| [travelers' diarrhea]. | diarrhea is the most common health problem of travelers to tropical destinations, affecting up to over 50%, with however considerable regional and seasonal variation. orally acquired bacterial pathogens, particularly enterotoxigenic escherichia coli, are the most frequent etiology of travelers' diarrhea occurring during the first three weeks of travel. protozoal infections, e.g. giardia and entamoeba histolytica, are more often the cause of diarrhea and prolonged problems of intestinal motility ... | 2001 | 11441697 |
| treatment of diarrhea caused by giardia intestinalis and entamoeba histolytica or e. dispar: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of nitazoxanide. | a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of nitazoxanide in the treatment of diarrhea caused by giardia intestinalis or entamoeba histolytica and/or e. dispar in 89 adults and adolescents, 22 of whom were diagnosed with g. intestinalis, 53 with e. histolytica and/or e. dispar, and 14 with both g. intestinalis and e. histolytica and/or e. dispar. the study medication was administered as 1 nitazoxanide 500-mg tablet or a match ... | 2001 | 11443569 |
| amoebic liver abscess in pregnancy. | we describe the case of an amoebic liver abscess (ala) presenting in the third trimester of pregnancy which raised both diagnostic and treatment dilemmas as well as being associated with preterm labour. amoebic liver abscess is caused by the protozoan organism entamoeba histolytica which is endemic in many parts of the developing world. invasion of the colonic mucosa results in the clinical syndrome of amoebic dysentery and in some cases dissemination to the liver or other organs occurs resultin ... | 2001 | 11453283 |
| multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification and differentiation of entamoeba histolytica and entamoeba dispar dna from stool samples. | due to the clinical importance of differentiating the two species of the entamoeba histolytica/entamoeba dispar complex, we developed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) method that overcomes time-consuming and laborious procedures. we report here a dna extraction protocol using non-fixed stool samples that avoid long lysis-incubation periods through the combined use of zirconium beads and a lysis-supporting buffer. we characterized 49 of 52 stool specimens from cuban patients with amoeb ... | 2001 | 11463120 |
| characterization of a retrotransposon-like element from entamoeba histolytica. | the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebiasis. the genome organization of this organism is not well understood. we had earlier reported the presence of a multicopy sequence, hmc, in e. histolytica. subsequent analysis showed that hmc is a member of a retrotransposon family that we have named the e. histolytica retrotransposon-like element (ehrle). four other members of this family have been characterized. the ehrle family is distributed across all chromosomes ... | 2001 | 11463465 |
| recombinational loss of a ribosomal dna unit from the circular episome of entamoeba histolytica hm-1:imss. | | 2001 | 11463474 |
| entamoeba histolytica: monoclonal antibody against the beta1 integrin-like molecule (140 kda) inhibits cell adhesion to extracellular matrix components. | we describe a monoclonal antibody (3c10) against the beta1 integrin-like molecule which immunoprecipitates two polypeptides of 140 and 155 kda from detergent-soluble extract of entamoeba histolytica. the 140-kda polypeptide has been described as a beta subunit of the amoebic fibronectin receptor as it is recognized by an anti-integrin beta1 (human) monoclonal antibody in immunoblot assay. the receptor molecules were localized with the 3c10 monoclonal antibody in intracellular and surface membran ... | 2001 | 11465991 |
| protective immunity to amebiasis: new insights and new challenges. | amebiasis, infection with the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica, is the third leading cause of death from parasitic diseases. despite its importance, we know little about protective immunity to amebiasis. now, studies from a cohort of children in bangladesh have provided some critical insights into immunity to intestinal amebiasis. children with mucosal iga antibodies to the amebic adherence lectin were found to be resistant to reinfection with e. histolytica. however, immunity was short- ... | 2001 | 11471109 |
| detection of giardia lamblia and entamoeba histolytica in stool samples by two enzyme immunoassays. | two commercially produced enzyme immunoassays (eias) to detect antigens of giardia lamblia and entamoeba histolytica in stool specimens were evaluated. a total of 276 stool specimens were collected from patients who presented with various medical complaints in the outpatient clinic of the department of infectious diseases and tropical medicine, university of munich. every specimen was examined by conventional microscopy and tested by both eia kits. when microscopy was used as the reference stand ... | 2001 | 11476438 |
| evaluation of laboratory techniques for differentiation between entamoeba histolytica and entamoeba dispar. | incorporation of clinical, epidemiological and serological parameters to the studies of entamoeba histolytica resulted in the conclusion that species complex comprising two morphologically identical amoeba were implicated with the disease. the two organisms are e. histolytica and e. dispar. the former is a pathogen and responsible for invasive amoebiasis while the later is a gut commensal. clearly accurate diagnostic tools are required to distinguish the two species. the use of a stool elisa has ... | 2001 | 11478433 |
| experimental amoebic liver abcess produced by oral administration of entamoeba histolytica cysts. | to determine the possibility of amoebic invasion and liver-abscess formation swiss albino mice were infected orally with e. histolytica cysts isolated from human stools. parasitological and histopathological changes in mice colon and liver tissues were sequentially followed. three weeks postinfection (p.i) 5% of immunocompetent and all cortisonized immunosuppressed mice passed the parasite in their stools. only 70% of the latter group of mice sacrificed at that time developed invasive intestinal ... | 2001 | 11478441 |
| liver function tests during amoebic liver abscess formation in indomethacin-treated hamsters. | establishment of entamoeba histolytica infection is facilitated through macrophage effector disruption by a prostaglandin e2 (pge2)-mediated mechanism. infection severity may be measured by weight of abscess formed. indomethacin (indo) treatment of infected hamsters reduced abscess weight by 30% at 7 days post-infection presumably by inhibition of pge2. to explain reductions in abscess development by indo treatment, we determined liver functionality in indo-treated or untreated animals, either h ... | 2001 | 11479899 |
