. in addition to inflammatory cells, airway smooth muscle cells and (m ... | 2012 | 24281338 |
| innate immune dysfunction is associated with enhanced disease severity in infants with severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis. | most patients with respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) bronchiolitis requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (picu) have no risk factors for severe disease. we sought to investigate the relationship between serum cytokine concentrations, innate immune responsiveness, and rsv disease severity. | 2012 | 23204162 |
| innate immune dysfunction is associated with enhanced disease severity in infants with severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis. | most patients with respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) bronchiolitis requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (picu) have no risk factors for severe disease. we sought to investigate the relationship between serum cytokine concentrations, innate immune responsiveness, and rsv disease severity. | 2012 | 23204162 |
| pathogen diversity and hidden regimes of apparent competition. | competition through cross-reacting host immune responses, a form of apparent competition, is a major driver of pathogen evolution and diversity. most models of pathogens have focused on intraspecific interactions to explain observed patterns. two recent experiments suggested that haemophilus influenzae, a common nasopharyngeal colonizer of humans, might alter the immune environment in a way that favors otherwise less fit serotypes of another common pathogen, pneumococcus. using a computational m ... | 2012 | 23234842 |
| pathogen diversity and hidden regimes of apparent competition. | competition through cross-reacting host immune responses, a form of apparent competition, is a major driver of pathogen evolution and diversity. most models of pathogens have focused on intraspecific interactions to explain observed patterns. two recent experiments suggested that haemophilus influenzae, a common nasopharyngeal colonizer of humans, might alter the immune environment in a way that favors otherwise less fit serotypes of another common pathogen, pneumococcus. using a computational m ... | 2012 | 23234842 |
| is 'gold' standard for the management of copd in clinical practice? | | 2012 | 24432032 |
| identification and characterization of the bacterial etiology of clinically problematic acute otitis media after tympanocentesis or spontaneous otorrhea in german children. | acute otitis media (aom) is an important and common disease of childhood. bacteria isolated from cases of clinically problematic aom in german children were identified and characterized. | 2012 | 23167692 |
| ataa, a new member of the trimeric autotransporter adhesins from acinetobacter sp. tol 5 mediating high adhesiveness to various abiotic surfaces. | acinetobacter sp. tol 5 exhibits an autoagglutinating nature and noteworthy adhesiveness to various abiotic surfaces from hydrophobic plastics to hydrophilic glass and stainless steel. although previous studies have suggested that bacterionanofibers on tol 5 cells are involved in the adhesive phenotype of tol 5, the fiber that directly mediates tol 5 adhesion has remained unknown. here, we present a new member of trimeric autotransporter adhesins designated ataa, which we discovered by analyzing ... | 2012 | 23155410 |
| antibacterial activity of the human host defence peptide ll-37 and selected synthetic cationic lipids against bacteria associated with oral and upper respiratory tract infections. | we aim to develop antibacterial peptide mimics resistant to protease degradation, with broad-spectrum activity at sites of infection. | 2012 | 23134677 |
| antibacterial activity of the human host defence peptide ll-37 and selected synthetic cationic lipids against bacteria associated with oral and upper respiratory tract infections. | we aim to develop antibacterial peptide mimics resistant to protease degradation, with broad-spectrum activity at sites of infection. | 2012 | 23134677 |
| pneumonia after earthquake, japan, 2011. | | 2012 | 23092559 |
| nasopharyngeal bacterial interactions in children. | antimicrobial treatments and vaccines can alter bacterial interactions in the nasopharynx, thereby altering disease processes. to better understand these interactions, we examined colonization rates of 3 respiratory bacterial pathogens among 320 children when healthy and at onset of acute otitis media (aom). bacterial interactions were analyzed with a repeated measures logistic regression model. among healthy children, streptococcus pneumoniae and moraxella catarrhalis were synergistically (posi ... | 2012 | 23092680 |
| effects of the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable haemophilus influenzae protein d-conjugate vaccine on nasopharyngeal bacterial colonization in young children: a randomized controlled trial. | this study evaluated the effects of the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable haemophilus influenzae protein d-conjugate vaccine (phid-cv) on nasopharyngeal bacterial colonization compared with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vcrm) in young children. | 2012 | 23118268 |
