| charge requirements for proton gradient-driven translocation of anthrax toxin. | anthrax lethal toxin is used as a model system to study protein translocation. the toxin is composed of a translocase channel, called protective antigen (pa), and an enzyme, called lethal factor (lf). a proton gradient (δph) can drive lf unfolding and translocation through pa channels; however, the mechanism of δph- mediated force generation, substrate unfolding, and the establishment of directionality are poorly understood. one recent hypothesis suggests that the δph may act through changes in ... | 2011 | 21507946 |
| acr appropriateness criteria® acute respiratory illness in immunocompetent patients. | acute respiratory illness is defined as one or more of the following: cough, sputum production, chest pain, or dyspnea (with or without fever). the workup of these patients depends on many factors, including clinical presentation and the suspected etiology. this study reviews the literature on the indications and usefulness of radiologic studies for the evaluation of acute respiratory illness in the immunocompetent patient. the following recommendations are the result of evidence-based consensus ... | 2011 | 21508726 |
| one-step synthesized silver micro-dendrites used as novel separation mediums and their applications in multi-dna analysis. | a new kind of silver micro-dendrites have been synthesized for the separation and multiplex detection of dna merely by earth gravity. through this approach, the dna strands of the sickle cell disease, human t-lymphotropic virus type i, the anthrax lethal factor can be detected down to 100 pm with the detection range from 100 pm to 100 nm at the same time. | 2011 | 21512713 |
| larvicidal, antimicrobial and brine shrimp activities of extracts from cissampelos mucronata and tephrosia villosa from coast region, tanzania. | abstract: | 2011 | 21513544 |
| mechanism of inhibition of bacillus anthracis spore outgrowth by the lantibiotic nisin. | the lantibiotic nisin inhibits growth of vegetative gram-positive bacteria by binding to lipid ii, which disrupts cell wall biosynthesis and facilitates pore formation. nisin also inhibits the outgrowth of bacterial spores, including spores of bacillus anthracis, whose structural and biochemical properties are fundamentally different from those of vegetative bacteria. the molecular basis of nisin inhibition of spore outgrowth had not been identified, as previous studies suggested that inhibition ... | 2011 | 21517116 |
| contribution of lethal toxin and edema toxin to the pathogenesis of anthrax meningitis. | bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive spore forming bacterium that causes anthrax disease in humans and animals. systemic infection is characterized by septicemia, toxemia, and meningitis, the main neurological complication associated with high mortality. we have shown previously that b. anthracis sterne is capable of blood-brain barrier (bbb) penetration establishing the classic signs of meningitis, and that infection is dependent on the expression of both major anthrax toxins, lethal toxin (lt ... | 2011 | 21518787 |
| disaster responses: is the us really prepared?: lessons from anthrax, tsunamis, and hurricanes. | | 2006 | 21519463 |
| european risk assessment guidance for infectious diseases transmitted on aircraft - the ragida project. | | 2011 | 21527131 |
| post-exposure therapy of inhalational anthrax in the common marmoset. | the aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ciprofloxacin as post-exposure therapy against inhalational anthrax in the common marmoset (callithrix jacchus) with other non-human primate models in order to determine whether the marmoset is a suitable model to test post-exposure therapies for anthrax. pharmacokinetic (pk) and efficacy studies with ciprofloxacin were performed in the marmoset. ciprofloxacin plasma pharmacokinetics were determined in six animals in separ ... | 2011 | 21530184 |
| the cody pleiotropic repressor controls virulence in gram-positive pathogens. | cody is involved in the adaptive response to starvation in at least 30 different low g+c gram-positive bacteria. after dimerization and activation by cofactor binding, cody binds to a consensus palindromic dna sequence, leading to the repression of approximately 5% of the genome. cody represses the transcription of target genes when bound to dna by competition with the rna polymerase for promoter binding, or by interference with transcriptional elongation as a roadblock. cody displays enhanced a ... | 2011 | 21539625 |
| multivalent display of proteins on viral nanoparticles using molecular recognition and chemical ligation strategies. | multivalent display of heterologous proteins on viral nanoparticles forms a basis for numerous applications in nanotechnology, including vaccine development, targeted therapeutic delivery, and tissue-specific bioimaging. in many instances, precise placement of proteins is required for optimal functioning of the supramolecular assemblies, but orientation- and site-specific coupling of proteins to viral scaffolds remains a significant technical challenge. we have developed two strategies that allo ... | 2011 | 21545187 |
| recombinant expression and functional analysis of proteases from streptococcus pneumoniae, bacillus anthracis, and yersinia pestis. | abstract: background: uncharacterized proteases naturally expressed by bacterial pathogens represents important topic in infectious disease research, because these enzymes may have critical roles in pathogenicity and cell physiology. it has been observed that cloning, expression and purification of proteases often fail due to their catalytic functions which, in turn, cause toxicity in the e. coli heterologous host. results: in order to address this problem systematically, a modified pipeline of ... | 2011 | 21545736 |
| sensitive detection of an anthrax biomarker using a glassy carbon electrode with a consecutively immobilized layer of polyaniline/carbon nanotube/peptide. | sensitivity of anthrax protective antigen (pa) detection has been improved by directly immobilizing a pa-specific peptide onto a multi-wall carbon nanotube (mwcnt). the mwcnt was covalently immobilized onto a polyaniline (pani) electrode, which was prepared via electropolymerization of the aniline monomer onto a glassy carbon electrode (gce). then, the pa-specific peptide was covalently immobilized to the mwcnt layer for measurement. when comparing this technique to that of pa immobilization on ... | 2011 | 21550226 |
| symmetry requirements for the effective blocking of pore-forming toxins: comparative study with {alpha}-, {beta}-, and {gamma}-cyclodextrin derivatives. | we compared the ability of structurally related cationic cyclodextrins to inhibit bacillus anthracis lethal toxin and staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin. we found that both β- and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives effectively inhibited anthrax toxin action by blocking the trans-membrane oligomeric pores formed by the pa subunit of the toxin, whereas α-cyclodextrins were ineffective. in contrast, α-hemolysin was selectively blocked only by β- cyclodextrin derivatives, demonstrating that both symmetry and ... | 2011 | 21555769 |
