bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pain and Function in Patients with Rheumatic Disease and Elbow Arthroplasty: Clinical and Methodological Aspects
Authors: Torskog Caroline , Ugland Terje , Lona Tarjei , Eikvar Kari , Dagfinrud Hanne 
Published: July 2010

Background More knowledge about the impact of elbow arthroplasty is needed. Objectives To describe pain and function in patients with elbow arthroplasty and to explore frequently used clinical- and patient-assessed measures for elbow function. Methods Pain and function [grip strength, range of motion (ROM)] were explored in a cross-sectional study of patients with elbow arthroplasty 1 year to 5 years after surgery. The properties of three outcome measures were assessed: the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (Quick-DASH); the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Elbow assessment form; and the Mayo Elbow Performance Score. For comparison, scales were transformed to 0 to 100. Correlations between measures and factors explaining patient-reported function (Quick-DASH) were explored. Results The study included 32 patients with a mean age of 68 years (75% females). Patients reported moderate level of pain (mean ± SD = 77), low arm function (Quick-DASH mean ± SD = 47), low grip strength (compared to norms) and limited ROM (flexion/extension arc less than 100°). Significant correlations with Quick-DASH were found for all measures (p < 0.01), except for ROM (p = 0.35). Grip strength contributed significantly (p = 0.03) to the variation in Quick-DASH, whereas ROM did not (p = 0.81). Conclusion Patients with elbow arthroplasty had moderate pain, but limited grip strength and ROM, 1 year to 5 years after surgery.
Three Doses of an Experimental Detoxified L3-Derived Lipooligosaccharide Meningococcal Vaccine Offer Good Safety but Low Immunogenicity in Healthy Young Adults
Authors: Bonvehí Pablo , Boutriau Dominique , Casellas Javier , Weynants Vincent , Feron Christiane , Poolman Jan 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

This open, randomized phase I study evaluated the safety and reactogenicity of an experimental meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccine obtained from outer membrane vesicle detoxified L3-derived lipooligosaccharide. Healthy young adults (
n
= 150) were randomized to receive either experimental vaccine (provided in five formulations,
n
= 25 in each group) or VA-Mengoc-BC (control,
n
= 25) administered on a 0- to 6-week/6-month schedule. Serum bactericidal assays performed against three MenB wild-type strains assessed the immune response, defined as a 4-fold increase from pre- to postvaccination. No serious adverse events related to vaccination were reported. Pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headache were the most commonly reported adverse events. Solicited adverse events graded level 3 (i.e., preventing daily activity) were pain (up to 17% of the test subjects versus 32% of the controls), fatigue (up to 12% of the test subjects versus 8% of the controls), and headache (up to 4% of any group). Swelling graded level 3 (greater than 50 mm) occurred in up to 4% of the test subjects versus 8% of the controls. The immune responses ranged from 5% to 36% across experimental vaccines for the L3 H44-76 strain (versus 27% for the control), from 0% to 11% for the L3 NZ98/124 strain (versus 23% for the control), and from 0% to 13% for the L2 760676 strain (versus 59% for the control). All geometric mean titers were below those measured with the control vaccine. The five experimental formulations were safe and well tolerated but tended to be less immunogenic than the control vaccine.
Anthrax Spore Detection by a Luminex Assay Based on Monoclonal Antibodies That Recognize Anthrose-Containing Oligosaccharides
Authors: Tamborrini Marco , Holzer Marcelle , Seeberger Peter H. , Schürch Nadia , Pluschke Gerd 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

The similarity of endospore surface antigens between bacteria of the
Bacillus cereus
group complicates the development of selective antibody-based anthrax detection systems. The surface of
B. anthracis
endospores exposes a tetrasaccharide containing the monosaccharide anthrose. Anti-tetrasaccharide monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and anti-anthrose-rhamnose disaccharide MAbs were produced and tested for their fine specificities in a direct spore enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with inactivated spores of a broad spectrum of
B. anthracis
strains and related species of the
Bacillus
genus. Although the two sets of MAbs had different fine specificities, all of them recognized the tested
B. anthracis
strains and showed only a limited cross-reactivity with two
B. cereus
strains. The MAbs were further tested for their ability to be implemented in a highly sensitive and specific bead-based Luminex assay. This assay detected spores from different
B. anthracis
strains and two cross-reactive
B. cereus
strains, correlating with the results obtained in direct spore ELISA. The Luminex assay (detection limit 10
3
to 10
4
spores per ml) was much more sensitive than the corresponding sandwich ELISA. Although not strictly specific for
B. anthracis
spores, the developed Luminex assay represents a useful first-line screening tool for the detection of
B. anthracis
spores.
