bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Herald Waves of Influenza Virus Infections Detected in Sendai and Yamagata Cities in 1985–1990
Authors: Moriuchi Hiroyuki , Oshima Takeko , Komatsu Shigeo , Katsushima Noriko , Kitame Fumio , Nakamura Kiyoto , Numazaki Yoshio 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe community surveillance of respiratory virus infections performed during 1985–1987 in Sendai and 1988–1990 in Yamagata has identified a total of five herald waves of influenza virus infections: A/H3N2 virus infections in 1985 and 1989, A/H1N1 virus infections in 1986 and 1988, and type B virus infections in 1989. To investigate the antigenic and genetic relationships between the herald wave and epidemic strains, influenza A/H1N1 viruses isolated during the 1986 and 1988 herald waves were compared with those isolated during the 1986–1987 and 1988–1989 epidemic seasons, respectively, utilizing hemagglutination inhibition tests with anti‐hemagglutinin monoclonal antibodies and oligonucleotide mapping of total viral RNAs. The results showed that multiple variants differing in antigenic and genetic properties were cocirculating during the 1986 herald wave as well as during each of the two epidemics (only one strain was isolated in the 1988 herald wave). It was also observed that viruses which had the antigenic and/or genetic characteristics closely similar to those of the viruses circulating in the 1986 and 1988 herald waves, were isolated during the winters of 1986–1987 and 1988–1989, respectively.
Characterization of Two Bacteriocins Produced by Clostridium perfringens
Authors: Higa Akiko , Yoshida Etsuko , Miyoshi Yasushi 
Published: November 2013

AbstractTwo types of bacteriocins were shown to be produced in succession by a strain of Clostridium perfringens SN‐17. They were separated by diethylaminoethyl cellulose (DEAE) column chromatography at pH 8.5 with a linear concentration gradient of NaCl. One type of bacteriocin (named SN‐a) was eluted at 0.07 M and the other type (named SN‐b) was at 0.12 M. Each of these was partially purified in a series of column chromatographies: DEAE, Sephadex G‐200 (or Bio Gel P‐150), and hydroxyapatite. Specific activities of SN‐a and SN‐b after the last chromatography were at most 30‐ to 50‐fold that of culture filtrate of the organisms. Chromatographed SN‐a migrated as a single zone in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and the zone showed high biological activity. On the other hand, PAGE pattern of SN‐b revealed the presence of a few contamination materials. The activity of SN‐b after the last chromatography was hardly recovered from the gel but inactivated SN‐b was identified in the gel by examining bacteriocin activity of the DEAE fractions recovered from the gel. The molecular weight of the SN‐a and SN‐b was determined to be about 70,000 and 100,000, respectively, by molecular sieve chromatography. These bacteriocins were very sensitive to protease but insensitive to DNase and RNase. Bacteriocins were both completely inactivated at 55 C and they were more stable in alkaline pH than in acidic pH. SN‐a and SN‐b were adsorbed in different ways on the surface of the producer and insensitive strains. Several differences and similarities between these 2 bacteriocins are discussed with special reference to the relationship between them.
A Synthetic Peptide Homologous to Retroviral Transmembrane Envelope Proteins Depresses Protein Kinase C Mediated Lymphocyte Proliferation and Directly Inactivated Protein Kinase C: A Potential Mechanism for Immunosuppression
Authors: Kadota Jun‐ichi , Ciangiolo George J. , Snyderman Ralph 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCKS‐17, an immunosuppressive peptide homologous to certain retroviral transmembrane envelope protein, has been shown to inhibit lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens or alloantigens when covalently attached to bovine serum albumin (CKS‐17‐BSA). To define its site of action, we determined if CKS‐17 conjugated to human serum albumin (CKS‐17‐HSA) could block the direct activation of lymphocytes by phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (PMA) or by a synthetic diacylglycerol, dioctanoylglycerol (DiCs). CKS‐17‐HSA inhibited lymphocyte proliferation in response to PMA and ionomycin in a dose‐dependent manner with up to 88% inhibition occurring with 15μM CKS‐17‐HSA. The conjugated peptide also inhibited the proliferation of lymphocytes in response to DiC8 and ionomycin by up to 57% at 15 μM CKS‐17‐HSA. Based on these findings we investigated the effect of CKS‐17‐HSA on the activity of protein kinase C (PKC), an enzyme directly activated by PMA and DiC8. PKC was isolated chromatographically from the cytosol of human neutrophils or the human lymphoblastoid cell line Jurkat. CKS‐17‐HSA caused a dose‐dependent enzyme inhibition with a concentration giving half‐maximal inhibition (IC50) of ca.3 μM and >95% inhibition at 15 μM CKS‐17‐HSA. Inhibition of PKC by the conjugated peptide was not reversed by increasing concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, phosphatidylserine, diolein, or adenosine triphosphate (ATP), indicating that the conjugated peptide did not function as a chelator or competitive inhibitor. In contrast to its effects on PKC, CKS‐17‐HSA did not inhibit the activity of adenosine 3′: 5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP)‐dependent protein kinase (PK‐A) nor the calcium and phospholipid‐independent form of PKC (PK‐M). Moreover the peptide inhibited in vivo PKC activity in cytosol of intact cells and in membrane of PMA‐stimulated cells. These results suggest that the inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation by CKS‐17‐HSA may be due to the direct inactivation of PKC.
S Layer Protein of Clostridium tetani: Purification and Properties
Authors: Takumi Kenji , Susami Yukie , Takeoka Aya , Oka Tatsuzo , Koga Tetsuro 
Published: November 2013