| dysentery in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in zimbabwe: an emerging role for schistosoma mansoni and escherichia coli o157? | information on bloody diarrhoea in hiv-positives is scarce. a prospective study was therefore performed, in zimbabwe, to determine and compare the pathogens associated with bloody diarrhoea in 25 antiretroviral-naïve hiv-infected patients and 15 non-hiv-infected patients. stool cultures and colonic biopsies were performed. shigella was isolated from 18 (45%) of the subjects, schistosoma mansoni from eight (16%), escherichia coli h7:o157 from three (8%) and campylobacter jejunii from two (5%). th ... | 2001 | 11487372 |
| massive amebic liver abscess--an unusual presentation. | a 40-year-old woman presented with a huge lump in the right half of the abdomen and irregular menses. ultrasonography showed a cystic lump with septations, extending from the upper abdomen to the pelvis; the right ovary was not seen. on exploration, there was a large cyst arising from the right lobe of the liver; the aspirate was bilious. since the cyst wall was adherent to retroperitoneal structures, complete excision was not possible. a roux-en-y loop of jejunum was anastomosed to the cyst wal ... | 2001 | 11497177 |
| intermediate subunit of the gal/galnac lectin of entamoeba histolytica is a member of a gene family containing multiple cxxc sequence motifs. | killing by entamoeba histolytica requires parasite adherence to host galactose- and n-acetyl-d-galactosamine (gal/galnac)-containing cell surface receptors. a 260-kda heterodimeric e. histolytica gal/galnac lectin composed of heavy (hgl) and light (lgl) subunits has been previously described. here we present the cloning and characterization of igl, a 150-kda intermediate subunit of the gal/galnac lectin. igl, hgl, and lgl colocalized on the surface membrane of trophozoites. two unlinked copies o ... | 2001 | 11500468 |
| enteropathogens associated with diarrheal disease in infants of poor urban areas of porto velho, rondônia: a preliminary study. | one hundred and thirty cases of diarrhea and 43 age-matched controls, 0 to 5 years old, were studied in a pediatric outpatient unit from a poor peri urban area of porto velho, rondônia. eighty percent of diarrheal cases were observed in the groups under 2 years of age. rotavirus (19.2%) was the most frequent enteropathogen associated with diarrhea, followed by shigella flexneri (6.15%) and s. sonnei (1.5%) and salmonella sp. (6.9%). four cases of e. coli enterotoxigenic infections (3.1%), e. col ... | 2001 | 11500758 |
| physiology and molecular genetics of multidrug resistance in entamoeba histolytica. | entamoeba histolytica presents the evolutionarily conserved multidrug-resistance (mdr) phenotype, discovered in mammalian cells. mdr cells overexpress the membrane p-glycoprotein, which excludes unrelated drugs from the cytoplasm. e. histolytica mutants exhibit cross-resistance to unrelated drugs, which are pumped out from the cytoplasm. in drug-resistant trophozoites, the constitutively expressed ehpg1 gene appears to be up-regulated by a c/ebp-like factor and a multiprotein complex that were n ... | 1999 | 11504490 |
| novel putative saposin-like proteins of entamoeba histolytica different from amoebapores. | amoebapores, the pore-forming proteins of entamoeba histolytica, have been shown to play a pivotal role in the pathogenicity of the protozoan parasite. they belong to the functionally diverse family of saposin-like proteins (saplips) characterized by a conserved pattern of cysteine residues and the ability to interact with lipids. here, we report the identification of genomic sequences encoding presumably novel saplips in e. histolytica and classify them in the structural and functional context ... | 2001 | 11513801 |
| identification and characterization of genes encoding novel rab proteins from entamoeba histolytica. | | 2001 | 11522354 |
| characterization of the ehrab8 gene, a marker of the late stages of the secretory pathway of entamoeba histolytica. | | 2001 | 11522355 |
| gastrointestinal parasitic infection, anthropometrics, nutritional status, and physical work capacity in colombian boys. | this article tests the hypothesis that the presence of gastrointestinal parasites in colombian boys is negatively associated with anthropometric characteristics, physical work capacity, blood hemoglobin (hb) levels, and nutritional status. anthropometric, hb, &vdot;o(2) max, and parasite load data were collected on 1,016 boys in cali, colombia. the boys were classified as lower socioeconomic class (sec) from either urban or rural environments, and upper sec from an urban environment. sixty-three ... | 1999 | 11533992 |
| mg2+, mn2+, and co2+ stimulate entamoeba histolytica to produce chitin-like material. | the mechanism of entamoeba histolytica cyst cell wall synthesis is not well understood. previous research has shown that cyst-like structures formed in the presence of chitin synthase cofactors (mg2+, mn2+, and co2+) resist 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate lysis (rcls), whereas those formed in the absence of cofactors (cls) do not, and trophozoites are immediately destroyed. this suggests that e. histolytica is able to synthesize chitin, initiating a differentiation process under axenic conditions. to ... | 2001 | 11534662 |
| introns of entamoeba histolytica and entamoeba dispar. | the genome of entamoeba histolytica is considered to possess very few intervening sequences (introns), as only 5 intron-containing genes from this protozoan parasite have been reported so far. however, while sequencing a number of genomic contigs as well as three independent genes coding for ribosomal protein l27a, we have identified 9 additional intron-containing genes of e. histolytica and the closely related species entamoeba dispar, indicating that introns are more common in these organisms ... | 2001 | 11545438 |
| [relevance of entamoeba dispar in amebiasis]. | entamoeba histolytica was redefined to recognize the existence of two morphologically indistinguishable species but genetically distinct: e. histolytica and e. dispar. the former is a pathogen responsible for amebiasis while the latter is a commensal. this redefinition has dramatically changed the understanding of amebiasis and its clinical management. | 2001 | 11552504 |
| a simple modification of the baermann method for diagnosis of strongyloidiasis. | the diagnosis of strongyloides stercoralis infections is routinely made by microscopic observation of larvae in stool samples, a low sensitivity method, or by other, most effective methods, such as the baermann or agar culture plate methods. we propose in this paper a practical modification of baermann method. one hundred and six stool samples from alcoholic patients were analyzed using the direct smear test, agar culture plate method, the standard baermann method, and its proposed modification. ... | 2001 | 11562706 |