Molecular Quantification of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Respiratory Samples: Reliable Detection during the Initial Phase of Infection
Authors: van de Pol Alma C. , Wolfs Tom F. W. , van Loon Anton M. , Tacke Carline E. A. , Viveen Marco C. , Jansen Nicolaas J. G. , Kimpen Jan L. L. , Rossen John W. A. , Coenjaerts Frank E. J. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

Quantitative real-time PCR for the detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) RNA is increasingly used to study the causal role of RSV in lower airway disease. The objective of our study was to evaluate variations in RSV RNA loads at different steps in the RNA quantification process: (i) variation in RSV RNA load within one sample (step 1), (ii) variation in the load in samples from patients who were sampled twice on the same day (step 2), and (iii) variation in the load between simultaneously taken nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) samples and tracheal aspirate (TA) samples (step 3). Thirty-two infants with RSV infection at the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were included. NPA and TA samples were taken three times a week during ventilation and were not diluted. Intrasample variation (step 1) was shown to be minimal (<0.5 log
10
particles/ml). Intraday variation (step 2) was the lowest for samples with high viral loads (95% limits of agreement, −1.3 to +0.9 log
10
), whereas it increased for samples with relatively lower viral loads (viral load, <6.0 log
10
particles/ml;
n
= 138 sample pairs from 20 patients). RSV loads in NPA and TA samples (step 3) were found to be the most comparable during the early phase of infection (95% limits of agreement, −1.5 to +1.4 log
10
). The variation increased during the late phase of infection (i.e., in follow-up samples), with the loads in NPA samples remaining significantly higher than the loads in TA samples (
n
= 138 sample pairs from 31 patients). In conclusion, quantitative detection of RSV RNA in undiluted mucus is a reliable method to quantify viral loads. Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples collected in the initial phase of infection can be used to predict RSV RNA loads in the lower airways.
Development and Application of a Broadly Sensitive Dried-Blood-Spot-Based Genotyping Assay for Global Surveillance of HIV-1 Drug Resistance
Authors: Yang Chunfu , McNulty Amanda , Diallo Karidia , Zhang Jing , Titanji Boghuma , Kassim Sidibe , Wadonda-Kabondo Nellie , Aberle-Grasse John , Kibuka Tabitha , Ndumbe Peter M. , Vedapuri Shanmugam , Zhou Zhiyong , Chilima Benson , Nkengasong John N. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTAs antiretroviral therapy (ART) is scaled up in resource-limited countries, surveillance for HIV drug resistance (DR) is vital to ensure sustained effectiveness of first-line ART. We have developed and applied a broadly sensitive dried-blood-spot (DBS)-based genotyping assay for surveillance of HIV-1 DR in international settings. In 2005 and 2006, 171 DBS samples were collected under field conditions from newly diagnosed HIV-1-infected individuals from Malawi (n= 58), Tanzania (n= 60), and China (n=53). In addition, 30 DBS and 40 plasma specimens collected from ART patients in China and Cameroon, respectively, were also tested. Of the 171 DBS analyzed at the protease and RT regions, 149 (87.1%) could be genotyped, including 49 (81.7%) from Tanzania, 47 (88.7%) from China, and 53 (91.4%) from Malawi. Among the 70 ART patient samples analyzed, 100% (30/30) of the Chinese DBS and 90% (36/40) of the Cameroonian plasma specimens were genotyped, including 8 samples with a viral load of <400 copies/ml. The results of phylogenetic analyses indicated that the subtype, circulating recombinant form (CRF), and unique recombinant form (URF) distribution was as follows: 73 strains were subtype C (34%), 37 were subtype B (17.2%), 24 each were CRF01_AE or CRF02_AG (11.2% each), 22 were subtype A1 (10.2%), and 9 were unclassifiable (UC) (4.2%). The remaining samples were minor strains comprised of 6 that were CRF07_BC (2.8%), 5 that were CRF10_CD (2.3%), 3 each that were URF_A1C and CRF08_BC (1.4%), 2 each that were G, URF_BC, and URF_D/UC (0.9%), and 1 each that were subtype F1, subtype F2, and URF_A1D (0.5%). Our results indicate that this broadly sensitive genotyping assay can be used to genotype DBS collected from areas with diverse HIV-1 group M subtypes and CRFs. Thus, the assay is likely to become a useful screening tool in the global resistance surveillance and monitoring of HIV-1 where multiple subtypes and CRFs are found.
