bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of the Fluorescence Spectra of Murine and Bovine Central Nervous System and Other Tissues
Authors: Adhikary Ramkrishna , Schönenbrücher Holger , Rasmussen Mark A. , Casey Thomas A. , Hamir Amir N. , Kehrli Marcus E. , Richt Jürgen A. , Petrich Jacob W. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractWe describe a comparison of the fluorescence spectra of bovine tissues with murine tissues in order to determine whether spectral features are conserved and whether an appropriate and practical laboratory small animal model system could be identified to be used for investigation of tissue‐ and age‐related fluorescence signal patterns. Recently it has been shown that spectral signatures of lipofuscin have enabled the detection of bovine central nervous system (CNS) tissue in meat products with high sensitivity (Schönenbrücher, H., Adhikary, R., Mukherjee, P., Casey, T.A., Rasmussen, M.A., Maistrovich, F.D., Hamir, A.N., Kehrli, M.J., Richt, J., Petrich, J.W. [2008] J Agric Food Chem56, 6220–6226). We report that brain and spinal cord of mice provide fluorescence spectra similar to those of bovine brain and spinal cord. It is concluded that murine CNS tissue is an appropriate model system for bovine CNS tissue for the development of fluorometric CNS detection assays.
The biology of environmental mycobacteria
Authors: Falkinham III Joseph O. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryAlthough the environmental mycobacteria are slow growing relative to other microorganisms in water and soil which would suggest that they are poor competitors, compensating factors permit survival, growth and persistence in natural and human‐engineered environments. Factors such as the hydrophobic, lipid‐rich impermeable envelope, biofilm formation, acid resistance, anaerobic survival and metabolism of recalcitrant carbon compounds permit survival and growth of the environmental mycobacteria in a wide range of natural and human‐engineered habitats. High numbers of environmental mycobacteria are found in coastal swamps and estuaries and boreal, peat‐rich forest soils and waters. The hydrophobic surface results in concentration of the environmental mycobacteria at interfaces (air–water and surface–water) and in aerosolized droplets ejected from water. The survival and growth in protozoa and amoebae permit environmental mycobacteria to persist in habitats subject to predation and likely led to survival and growth in phagocytic cells of animals. Finally, slow growth allows time for mycobacterial cells to adapt to changing conditions before loss of viability.
Ultrasound‐Guided Cytology of Spleen and Liver: A Prognostic Tool in Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumor
Authors: Stefanello D. , Valenti P. , Faverzani S. , Bronzo V. , Fiorbianco V. , Pinto da Cunha N. , Romussi S. , Cantatore M. , Caniatti M. 
Published: July 2009

Background:In the clinical staging of cutaneous mast cell tumors (cMCT), the diagnosis of metastasis is controversial based on cytological examination of lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow, and blood.Objectives:To define the prognostic role of ultrasound‐guided cytology of spleen and liver in cMCT. The results of cytological evaluation were compared in relation with survival time.Animals:Fifty‐two client‐owned dogs with a diagnosis of cMCT.Methods:Selection of cases was based on cytological evaluation of liver and spleen to detect infiltration at distant sites. The Kaplan Meier method was used to compare survival in dogs with and without infiltration of spleen and liver (log‐rank testP< .05).Results:Ten dogs with cMCT had mast cell infiltration of spleen, liver, or both and 4 of these dogs had involvement of the regional lymph nodes. The majority of dogs had 2 or more ultrasonographically abnormal findings simultaneously in spleen and liver. Nine dogs had grade II cMCT, and 1 had grade III cMCT. Dogs with positive evidence of mast cell infiltration to spleen, liver, or both had shorter survival times (34 versus 733 days) compared with dogs negative for mast cell infiltration at distant sites.Conclusion and Clinical Importance:Dogs with evidence of mast cell infiltration at distant sites have a shorter survival times than dogs without evidence of infiltration at distant sites. This study suggests that cytology of spleen and liver is indicated either for ultrasonographically normal or for ultrasonographically abnormal spleen and liver in dogs with cMCT.
Correlation of Serum Cardiac Troponin I and Myocardial Damage in Cattle with Monensin Toxicosis
Authors: Varga A. , Schober K.E. , Holloman C.H. , Stromberg P.C. , Lakritz J. , Rings D.M. 
Published: July 2009