| chemotherapeutic approaches to protozoa: giardia, trichomonas and entamoeba--current level of knowledge and outlook. | the situation regarding the treatment of human giardia and trichomonas infections and the intestinal and tissue stages of entamoeba histolytica with metronidazole and other 5-nitroimidazoles is currently satisfactory (table 1; mehlhorn 2000). following correct and rapid diagnosis, the parasites are eliminated reliably and completely. the situation in cases of infection with acanthamoeba (often involving the eyes) or with naegleria (often involving the brain) is serious, however. in both cases, t ... | 2001 | 11570567 |
| efficacy of macrolides vs. metronidazole against entamoeba histolytica clinical isolates. | current treatment of entamoeba histolytica infection requires the use of several agents that are effective at different sites of the body. commonly administered agents such as nitroimidazoles have a high rate of gastrointestinal side effects and their use is restricted during pregnancy. in order to offer new choices, four macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, josamycin) and metronidazole were tested for their in vitro activity against e. histolytica. ten clinically i ... | 2001 | 11571837 |
| geranins c and d, additional new antiprotozoal a-type proanthocyanidins from geranium niveum. | two new additional a-type proanthocyanidins have been isolated from geranium niveum. their structures were determined by spectroscopic, chemical and chiroptical methods as epi-afzelechin-(4beta-->8,2beta-->o-->7)-gallocatechin (1) and epi-afzelechin-(4beta-->8,2beta-->o-->7)-afzelechin-(4beta-->8,2beta-->o-->7)-afzelechin (2). proanthocyanidins 1 and 2 were given the trivial names of geranins c and d, respectively. compound 2 showed moderate antiprotozoal activity against entamoeba histolytica a ... | 2001 | 11582551 |
| anti-amoebic activity of plant compounds from virgilia oroboides and chlorophora excelsa. | the anti-amoebic activity of four plant extracts: maackiain and formononetin from virgilia oroboides and chlorophorin and iroko from chlorophora excelsa, were evaluated. anti-protozoal tests conducted on trophozoites of entamoeba histolytica established that all four compounds had an affect on the trophozoites to some degree. chlorophorin showed the highest anti-protozoal activity with an mic of 0.25 microg/ml followed by maackiain and iroko with mics of 1 microg/ml. chlorophorin and iroko induc ... | 2001 | 11585689 |
| parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract. | this article updates recent advances in the body of knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of intestinal parasites. the articles focus on the manifestations of disease in the immunocompetent adult host from developed countries. specific pathogens discussed are giardia lamblia and dientamoeba fragilis, entamoeba histolytica, entamoeba dipar, blastocystis hominis, cyclospora cayetanensis, and cryptosporidium parvum. | 2001 | 11586558 |
| synthesis, characterisation and antiamoebic activity of new thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone derivatives and their cyclooctadiene ru(ii) complexes. | reaction of new thiosemicarbazones (1-4) derived from thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde and cycloalkylaminothiocarbonylhydrazine with [ru(eta(4)-c8h12)(ch3cn)2cl2] leads to form complexes (1a-4a) of the type [ru(eta(4)-c8h12)(tsc)cl2] (where tsc=thiosemicarbazone). all the compounds have been characterised by elemental analysis, ir, 1h nmr, electronic spectra and thermogravimetric analysis. it is concluded that the thionic sulphur and the azomethine nitrogen atom of the ligands are bonded to the metal ... | 2001 | 11591499 |
| microscopy, pcr and elisa applied to the epidemiology of amoebiasis in greece. | detection and differentiation between entamoeba histolytica and e. dispar are of great importance both for diagnosis and epidemiological studies. the present study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of these species in greece and to assess the performance of microscopy, elisa and pcr in the field. our results indicate that the prevalence of these parasites is very low in greece and that pcr and elisa are by far better than microscopy. when it comes to the choice between elisa and pcr, it seems ... | 2001 | 11595575 |
| [sludge anaerobic treatment and its efficiency in reducing the viability of helminth eggs]. | this study evaluates the prevalence and viability of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in sludge obtained by anaerobic treatment in four treatment stations in curitiba, parana state, brazil. the parasites observed were helminths: ascaris sp (85%), toxocara sp (5.5%), trichuris sp (4.5%), hymenolepis diminuta (3.7%), h. nana (1%) and taenia sp (0.4%), protozoan: isospora sp, entamoeba coli, entamoeba histolytica, giardia lamblia, endolimax nana. in biological treatment based on the anaerobic dige ... | 2001 | 11600907 |
| entamoeba histolytica and entamoeba dispar infections as detected by monoclonal antibody in an urban slum in fortaleza, northeastern brazil. | in this study the authors used the elisa-based antigen detection tests that distinguish e. histolytica from e. dispar to examine the prevalence of e. histolytica infection in individuals from an urban slum in fortaleza, northeastern, brazil. this test has a sensitivity and specificity that is comparable to pcr and isoenzyme analysis, which is the gold standard. single stools samples were obtained from 735 individuals. the prevalence of e. histolytica infection was 14.9% (110/735) and 25.4%(187/7 ... | 2001 | 11600913 |
| amoebic peritonitis. | | 2001 | 11676067 |
| recognition of carbohydrate epitopes specific for electron-dense granule antigens from entamoeba histolytica by monoclonal antibodies in the cecal content of infected hamsters. | the pathogenic trophozoites of entamoeba histolytica produce and secrete electron-dense granules (edg) containing collagenase, considered a virulence factor. two monoclonal antibodies (mabs) (l7.1 and l1.1) anti-edg antigens were raised. mab l7.1 has been reported to recognize proteic edg antigens and mab l1.1 reacted with a carbohydrate epitope. these epitopes were present in axenic and xenic amoebas. to detect edg antigens by a enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) in a experimental model ... | 2001 | 11685506 |
| an amebic lung abscess: report of a case. | recently the number of amebiasis cases has increased in japan. pleuropulmonary amebiasis is a very rare complication of liver amebiasis. we report herein the case of a 54-year-old man presenting with an amebic lung abscess in his right lower lung. the diagnosis of lung amebiasis was established from a direct examination of the pus in which trophozoites of entamoeba histolytica were detected. after the oral administration of metronidazole, the laboratory findings improved and he thus underwent a ... | 2001 | 11686564 |
| effect of calcium antagonists, calcium channel blockers and calmodulin inhibitors on the growth and encystation of entamoeba histolytica and e. invadens. | the effects of calcium antagonists, calcium channel blockers, and calmodulin inhibitors on the growth of entamoeba histolytica and the growth and encystation of entamoeba invadens were examined. calcium chelators ethyleneglycol bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-n,n'-tetraacetate (egta) and ethylene-diaminetetraacetate (edta) inhibited the growth of both entamoeba and also the encystation of e. invadens in a dose-dependent manner, with edta being more effective than egta. a putative antagonist of intra ... | 2001 | 11688889 |