| characterization of bacilli isolated from the confined environments of the antarctic concordia station and the international space station. | abstract bacillus and related genera comprise opportunist and pathogen species that can threaten the health of a crew in confined stations required for long-term missions. in this study, 43 bacilli from confined environments, that is, the antarctic concordia station and the international space station, were characterized in terms of virulence and plasmid exchange potentials. no specific virulence feature, such as the production of toxins or unusual antibiotic resistance, was detected. most of th ... | 2011 | 21563959 |
| ultrasensitive detection of botulinum neurotoxins and anthrax lethal factor in biological samples by alissa. | both botulinum neurotoxins (bonts) and anthrax lethal factor, a component of anthrax toxin, exhibit zinc metalloprotease activity. the assay detailed here is capable of quantitatively detecting these proteins by measuring their enzymatic functions with high sensitivity. the detection method encompasses two steps: (1) specific target capture and enrichment and (2) cleavage of a fluorogenic substrate by the immobilized active target, the extent of which is quantitatively determined by differential ... | 2011 | 21567315 |
| examination of bacillus anthracis spores by multiparameter flow cytometry. | the ability to rapidly differentiate bacillus anthracis spores from spores belonging to other bacillus spp. is potentially useful for combating the intentional release of this biothreat agent. furthermore, not all b. anthracis strains are fully virulent and the ability to determine the potential virulence of the endospore is also important. in this chapter, we describe a two-color flow cytometric assay capable of simultaneously identifying b. anthracis spores and the presence of spore-associated ... | 2011 | 21567316 |
| aluminum vaccine adjuvants: are they safe? | aluminum is an experimentally demonstrated neurotoxin and the most commonly used vaccine adjuvant. despite almost 90 years of widespread use of aluminum adjuvants, medical science's understanding about their mechanisms of action is still remarkably poor. there is also a concerning scarcity of data on toxicology and pharmacokinetics of these compounds. in spite of this, the notion that aluminum in vaccines is safe appears to be widely accepted. experimental research, however, clearly shows that a ... | 2011 | 21568886 |
| feasibility of selected prophylactic barriers in arrestance of airborne bacterial vegetative cells and endospores. | background: transmission of infection by airborne agents is a risk for health care personnel, patients, and visitors. this risk is heightened in regions without access to environmental controls and personal protective equipment. the ability of 2 prophylactic barriers (ie, semitransparent netting for insect control) to arrest bioaerosols was assessed for potential use within the malarial zones. methods: barriers (pore sizes of 0.8 mm and 0.25 mm) were challenged with bioaerosols of vegetative cel ... | 2011 | 21570738 |
| identification of an african bacillus anthracis lineage that lacks expression of the spore surface associated anthrose containing oligosaccharide. | the surface of bacillus anthracis endospores exposes a pentasaccharide containing the monosaccharide anthrose which has been considered as vaccine or target for specific detection of the spores. in this study b. anthracis strains isolated from cattle carcasses in african countries where anthrax is endemic were tested for their cross-reactivity with monoclonal antibodies (mabs) specific for anthrose containing oligosaccharides. unexpectedly, none of the isolates collected in chad, cameroon and ma ... | 2011 | 21571994 |
| structure of the slh domains from bacillus anthracis surface array protein. | surface (s)-layers, para-crystalline arrays of protein, are deposited in the envelope of most bacterial species. these surface organelles are retained in the bacterial envelope through the non-covalent association of proteins with cell wall carbohydrates. bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive pathogen, produces s-layers of the protein sap, which uses three consecutive repeats of the surface-layer homology (slh) domain to engage secondary cell wall polysaccharides (scwp). using x-ray crystallograph ... | 2011 | 21572039 |
| gsk-3 activation is important for anthrax edema toxin induced dendritic cell maturation and antxr2 expression in macrophages. | anthrax edema toxin (et) is one of two binary toxins produced by bacillus anthracis that contributes to the virulence of this pathogen. et is an adenylate cyclase that generates high levels of camp causing alterations in multiple host-cell signaling pathways. we previously demonstrated that et increases cell surface expression of the anthrax toxin receptors (antxr) in monocyte-derived cells and promotes dendritic cell (dc) migration towards the lymph node homing chemokine mip-3β. in this work we ... | 2011 | 21576335 |
| bacillus cereus g9241 makes anthrax toxin and capsule like highly virulent b. anthracis ames but behaves like attenuated toxigenic nonencapsulated b. anthracis sterne in rabbits and mice. | bacillus cereus g9241 was isolated from a welder with a pulmonary anthrax-like illness. the organism contains two megaplasmids, pbcxo1 and pbc218. these plasmids are analogous to the b. anthracis ames plasmids pxo1 and pxo2 that encode anthrax toxins and capsule, respectively. here we evaluated the virulence of b. cereus g9241 as well as the contributions of pbcxo1 and pbc218 to virulence. b. cereus g9241 was avirulent in new zealand rabbits after subcutaneous inoculation and attenuated 100-fold ... | 2011 | 21576337 |
| [the development and testing of a molecular biological test system for dna detection of anthrax pathogen by real-time polymerase chain reaction assay]. | the paper presents the results of the development and testing of a molecular biological test system for dna detection of anthrax pathogen (bacillus anthracis) by real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. the test system has shown high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of results of analysis, as exemplified by aqueous suspensions of daily agar cultures of bacillus anthracis strains, related and heterologous species of microorganisms, and clinical materials of experimental animals. th ... | 2011 | 21584969 |
| the slh-domain protein bslo is a determinant of bacillus anthracis chain length. | the gram-positive pathogen bacillus anthracis grows in characteristic chains of individual, rod-shaped cells. here, we report the cell-separating activity of bslo, a putative n-acetylglucosaminidase bearing three n-terminal s-layer homology (slh) domains for association with the secondary cell wall polysaccharide (scwp). mutants with an insertional lesion in the bslo gene exhibit exaggerated chain lengths, although individual cell dimensions are unchanged. purified bslo complements this phenotyp ... | 2011 | 21585566 |
| structural analysis of a putative aminoglycoside n-acetyltransferase from bacillus anthracis. | for the last decade, worldwide efforts for the treatment of anthrax infection have focused on developing effective vaccines. patients that are already infected are still treated traditionally using different types of standard antimicrobial agents. the most popular are antibiotics such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. while aminoglycosides appear to be less effective antimicrobial agents than other antibiotics, synthetic aminoglycosides have been shown to act as potent inhibitors of anthrax ... | 2011 | 21601576 |