| effects of the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable haemophilus influenzae protein d-conjugate vaccine on nasopharyngeal bacterial colonization in young children: a randomized controlled trial. | this study evaluated the effects of the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable haemophilus influenzae protein d-conjugate vaccine (phid-cv) on nasopharyngeal bacterial colonization compared with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vcrm) in young children. | 2012 | 23118268 |
| pge2 induces interleukin-8 derepression in human astrocytoma through coordinated dna demethylation and histone hyperacetylation. | we have recently reported that in astrocytoma cells the expression of interleukin-8 (il-8) is upregulated by prostaglandin e2 (pge2). unfortunately, the exact mechanism by which this happens has not been clarified yet. here, we have investigated whether il-8 activation by pge2 involves changes in dna methylation and/or histone modifications in 46 astrocytoma specimens, two astrocytoma cell lines and normal astrocytic cells. the dna methylation status of the il-8 promoter was analyzed by bisulphi ... | 2012 | 23051921 |
| microbiome diversity in the bronchial tracts of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | culture of bacteria from bronchial secretions in respiratory patients has low sensitivity and does not allow for complete assessment of microbial diversity across different bronchial compartments. in addition, a significant number of clinical studies are based on sputum samples, and it is not known to what extent they describe the real diversity of the mucosa. in order to identify previously unrecognized lower airway bacteria and to investigate the complexity and distribution of microbiota in pa ... | 2012 | 22915614 |
| deciphering the importance of host and environmental factors that influence the genesis of asthma during childhood. | | 2012 | 23014673 |
| comparison of the etiology of viral respiratory illnesses in inner-city and suburban infants. | the risk of developing childhood asthma has been linked to the severity and etiology of viral respiratory illnesses in early childhood. since inner-city infants have unique environmental exposures, we hypothesized that patterns of respiratory viral infections would also be distinct. | 2012 | 23014674 |
| infections and foreign bodies in ent. | infections play a major role in the practice of ent. microbial penetration into tissues of the head and neck can initiate a focal reaction causing superficial self-resolving infections. however, some of these have the potential to develop into life-threatening disease. we provide an overview of the most common ent infections with focus on the presentation, diagnosis and management. foreign bodies of the ear, nose and throat are a common presentation to primary and emergency care. most commonly t ... | 2012 | 27057069 |
| the microbiology of tonsils in khamis civil hospital, saudi arabia. | objectives. tonsillitis is a common infection in all age groups, especially under the age of five. organisms causing this condition vary from place to place. our aim is to find out the main causative agents of this condition in our hospital. patients and methods. fifty-two consenting patients who needed tonsillectomy in khamis civil hospital, kingdom of saudi arabia, between september 2006 and april 2007, were enrolled for the study. swabs were taken from their inner surfaces and cultured for an ... | 2012 | 23762620 |
| moraxella osloensis: an unusual cause of central venous catheter infection in a cancer patient. | moraxella osloensis is a rare causative organism of infections in humans, with most cases reported in cancer patients. we report the case of a 67-year-old japanese man with advanced cancer of the pancreatic head and multiple liver metastases who developed fever with chills. blood culture was found to be positive for gram-negative bacilli that were aerobic, oxidase-positive, and catalase-positive. m. osloensis was identified by 16 rrna gene sequencing. prompt control of the infection was achieved ... | 2012 | 23109812 |
| associations between pathogens in the upper respiratory tract of young children: interplay between viruses and bacteria. | high rates of potentially pathogenic bacteria and respiratory viruses can be detected in the upper respiratory tract of healthy children. investigating presence of and associations between these pathogens in healthy individuals is still a rather unexplored field of research, but may have implications for interpreting findings during disease. | 2012 | 23082199 |
| the lung microbiome in moderate and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) is an inflammatory disorder characterized by incompletely reversible airflow obstruction. bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract contributes to approximately 50% of copd exacerbations. even during periods of stable lung function, the lung harbors a community of bacteria, termed the microbiome. the role of the lung microbiome in the pathogenesis of copd remains unknown. the copd lung microbiome, like the healthy lung microbiome, appears to ... | 2012 | 23071781 |
| the clinical relevance of microbiology specimens in orofacial abscesses of dental origin. | it is common surgical practice to take a specimen for microbial culture and susceptibility (mc&s) when draining an orofacial abscess. the aim of this study was to determine if routine mc&s has any therapeutic value in the care of these patients. | 2012 | 23031767 |