| persistence of secretory antiamoebic antibodies in patients with past invasive intestinal or hepatic amoebiasis. | in the present work, it was demonstrated that in amoebic dysentery and amoebic liver abscess patients, the secretory response is long-lasting (> 12 months); and 50% of amoebic dysentery patients developed circulating antiamoebic igg in comparison with 100% of amoebic liver abscess individuals. a total of 83% of these individuals developed high levels of serum anti-entamoeba histolytica iga. however, only 10.4% of the dysentery patients showed this anti-e. histolytica antibody isotype in serum. t ... | 2001 | 11688892 |
| household epidemiology of entamoeba histolytica infection in an urban community in northeastern brazil. | the natural history of infection with entamoeba histolytica was studied in 2 slum communities in northeastern brazil. twenty-eight index patients colonized with e. histolytica were identified. three stool specimens from the index patients and their household contacts were gathered over a 45-day period and tested for e. histolytica by means of a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based detection kit. the detection kit is an antigen capture assay that has been shown to be highly specific f ... | 2001 | 11693867 |
| invasive amebiasis: challenges in diagnosis in a non-endemic country (kuwait). | invasive zymodemes of the enteric protozoan entamoeba histolytica infect the large intestine and cause extra-intestinal lesions such as amebic liver abscess (ala). the clinical manifestations of ala are protean, particularly in patients presenting in a non-endemic, desert country such as kuwait, and diagnosis becomes problematic. in this study, we present cases of ala to illustrate the clinical and diagnostic challenges. for serodiagnosis of ala, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of th ... | 2001 | 11693881 |
| blockade of caspases inhibits amebic liver abscess formation in a mouse model of disease. | we looked at the effect of inhibiting caspases on amebic liver abscess in the mouse model of infection. a dose of the pan-caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-v-a-d-o-methyl fluoromethyl ketone (z-vad-fmk; r & d systems) given to scid mice 2 h prior to direct hepatic inoculation with entamoeba histolytica trophozoites, and 12 h after amebic inoculation, reduced the mean liver abscess size by 70% at 24 h compared to a control group. these data indicate that apoptosis plays a significant but not an ... | 2001 | 11705976 |
| amoebiasis: diagnosis by aspiration and exfoliative cytology. | the present study was undertaken to evaluate the use of fine needle aspiration and exfoliative cytology in the identification of amoebic cysts/trophozoites, and to characterize amoebiasis. the subjects consisted of 15 patients, 11 diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (fnac) as amoebic abscesses (14 liver and one pulmonary) and four women whose cervical smears contained entamoeba histolytica cysts or trophozoites. of 128 ultrasonographically guided fnac of hepatic lesions over a four year ... | 2001 | 11722513 |
| determinants of low birth weight among hiv-infected pregnant women in tanzania. | low birth weight (lbw) increases the risk of infant death, but little is known about its causes among hiv-infected populations in sub-saharan africa. | 2001 | 11722965 |
| nmr derived solution structure of an ef-hand calcium-binding protein from entamoeba histolytica. | we present the three-dimensional (3d) solution structure of a calcium-binding protein from entamoeba histolytica (ehcabp), an etiologic agent of amoebiasis affecting millions worldwide. ehcabp is a 14.7 kda (134 residues) monomeric protein thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of amoebiasis. the 3d structure of ca(2+)-bound ehcabp has been derived using multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectroscopic techniques. the study reveals the presence of two globular domains connecte ... | 2001 | 11724551 |
| identification of two putative atp-cassette genes in encephalitozoon intestinalis. | currently existing chemotherapeutic compounds are limited and few are effective for treating microsporidiosis. it is possible that resistance of encephalitozoon to some drugs occurs by efflux mechanisms similar to those previously described for mammalian tumour cells, bacteria or protozoal parasites such as plasmodium, leishmania and entamoeba histolytica. the data in the present study suggest that encephalitozoon intestinalis contains at least one multidrug resistance gene. we report here two c ... | 2001 | 11730796 |
| seven years' experience with cryptosporidium parvum in guinea-bissau, west africa. | in community-based studies conducted from 1991 to 1997 in guinea-bissau, west africa, stool specimens from children aged less than 5 years with diarrhoea were routinely examined for enteric parasites. cryptosporidium parvum, found in 7.7% of 4,922 samples, was the second most common parasite, exceeded only by giardia lamblia which was found in 14.8% of the samples. the highest prevalence of cryptosporidium was found in children aged 6-11 months, whereas the prevalence of other enteric parasites ... | 2001 | 11732149 |
| [human parasitoses in french guiana]. | malaria: this review summarises current knowledge of the epidemiological situation regarding parasitoses in french guiana. malaria is the most prevalent infection. the most common species is plasmodium falciparum which is responsible for three quarters of all bouts of malaria. plasmodium vivax is mostly present in endemic areas inhabited by amerindian communities. plasmodium malariae is rarer. chagas' disease, leishmamiasis and toxoplasmosis: four acute cases of cardiac chagas' disease were obse ... | 2001 | 11732474 |
| functional genomics. pathogen researchers get help from tigr. | | 2001 | 11739924 |
| entamoeba histolytica trophozoites activated by collagen type i and ca(2+) have a structured cytoskeleton during collagenase secretion. | a peculiar characteristic of entamoeba histolytica trophozoites is their capacity to invade human tissues. one of the cellular determinants of invasion may include adhesion to extracellular matrix components such as collagen, induction, and secretion of electron-dense granules (edg) and tissue digestion. the mechanism and receptors involved in this process are not well understood. previous results suggested that cytoskeleton plays a very important role during edg secretion. we present evidence s ... | 2001 | 11746671 |