Molecular Surveillance of Clinical
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Isolates in Russia
Authors: Ilina Elena N. , Oparina Nina Y. , Shitikov Egor A. , Borovskaya Alexandra D. , Govorun Vadim M. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

The choice of adequate methods for epidemiological purposes remains a challenging problem in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
molecular monitoring. In this study, the collection of geographically unrelated gonococci (
n
= 103) isolated in Russian clinics was comparably tested by (i) a traditional serotyping scheme, (ii)
por
typing, (iii)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST), and (iv) multilocus sequence typing (MLST). It is shown that, according to sequencing data, a third of the strains carried new
porB1
alleles, as well as
tbpB
ones, and more than half of the samples had new sequence types (STs) as determined by NG-MAST or MLST. The discriminatory power for each typing method was calculated by using the Hunter-Gaston discriminatory index,
D
. Commonly, modern nucleic acid-based typing methods (
por
typing, NG-MAST, and MLST) appeared to be more efficient than the classical serotyping scheme. While the traditional serotyping gave a
D
value of 0.82, the
por
typing, NG-MAST, and MLST approaches yielded
D
values of 0.97, 0.98, and 0.91, respectively. Each typing technique revealed the distribution of gonococci slightly correlated with their geographical sources. However, only the MLST method STs were highly associated with certain phenotypes. Although ST1594, ST1892, and ST6720 were typical for susceptible gonococci, ST1901 and ST6716 were undoubtedly associated with a multidrug-resistant phenotype. We conclude that every tested nucleic acid-based typing method is suitable for
N. gonorrhoeae
molecular surveillance. However, the MLST method seems to serve large-scale epidemiological purposes, whereas the NG-MAST and
por
typing approaches are more appropriate for the investigation of local outbreaks.
Agar Block Smear Preparation: a Novel Method of Slide Preparation for Preservation of Native Fungal Structures for Microscopic Examination and Long-Term Storage
Authors: Woo Patrick C. Y. , Ngan Antonio H. Y. , Chui Hon-Kit , Lau Susanna K. P. , Yuen Kwok-Yung 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

We describe a novel method of fungal slide preparation named “agar block smear preparation.” A total of 510 agar block smears of 25 fungal strains obtained from culture collections, 90 QC fungal strains, and 82 clinical fungal strains from our clinical microbiology laboratory, which included a total of 137 species of yeasts, molds, and thermal dimorphic fungi, were prepared and examined. In contrast to adhesive tape preparation, agar block smears preserved the native fungal structures, such as intact conidiophores of
Aspergillus
species and arrangements of conidia in
Scopulariopsis brevicaulis
. Furthermore, agar block smears allowed examination of fungal structures embedded in the agar, such as the ascomata with ascomal hairs in
Chaetomium funicola
; pycnidium of
Phoma glomerata
; the intercalary ovoidal chlamydospores arranged in chains of
Fusarium dimerum
; and the lateral, spherical chlamydospores arranged in pairs of
Fusarium solani
. After 1 year of storage, morphological integrity was found to have been maintained in 459 (90%) of the 510 agar block smears. After 3 years of storage, morphological integrity was found to have been maintained in 72 (71%) of the 102 smears prepared in 2006. Agar block smear preparation preserves the native fungal structures and allows long-term storage and examination of fungal structures embedded in the agar, hence overcoming the major drawbacks of adhesive tape preparation. The major roles of agar block smear should be diagnosis for difficult cases, accurate identification of fungal species for clinical management of patients and epidemiological studies, and long-term storage for transportation of slides and education purposes.