AbstractS layer protein of Clostridium tetani strain AO 174, a nontoxigenic derivative of strain Harvard A 47, was prepared from the cell walls by 4 M urea extraction and purified by DEAE‐Sepharose CL‐6B chromatography followed by a combination of anion‐exchange chromatography and reverse‐phase chromatography using an HPLC system. The molecular weight of the S layer protein was estimated to be 140 kilodaltons (kDa) by SDS‐PAGE. The amino acid composition of the 140 kDa protein was very similar to those of S layer proteins from the other bacterial species: it was rich in acidic amino acid and lacked cysteine. Also, the protein was unique in its extremely low content of proline (0.02 to 0.03 mol%o). Multiple isoelectric forms ranging from pH 4.0 to 4.5 were observed in the purified preparation. Immunodiffusion analysis showed that the 140 kDa protein was a common antigen to the three strains of C. tetani tested.
Serological Evidence that the Q Fever Agent (Coxiella burnetii) Has Spread Widely among Dairy Cattle of Japan
Authors: Yoshiie Kiyotaka , Oda Hiroshi , Nagano Naoyuki , Matayoshi Seiken 
Published: November 2013

AbstractSerological examination of bovine and human sera for antibodies against Coxiella burnetii was carried out by the immunofluorescence technique. Twenty to 30%o of the cows examined were antibody‐positive. Sera from two veterinarians also had antibody against C. burnetii. These results suggest an increase in the number of infected cows with C. burnetii in Japan since 1954, and also imply the possibility of the prevalence of acute Q fever in the human population, which had been underestimated and undiagnosed for the last three decades.
Separation of the Prodigiosin‐Localizing Crude Vesicles Which Retain the Activity of Protease and Nuclease in Serratia marcescens
Authors: Kobayashi Nobuharu , Ichikawa Yoichi 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCrude vesicles in which prodigiosin is localized were separated from pigmented Serratia marcescens. The bacteria were grown on peptonegiycerol agar plate, suspended in saline, and fractionated into cells, vesicles, and supernatant by differential centrifugation. Electron microscopic observations showed that the fractionation was conducted properly and the separated vesicles were lysed in distilled water. The vesicles suspended in saline retained 100 kilodalton protein of which amount is correlated with prodigiosin level, but the 100 kDa protein was found in the supernatant when the vesicles were lysed in distilled water. The vesicle fraction retained few colony‐forming units and little detectable activity of NADH oxidase, but showed much higher activities of protease and nuclease than the cell fraction. The profiles of the activities of the protease and the nuclease in the fractions were different from each other, that is, the protease activity in the vesicle fraction was lower than that in the supernatant fraction, whereas the nuclease activity in the vesicle fraction was higher than that in the supernatant fraction, suggesting that the two extracellular enzymes were released from the pigmented bacteria by different mechanisms.
Examination of Host Defense Factors Responsible for Experimental Chronic Respiratory Tract Infection Caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in Mice
Authors: Iizawa Yuji , Nishi Takeshi , Kondo Masahiro , Imada Akira 
Published: November 2013

