A comprehensive proteomic screening technology was previously used to characterize T cell responses to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. In this study, we demonstrated that T cells specific for protein antigens identified through this comprehensive technology home to the site of infection after mucosal challenge with C. trachomatis. In addition, T cell ...

Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) has become an attractive alternate route of immunization due to increase understanding of the skin immune system and to recent technical innovations in skin patch delivery systems. Basic principles of TCI have been demonstrated in animal and human studies, covering a variety of bacterial, viral, and cancer ...

Haemagglutinin is a determinant of many viral properties, and successful adaptation to a human-like form is thought to be an important step toward pandemic influenza emergence. The availability of structurally distinct sialic acid linked receptors in the sites of human and avian influenza infection are generally held to account for ...

Several human-pathogenic flaviviruses (including yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile and tick-borne encephalitis viruses) have a significant public health impact in different parts of the world and the potential of emerging in previously non-endemic regions. For some viruses, the structure of the most important immunogen, the envelope protein E, ...

Injecting mice with killed cells of non-capsulated strain RM200 adsorbed on Al(OH)3 (pneumococcal whole-cell vaccine; WCV) reduces nasopharyngeal colonization by capsular serotype 6B and prevents fatal aspiration pneumonia by serotype 3 or serotype 5 strains. To further examine the potential for omni-strain immunity, we here examined a panel of clinical ...

A vast number of studies explore the potential of intradermal immunization, its role in the developing of new and improved vaccines and providing access to them globally. The advancement of microneedle technology offers new avenues for the practical realization of this approach, but, on certain instances, introduces new limitations and ...

Clostridium difficile has become the most frequent hospital-acquired infection in North America and the EU. C. difficile infection (CDI) is present worldwide and disease awareness is increasing. In the US, EU, and Canada, in addition to hospital diagnosed disease, CDI has also been reported with increasing frequency in the community. ...

Hydration is a key determinant of the folding, dynamics, and function of proteins. In this study, temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with singular value decomposition (SVD) and global fitting were used to investigate both the interaction of water with α-helical proteins and the cooperative thermal unfolding of these ...

Senescent fibroblasts are known to promote tumor growth. However, the exact mechanism remains largely unknown. An important clue comes from recent studies linking autophagy with the onset of senescence. Thus, autophagy and senescence may be part of the same physiological process, known as the autophagy-senescence transition (AST). To test this ...

Previous studies have demonstrated that loss of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in stromal cells drives the activation of the TGF-β signaling, with increased transcription of TGF-β target genes, such as connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). In addition, loss of stromal Cav-1 results in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer-associated fibroblasts, with the induction ...

In affinity proteomics, specific protein-binding molecules (a.k.a. binders), principally antibodies, are applied as reagents in proteome analysis. In recent years, advances in binder technologies have created the potential for an unprecedented view on protein expression and distribution patterns in plasma, cells and tissues and increasingly on protein function. Particular strengths ...

Efficient homing of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCBSC) to inflammation sites is crucial for therapeutic use. In glioblastoma multiforme, soluble factors released by the tumor facilitate the migratory capacity of mesenchymal stem cells toward glioma cells. These factors include chemokines and growth inducers. Nonetheless, the mechanistic details ...

Deletion of Phe508 from cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) results in a temperature-sensitive folding defect that impairs protein maturation and chloride channel function. Both of these adverse effects, however, can be mitigated to varying extents by second-site suppressor mutations. To better understand the impact of second-site mutations on channel ...

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are a vital tool to fight large hydrocarbon fires and can be used by public, commercial, and military firefighting organizations. In order to possess these superior firefighting capabilities, AFFFs contain fluorochemical surfactants, of which many of the chemical identities are listed as proprietary. Large-scale controlled (e.g., ...

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease are major complications in the renal transplant recipient. The occurrence of CMV is associated with acute rejection, allograft dysfunction, significant end-organ disease, and mortality. Several clinical studies have indicated that the use of certain immunosuppressive drugs can delay the reconstitution of CMV-specific cell-mediated immune responses, ...

Comment on: van Leeuwen IMM, et al. Cell Cycle 2012; 11:1851-61.

Disruption of the gatekeeper p53 tumor suppressor is involved in various virus-associated tumorigeneses, with aberrant ubiquitination as the major cause of p53 abnormalities in virus-associated tumors. Of note, wild-type p53 is accumulated in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated tumors, especially in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We have previously identified that p53 is accumulated ...