| nlpi facilitates deposition of c4bp on escherichia coli by blocking classical complement-mediated killing, which results in high-level bacteremia. | neonatal meningitis escherichia coli (nmec) is the most common gram-negative organism that is associated with neonatal meningitis, which usually develops as a result of hematogenous spread of the bacteria. there are two key pathogenesis processes for nmec to penetrate into the brain, the essential step for the development of e. coli meningitis: a high-level bacteremia and traversal of the blood-brain barrier (bbb). our previous study has shown that the bacterial outer membrane protein nlpi contr ... | 2012 | 22802341 |
| ciprofloxacin dry powder for inhalation in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a phase ii randomised study. | this phase ii, randomised, double-blind, multicentre study (nct00930982) investigated the safety and efficacy of ciprofloxacin dry powder for inhalation (dpi) in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. adults who were culture positive for pre-defined potential respiratory pathogens (including pseudomonas aeruginosa and haemophilus influenzae) were randomised to ciprofloxacin dpi 32.5 mg or placebo administered twice daily for 28 days (with 56 days of follow-up). bacterial density in sp ... | 2012 | 23018904 |
| ciprofloxacin dry powder for inhalation in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a phase ii randomised study. | this phase ii, randomised, double-blind, multicentre study (nct00930982) investigated the safety and efficacy of ciprofloxacin dry powder for inhalation (dpi) in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. adults who were culture positive for pre-defined potential respiratory pathogens (including pseudomonas aeruginosa and haemophilus influenzae) were randomised to ciprofloxacin dpi 32.5 mg or placebo administered twice daily for 28 days (with 56 days of follow-up). bacterial density in sp ... | 2012 | 23018904 |
| antibacterial screening of secreted compounds produced by the phase i variant of photorhabdus luminescens. | in this study, antibacterial activity of metabolites secreted by the phase i variant of photorhabdus luminescens was investigated. bioactivity of these metabolites was screened against 28 different bacterial species and strains. bacterial sensitivity was determined by a modified-version of the kirby-bauer disk diffusion susceptibility method, whereas the phase i variant's culture permeate was utilized as the "antibacterial" agent. this investigation demonstrates that 11 of the 28 bacterial speci ... | 2012 | 24293735 |
| description and outcome of a cohort of 8 patients with whim syndrome from the french severe chronic neutropenia registry. | whim syndrome (ws), a rare congenital neutropenia due to mutations of the cxcr4 chemokine receptor, is associated with human papillomavirus (hpv)-induced warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, bacterial infections and myelokathexis. the long term follow up of eight patients highlights the clinical heterogeneity of this disease as well as the main therapeutic approaches and remaining challenges in the light of the recent development of new cxcr4 inhibitors. | 2012 | 23009155 |
| a novel group of moraxella catarrhalis uspa proteins mediates cellular adhesion via ceacams and vitronectin. | moraxella catarrhalis (mx) is a common cause of otitis media and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an increasing worldwide problem. surface proteins uspa1 and uspa2 of mx bind to a number of human receptors and may function in pathogenesis. genetic recombination events in the pathogen can generate hybrid proteins termed uspa2h. however, whether certain key functions (e.g. uspa1-specific ceacam binding) can be exchanged between these adhesin families remains unknown. in this ... | 2012 | 23049802 |
| opc expression, lps immunotype switch and pilin conversion contribute to serum resistance of unencapsulated meningococci. | neisseria meningitidis employs polysaccharides and outer membrane proteins to cope with human serum complement attack. to screen for factors influencing serum resistance, an assay was developed based on a colorimetric serum bactericidal assay. the screening used a genetically modified sequence type (st)-41/44 clonal complex (cc) strain lacking lps sialylation, polysaccharide capsule, the factor h binding protein (fhbp) and muts, a protein of the dna repair mechanism. after killing of >99.9% of t ... | 2012 | 23028802 |
| grappling with proteus: population level approaches to understanding microbial diversity. | the emerging fields of microbial population genetics and genomics provide an avenue to study the ecological rules that govern how communities form, function, and evolve. our struggle to understand the causes and consequences of microbial diversity stems from our inability to define ecologically and evolutionarily meaningful units of diversity. the 16s rrna-based tools that have been so useful in charting microbial diversity may lack sufficient sensitivity to answer many questions about the ecolo ... | 2012 | 23024645 |
| pneumococcal carbohydrate transport: food for thought. | streptococcus pneumoniae relies exclusively on carbohydrates as a carbon source and devotes 30% of all transport mechanisms to carbohydrate import. pneumococci utilize at least 32 carbohydrates in vitro. however, some proposed substrates are not human-derived, so it is unclear where they are encountered in the host niche, and other substrates remain unidentified. the majority of transporter loci are conserved, arguing against redundancy and instead for distinct roles during pathogenesis. despite ... | 2012 | 22959614 |