| entamoeba histolytica: genetic diversity of clinical isolates from bangladesh as demonstrated by polymorphisms in the serine-rich gene. | the varied organ tropisms and clinical presentations of infection by entamoeba histolytica have stimulated interest in the role of parasite genetic diversity in virulence. we investigated genetic diversity among 54 e. histolytica isolates from bangladesh by analyzing polymorphism in the serine-rich gene by nested pcr on dna extracted from stool and liver aspirate pus. we detected both size and restriction site polymorphisms among the isolates within this endemic area. a combination of the nested ... | 2001 | 11748961 |
| unique phylogenetic relationships of glucokinase and glucosephosphate isomerase of the amitochondriate eukaryotes giardia intestinalis, spironucleus barkhanus and trichomonas vaginalis. | glucokinase (gk) and glucosephosphate isomerase (gpi), the first two enzymes of the glycolytic pathway of the diplomonads giardia intestinalis and spironucleus barkhanus, type i amitochondriate eukaryotes, were sequenced. gpi of the parabasalid trichomonas vaginalis was also sequenced. the diplomonad gks belong to a family of specific gks present in cyanobacteria, in some proteobacteria and also in t. vaginalis, a type ii amitochondriate protist. these enzymes are not part of the hexokinase fami ... | 2001 | 11750134 |
| in vitro activity of nitazoxanide and related compounds against isolates of giardia intestinalis, entamoeba histolytica and trichomonas vaginalis. | the activities of the n-(nitrothiazolyl) salicylamide nitazoxanide and its metabolite tizoxanide were compared with metronidazole in vitro in microplates against six axenic isolates of giardia intestinalis. tizoxanide was eight times more active than metronidazole against metronidazole-susceptible isolates and twice as active against a resistant isolate. in 10 axenic isolates of entamoeba histolytica, while tizoxanide was almost twice as active as metronidazole against more susceptible isolates, ... | 2002 | 11751773 |
| cysteine proteinases from distinct cellular compartments are recruited to phagocytic vesicles by entamoeba histolytica. | cysteine proteinases, which are encoded by at least seven genes, play a critical role in the pathogenesis of invasive amebiasis caused by entamoeba histolytica. the study of these enzymes has been hampered by the inability to obtain significant quantities of the individual native proteinases. we have now expressed functionally active recombinant acp1 (ehcp3) and acp2 (ehcp2) proteinases in baculoviral expression vectors. the purified recombinant acp1 and acp2 proteinases exhibited similar activi ... | 2002 | 11755183 |
| variability of calcium binding to ef-hand motifs probed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. | the modulation of calcium binding by the ef-hand motifs present in a calmodulin (cam) homologue, a calcium binding protein (cabp) from entamoeba histolytica by three external parameters-ph, ligand coordinator egta, and fragmentor voltage was investigated by mass spectrometry. calcium binding follows expected patterns at highly acidic and alkaline ph with the preponderance of the apo and the completely saturated forms, respectively. surprisingly, additional nonspecific binding is observed near ne ... | 2001 | 11766756 |
| case of amoebic liver abscess: prolonged latency or acquired in australia? | | 2001 | 11767876 |
| a rapid-cooling method for cryopreserving entamoeba histolytica. | | 2001 | 11784440 |
| the presence of antiamoebic constituents in psyllium husk. | the crude extract of psyllium husk (ispaghula) and its active constituent (petroleum fraction) caused varying degrees of growth inhibition in three different species of entamoeba, i.e. entamoeba histolytica, e. invadens and e. dispar. the inhibitory effect of the crude extract was in the dose range of 1-10 mg/ml, whereas a similar inhibitory effect was obtained with the petroleum fraction at a much lower dose (0.1-1.0 mg/ml), indicating that the active chemical(s) is/are concentrated in the petr ... | 2002 | 11807972 |
| purification and characterization of receptors for myoinositol trisphosphate and myoinositol tetrakis phosphate from entamoeba histolytica. | the microsomal fraction from the log phase of entamoeba histolytica cells contains ins(1,4,5)p3 and ins(1,3,4,5)p4 binding activity. the binding proteins/receptors for both ins(1,4,5)p3 and ins(1,3,4,5)p4 were purified and found to be specific for each ligand. the molecular masses for native proteins for insp3 and insp4 are 138 kda and 130 kda respectively having subunits of 69 kda and 64 kda respectively. that these proteins are associated with ca2+ release was confirmed by including these prot ... | 2001 | 11811621 |
| recombinant expression and purification of an enzymatically active cysteine proteinase of the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica. | cysteine proteinases and in particular cysteine proteinase 5 (ehcp5) of entamoeba histolytica are considered important for ameba pathogenicity. to study ehcp5 in more detail a protocol was elaborated to produce considerable amounts of the enzyme in its active form. the protein was expressed in escherichia coli as a histidine-tagged pro-enzyme and purified to homogeneity under denaturing conditions in the presence of guanidine-hcl using nickel affinity chromatography. renaturation was performed b ... | 2002 | 11812234 |
| meeting report: anaerobic protozoan parasites, prague, czech republic, july 15-19, 2001. | | 2001 | 11822654 |
| [chromosome-like bodies of dysentery ameba entamoeba histolytica]. | intact and surface stretched amembraneous nuclei of entamoeba histolytica (rhizopoda, lobosea, entamoebidae) trophozoites were studied by light and electron microscopy. a moderately dense karyosome about 1.5 microns in diameter, localized in the central part of the interphase nucleus, contains the bulk of nuclear dna. within the karyosome, beaded and ribbon-like chromatin bodies surrounding a loose fibrillar core are commonly recognized. the peripheral domain of both interphase and several mitot ... | 2001 | 11840785 |
| intestinal parasites infestation and anemia in primary school children in gaza governorates--palestine. | a comparative study was carried out to identify the prevalence of anemia, nutritional indices and intestinal parasitic infestation in primary school children. the target population included 209 pupils aged 6-11 years, attending schools in two areas, rimal area (urban) and jabalia village (rural), in gaza governorates. prevalence of intestinal parasites was high in jabalia village (more than 53%) in comparison to rimal area (33%). the main intestinal parasites were entamoeba histolytica, giardia ... | 2000 | 11845471 |
| asymptomatic amoebic infection: entamoeba histolytica or entamoeba dispar? that is the question. | two cases of amoebic infection were diagnosed in a heterosexual couple. the cases, a frenchman with previous trips to various african countries and his sexual partner, a cameroonese woman immigrant living outside the community, were both asymptomatic; the infection had been diagnosed by chance in the man at the time of his employment in a hospital kitchen. based on what is known of the epidemiology of amoebic infection, it may be acquired and then transmitted within a couple via the indirect fae ... | 2001 | 11845521 |