AbstractWe have studied the host defense factors that operate during the course of chronic respiratory tract infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae 27 in CBA/J mice. A large number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) rapidly infiltrated the alveolar spaces after infection. Treatment with cyclophosphamide (CY) before infection greatly reduced the infiltration of PMNs and caused an increase in bacterial counts. CY treatment of mice in the chronic phase also caused bacterial proliferation in the lungs. The administration of a high titer immune serum efficiently reduced the bacterial counts in the lungs during the early phase but not during the chronic phase. The proliferation of bacteria induced by CY treatment was not suppressed by the administration of the immune serum in either phase. When the mice were exposed to an aerosol containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa P9 in the chronic phase, the organisms from the secondary infection were eliminated from the lungs in the same manner as in the case of primary infection with P, aeruginosa. Thus, PMNs seem to play an important role in the suppression of bacterial proliferation in the early and chronic phases, and the specific antibody might have a supplementary effect on the defensive action of PMNs in the chronic phase. It is also presumed that the bacteria in the chronic phase of infection are sequestered at sites hardly accessible to PMNs.
Coexistence of Fusion Receptors for Human T‐Cell Leukemia Virus Type‐I (HTLV‐I) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type‐1 (HIV‐1) on MOLT‐4 Cells
Authors: Kannagi Mari , Kuroda Marcelo J. , Maeda Yosuke , Harada Shinji 
Published: November 2013

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus type‐1 (HIV‐1) and human T‐cell leukemia virus type‐1 (HTLV‐I) have a similar tropism for target cell types, especially for CD4+ T cells. In this study, we provide evidence that receptors of these two viruses exist independently on the target cell. We established an HTLV‐I‐producing CD8+ T cell line (ILT‐8M2) with a remarkable cell fusion capacity. When cocultured with MOLT‐4 cells, ILT‐8M2 cells induced giant syncytia more efficiently than any other tested HTLV‐I‐producer cell lines. In contrast to other HTLV‐I‐producers, ILT‐8M2 cells were minimally susceptible to cytopathic effects of HIV‐1 due to very low expression of CD4, although they were able to be persistently infected by HIV‐1. The indicator MOLT‐4 cells are known to respond well to HIV‐1‐induced cell fusion, but they lose this ability if they become persistently infected with HIV‐1 because of the reduction of CD4 receptor expression. ILT‐8M2 was, however, still capable of inducing syncytia with the MOLT‐4 cells persistently infected by HIV‐1 (MOLT‐4/IIIB). This syncytium formation was dependent on the HTLV‐I‐envelope, as it was inhibited by HTLV‐I‐positive human sera or a monoclonal antibody to HTLV‐I gp46 but not by monoclonal antibodies to HIV‐1 gp120 or CD4. Moreover, ILT‐8M2 cells persistently infected by HIV‐1 (ILT‐8M2/IIIB) induced both HTLV‐I‐ and HIV‐1‐mediated syncytia with uninfected MOLT‐4 cells. These results suggest that HTLV‐I induces cell fusion utilizing receptors on the target cells independent of HIV‐1‐receptors.
Effects of Biocidal Treatments to Inhibit the Growth of Legionellae and Other Microorganisms in Cooling Towers
Authors: Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Ezaki Takayuki , Ikedo Masanari , Yabuuchi Eiko 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe effects of biocidal treatments for cooling towers were examined through the use of chemicals and ultraviolet irradiation to inhibit the growth of legionellae and other microorganisms. In the water of cooling towers without continuous biocidal treatments, heterotrophic bacteria and bacterivorous protozoan first appeared, and then legionellae increased up to 104 CFU/100 ml. When a UV sterilizer was connected to the cooling tower, the legionellae count was 1/10 or 1/100 of that in the nontreated tower water. In the water of towers supplemented continuously with the biocidal chemicals, legionellae were not found during a 4‐month period. The biocidal treatments tested were proved to suppress the increase of legionellae in cooling‐tower water, and thus are useful in preventing the outbreak of legionellosis due to inhalation of contaminated aerosol from the cooling tower system.
Different Antiviral Potencies of BV‐araU and Related Nucleoside Analogues against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Human Cell Lines and Vero Cells
Authors: Machida Haruhiko , Nishitani Makiko , Suzutani Tatsuo , Hayashi Kozaburo 
Published: November 2013