Alzheimer's disease is a fatal neurological disorder that is a leading cause of death, with its prevalence increasing as the average life expectancy increases worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop new therapeutics for this disease. A newly described protein, the γ-secretase activating protein (GSAP), has been proposed to ...

Endemic fluorosis was detected in 31 villages in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Out of the 109 drinking water sources that were analyzed, about 67 % were found to contain high concentration of fluoride above the permissible level of 1.0 mg/l. Dental fluorosis among the primary school children in ...

The clinical translation of tissue engineering approaches is limited by the requirement of a cell source. Cell guidance is a new concept that provides an alternative approach, obviating a requirement for an external cell source. This relies on site-specific homing and differentiation of the patient's own cells to an implanted ...

The purpose of the present study was to obtain diverse profiles of Prevotella species associated with gingival sites in an isolated Aboriginal and an urban community by phylogenetic analysis and to establish patterns of association of identified Prevotella species in gingival sites. Species/phylotypes identified from the phylogenetic analysis of near ...

The spatial and temporal distribution of macrobenthic assemblages in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis of 501 samples collected between 1994 and 2008. Five benthic assemblages were identified that were distributed primarily along the salinity gradient: (1) a polyhaline assemblage that ...

Magnetic solid-phase extraction based on coated nano-magnets Fe(3)O(4) was applied for the preconcentration of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; anthracene, phenanthrene, fluorine, and pyrene) in environmental water samples prior to simultaneous spectrophotometric determination using multivariate calibration method. Magnetic nanoparticles, carrying target metals, were easily separated from the aqueous solution by ...

PURPOSE: To identify the key parameters involved in cereal starch digestion and associated glycaemic response by the utilisation of a dynamic gastro-duodenal digestion model. METHODS: Potential plasma glucose loading curves for each meal were calculated and fitted to an exponential function. The area under the curve (AUC) from 0 to ...

Atypical polypoid adenomyoma (APA) of the uterus is a rare neoplasm that predominantly occurs in premenopausal woman. It typically appears as a polypoid mass with a mixture of hyperintensity and hypointensity on T2-weighted MRI. We report a case of a 45-year-old woman with multiple APAs (33 and 22 mm). She underwent ...

This study explored the efficacy of Fa fraction of Tricholoma giganteum against Ehrlich's ascites carcinoma (EAC). Mechanisms of apoptogenic effect of the fraction were delineated. The flow cytometric analysis of EAC cells, showed an increase in number of cells in sub-G(0)/G(1) population and reduction in the G(2)/M phase due to ...

Mycoplasma wenyonii is a wall-less hemotrophic prokaryote with worldwide distribution. This paper describes the development of a LAMP method targeting 16S rRNA for specific detection of M. wenyonii in its vectors and cattle. The LAMP method is specific for M. wenyonii detection and more sensitive than PCR. A total of ...

Azoles have been applied widely to combat pathogenic fungi in medicine and agriculture and, consequently, loss of efficacy has occurred in populations of some species. Often, but not always, resistance was found to result from amino acid substitutions in the molecular target of azoles, 14α-sterol demethylase (CYP51 syn. ERG11). This ...

In this paper, COSMO numerical weather prediction model is used to simulate land-sea breeze circulation in the north coast of Oman and to analyze the variability of the PBL depth. Typical summer day 1st August 2009 and winter day 1st January 2009 were simulated and verified by surface observations. The ...

BACKGROUND: To determine the relationship between visual fields and retinal structures measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in preperimetric glaucoma (PPG). METHODS: Twenty-six eyes of 26 patients with PPG and 20 healthy eyes of 20 volunteers were included. All patients underwent Heidelberg retina tomography-2 (HRT2), standard automated perimetry (SAP), frequency-doubling ...

The olfactory bulb (OB) of mammals is the brain region that receives the sensory information coming from the olfactory epithelium. The entrance of the olfactory information occurs in spherical structures of neuropil named olfactory glomeruli and is modulated by a population of interneurons known as periglomerular cells (PG). It has ...

Urocortin (UCN) is a 40-amino-acid peptide and a member of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family, which includes CRH, urotensin I, sauvagine, UCN2 and UCN3. The biological actions of CRH family peptides are mediated via two types of G-protein-coupled receptors, namely CRH type 1 receptor (CRHR1) and CRH type 2 receptor ...