Antiviral Susceptibility of Avian and Swine Influenza Virus of the N1 Neuraminidase Subtype
Authors: Stoner Terri D. , Krauss Scott , DuBois Rebecca M. , Negovetich Nicholas J. , Stallknecht David E. , Senne Dennis A. , Gramer Marie R. , Swafford Seth , DeLiberto Tom , Govorkova Elena A. , Webster Robert G. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTInfluenza viruses of the N1 neuraminidase (NA) subtype affecting both animals and humans caused the 2009 pandemic. Anti-influenza virus NA inhibitors are crucial early in a pandemic, when specific influenza vaccines are unavailable. Thus, it is urgent to confirm the antiviral susceptibility of the avian viruses, a potential source of a pandemic virus. We evaluated the NA inhibitor susceptibilities of viruses of the N1 subtype isolated from wild waterbirds, swine, and humans. Most avian viruses were highly or moderately susceptible to oseltamivir (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], <5.1 to 50 nM). Of 91 avian isolates, 7 (7.7%) had reduced susceptibility (IC50, >50 nM) but were sensitive to the NA inhibitors zanamivir and peramivir. Oseltamivir susceptibility ranged more widely among the waterbird viruses (IC50, 0.5 to 154.43 nM) than among swine and human viruses (IC50, 0.33 to 2.56 nM). Swine viruses were sensitive to oseltamivir, compared to human seasonal H1N1 isolated before 2007 (mean IC50, 1.4 nM). Avian viruses from 2007 to 2008 were sensitive to oseltamivir, in contrast to the emergence of resistant H1N1 in humans. Susceptibility remained high to moderate over time among influenza viruses. Sequence analysis of the outliers did not detect molecular markers of drug-resistance (e.g., H275Y NA mutation [N1 numbering]) but revealed mutations outside the NA active site. In particular, V267I, N307D, and V321I residue changes were found, and structural analyses suggest that these mutations distort hydrophobic pockets and affect residues in the NA active site. We determined that natural oseltamivir resistance among swine and wild waterbirds is rare. Minor naturally occurring variants in NA can affect antiviral susceptibility.
Genetic Analyses of HIV-1
env
Sequences Demonstrate Limited Compartmentalization in Breast Milk and Suggest Viral Replication within the Breast That Increases with Mastitis
Authors: Gantt Soren , Carlsson Jacquelyn , Heath Laura , Bull Marta E. , Shetty Avinash K. , Mutsvangwa Junior , Musingwini Georgina , Woelk Godfrey , Zijenah Lynn S. , Katzenstein David A. , Mullins James I. , Frenkel Lisa M. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

The concentration of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is generally lower in breast milk than in blood. Mastitis, or inflammation of the breast, is associated with increased levels of milk HIV-1 and risk of mother-to-child transmission through breastfeeding. We hypothesized that mastitis facilitates the passage of HIV-1 from blood into milk or stimulates virus production within the breast. HIV-1
env
sequences were generated from single amplicons obtained from breast milk and blood samples in a cross-sectional study. Viral compartmentalization was evaluated using several statistical methods, including the Slatkin and Maddison (SM) test. Mastitis was defined as an elevated milk sodium (Na
+
) concentration. The association between milk Na
+
and the pairwise genetic distance between milk and blood viral sequences was modeled using linear regression. HIV-1 was compartmentalized within milk by SM testing in 6/17 (35%) specimens obtained from 9 women, but all phylogenetic clades included viral sequences from milk and blood samples. Monotypic sequences were more prevalent in milk samples than in blood samples (22% versus 13%;
P
= 0.012), which accounted for half of the compartmentalization observed. Mastitis was not associated with compartmentalization by SM testing (
P
= 0.621), but Na
+
was correlated with greater genetic distance between milk and blood HIV-1 populations (
P
= 0.041). In conclusion, local production of HIV-1 within the breast is suggested by compartmentalization of virus and a higher prevalence of monotypic viruses in milk specimens. However, phylogenetic trees demonstrate extensive mixing of viruses between milk and blood specimens. HIV-1 replication in breast milk appears to increase with inflammation, contributing to higher milk viral loads during mastitis.