| mutually exclusive distribution of the sap and eag s-layer genes and the lytb/lyta cell wall hydrolase genes in bacillus thuringiensis. | recently, two bacillus thuringiensis strains were reported to synthesize parasporal inclusion bodies made not of the expected crystal (cry) proteins but rather of the surface layer proteins (slp) sap (encoded by sap) and ea1 (encoded by eag), respectively. whether the presence of the sap and eag genes is restricted to these two b. thuringiensis strains or ubiquitous in b. thuringiensis is unknown. we report here the distribution of the sap and eag genes in b. thuringiensis. strains in the bacill ... | 2011 | 21611767 |
| negatively charged liposomes show potent adjuvant activity when simply admixed with protein antigens. | liposomes have been investigated extensively as a vaccine delivery system. herein the adjuvant activities of liposomes with different net surface charges (neutral, positive, or negative) were evaluated when admixed with protein antigens, ovalbumin (ova, pi = 4.7), bacillus anthracis protective antigen protein (pa, pi = 5.6), or cationized ova (cova). mice immunized subcutaneously with ova admixed with different liposomes generated different antibody responses. interestingly, ova admixed with net ... | 2011 | 21615153 |
| anthrax lethal toxin disrupts the endothelial permeability barrier through blocking p38 signaling. | exposure to anthrax causes life-threatening disease through the action of the toxin produced by the bacillus anthracis bacteria. lethal factor (lf), an anthrax toxin component which causes severe vascular leak and edema, is a protease which specifically degrades map kinase kinases (mkk). we have recently shown that p38 map kinase activation leading to hsp27 phosphorylation augments the endothelial permeability barrier. we now show that treatment of rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells ( ... | 2011 | 21618534 |
| reference genes for quantitative, reverse-transcription pcr in bacillus cereus group strains throughout the bacterial life cycle. | quantitative reverse-transcription pcr (rt-qpcr) has become a major tool to better understand the biology and pathogenesis of bacteria. one prerequisite of valid rt-qpcr data is their proper normalization to stably expressed reference genes. to identify and evaluate reference genes suitable for normalization of gene expression data in bacillus cereus group strains, mrna levels of eleven candidate reference genes (rpsu, nifu, udp (udp-n-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase), bt9727_5154/bc_5475, bt9727_ ... | 2011 | 21620905 |
| assembly of minicellulosomes on the surface of bacillus subtilis. | to cost-efficiently produce biofuels new methods are needed to convert lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. one promising approach is to degrade biomass using cellulosomes, which are surface displayed multi-cellulase containing complexes present in cellulolytic clostridium and ruminococcus species. in this study we created cellulolytic strains of b. subtilis that display one or more cellulase enzymes. proteins containing the appropriate cell wall sorting signal are covalently anchore ... | 2011 | 21622797 |
| dispensing medical countermeasures for public health emergencies: workshop summary | with the threat of an anthrax attack as the case study, on march 3–4,
2008, the institute of medicine (iom) forum on medical and public
health preparedness for catastrophic events hosted a workshop titled
“medical countermeasures dispensing.” the workshop was organized
by an independent planning committee. the following is a summary of
the presentations and discussion that transpired during the workshop.
any opinions, conclusions, or recommendation ... | 2008 | 20669413 |
| medical microbiology | bacillus species are aerobic, sporulating, rod-shaped bacteria that are ubiquitous in nature. bacillus anthracis, the agent of anthrax, is the only obligate bacillus pathogen in vertebrates. bacillus larvae, b lentimorbus, b popilliae, b sphaericus, and b thuringiensis are pathogens of specific groups of insects. a number of other species, in particular b cereus, are occasional pathogens of humans and livestock, but the large majority of bacillus species are harmless saprophytes. anthrax has aff ... | 1996 | 21413260 |
| medical microbiology | all bacteria, both pathogenic and saprophytic, are unicellular organisms that
reproduce by binary fission. most bacteria are capable of independent metabolic
existence and growth, but species of chlamydia and
rickettsia are obligately intracellular organisms. bacterial
cells are extremely small and are most conveniently measured in microns
(10-6 m). they range in size from large cells such as
... | 1996 | 21413343 |
| chlorine dioxide inactivation of bacterial threat agents. | aims: to evaluate the efficacy of chlorine dioxide (clo(2) ) against seven species of bacterial threat (bt) agents in water. methods and results: two strains of bacillus anthracis spores, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, burkholderia pseudomallei, burkholderia mallei, and brucella species were each inoculated into a clo(2) solution with an initial concentration of 2·0 mg l(-1) (spores only) and 0·25 mg l(-1) (all other bacteria) at ph 7 or 8, 5°c or 25°c. at 0·25 mg l(-1) in potable wa ... | 2011 | 21623848 |
| marked enhancement of the immune response to biothrax(®) (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) by the tlr9 agonist cpg 7909 in healthy volunteers. | immunization with biothrax(®) (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) is a safe and effective means of preventing anthrax. animal studies have demonstrated that the addition of cpg dna adjuvants to biothrax can markedly increase the immunogenicity of the vaccine, increasing both serum anti-protective antigen (pa) antibody and anthrax toxin-neutralizing antibody (tna) concentrations. the immune response to cpg-adjuvanted biothrax in animals was not only stronger, but was also more rapid and led to higher leve ... | 2011 | 21624418 |
| a kinetic analysis of protein transport through the anthrax toxin channel. | anthrax toxin is composed of three proteins: a translocase heptameric channel, (pa(63))(7), formed from protective antigen (pa), which allows the other two proteins, lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef), to translocate across a host cell's endosomal membrane, disrupting cellular homeostasis. (pa(63))(7) incorporated into planar phospholipid bilayer membranes forms a channel capable of transporting lf and ef. protein translocation through the channel can be driven by voltage on a timescale of ... | 2011 | 21624946 |
| colorimetric and dynamic light scattering detection of dna sequences by using positively charged gold nanospheres: a comparative study with gold nanorods. | we introduce a new genosensing approach employing ctab (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide)-coated positively charged colloidal gold nanoparticles (gnps) to detect target dna sequences by using absorption spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. the approach is compared with a previously reported method employing unmodified ctab-coated gold nanorods (gnrs). both approaches are based on the observation that whereas the addition of probe and target ssdna to ctab-coated particles results in particle ... | 2011 | 21625041 |