Two volatile thiols, 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH), and 3-mercaptohexyl-acetate (3MHA), reminiscent of grapefruit and passion fruit respectively, are critical varietal aroma compounds in Sauvignon Blanc (SB) wines. These aromatic thiols are not present in the grape juice but are synthesized and released by the yeast during alcoholic fermentation. Single deletion mutants of ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of computed-tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) and fine needle aspiration (FNA) in diagnosing pulmonary infectious diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients treated at our institution between October 2006 and September 2009 and ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate success and complication rates of the Pavlik harness in late-diagnosed hip dislocation (developmental dysplasia of the hip, DDH). We also set out to assess the additional value of an abduction brace for three to six months, when successful reduction using the Pavlik ...

The co-production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3HP) and 1,3-propanediol (PDO) from glycerol was studied using the resting cells of a recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae J2B strain that overexpresses an aldehyde dehydrogenase (KGSADH). Active biomass was produced in a mineral salt medium containing yeast extract and glycerol under a range of aeration conditions, ...

Multimodal thromboprophylaxis includes preoperative thromboembolic risk stratification and autologous blood donation, surgery performed under regional anaesthesia, postoperative rapid mobilisation, use of pneumatic compression devices and chemoprophylaxis tailored to the patient's individual risk. We determined the 90-day rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE), other complications and mortality in patients who underwent primary ...

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of cell walls of wild-type and lipoteichoic acid-defective strains of Bacillus subtilis 168 to adsorb rare earth ions. Freeze-dried cell powders prepared from both strains were used for the evaluation of adsorption ability for the rare earth ions, namely, La(III), ...

In wastewater treatment plants, predicting influent water quality is important for energy management. The influent water quality is measured by metrics such as carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), potential of hydrogen, and total suspended solid. In this paper, a data-driven approach for time-ahead prediction of CBOD is presented. Due to ...

Background  Proximal displacement of the gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) is present in hiatus hernia but also occurs transiently during transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs) and swallows. Using a novel magnetic-based technique we have performed detailed examination of the GEJ movement during TLESRs and swallows in healthy subjects. Methods  In 12 ...

A dramatic concentration effect on the stereoselectivity of N-glycosylation, which is attributable to a low-concentration-facilitated remote-participation, has been disclosed, leading to convenient synthesis of the 2'-deoxy-β-ribonucleosides of biological significance.

The adenine methyltransferase (DAM) gene methylates GATC sequences which have been demonstrated in various bacteria to be a powerful gene regulator functioning as an epigenetic switch, particularly with virulence gene regulation. However, overproduction of DAM can lead to mutations, giving rise to variability that may be important for adaptation to ...

Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD), caused by a lack of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by the phagocyte NADPH oxidase NOX2, leads to massively increased inflammatory responses. In order to identify the type of phagocyte which requires NOX2 activity to limit inflammation, we investigated mice with a loss of function mutation ...

Hiroshima University Silicate-1 (HUS-1), composed of silicate sheets with a halved sodalite cage and the interlayer tetramethylammonium (TMA) cation in the cage, was modified with dimethyldichlorosilane to form the organic derivative in which a dimethyl group was grafted onto the interlayer surface and a part of the TMA was removed, ...

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a vision-threatening eye disease with no validated treatment and unknown pathogeny. In CSCR, dilation and leakage of choroid vessels underneath the retina cause subretinal fluid accumulation and retinal detachment. Because glucocorticoids induce and aggravate CSCR and are known to bind to the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), ...

Allergic inflammation triggered by exposure of an allergen frequently leads to the onset of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD) and bronchial asthma. The mechanisms underlying chronicity in allergic inflammation remain unresolved. Periostin, a recently characterized matricellular protein, interacts with several cell surface integrin molecules, providing signals for ...

We recently demonstrated that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a volatile surfactant, is as effective as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at solubilizing membrane proteins. PFOA can be removed by repeated evaporation prior to mass spectrometry analysis. However, removal of PFOA by evaporation is a lengthy process that takes approximately 6 hrs. Toward ...

Most clinical studies collect several safety-related laboratory variables. Generally, it is the extreme values of these variables that indicate potential safety issues. We illustrate the novel application of extreme value modelling to such data, with the aim of predicting the incidence of severe adverse drug reactions. By applying the methods ...

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus delphini together comprise the S. intermedius group (SIG). Within the SIG, S. pseudintermedius represents the major pathogenic species and is involved in a wide variety of infections, mainly in dogs, but to a lesser degree also in other animal species and humans. Antimicrobial agents are commonly ...

Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) relies on typical alterations of brain glucose metabolism which are, however, not disease specific. Amyloid-β imaging has not entered clinical routine yet. Post mortem histological specimen of brain tissue from AD patients revealed enhanced expression of the ...