| a five-year review on the etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of otitis media pathogens in jordanian children. | this study aimed to identify the bacteriological agents of otitis media in jordanian children and to assess the in vitro susceptibility of these isolates to commonly used antibiotics. | 2012 | 23074544 |
| the antibiotic resistance arrow of time: efflux pump induction is a general first step in the evolution of mycobacterial drug resistance. | we hypothesize that low-level efflux pump expression is the first step in the development of high-level drug resistance in mycobacteria. we performed 28-day azithromycin dose-effect and dose-scheduling studies in our hollow-fiber model of disseminated mycobacterium avium-m. intracellulare complex. both microbial kill and resistance emergence were most closely linked to the within-macrophage area under the concentration-time curve (auc)/mic ratio. quantitative pcr revealed that subtherapeutic azi ... | 2012 | 22751536 |
| upper respiratory tract microbial communities, acute otitis media pathogens, and antibiotic use in healthy and sick children. | the composition of the upper respiratory tract microbial community may influence the risk for colonization by the acute otitis media (aom) pathogens streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, and moraxella catarrhalis. we used culture-independent methods to describe upper respiratory tract microbial communities in healthy children and children with upper respiratory tract infection with and without concurrent aom. nasal swabs and data were collected in a cross-sectional study of 240 child ... | 2012 | 22752171 |
| antibiotics for bronchiectasis exacerbations in children: rationale and study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial. | despite bronchiectasis being increasingly recognised as an important cause of chronic respiratory morbidity in both indigenous and non-indigenous settings globally, high quality evidence to inform management is scarce. it is assumed that antibiotics are efficacious for all bronchiectasis exacerbations, but not all practitioners agree. inadequately treated exacerbations may risk lung function deterioration. our study tests the hypothesis that both oral azithromycin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid ... | 2012 | 22937736 |
| lung microbiology and exacerbations in copd. | chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) is the most common chronic respiratory condition in adults and is characterized by progressive airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. the main etiological agents linked with copd are cigarette smoking and biomass exposure but respiratory infection is believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of both stable copd and in acute exacerbations. acute exacerbations are associated with more rapid decline in lung function and impaired quality ... | 2012 | 22969296 |
| early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia in adults randomized clinical trial: comparison of 8 versus 15 days of antibiotic treatment. | the optimal treatment duration for ventilator-associated pneumonia is based on one study dealing with late-onset of the condition. shortening the length of antibiotic treatment remains a major prevention factor for the emergence of multiresistant bacteria. | 2012 | 22952580 |
| in vitrostreptococcus pneumoniae biofilm formation and in vivo middle ear mucosal biofilm in a rat model of acute otitis induced by s. pneumoniae. | streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most common pathogens of otitis media (om) that exists in biofilm, which enhances the resistance of bacteria against antibiotic killing and diagnosis, compared to the free-floating (planktonic) form. this study evaluated biofilm formation by s. pneumoniae on an abiotic surface and in the middle ear cavity in a rat model of om. | 2012 | 22977710 |
| prevention of infection in immunosuppressive patients with autoimmune nephrosis by using an immunostimulating bacterial lysate broncho-vaxom. | the utilization of immunosuppressive agents presents patients with autoimmune nephrosis at a high risk of infection. the present trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of broncho-vaxom on preventing infection in immunosuppressive patients with autoimmune nephrosis. | 2012 | 22922768 |
| oxidized phospholipids impair pulmonary antibacterial defenses: evidence in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. | patients with copd are associated with poor pulmonary anti-bacterial innate defenses, which increase the risk for frequent acute exacerbations caused by bacterial infection. despite elevated numbers of phagocytes (macrophages and neutrophils), airways of patients with copd show stable bacterial colonization. a defect in the phagocytic ability of alveolar macrophages (ams) is one of the primary reasons for failure to clear the invading bacteria in airways of smokers and copd patients and also in ... | 2012 | 22935414 |