| an unusual mechanism of isopeptide bond formation attaches the collagenlike glycoprotein bcla to the exosporium of bacillus anthracis. | abstract the outermost exosporium layer of spores of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is comprised of a basal layer and an external hairlike nap. the nap includes filaments composed of trimers of the collagenlike glycoprotein bcla. essentially all bcla trimers are tightly attached to the spore in a process requiring the basal layer protein bxpb (also called exsfa). both bcla and bxpb are incorporated into stable, high-molecular-mass complexes, suggesting that bcla is attached ... | 2011 | 21628501 |
| multigenic control and sex-bias in host susceptibility to spore-induced pulmonary anthrax in mice. | mechanisms underlying susceptibility to anthrax infection are unknown. using a phylogenetically diverse panel of inbred mice and spores of bacillus anthracis ames, we investigated host susceptibility to pulmonary anthrax. susceptibility profiles for survival time and organ pathogen load differed across strains, indicating distinct genetic controls. tissue infection kinetics analysis showed greater systemic dissemination in susceptible dba/2j (d) mice, but higher terminal bacterial load in resist ... | 2011 | 21628518 |
| bacillus anthracis: molecular taxonomy, population genetics, phylogeny and patho-evolution. | bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, manifests a particular bimodal lifestyle. this bacterial species alternates between short replication phases of 20-40 generations that strictly require infection of the host, normally causing death, interrupted by relatively long, mostly dormant phases as spores in the environment. hence, the b. anthracis genome is highly homogeneous. this feature and the fact that strains from nearly all parts of the world have been analysed for canonical si ... | 2011 | 21640849 |
| noninvasive imaging technologies reveal edema toxin as a key virulence factor in anthrax. | powerful noninvasive imaging technologies enable real-time tracking of pathogen-host interactions in vivo, giving access to previously elusive events. we visualized the interactions between wild-type bacillus anthracis and its host during a spore infection through bioluminescence imaging coupled with histology. we show that edema toxin plays a central role in virulence in guinea pigs and during inhalational infection in mice. edema toxin (et), but not lethal toxin (lt), markedly modified the pat ... | 2011 | 21641378 |
| lysozyme as a barrier to growth of bacillus anthracis strain sterne in liquid egg white, milk and beef. | in this study, we investigated the role of lysozyme on the viability of bacillus cereus, bacillus subtilis, bacillus pumilus and bacillus anthracis (sterne) in egg white (ew), ground beef and milk. at 35 °c in ew, growth rates (gr) for b. cereus, b. subtilis, b. pumilus and b. anthracis were 0.005, -0.018, -0.028 and -0.029 od(600)/h, respectively. heat-treating ew at 55 and 60 °c reduced the inactivating effect of ew by 3.1 and 10.5-fold, respectively. addition of lysozyme (2 mg/ml) to 60 °c-tr ... | 2011 | 21645824 |
| yersinia pestis yope contains a dominant cd8 t cell epitope that confers protection in a mouse model of pneumonic plague. | septic bacterial pneumonias are a major cause of death worldwide. several of the highest priority bioterror concerns, including anthrax, tularemia, and plague, are caused by bacteria that acutely infect the lung. bacterial resistance to multiple antibiotics is increasingly common. although vaccines may be our best defense against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, there has been little progress in the development of safe and effective vaccines for pulmonary bacterial pathogens. the gram-negative bac ... | 2011 | 21653834 |
| efficient targeting of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by systemic administration of a dual upa and mmp-activated engineered anthrax toxin. | head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (hnscc) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. although considerable progress has been made in elucidating the etiology of the disease, the prognosis for individuals diagnosed with hnscc remains poor, underscoring the need for development of additional treatment modalities. hnscc is characterized by the upregulation of a large number of proteolytic enzymes, including urokinase plasminogen activator (upa) and an assortment of matrix metalloproteinases (mm ... | 2011 | 21655226 |
| carbohydrate molecules: an expanding horizon in drug delivery and biomedicine. | this review presents successful applications of carbohydrate molecules in drug delivery, vaccine development, cancer, hiv and various other diseases based on advances in glycobiology and glycochemistry. carbohydrate-mediated delivery could be site specific/cell specific. carbohydrate-based delivery system has been successfully utilized for the delivery of macromolecular drugs, antigen, and potential therapeutic drug candidates. lectin, the high affinity carbohydrate-binding nonimmune glycoprotei ... | 2011 | 21663577 |
| feasibility of the use of elisa in an immunogenicity-based potency test of anthrax vaccines. | complexities of lethal challenge animal models have prompted the investigation of immunogenicity assays as potency tests of anthrax vaccines. an elisa was used to measure the antibody response to protective antigen (pa) in mice immunized once with a commercially available (ava) or a recombinant pa vaccine (rpav) formulated in-house with aluminum hydroxide. results from the anti-pa elisa were used to select a single dose appropriate for the development of a potency test. immunization with 0.2ml o ... | 2011 | 21664832 |
| targeting the inflammasome and adenosine type-3 receptors improves outcome of antibiotic therapy in murine anthrax. | to establish whether activation of adenosine type-3 receptors (a3rs) and inhibition of interleukin-1+¦-induced inflammation is beneficial in combination with antibiotic therapy to increase survival of mice challenged with anthrax spores. | 2011 | 21666812 |
| neutral metallated and meso-substituted porphyrins as antimicrobial agents against gram-positive pathogens. | staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen that causes severe infections among humans. the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of new strategies to combat the spread of disease. one approach is photodynamic inactivation using porphyrin photosensitizers, which generate superoxide and other radicals in the presence of light, causing cell death via the oxidation of proteins and lipids. in this study, we analyzed a novel library of meso-substituted and metal ... | 2011 | 21667268 |
| a model for in-vivo delivered dose estimation for inhaled bacillus anthracis spores in humans with interspecies extrapolation. | the quantitative yardstick for quantitative microbial risk assessment (qmra) is the dose response assessment phase. in this phase of the qmra paradigm a mathematical model is used to describe the relationship between host response (infection, disease, etc.) and pathogen dose. there are, however, key uncertainties which if addressed can expand our understanding of the dose response relationship and improve its accuracy. the dose response models most frequently used in this phase of qmra are based ... | 2011 | 21667964 |