Identification of Novel MicroRNA-Like Molecules Generated from Herpesvirus and Host tRNA Transcripts
Authors: Reese Tiffany A. , Xia Jing , Johnson L. Steven , Zhou Xiang , Zhang Weixiong , Virgin Herbert W. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT
We applied deep sequencing technology to small RNA fractions from cells lytically infected with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68) in order to define in detail small RNAs generated from a cluster of tRNA-related polycistronic structures located at the left end of the viral genome. We detected 10 new candidate microRNAs (miRNAs), six of which were confirmed by Northern blot analysis, leaving four as provisional. In addition, we determined that previously identified and annotated viral miRNA molecules were not necessarily represented as the most abundant sequence originating from a transcript. Based on these new small RNAs and previously reported γHV68 miRNAs, we were able to further describe and annotate the distinctive γHV68 tRNA-miRNA structures. We used this deep sequencing data and computational analysis to identify similar structures in the mouse genome and validated that these host structures also give rise to small RNAs. This reveals a possible convergent usage of tRNA/polymerase III (pol III) transcripts to generate small RNAs from both mammalian and viral genomes.
Alterations in the Immunogenic Properties of Soluble Trimeric Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Proteins Induced by Deletion or Heterologous Substitutions of the V1 Loop
Authors: Ching Lance , Stamatatos Leonidas 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT
HIV-1 gp140 envelope immunogens express conserved epitopes that are targeted by broadly cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies, but they fail to elicit similar antibodies upon immunization. The poor immunogenicity of conserved epitopes on gp140 could be linked to the high immunogenicity of variable Env regions on such constructs. Previous studies have shown that the first hypervariable region (V1 loop) is immunogenic on soluble gp140s but elicits type-specific antibodies. To address issues related to the high immunogenicity of the V1 loop, two conceptually opposite approaches were tested. In the first approach, we eliminated the V1 loop from our gp140 construct and examined how V1 deletion altered the immunogenic properties of other Env regions. In the second approach, we took advantage of the high immunogenicity of the V1 loop and engrafted four diverse V1 loops onto a common gp140 Env “scaffold.” These four scaffolds were used as a cocktail of immunogens to elicit diverse anti-V1 antibodies, under the hypothesis that eliciting diverse anti-V1 antibodies would expand the neutralizing breadth of immune sera. Our study indicates that three of four heterologous V1 loops were immunogenic on the common Env backbone “scaffold,” but heterologous anti-V1 neutralizing responses were observed in only one case. Both types of V1 modification dampened the immunogenicity of the V3 loop, differentially altered the immunogenicity of the transmembrane gp41 subunit, and altered the relative immunogenicities of unknown Env regions, including potentially the CD4-binding site (CD4-bs) and trimer-specific targets, which elicited cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies but of limited breadth.
Role of N-Linked Glycosylation of the 5-HT
2A
Receptor in JC Virus Infection
Authors: Maginnis Melissa S. , Haley Sheila A. , Gee Gretchen V. , Atwood Walter J. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT

JC virus (JCV) is a human polyomavirus and the causative agent of the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). JCV infection of host cells is dependent on interactions with cell surface asparagine (N)-linked sialic acids and the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine
2A
receptor (5-HT
2A
R). The 5-HT
2A
R contains five potential N-linked glycosylation sites on the extracellular N terminus. Glycosylation of other serotonin receptors is essential for expression, ligand binding, and receptor function. Also, glycosylation of cellular receptors has been reported to be important for JCV infection. Therefore, we hypothesized that the 5-HT
2A
R N-linked glycosylation sites are required for JCV infection. Treatment of 5-HT
2A
R-expressing cells with tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-linked glycosylation, reduced JCV infection. Individual mutation of each of the five N-linked glycosylation sites did not affect the capacity of 5-HT
2A
R to support JCV infection and did not alter the cell surface expression of the receptor. However, mutation of all five N-linked glycosylation sites simultaneously reduced the capacity of 5-HT
2A
R to support infection and altered the cell surface expression. Similarly, tunicamycin treatment reduced the cell surface expression of 5-HT
2A
R. Mutation of all five N-linked glycosylation sites or tunicamycin treatment of cells expressing wild-type 5-HT
2A
R resulted in an altered electrophoretic mobility profile of the receptor. Treatment of cells with PNGase F, to remove N-linked oligosaccharides from the cell surface, did not affect JCV infection in 5-HT
2A
R-expressing cells. These data affirm the importance of 5-HT
2A
R as a JCV receptor and demonstrate that the sialic acid component of the receptor is not directly linked to 5-HT
2A
R.