AbstractAntiviral potencies against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) of 1‐β‐D‐arabinofuranosyl‐E‐5‐(2‐bromovinyl)uracil (BV‐araU) and ten other nucleoside analogues in human embryonic lung fibroblast (HEL) cells were compared with those in Vero cells. 5‐Halogenovinylarabinosyluracils, highly active in HEL cells, were inactive against all three laboratory‐stocked strains of HSV‐1 but exerted moderate antiviral effects on three clinical isolates in Vero cells. The reduction in anti‐HSV‐1 potencies of other representative nucleoside analogues in Vero cells was much less than those of 5‐halogenovinylarabinosyluracils. However, significant antiviral potencies of BV‐araU against laboratory strains were observed in other human and monkey fibroblast cells including an immortalized cell line. Significant enhancement of antiviral activity of BV‐araU against a laboratory strain and a clinical isolate was demonstrated in Vero cells by the addition of 0.1 μM aminopterin or FUdR, an inhibitor of thymidylate synthesis. The potentiated anti‐HSV‐1 activity in Vero cells was comparable to the potency in HEL cells without the inhibitor. These results suggested that high activity of thymidylate synthesis and a large thymidylate pool size in Vero cells seem to be related to loss of anti‐HSV‐1 potency of BV‐araU. Original tissue type, species, and the immortality may not be responsible for the reduced antiviral activity of BV‐araU in Vero cells.
Vascular Permeability Enhancement by Vibrio mimicus Protease and the Mechanisms of Action
Authors: Chowdhury Mohammad Afzalur Rahim , Miyoshi Shin‐ichi , Shinoda Sumio 
Published: November 2013

AbstractVibrio mimicus, a causative agent of gastroenteritis, has also been reported to attribute to extraintestinal infections. Recently we have purified a metalloprotease produced by the pathogen: however, the role of the protease in V. mimicus infection has not been documented. The V. mimicus protease (VMP) was found to enhance vascular permeability and form edema when injected into the dorsal skin of guinea pig and rat. The permeability enhancement by VMP was observed in a dose‐dependent manner in both guinea pig and rat skin. In guinea pig, an inhibitor of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme was found to augment the permeability enhancement reaction. The permeability enhancement was significantly blocked by soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI), an inhibitor of plasma kallikrein reaction. In vitro conversion of plasma prekallikrein to kallikrein by VMP was also noted. In rat skin, the permeability enhancement reaction was not blocked by antihistamine or SBTI. However, the reaction was partially blocked when a mixture of antihistamine and SBTI was administered with VMP. It is apparent from the study that in guinea pig skin, VMP enhances vascular permeability through activation of plasma kallikrein‐kinin system which generates bradykinin, whereas in addition to the activation of plasma kallikrein‐kinin cascade in the case of rat, stimulation of histamine release from mast cells and other unknown mechanism seem to be also a cause of the permeability enhancement reaction. These results suggest that VMP may play a role in extraintestinal infections with edema caused by the pathogen.
Monoclonal Antibody to a Structure Expressed on a Subpopulation of Rat CD8 T Cell Subsets
Authors: Nagoya Satoshi , Kikuchi Kokichi , Uede Toshimitsu 
Published: November 2013

AbstractWe have developed a monoclonal antibody, RTS‐1, which can divide a rat CD8 (+) peripheral T cell population into two functionally distinct subsets. The cell‐surface structure defined by this antibody is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 220 kDa found to be a high molecular isoform of rat CD45 antigen. CD4 (+) T cells were not stained by RTS‐1 antibody. The cytotoxic T cell‐enriched population did not express RTS‐1 epitope on the cell surface. CD8 (+) spleen cells as well as RTS‐1(+)CD8(+)T cells exhibited strong inhibition on mitogen‐induced immunoglobulin G production by rat B cells. Furthermore, RTS‐1 antibody, but not the control antibody, abolished CD8(+)T cell‐mediated inhibition of immunoglobulin G production by rat B cells. These data suggest that RTS‐1 antibody recognizes a unique determinant of rat CD45 antigen that is expressed on a fraction of CD8(+) cells.
A Monoclonal Antibody Specific for Conidia and Mycelium Wall Layer of Penicillium and Aspergillus
Authors: Fuhrmann B. , Lebreton V. , Van Hoegaerden M. , Kamphuis H.J. , Strosberg A.D. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractA monoclonal antibody was obtained from BALB/c mice immunized with Penicillium frequentans mycelium. The specificity of the antibody was evaluated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent and indirect immunofluorescence assays against the same mycelium. This IgM antibody cross‐reacted with various strains of the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera. By indirect immunofluorescence assays, the antibody was able to stain about 10% of Penicillium and Aspergillus conidia, but major part of conidia did not absorb the fluorescence‐labeled antibody before swelling. During germination of P. frequentans conidia, the germ tube wall which constitutes a continuation of an inner wall layer was also stained. During germination of P. griseofulvum, the protrusion of the germ tube wall was not always recognized by the antibody because the germ tube wall was constituted by a continuation of an outer spore wall layer. The study of the staining patterns of the spores and the protrusions suggests that the antibody specifically recognizes an antigen of the inner spore wall layer. The monoclonal antibody reacts with extracelluar galactomannans produced by genera Aspergillus and Penicillium but is not directed against β‐(1,5)‐linked galactofuranose units.
Clostridium botulinum Type C in Healthy Swine in Japan
Authors: Yamakawa Kiyotaka , Kamiya Shigeru , Yoshimura Kiyoto , Nakamura Shinichi 
Published: November 2013