| a tetrameric structure is not essential for activity in dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dhdps) from mycobacterium tuberculosis. | dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dhdps) is a validated antibiotic target for which a new approach to inhibitor design has been proposed: disrupting native tetramer formation by targeting the dimer-dimer interface. in this study, rational design afforded a variant of mycobacterium tuberculosis, mtb-dhdps-a204r, with disrupted quaternary structure. x-ray crystallography (at a resolution of 2.1Å) revealed a dimeric protein with an identical fold and active-site structure to the tetrameric wild-type e ... | 2011 | 21672512 |
| regulation of petrobactin and bacillibactin biosynthesis in bacillus anthracis under iron and oxygen variation. | bacillus anthracis produces two catecholate siderophores, petrobactin and bacillibactin, under iron-limited conditions. here, we investigate how variable iron and oxygen concentrations influence the biosynthetic output of both siderophores in b. anthracis. in addition, we describe the differential levels of transcription of select genes within the b. anthracis siderophore biosynthetic operons that are responsible for synthesis of petrobactin and bacillibactin, during variable growth conditions. | 2011 | 21673962 |
| tumor endothelium marker-8 based decoys exhibit superiority over capillary morphogenesis protein-2 based decoys as anthrax toxin inhibitors. | anthrax toxin is the major virulence factor produced by bacillus anthracis. the toxin consists of three protein subunits: protective antigen (pa), lethal factor, and edema factor. inhibition of pa binding to its receptors, tumor endothelium marker-8 (tem8) and capillary morphogenesis protein-2 (cmg2) can effectively block anthrax intoxication, which is particularly valuable when the toxin has already been overproduced at the late stage of anthrax infection, thus rendering antibiotics ineffectual ... | 2011 | 21674060 |
| imaging tumor endothelial marker 8 using an (18)f-labeled peptide. | purpose: tumor endothelial marker 8 (tem8) has been reported to be upregulated in both tumor cells and tumor-associated endothelial cells in several cancer types. tem8 antagonists and tem8-targeted delivery of toxins have been developed as effective cancer therapeutics. the ability to image tem8 expression would be of use in evaluating tem8-targeted cancer therapy. methods: a 13-meric peptide, kyndrlplyisnp (qqm), identified from the small loop in domain iv of protective antigen of anthrax toxin ... | 2011 | 21814853 |
| the five near-iron transporter (neat) domain anthrax hemophore, isdx2, scavenges heme from hemoglobin and transfers heme to the surface protein isdc. | pathogenic bacteria require iron to replicate inside mammalian hosts. recent studies indicate that heme acquisition in gram-positive bacteria is mediated by proteins containing one or more near-iron transporter (neat) domains. b. anthracis is a spore-forming, gram-positive pathogen and the causative agent of anthrax disease. the rapid, extensive and efficient replication of b. anthracis in host tissues makes this pathogen an excellent model organism for the study of bacterial heme acquisition. b ... | 2011 | 21808055 |
| disinfection methods for spores of bacillus atrophaeus, b. anthracis, clostridium tetani, c. botulinum and c. difficile. | to evaluate disinfection methods for environments contaminated with bioterrorism-associated microorganism (bacillus anthracis), we performed the following experiments. first, the sporicidal effects of sodium hypochlorite on spores of five bacterial species were evaluated. bacillus atrophaeus was the most resistant to hypochlorite, followed in order by b. anthracis, clostridium botulinum and clostridium tetani, and clostridium difficile. subsequently, using b. atrophaeus spores that were the most ... | 2011 | 21804226 |
| anthrax phylogenetic structure in northern italy. | abstract: background: anthrax has almost disappeared from mainland europe, except for the mediterranean region where cases are still reported. in central and south italy, anthrax is enzootic, but in the north there are currently no high risk areas, with only sporadic cases having been registered in the last few decades. regional genetic and molecular characterizations of anthrax in these regions are still lacking. to investigate the potential molecular diversity of bacillus anthracis in northern ... | 2011 | 21801397 |
| htra is a major virulence determinant of bacillus anthracis. | we demonstrate that disruption of the htra (high temperature requirement a) gene in either the virulent bacillus anthracis vollum (pxo1(+) , pxo2(+) ), or in the δvollum (pxo1(-) , pxo2(-) , nontoxinogenic and noncapsular) strains, affect significantly the ability of the resulting mutants to withstand heat, oxidative, ethanol and osmotic stress. the δhtra mutants manifest altered secretion of several proteins, as well as complete silencing of the abundant extracellular starvation-associated neut ... | 2011 | 21801240 |
| grp78(bip) facilitates the cytosolic delivery of anthrax lethal factor (lf) in vivo and functions as an unfoldase in vitro. | anthrax toxin is an a/b bacterial protein toxin which is composed of the enzymatically active lethal factor (lf) and/or oedema factor (ef) bound to protective antigen 63 (pa63) which functions as both the receptor binding and transmembrane domains. once the toxin binds to its cell surface receptors it is internalized into the cell and traffics through rab5- and rab7-associated endosomal vesicles. following acidification of the vesicle lumen, pa63 undergoes a dynamic change forming a beta-barrel ... | 2011 | 21797942 |
| fluorescent detection of an anthrax biomarker based on pva film. | due to the dangerous nature of anthrax, the development of a cost-effective, sensitive and field-portable sensor for the anthrax biomarker-calcium dipicolinate (cadpa)-is of exceptional significance for both military and civilian use. herein, a flexible polymer-film-based ratiometric sensor for detecting cadpa was demonstrated. a reference dye and a probe ligand were covalently immobilized onto the film surface through a highly selective and efficient "click chemistry" reaction. the reference dy ... | 2011 | 21796290 |
| lethal factor is not required for bacillus anthracis virulence in guinea pigs and rabbits. | the major virulence factor of bacillus anthracis is the tripartite anthrax toxin, comprising the protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef). the lf of b. anthracis is a metalloprotease that has been shown to play an important role in pathogenicity. deletion of this gene (lef) in the sterne strain was reported to dramatically reduce the pathogenicity of this strain in mice, and was reported to be as dramatic as the deletion of pa. we evaluated the effect on pathogenicity of ... | 2011 | 21791242 |
| the development of a silica nanoparticle-based label-free dna biosensor. | a silica nanoparticle-based dna biosensor capable of detecting bacillus anthracis bacteria through the use of unlabelled ss-oligonucleotides has been developed. the biosensor makes use of the optical changes that accompany a nanoparticle-immobilized cationic conjugated polymer (polythiophene) interacting with single-stranded vs. hybridized oligonucleotides, where a fluorescence signal appears only when hybridized dna is present (i.e. only when the ss-oligonucleotide interacting with the polymer ... | 2011 | 21789325 |