| entamoeba histolytica: transferrin binding proteins. | entamoeba histolytica trophozoites depend on iron for their growth; thus, they must use some host iron-containing molecules to fulfill this requirement. in this work we report that amoebas are able to utilize human holo-tf as iron source and to recognize it through transferrin binding proteins. by use of an anti-human transferrin antiserum in an immunoblotting assay, two main polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 70 and 140 kda were found in total extract of trophozoites cultured in vit ... | 2001 | 11846523 |
| diagnostic dilemma in coinfection. | a fifteen years girl belonging to a low socioeconomic status was admitted with peritonsillar abscess caused by methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa), high fever, diarrhoea and septicaemic shock. initial blood cultures and widal test, stool cultures and routine stool examination were non-contributory to the diagnosis. a bone marrow culture in the second week confirmed the diagnosis of salmonella typhi infection. examination of a fresh stool sample showed cysts of entamoeba histolytic ... | 2001 | 11848310 |
| context-dependent roles of the entamoeba histolytica core promoter element gaac in transcriptional activation and protein complex assembly. | transcriptional control of the hgl5 gene of entamoeba histolytica is mediated through an unusual core promoter composed of tata, gaac and initiator elements. in the hgl5 promoter the gaac element (aatgaact) determines the site and rate of transcription initiation. here we tested the role of the gaac element in transcription activation from upstream regulatory elements (ures) in the hgl5 promoter. we also examined the function of the gaac element in the ferredoxin (fdx) promoter and characterized ... | 2002 | 11849710 |
| delinking of s phase and cytokinesis in the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica. | the alternation of dna replication in s phase and chromosome segregation in m phase is a hallmark in the cell cycle of most well-studied eukaryotes and ensures that the progeny do not have more than the normal complement of genes and chromosomes. an exception to this rule has been described in cancer cells that occasionally become polyploid as a result of failure to restrain s phase despite the failure to undergo complete mitosis. here, we describe the cell division cycle of the human pathogen, ... | 2002 | 11856173 |
| thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase from the mesophile entamoeba histolytica: crystallization and preliminary x-ray characterization. | the tetrameric nadp(+)-dependent secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from entamoeba histolytica has been crystallized in its apo form. the crystals belong to space group c222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 76.89, b = 234.24, c = 96.24 a, and diffract to 1.9 a at liquid-nitrogen temperature. analysis of the patterson self-rotation function shows that the crystals contain one dimer per asymmetric unit. | 2002 | 11856851 |
| mitochondrial-type hsp70 genes of the amitochondriate protists, giardia intestinalis, entamoeba histolytica and two microsporidians. | genes encoding putative mitochondrial-type heat shock protein 70 (mit-hsp70) were isolated and sequenced from amitochondriate protists, giardia intestinalis, entamoeba histolytica, and two microsporidians, encephalitozoon hellem and glugea plecoglossi. the deduced mit-hsp70 sequences were analyzed by sequence alignments and phylogenetic reconstructions. the mit-hsp70 sequence of these four amitochondriate protists were divergent from other mit-hsp70 sequences of mitochondriate eukaryotes. howeve ... | 2002 | 11880223 |
| entamoeba dispar: molecular characterization of the galactose/n-acetyl-d-galactosamine lectin. | amebiasis contributes to approximately 50 million cases of life-threatening dysentery worldwide. comparison of the lectins from entamoeba histolytica (pathogenic) and entamoeba dispar (nonpathogenic) was undertaken to elucidate the differential roles of this molecule in invasion versus colonization. surface lectin was less abundant on axenic e. dispar than on axenic e. histolytica, commensurate with differences in lectin (heavy and light subunits) rna when assessed by semiquantitative rt-pcr. th ... | 2001 | 11888250 |
| deficiency of antibody responses to t-independent antigens in gerbils---meriones unguiculatus. | meriones unguiculatus commonly known as gerbils are widely used as animal models for a variety of parasitic infections such as brugia malayi, entamoeba histolytica, giardia duodenalis, toxoplasma gondi, helicobacter pylori, strongyloides stercoralis and echinococcus multilocularis. groups of balb/c mice, gerbils and xid mice were studied for antibody responses to t-independent antigens. gerbils were found to be significantly deficient in eliciting antibodies to both dextran and phosphorylcholine ... | 2002 | 11888652 |
| entamoeba histolytica-induced dephosphorylation in host cells. | activation of host cell protein tyrosine phosphatases (ptpases) and protein dephosphorylation is an important mechanism used by various microorganisms to deactivate or kill host defense cells. to determine whether protein tyrosine dephosphorylation played a role in signaling pathways affecting entamoeba histolytica-mediated host cell killing, we investigated the involvement of ptpases during the attachment of e. histolytica to target cells. we observed a rapid decrease in cellular protein tyrosi ... | 2002 | 11895943 |
| the phylogenetic position of the pelobiont mastigamoeba balamuthi based on sequences of rdna and translation elongation factors ef-1alpha and ef-2. | the taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationships of the pelobionta, an amitochondriate amoeboflagellate group, are not yet completely settled. to provide more information, we obtained sequences for the large subunit rdna gene, the gene for translation elongation factor 1alpha, and for a large part of the gene encoding translation elongation factor 2 from a representative of this group, mastigamoeba balamuthi (formerly phreatamoeba balamuthi). the gene for the large subunit rdna was unusuall ... | 2002 | 11908892 |
| simultaneous differentiation and typing of entamoeba histolytica and entamoeba dispar. | sequences corresponding to some of the polymorphic loci previously reported from entamoeba histolytica have been detected in entamoeba dispar. comparison of nucleotide sequences of two loci between e. dispar strain saw760 and e. histolytica strain hm-1:imss revealed significant differences in both repeat and flanking regions. the tandem repeat units varied not only in sequence but also in number and arrangement between the two species at both the loci. using the sequences obtained, primer pairs ... | 2002 | 11923344 |