| azithromycin for indigenous children with bronchiectasis: study protocol for a multi-centre randomized controlled trial. | the prevalence of chronic suppurative lung disease (csld) and bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis (cf) among indigenous children in australia, new zealand and alaska is very high. antibiotics are a major component of treatment and are used both on a short or long-term basis. one aim of long-term or maintenance antibiotics is to reduce the frequency of acute pulmonary exacerbations and symptoms. however, there are few studies investigating the efficacy of long-term antibiotic use for csld ... | 2012 | 22891748 |
| clinical and antimicrobial susceptibility data of 140 streptococcus pseudopneumoniae isolates in france. | we report retrospective analysis of the clinical and antimicrobial susceptibility data of 140 streptococcus pseudopneumoniae isolates. strains were isolated mostly from respiratory tract samples from patients with underlying diseases. in the case of infection, pneumonia, mainly aspiration pneumonia, was the most frequent (27.1% of the patients). we documented high rates of decreased susceptibilities and resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline (57% and 43% of the isolates, respectively), as w ... | 2012 | 22644030 |
| rapid detection of streptococcus pyogenes in pleural fluid samples from pediatric patients with empyema. | a total of 120 pleural fluid specimens from 113 pediatric patients were tested using two rapid antigen detection assays for streptococcus pyogenes. results were compared to culture, gram stain, and pcr results. each rapid antigen assay detected 9 out of 10 (90%) pcr-positive samples, with 100% specificity. these antigen detection assays are useful to provide microbiological diagnosis of empyema caused by s. pyogenes. | 2012 | 22622442 |
| bacterium-generated nitric oxide hijacks host tumor necrosis factor alpha signaling and modulates the host cell cycle in vitro. | in mammalian cells, nitric oxide (no·) is an important signal molecule with concentration-dependent and often controversial functions of promoting cell survival and inducing cell death. an inducible nitric oxide synthase (inos) in various mammalian cells produces higher levels of no· from l-arginine upon infections to eliminate pathogens. in this study, we reveal novel pathogenic roles of no· generated by bacteria in bacterium-host cell cocultures using moraxella catarrhalis, a respiratory tract ... | 2012 | 22636782 |
| response to infections in patients with asthma and atopic disease: an epiphenomenon or reflection of host susceptibility? | associations between respiratory tract infections and asthma inception and exacerbations are well established. infant respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus infections are known to be associated with an increased risk of asthma development, and among children with prevalent asthma, 85% of asthma exacerbations are associated with viral infections. however, the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear. is the increase in severity of infections an epiphenomenon, meaning respiratory tra ... | 2012 | 22846746 |
| nontypeable haemophilus influenzae biofilms: role in chronic airway infections. | like many pathogens inhabiting mucosal surfaces, nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi) forms multicellular biofilm communities both in vitro and in various infection models. in the past 15 years much has been learned about determinants of biofilm formation by this organism and potential roles in bacterial virulence, especially in the context of chronic and recurrent infections. however, this concept has not been without some degree of controversy, and in the past some have expressed doubts a ... | 2012 | 22919686 |
| minor criteria of infectious disease society of america/american thoracic society for severe community-acquired pneumonia can predict delayed treatment response. | the purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical aspects of patients satisfying the infectious disease society of america/american thoracic society (idsa/ats) minor severity criteria, focusing on their treatment response to empirical antibiotics. in total, 381 community-acquired pneumonia (cap) patients who did not require mechanical ventilation or vasopressors at admission were enrolled, and 50 (13.1%) satisfied the minor severity criteria (i.e. , minor severe cap [minor-scap]). the ra ... | 2012 | 22876058 |
| korean clinical practice guidelines: otitis media in children. | acute otitis media (aom) and otitis media with effusion (ome) are common infections in children, and their diagnosis and treatment have significant impacts on the health of children and the costs of providing national medical care. in 2009, the korean otologic society organized a committee composed of experts in the field of otolaryngology, pediatrics, and family medicine to develop korean clinical practice guidelines (cpg) for otitis media in children with the goal of meeting regional medical a ... | 2012 | 22876048 |
| acute submandibular sialadenitis-a case report. | many conditions affect the salivary glands. acute sialadenitis is infectious or inflammatory disorders of the salivary glands. the exact frequency of submandibular sialadenitis is unclear. the acute conditions more typically involve the parotid and submandibular glands. during an acute inflammatory process, there is swelling of the affected gland, overlying pain, gland tenderness, fever, and on occasion difficulty in opening the mouth. initial treatment should include rehydration oral antistaphy ... | 2012 | 22888457 |