| molecular epidemiological study of bacillus anthracis isolated in mongolia by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis for 8 loci (mlva-8). | the incidence of anthrax, which is caused by bacillus anthracis, in the human and animal population of mongolia has increased recently, and control of this infection is a nationwide concern. in this study, 29 isolates obtained from animals and various regions in mongolia from 2001 to 2007 were analyzed by performing multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis for 8 loci (mlva-8) to understand the genetic relationship between the mongolian b. anthracis isolates. we found that all the mo ... | 2011 | 21788715 |
| environmental and biofilm-dependent changes in a bacillus cereus secondary cell wall polysaccharide. | bacterial species from the bacillus genus, including bacillus cereus and bacillus anthracis, synthesize secondary cell wall polymers (scwp) covalently associated to the peptidoglycan through a phospho-diester linkage. although such components were observed in a wide panel of b. cereus and b. anthracis strains, the effect of culture conditions or of bacterial growth state on their synthesis has never been addressed. herein we show that b. cereus atcc 14579 can synthesize not only one, as previous ... | 2011 | 21784857 |
| new inhibitors of colony spreading in bacillus subtilis and bacillus anthracis. | we have recently characterized sliding motility in bacillus subtilis strains that lack functional flagella, and here describe the discovery of inhibitors of colony spreading in these strains as well as the aflagellate pathogen, bacillus anthracis. aflagellate b. subtilis strains were used to screen for new types of antibacterials that might inhibit colony spreading on semi-solid media. from a diverse set of organic structures, p-nitrophenylglycerol (npg), an agent used primarily in clinical labo ... | 2011 | 21784632 |
| biological terrorism and the allergist's office practice. | during the anthrax outbreak and threat in trenton (2001), our allergy practice experienced increased visits from approximately 50 of our regular patients with symptoms they believed resulted from anthrax exposure. in all cases, their symptoms were caused by a combination of an exacerbation of their underlying allergic disease and anxiety because of possible exposure to anthrax. our objective is to present an orderly approach to the allergist's outpatients presenting with possible exposure to a b ... | 2011 | 21781403 |
| bacillus anthracis tubulin-related protein ba-tubz assembles force-generating polymers. | pathogenecity of bacillus anthracis depends on the faithful inheritance of plasmid pxo1, in a process that requires the plasmid encoded tubulin-related protein ba-tubz. here we show, using heterologous expression in schizosaccharomyces pombe, that ba-tubz assembles into a dynamic polymer in the absence of other b. anthracis proteins and can generate force capable of deforming the fission yeast nuclear envelope. the polymer bundles contain 27 ± 15 protofilaments / µm assuming that each protofilam ... | 2011 | 21780309 |
| ultra-rapid flow-through polymerase chain reaction microfluidics using vapor pressure. | a novel flow-through polymerase chain reaction (pcr) microfluidic system using vapor pressure was developed that can achieve ultra-rapid, small-volume dna amplification on a chip. the 40-cycle amplification can be completed in as little as 120s, making this device the fastest pcr system in the world. the chip device is made of a pressure-sensitive polyolefin (psp) film and cyclo-olefin polymer (cop) substrate which was processed by cutting-work to fabricate the microchannel. the enclosed structu ... | 2011 | 21778045 |
| cutaneous manifestations of category a bioweapons. | the 2001 anthrax attacks on the united states brought bioterrorism to the forefront of the medical community. because many bioterrorist agents produce cutaneous disease, dermatologists will likely be first responders during a future attack. despite this, many dermatologists are not adequately prepared to deal with a bioterrorism attack. it is critical that all first responders be able to recognize symptoms of bioterrorism-related disease and prepared to respond to a bioterrorist attack to minimi ... | 2011 | 21777993 |
| 'bioluminescent' reporter phage for the detection of category a bacterial pathogens. | yersinia pestis and bacillus anthracis are category a bacterial pathogens that are the causative agents of the plague and anthrax, respectively (1). although the natural occurrence of both diseases' is now relatively rare, the possibility of terrorist groups using these pathogens as a bioweapon is real. because of the disease's inherent communicability, rapid clinical course, and high mortality rate, it is critical that an outbreak be detected quickly. therefore methodologies that provide rapid ... | 2011 | 21775956 |
| analysis of the binding forces driving the tight interactions between {beta}-lactamase inhibitory protein-ii (blip-ii) and class a {beta}-lactamases. | ß-lactamases hydrolyze ß-lactam antibiotics to provide drug resistance to bacteria. blip-ii is a potent proteinaceous inhibitor that exhibits low picomolar affinity for class a ß-lactamases. this study examines the driving forces for binding between blip-ii and ß-lactamases using a combination of pre-steady state kinetics, isothermal titration calorimetry and x-ray crystallography. the measured dissociation rate constants for blip-ii and various ß-lactamases ranged from 10-4-10-7 s-1 and are com ... | 2011 | 21775426 |
| glms riboswitch binding to the glucosamine-6-phosphate a-anomer shifts the pk(a) toward neutrality. | the glms riboswitch regulates gene expression through a self-cleavage activity. the reaction is catalyzed with the assistance of the metabolite cofactor glucosamine-6-phosphate (glcn6p), whose amino group is proposed to serve as the general acid during the reaction. this reaction is ph-dependent with a pk(a) that is lower than the observed pk(a) for the amine of glcn6p in solution. glcn6p, like other pyranose sugars, undergoes spontaneous and rapid interconversion between the a and ß anomers at ... | 2011 | 21770472 |
| humanized {theta}-defensins (retrocyclins) enhance macrophage performance and protect mice from experimental anthrax infections. | retrocyclins are humanized versions of the -defensin peptides expressed by the leukocytes of several nonhuman primates. previous studies, performed in serum-free media, determined that retrocyclins 1 and 2 could prevent successful germination of bacillus anthracis (ba) spores, kill vegetative ba cells, and inactivate anthrax lethal factor. we now report that retrocyclins are extensively bound by components of native mouse, human and fetal calf sera, that heat-inactivated sera show greatly enhanc ... | 2011 | 21768520 |
| improvement of a potential anthrax therapeutic by computational protein design. | past anthrax attacks in the united states have highlighted the need for improved measures against bioweapons. the virulence of anthrax stems from the shielding properties of the bacillus anthracis poly-?-d-glutamate capsule. in the presence of excess capd, a b. anthracis ?-glutamyl transpeptidase, the protective capsule is degraded and the immune system can successfully combat the infection. while capd shows promise as a next generation protein therapeutic against anthrax, improvements in produc ... | 2011 | 21768086 |