| entamoeba histolytica: clinical update and vaccine prospects. | amebiasis is extraordinarily common in children of the developing world. this realization has come from application of diagnostic techniques that distinguish the nonpathogenic parasite entamoeba dispar from entamoeba histolytica. e. histolytica infection is found in children with dysentery, diarrhea, and in many cases in children with no gastrointestinal symptoms. genetically distinct strains of e. histolytica exist but evidence is too preliminary to judge if some strains are more virulent than ... | 2002 | 11927043 |
| a school waterborne outbreak involving both shigella sonnei and entamoeba histolytica. | in an outbreak of gastroenteritis affecting 730 students, shigella sonnei and entamoeba histolytica were isolated from the stool specimens of patients. environmental investigations revealed the source of infection to be contamination of underground well water by sewage from a toilet. the outbreak ended with the closure of the well water supply. to avoid such problems, institutions and other groups that maintain their own wells, including schools and summer camps, need to be vigilant about mainte ... | 2001 | 11936033 |
| dna polymorphism in north indian isolates of entamoeba histolytica detected by pcr fingerprinting. | entamoeba histolytica infection in humans is still one of the leading causes of parasitic diseases among the developing countries, including india. it therefore becomes extremely important to characterize this parasite with the aim of preventing and controlling the amoebiasis which it causes. the present study describes for the first time the ability of random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd)-pcr fingerprinting strategies to subtype amoebae and to detect considerable genetic variability present ... | 2002 | 11936500 |
| an anti-contamination cocktail for the in vitro isolation and cultivation of parasitic protozoa. | contamination by bacteria or fungi is a frequent problem with the in vitro isolation and propagation of protozoan parasites. we developed an antibiotic combination of broad anti-contaminant activity but minimal toxicity to protozoa. this anti-contamination cocktail consists of penicillin g (60 microgml(-1)), kanamycin (100 microgml(-1)), chloramphenicol (10 microgml(-1)) and flucytosine (50 microgml(-1)). it is well tolerated by african and south american trypanosomes, leishmania spp., giardia d ... | 2002 | 11936508 |
| gender variations in the prevalence of parasitic infections and the level of awareness in adolescents in rural nepal. | the study was conducted in rural school adolescent children to investigate the awareness and its association in parasitic infections in boys and girls. of the 182 children examined 119 (65.3%) were male and 63 (34.6%) were female, age ranged 12-20 years with median age 15 years. out of 182 stool samples examined 73 (40%) were found to be positive for parasites in which two or more parasites were found in 10 stool samples. giardia lamblia 33 (18.1%) was the predominant parasite followed by hook w ... | 2001 | 11944720 |
| pore-forming polypeptides of the pathogenic protozoon naegleria fowleri. | the free-living amoeboflagellate and potential human pathogen naegleria fowleri causes the often fatal disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. the molecular repertoire responsible for the cytolytic and tissue-destructive activity of this amoeboid protozoon is largely unknown. we isolated two pore-forming polypeptides from extracts of highly virulent trophozoites of n. fowleri by measuring their membrane-permeabilizing activity. n-terminal sequencing and subsequent molecular cloning yielded ... | 2002 | 11948186 |
| diagnosis of amoebic colitis by antigen capture elisa in patients presenting with acute diarrhoea in cairo, egypt. | we studied 84 consecutive patients presenting with acute diarrhoea (less than 1 week in duration) at an outpatient tropical medicine clinic in cairo, egypt. the diagnosis of amoebic colitis was established by the presence of entamoeba histolytica galactose-inhibitable lectin antigen and the presence of occult blood in stool. controls were 182 healthy regional people and 64 patients complaining of prolonged diarrhoea lasting more than 1 week. entamoeba histolytica infection was found more frequen ... | 2002 | 11952953 |
| ordinary and opportunistic enteropathogens associated with diarrhea in senegalese adults in relation to human immunodeficiency virus serostatus. | a survey was conducted in dakar, senegal, to identify major types and prevalences of bacteria, parasites, fungi, and rotaviruses associated with diarrhea in relation to human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) serostatus with the goal to provide guidance to physicians for case management. | 2001 | 11953215 |
| n-terminal n-myristoylation of proteins: refinement of the sequence motif and its taxon-specific differences. | n-terminal n-myristoylation is a lipid anchor modification of eukaryotic and viral proteins targeting them to membrane locations, thus changing the cellular function of modified proteins. protein myristoylation is critical in many pathways; e.g. in signal transduction, apoptosis, or alternative extracellular protein export. the myristoyl-coa:protein n-myristoyltransferase (nmt) recognizes the sequence motif of appropriate substrate proteins at the n terminus and attaches the lipid moiety to the ... | 2002 | 11955007 |
| early interactions of entamoeba histolytica trophozoites with parenchymal and inflammatory cells in the hamster liver: an immunocytochemical study. | we studied the early in situ interactions of live and fixed entamoeba histolytica trophozoites with hamster hepatic parenchymal and inflammatory cells using immunoperoxidase and immunoelectronmicroscopy. close contact between trophozoites and endothelial cells and the diffusion of amoebic molecules from trophozoites towards nearby endothelial cells and distant hepatocytes were observed. the inflammatory cells around the amoebae and the remnants of parenchymal cells and hepatocytes located close ... | 2002 | 11958565 |
| synthesis, characterization and antiamoebic activity of benzimidazole derivatives and their vanadium and molybdenum complexes. | reaction of [moo(2)(acac)(2)] (where, acac=acetyl acetone) and kvo(3) with 2-(salicylidieneimine) benzimidazole lead to form new complexes [moo(2)(sal-bmz)(2)] and k [vo(2)(sal-bmz)(2)] [where, sal-bmz=2-(salicylidieneimine) benzimidazole], which showed the monobasic bidentate nature of the ligand in which the phenolic oxygen and the imine nitrogen of the ligand are coordinated to the metal ion. these complexes were characterized along with nine other complexes of oxoperoxovanadium (v), molybden ... | 2002 | 11958982 |
| recent developments in amoebiasis research. | invasive amoebiasis, the infection of humans by entamoeba histolytica associated with dysentery and liver abscess, is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. this review attempts to reduce the gap between the overwhelming amount of information coming recently from laboratory research and the sparse contributions resulting from clinical and epidemiological investigations of the second parasitic cause of death resulting from a protozoan parasite. | 2000 | 11964813 |