| human metapneumovirus infections on the icu: a report of three cases. | although human metapneumovirus (hmpv) is primarily known as a causative agent of respiratory tract infections in children, the virus also can cause respiratory infections in adults. hmpv infections tend to be mild and are self-limiting, but the infections can be severe in the elderly and immunocompromised patients. because hmpv infection is quite common, it should be considered in every patient with respiratory failure in the intensive care unit (icu). we describe three adult patients, including ... | 2012 | 22812412 |
| quorum signaling and sensing by nontypeable haemophilus influenzae. | quorum signals are diffusible factors produced by bacteria that coordinate communal responses. for nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi), a series of recent papers indicate that production and sensing of quorum signals are determinants of biofilm formation/maturation and persistence in vivo. in this mini-review i will summarize the current knowledge about quorum signaling/sensing by this organism, and identify specific topics for additional study. | 2012 | 22919689 |
| relationship between periodontitis-related antibody and frequent exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | to identify patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) who are susceptible to frequent exacerbations is important. although periodontitis aggravated by poor oral hygiene might increase the risk of lower respiratory tract infection, the relationship between periodontitis and copd exacerbations remains unknown. this prospective cohort study investigates the relationship between periodontitis-related antibody and exacerbation frequency over a one-year period. | 2012 | 22792372 |
| modified lipooligosaccharide structure protects nontypeable haemophilus influenzae from igm-mediated complement killing in experimental otitis media. | nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi) is a gram-negative, human-restricted pathogen. although this bacterium typically colonizes the nasopharynx in the absence of clinical symptoms, it is also one of the major pathogens causing otitis media (om) in children. complement represents an important aspect of the host defense against nthi. in general, nthi is efficiently killed by complement-mediated killing; however, various resistance mechanisms have also evolved. we measured the complement resis ... | 2012 | 22761391 |
| an investigation of the frequency of bacteraemia following dental extraction, tooth brushing and chewing. | we conducted a study to determine the frequency of bacteraemias following dental extraction and common oral procedures, namely tooth brushing and chewing, and the relationship between bacteraemia and oral health in black patients. positive blood cultures were detected in 29.6% of patients after dental extraction, in 10.8% of patients after tooth brushing and in no patients after chewing. no relationship between the state of oral health, which was assessed using the plaque and gingival indices, a ... | 2012 | 22836157 |
| autosomal dominant stat3 deficiency and hyper-ige syndrome: molecular, cellular, and clinical features from a french national survey. | autosomal dominant deficiency of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (stat3) is the main genetic etiology of hyper-immunoglobulin (ig) e syndrome. we documented the molecular, cellular, and clinical features of 60 patients with heterozygous stat3 mutations from 47 kindreds followed in france. we identified 11 known and 13 new mutations of stat3. low levels of interleukin (il)-6-dependent phosphorylation and nuclear translocation (or accumulation) of stat3 were observed in epstein- ... | 2012 | 22751495 |
| sequetyping: serotyping streptococcus pneumoniae by a single pcr sequencing strategy. | the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines necessitates continued monitoring of circulating strains to assess vaccine efficacy and replacement serotypes. conventional serological methods are costly, labor-intensive, and prone to misidentification, while current dna-based methods have limited serotype coverage requiring multiple pcr primers. in this study, a computer algorithm was developed to interrogate the capsulation locus (cps) of vaccine serotypes to locate primer pairs in conserve ... | 2012 | 22553238 |
| prevalence of and risk factors for human rhinovirus infection in healthy aboriginal and non-aboriginal western australian children. | human rhinovirus (hrv) species c (hrv-c) have been associated with frequent and severe acute lower respiratory infections and asthma in hospitalized children. the prevalence of hrv-c among healthy children and whether this varies with ethnicity is unknown. | 2012 | 22481423 |
| respiratory syncytial virus promotes moraxella catarrhalis-induced ascending experimental otitis media. | otitis media (om) is a polymicrobial disease wherein prior or concurrent infection with an upper respiratory tract virus plays an essential role, predisposing the middle ear to bacterial invasion. in episodes of acute bacterial om, respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) is the most commonly isolated virus and thus serves as an important co-pathogen. of the predominant bacterial agents of om, the pathogenesis of disease due to moraxella catarrhalis is the least well understood. rigorous study of m. ca ... | 2012 | 22768228 |