| quaternary structure, conformational variability, and global motions of phosphoglucosamine mutase. | phosphoglucosamine mutase (pngm) is a bacterial enzyme that participates in the peptidoglycan biosynthetic pathway. recent crystal structures of pngm from two bacterial pathogens, bacillus anthracis and francisella tularensis, revealed key structural features of this enzyme for the first time. here, we follow up on several novel findings from the crystallographic studies, including the observation of a structurally conserved interface between polypeptide chains and conformational variability of ... | 2011 | 21767345 |
| rapid viability polymerase chain reaction method for detection of virulent bacillus anthracis from environmental samples. | in the event of a biothreat agent release, hundreds of samples would need to be rapidly processed to characterize the extent of contamination and determine the efficacy of remediation activities. current biological agent identification and viability determination methods are both labor- and time-intensive such that turnaround time for confirmed results is typically several days. in order to alleviate this issue, automated, high throughput sample processing methods were developed in which real-ti ... | 2011 | 21764960 |
| primary cutaneous infection with bacillus megaterium mimicking cutaneous anthrax. | | 2011 | 21763557 |
| sensitive fluorescence assay of anthrax protective antigen with two new dna aptamers and their binding properties. | a homogeneous assay of the protective antigen in anthrax toxin is reported using two new pa-specific aptamers for selective and sensitive detection, based on reduction in the fluorescence emission according to the formation of the aptamer-pa ternary complex. pa at 1 nm was readily detected using oligreen as a fluorophore in hepes buffer. we also demonstrated that the pa detection could be performed in blood serum. the binding interaction between the aptamer and pa was strong enough to dehybridiz ... | 2011 | 21743920 |
| biological warfare agents. | the recent bioterrorist attacks using anthrax spores have emphasized the need to detect and decontaminate critical facilities in the shortest possible time. there has been a remarkable progress in the detection, protection and decontamination of biological warfare agents as many instrumentation platforms and detection methodologies are developed and commissioned. even then the threat of biological warfare agents and their use in bioterrorist attacks still remain a leading cause of global concern ... | 2010 | 21829313 |
| ampd3 is involved in anthrax letx-induced macrophage cell death. | the responses of macrophages to bacillus anthracis infection are important for the survival of the host, since macrophages are required for the germination of b. anthracis spores in lymph nodes, and macrophage death exacerbates anthrax lethal toxin (letx)-induced organ collapse. to elucidate the mechanism of macrophage cell death induced by letx, we performed a genetic screen to search for genes associated with letx-induced macrophage cell death. raw264.7 cells, a macrophage-like cell line sensi ... | 2011 | 21822801 |
| dnaj sequences of bacillus cereus strains isolated from outbreaks of hospital infection are highly similar to bacillus anthracis. | bacillus cereus is becoming an important nomosomial pathogen because of frequent isolation from blood cultures and from severe systemic infections. to differentiate highly pathogenic outbreak strain of b. cereus from other sources of the bacillus cereus, we attempted to analyze their dnaj sequences. assays indicated that dnaj sequence similarity of all of 52 blood culture isolates of b. cereus ranged from 92.8% to 100%. the distance between b. anthracis and b. cereus except six outbreak isolates ... | 2011 | 21683265 |
| bovine bacillus anthracis in cameroon. | bovine bacillus anthracis isolates from cameroon were genetically characterized. they showed a strong homogeneity, and they belong, together with strains from chad, to cluster a+¦, which appears to be predominant in western africa. however, one strain that belongs to a newly defined clade (d) and cluster (d1) is penicillin resistant and shows certain phenotypes typical of bacillus cereus. | 2011 | 21705535 |
| the poly-{gamma}-d-glutamic acid capsule of bacillus anthracis enhances lethal toxin activity. | the poly-+¦-d-glutamic acid (pga) capsule is one of the major virulence factors of bacillus anthracis, which causes a highly lethal infectious disease. the pga capsule disguises b. anthracis from immune surveillance and allows its unimpeded growth in the host. the pga capsule recently was reported to be associated with lethal toxin (lt) in the blood of experimentally infected animals (m. h. cho, et al., infect. immun. 78:387-392, 2010). the effect of pga, either alone or in combination with lt, ... | 2011 | 21690241 |
| anthrax toxin induces macrophage death by p38 mapk inhibition but leads to inflammasome activation via atp leakage. | detection of microbial constituents by membrane associated and cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptors is the essence of innate immunity, leading to activation of protective host responses. however, it is still unclear how immune cells specifically respond to pathogenic bacteria. using virulent and nonvirulent strains of bacillus anthracis, we have shown that secretion of atp by infected macrophages and the sequential activation of the p2x7 purinergic receptor and nucleotide binding oligomeriz ... | 2011 | 21683629 |
| b. anthracis in a wool-processing factory: seroprevalence and occupational risk. | summaryin a belgian wool-processing factory, living anthrax spores were found in raw goat hair and air dust, but confirmed anthrax cases had never been reported. anthrax vaccines are not licensed nor recommended in belgium. we conducted a b. anthracis seroprevalence study to investigate risk factors associated with positive serology and advise on protective measures. overall 12…1% (8/66) employees were seropositive; 30% of persons processing raw goat hair and 20% of persons sorting raw goat hai ... | 2011 | 21835070 |
| inhibition of anthrax toxins with a bispecific monoclonal antibody that cross reacts with edema factor as well as lethal factor of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis overwhelms its victims by way of two toxins, namely edema toxin and lethal toxin. lethal toxin is formed by the combination of protective antigen with lethal factor while edema toxin is formed by the combination of protective antigen with edema factor. overlapping regions between edema factor and lethal factor have been reported in past. for the first time, this study reports characterization of a bispecific monoclonal antibody (mab), h10, which showed high affinity interactio ... | 2011 | 21704379 |
| access to antigens related to anthrose using pivotal cyclic sulfite/sulfate intermediates. | anthrose is the upstream terminal unit of the tetrasaccharide side chain from a major glycoprotein of bacillus anthracis exosporium and is part of important antigenic determinants. a novel entry to anthrose-containing antigens and precursors is described. the synthetic route, starting from d(+)-fucose, makes use of intermediates featuring a cyclic sulfite or sulfate function which serves successively as a protecting and a leaving group. | 2011 | 21678952 |