AbstractHealthy cattle and swine bred in a district of Japan were examined for the presence of Clostridium botulinum in their liver. Liver specimens were cultivated in chopped meat‐glucose medium and the cultures were examined for botulinum toxin. In cattle, none of the cultures of 100 liver specimens yielded the toxin. In swine, however, C1 or C2 toxin was demonstrated in 8 of 100 liver specimens from 36 farms. One of the five farms where the carrier‐state swine were present was surveyed for about 2 years to determine whether the carrier‐state was transient or resident. C. botulinum type C was found in swine livers and feces, and environmental specimens at extremely high rates during the surveillances, with 76% of specimens yielding botulinum toxin following the culture. These data suggest that it is not uncommon for healthy swine to carry C. botulinum type C in the liver and that there is a close relationship between C. botulinum carrier‐state in swine and the presence of this organism in their raising environments. In 20 cattle and 20 swine suffering from parturient paresis of unknown etiology no evidence for involvement of C. botulinum type C was obtained.
Organization of the Ribosomal RNA Genes in Treponema phagedenis and Treponema pallidum
Authors: Fukunaga Masahito , Okuzako Noriko , Mifuchi Ichiji , Arimitsu Yoshiko , Seki Masaaki 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe genomic DNA fragment which contains ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes for Treponema phagedenis was cloned into bacteriophage vector lambda EMBL3. A restriction map of the fragment was constructed and the organization of the rRNA genes was determined. The fragment contained at least one copy of the 16S, 23S and 5S sequences and the genes are arranged in the order 16S‐23S‐5S. Southern hybridization using radiolabeled rRNA gene probes to genomic DNA from T. phagedenis strain Reiter and T, pallidum strain Nichols showed that these organisms have two radioactive fragments which hybridize to the probes in their genome. These results suggest that both pathogenic and non‐pathogenic strains of Treponema may carry at least two sets of rRNA genes on their chromosomes.
Geographic/Ethnic Differences in Human Herpesvirus‐6 Antibody Patterns
Authors: Levine Paul H. , Neequaye Janet , Yadav Manmohan , Connelly Roger 
Published: November 2013

AbstractSerum samples from healthy adults in four geographic/ethnic groups (Ghanaian Blacks, Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indians and United States Caucasians) were tested under code for antibodies to human herpesvirus‐6 (HHV‐6). The prevalence and titer of HHV‐6 antibody in the healthy Ghanaians were significantly higher than in the Malaysian Chinese; United States Caucasians and Malaysian Indians had intermediate prevalence and titer of antibodies. Thus far, no specific differences in HHV‐6‐associated diseases have been noted between geographic/ethnic groups with these marked variations in antibody patterns.
Purification and Characterization of Heterologous Component IIs of Botulinum C2 Toxin
Authors: Ohishi Iwao , Hama Yasuo 
Published: November 2013

AbstractBotulinum C2 toxin (C2T) elaborated by certain strains of Clostridium botulinum types C and D is composed of separate and dissimilar two proteins, components I and II. Previous studies have shown that these two components of C2T produced by type C and D strains were immunologically heterologous and that C2T‐producers were classified into three groups depending on the difference in molecular characteristics of the components I and II. In the present study, the heterologous component IIs of C2T were purified from three representative strains of the groups and the molecular characteristics of the components were compared. Immunological analyses by agar gel double immunodiffusion test showed that the component IIs purified from the three strains have the specific epitope(s) in addition to the common one(s). The biological activity of C2Ts reconstituted with component I purified from a fixed strain and component II each from the three strains differed depending on the source of the component II. These results indicate that the component II of C2T produced by C. botulinum types C and D differs in molecular structure, which reflects on the difference in the biological activity of the toxin. The present study suggests that the pathophysiological activity of C2T, which possibly causes a necrotic enteritis, is dependent on the C2T‐producing bacteria infected.