| tropical diarrhoea: new developments in traveller's diarrhoea. | traveller's diarrhoea is the most common illness acquired by visitors to developing countries, affecting 20-50% of the 35 million people who travel from industrialized countries each year. important risk factors include point of origin and destination of the traveller, host factors, and exposure to contaminated food and water. the most common causes of traveller's diarrhoea in adults in developing countries include infection with escherichia coli, shigella spp., salmonella spp., campylobacter sp ... | 2001 | 11964874 |
| parasitic infections of the intestine. | intestinal protozoal infections cause significant disease not only in the tropics but also in immunocompromised hosts and returning travellers in the developed world. precise diagnosis of protozoal intestinal infection by microscopy can be difficult. enzyme immunoassays for antigen detection are being used for some protozoal infections with some limitations which will, it is hoped, be overcome by molecular techniques. nucleic acid amplification techniques could help improve detection of microspo ... | 2001 | 11964880 |
| [ten clues to the histopathologic diagnosis of infectious skin diseases]. | specific diagnoses of infectious skin diseases can be established in dermatopathology by several methods: by algorithms based on pattern analysis, by differential diagnosis of clinicopathologically similar disorders, by attention to pitfalls, by exceptions to the rules and finally, very elegantly by clues. ten clues to specific diagnoses of infectious skin diseases which are of importance in routine practice are presented. clue 1: features of an angiocentric angiodestructive lymphoma in the cent ... | 2002 | 11974501 |
| differences between the large and small intestine in the immunodominant amoebic proteins recognized by igg and iga antibodies in balb/c mice. | we have previously reported that there are differences in the number of predominant amoebic antigens recognized by serum and small intestinal antibodies induced after local and systemic immunization with glutarldehyde-fixed entamoeba histolytica trophozoites (gft) in balb/c mice, by an immunoblot analysis. moreover, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) analysis, we found differences in the antiamoebic antibody isotype patterns elicited at the large and small intestines. to further charac ... | 2002 | 11975757 |
| salpingitis due to entamoeba histolytica. | we describe the pathology of a unique case of fallopian tube amebiasis, associated with hydrosalpinx, in a 21-year-old woman. she complained of lower abdominal pain, had a foul-smelling green vaginal discharge and fever during one week. there was a discrete increase in body temperature and a painful abdominal palpation at the lower right side, with signs of local peritoneal irritation. pathological examination showed a marked dilatation of the fallopian tube and hydrosalpinx. microscopic examina ... | 2003 | 11980611 |
| development of a diagnostic test for entamoeba histolytica using idiotype expression in human. | the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica is the etiological agent of human amebiasis. the pathology of the disease starts with the cytolysis of the host target cells by amoebae. it is initiated by the adhesion of trophozoites to the host cells, through surface lectin via specific receptors. these adherence lectins have been demonstrated to be highly conserved, and can be recognised by serum antibodies from patients with invasive amebiasis. some of these molecules have been used as antigens i ... | 2002 | 11983217 |
| examining entamoeba. | a conference on amebiasis and the biology of entamoeba histolytica was held in agra, india, from 11 to14 february 2002. | 2002 | 11983591 |
| a case of amebic liver abscess complicated by hemobilia due to rupture of hepatic artery aneurysm. | we report the case of a 51-year-old man with hepatic amebic abscess complicated by hepatic artery aneurysm. the patient first presented with peritonitis caused by perforating appendicitis. surgical treatment resolved peritonitis but entamoeba histolytica was detected in the colonic mucosa. subsequently, liver abscess developed and the size of the abscess increased gradually after surgery in spite of continued treatment with metronidazole. brown pus was drained from the abscess but 13 days after ... | 2002 | 11995454 |
| entamoeba histolytica genome project: an update. | | 2002 | 11998693 |
| the entamoeba histolytica ehpgp5 (mdr-like) protein induces swelling of the trophozoites and alters chloride-dependent currents in xenopus laevis oocytes. | entamoeba histolytica, the protozoan responsible for human amoebiasis, presents the multidrug resistant phenotype due to the expression of the e. histolytica p-glycoproteins ehpgpl and ehpgp5. here, we studied the protein ehpgp5 encoded by the ehpgp5 gene in emetine-sensitive trophozoites transfected with the pehneopgp5 plasmid carrying the ehpgp5 gene. the transfected trophozoites increased their drug resistance slightly, but became bigger and globular. to investigate other ehpgp5 functions fur ... | 2002 | 12002645 |
| the membrane-peripheral subunits of transhydrogenase from entamoeba histolytica are functional only when dimerized. | unlike their bacterial and mammalian counterparts, the nadp(h)- and nad(h)-binding components of proton-translocating transhydrogenase from the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica (denoted ehdiii and ehdi, respectively) are tethered by a polypeptide linker. the recombinant tethered fragment, ehdiii-ehdi, was prepared without its membrane-spanning dii component. dimers of ehdiii-ehdi catalyzed transhydrogenation, but monomers were inactive. the addition of ehdiii to ehdiii-ehdi monomers did ... | 2002 | 12004068 |
| differential gene expression in entamoeba histolytica isolated from amoebic liver abscess. | the majority of human infections with the intestinal protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica remain asymptomatic. in a small proportion of infections, however, e. histolytica trophozoites penetrate the intestinal mucosa and disseminate to other organs, most commonly to the liver, where they induce abscess formation. it is believed that the ability of e. histolytica trophozoites to destroy host tissues and to survive within the liver is accomplished by a strong adaptive response, which requires ... | 2002 | 12010498 |
| fate of entamoeba histolytica during establishment of amoebic liver abscess analyzed by quantitative radioimaging and histology. | the protozoan parasite entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebiasis, a human disease characterized by dysentery and liver abscess. the physiopathology of hepatic lesions can be satisfactorily reproduced in the hamster animal model by the administration of trophozoites through the portal vein route. hamsters were infected with radioactively labeled amoebas for analysis of liver abscess establishment and progression. the radioimaging of material from parasite origin and quantificatio ... | 2002 | 12011016 |