| macrophage responses to bacterial toxins: a balance between activation and suppression. | toxins secreted by bacteria can impact the host in a number of different ways. in some infections, toxins play a crucial and central role in pathogenesis (i.e., anthrax), while in other bacterial infections, the role of toxins is less understood. the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (cdcs), of which streptolysin o is a prototype, are a class of pore-forming toxins produced by many gram-positive bacteria and have only been studied in a few experimental infection models. our laboratory has demonst ... | 2011 | 21717083 |
| a systematic methodology for selecting decontamination strategies following a biocontamination event. | decontamination and recovery of a facility or outdoor area after a wide-area biological incident involving a highly persistent agent (eg, bacillus anthracis spores) is a complex process that requires extensive information and significant resources, which are likely to be limited, particularly if multiple facilities or areas are affected. this article proposes a systematic methodology for evaluating information to select the decontamination or alternative treatments that optimize use of resources ... | 2011 | 21823924 |
| risk of disability for us army personnel vaccinated against anthrax, 1998-2005. | to evaluate the potential for long-term or delayed onset health effects, we extended a previous cohort study of disability separation from the army associated with vaccination against anthrax. analyses included stratified cox proportional hazards and multiple logistic regression models. forty-one percent of 1,001,546 soldiers received at least one anthrax vaccination; 5.21% were evaluated for disability. no consistent patterns or statistically significant differences in risk of disability evalua ... | 2011 | 21704102 |
| temporal and spatial distribution of cattle anthrax outbreaks in zimbabwe between 1967 and 2006. | this retrospective study aimed to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of anthrax and to identify risk areas in zimbabwe. the data were extracted from the monthly and annual reports of the division of livestock production and veterinary services for the period 1967 to 2006. the data were analyzed in relation to temporal and spatial factors. the hot-dry season was found to be significantly (x (2)ôçë=ôçë847.8, pôçë<ôçë0.001) associated with the occurrence of anthrax in cattle, and the dise ... | 2011 | 21701924 |
| tumor endothelial marker 8 amplifies canonical wnt signaling in blood vessels. | tumor endothelial marker 8/anthrax toxin receptor 1 (tem8/antxr1) expression is induced in the vascular compartment of multiple tumors and therefore, is a candidate molecule to target tumor therapies. this cell surface molecule mediates anthrax toxin internalization, however, its physiological function in blood vessels remains largely unknown. we identified the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (cam) as a model system to study the endogenous function of tem8 in blood vessels as we found that tem8 ... | 2011 | 21829615 |
| an unusual case of peritonitis in an intravenous drug user. | | 2011 | 21712037 |
| cooperativity and interference of germination pathways in bacillus anthracis spores. | spore germination is the first step to bacillus anthracis pathogenicity. previous work has shown that b. anthracis spores use germination (ger) receptors to recognize amino acids and nucleosides as germinants. genetic analysis has putatively paired each individual ger receptor with a specific germinant. however, ger receptors seem to be able to partially compensate for each other and recognize alternative germinants. using kinetic analysis of b. anthracis spores germinated with inosine and l-ala ... | 2011 | 21685276 |
| potent antimicrobial peptides with selectivity for bacillus anthracis over human erythrocytes. | in this study, 39 antimicrobial peptides, most with documented low haemolytic activity and potent efficacy against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, were evaluated for their haemolytic activity against human red blood cells as well as their antimicrobial activity against escherichia coli, burkholderia thailandensis, bacillus globigii and bacillus anthracis. the majority of the peptides had a minimum inhibitory concentration (mic) of <10++m against b. globigii. however, only eight of thes ... | 2011 | 21741801 |
| combined proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of the response of bacillus anthracis to oxidative stress. | the endospore-forming gram-positive pathogen bacillus anthracis is responsible for the usually fatal disease, inhalational anthrax. the success of this pathogen is dependent on its ability to subvert elements of the innate immune system of its animal hosts. b. anthracis spores, which are the main infective agent, are engulfed and germinate in patrolling alveolar macrophages. in order for the infection to progress, the resulting vegetative cells must resist the antimicrobial oxidative burst mount ... | 2011 | 21726052 |
| public response to an anthrax attack: reactions to mass prophylaxis in a scenario involving inhalation anthrax from an unidentified source. | an attack with bacillus anthracis ("anthrax") is a known threat to the united states. when weaponized, it can cause inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease. due to the rapid course of inhalation anthrax, delays in initiation of antibiotics may decrease survival chances. because a rapid response would require cooperation from the public, there is a need to understand the public's response to possible mass dispensing programs. to examine the public's response to a mass prophylaxis pr ... | 2011 | 21819225 |
| (1)h, (13)c, and (15)n resonance assignments and secondary structure prediction of the full-length transition state regulator abrb from bacillus anthracis. | the abrb protein is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of numerous essential genes during the cells transition phase state. abrb from bacillus anthracis is, nototriously, the principal protein responsible for anthrax toxin gene expression and is highly homologous to the much-studied abrb protein from bacillus subtilis having 85% sequence identity and the ability to regulate the same target promoters. here we report backbone and sidechain resonance assignments and secondary stru ... | 2011 | 21845362 |
| enzymatic characterization of catalase from bacillus anthracis and prediction of critical residues using information theoretic measure of relative entropy. | in order to cope up with the reactive oxygen species (ros) generated by host innate immune response, most of the intracellular organisms express catalase for the enzymatic destruction/detoxification of hydrogen peroxide, to combat its deleterious effects. catalase thus, scavenges ros thereby playing a pivotal role in facilitating the survival of the pathogen within the host, and thus contributes to its pathogenesis. bacillus anthracis harbors five isoforms of catalase, but none of them has been ... | 2011 | 21723851 |
| an integrated system for disaster preparedness and response. | kaiser permanente, the usa's largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare provider, has developed a hybrid emergency preparedness and response system. it consists of a tiered structure of national 'workgroups' and traditional physical command centre operations. the workgroups provide integration and coordination across a large organisation while allowing for necessary regional operational flexibility. workgroup membership taps the best available expertise in a functional area, drawn from all lev ... | 2011 | 21835750 |