Background: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is used as a biomarker of myocardial injury in people and small animals. Little is known about the diagnostic use of cTnI in cattle.Hypothesis: Serum cTnI correlates to myocardial function and histopathologic lesions in cattle with monensin‐induced myocardial injury.Animals: Ten healthy cows.Methods: Experimental study. Animals received 1 dose of monensin PO; 30 mg/kg (n = 1) or 40 mg/kg (n = 1) (Group A) or 50 mg/kg monensin (n = 8) (Group B) of body weight. Repeated measurements were performed of serum cTnI, biochemistry, and ECG and echocardiography until study termination at 80 (Group A) and 144 hours (Group B) after dosing. Semiquantitative histopathologic examinations of the heart were performed in each cow. A scoring system with regard to the magnitude of myocardial injury was established and a total heart score was compared with maximum cTnI concentration measured after monensin administration. Five hearts from healthy cows served as controls.Results: Increased cTnI (>0.07 ng/mL) was found in 9/10 cows. cTnI was significantly associated with left ventricular shortening fraction (r2= 0.51; P= .02) and myocardial histopathologic lesion score (r2= 0.49; P= .021). All cows (n = 7) with evidence of myocardial necrosis had a cTnI concentration ≥ 1.04 ng/mL.Conclusion and Clinical Importance: cTnI is related to myocardial necrosis and severity of myocardial damage in cattle with monensin toxicosis. cTnI could become a useful diagnostic tool in the noninvasive assessment of myocardial injury in cattle with naturally occurring cardiac disease.
In Vitro Activity and In Vivo Efficacy of Clavulanic Acid against
Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Beceiro Alejandro , López-Rojas Rafael , Domínguez-Herrera Juan , Docobo-Pérez Fernando , Bou Germán , Pachón Jerónimo 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

Clavulanic acid (CLA) exhibits low MICs against some
Acinetobacter baumannii
strains. The present study evaluates the efficacy of CLA in a murine model of
A. baumannii
pneumonia. For this purpose, two clinical strains, Ab11 and Ab51, were used; CLA MICs for these strains were 2 and 4 mg/liter, respectively, and the imipenem (IPM) MIC was 0.5 mg/liter for both. A pneumonia model in C57BL/6 mice was used. The CLA dosage (13 mg/kg of body weight given intraperitoneally) was chosen to reach a maximum concentration of the drug in serum similar to that in humans and a time during which the serum CLA concentration remained above the MIC equivalent to 40% of the interval between doses. Six groups (
n
= 15) were inoculated with Ab11 or Ab51 and were allocated to IPM or CLA therapy or to the untreated control group. In time-kill experiments, CLA was bactericidal only against Ab11 whereas IPM was bactericidal against both strains. CLA and IPM both decreased bacterial concentrations in lungs, 1.78 and 2.47 log
10
CFU/g (
P
≤ 0.001), respectively, in the experiments with Ab11 and 2.42 and 2.28 log
10
CFU/g (
P
≤ 0.001), respectively, with Ab51. IPM significantly increased the sterility of blood cultures over that for the controls with both strains (
P
≤ 0.005); CLA had the same effect with Ab51 (
P
< 0.005) but not with Ab11 (
P
= 0.07). For the first time, we suggest that CLA may be used for the treatment of experimental severe
A. baumannii
infections.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Ceftazidime in Intensive Care Unit Patients: Influence of Glomerular Filtration Rate, Mechanical Ventilation, and Reason for Admission
Authors: Georges Bernard , Conil Jean-Marie , Seguin Thierry , Ruiz Stéphanie , Minville Vincent , Cougot Pierre , Decun Jean-François , Gonzalez Hélène , Houin Georges , Fourcade Olivier , Saivin Sylvie 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to develop a population-pharmacokinetic model of ceftazidime in intensive care unit patients to include the influence of patients' characteristics on the pharmacokinetics. Forty-nine patients for model building and 23 patients for validation were included in a randomized study. They received ceftazidime at 2 g three times a day or as 6 g per day continuously. A NONMEM pharmacokinetic model was constructed, and the influences of covariates were studied. The model was validated by a comparison of the predicted and observed concentrations. A final model was elaborated from the whole population. Total clearance (CL) was significantly correlated with the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) calculated by modification of the diet in renal disease (MDRD), the central volume of distribution (V1) with intubation, and the peripheral volume of distribution (V2) with the reason for admission. The mean pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: CL, 5.48 liters/h, 40%; V1, 10.48 liters, 34%; V2, 32.12 liters, 59%; total volume, 42.60 liters, 45%; and intercompartmental clearance, 16.19 liters/h, 42%. In the polytrauma population (mechanically ventilated), the time above the MIC at steady state never corresponds to 100% for discontinuous administration, and the target concentration of five times the MIC was reached with a 6-g/day dose only for patients with an MDRD of <150 ml/min. We showed that the GFR-MDRD, mechanical ventilation, and the reason for admission may influence the achieved concentrations of ceftazidime. Our model allows the a priori dosing to be adjusted to the individual patient.
Species Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Patterns of Species Belonging to
Aspergillus
Section
Nigri
Authors: Alcazar-Fuoli Laura , Mellado Emilia , Alastruey-Izquierdo Ana , Cuenca-Estrella Manuel , Rodriguez-Tudela Juan L. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

A phylogenetic analysis was performed for 34
Aspergillus
strains belonging to section
Nigri
. Molecular methods allowed for the correct classification into three different clades (
A. niger
,
A. tubingensis
, and
A. foetidus
). Correlation with in vitro itraconazole susceptibility distinguished the following three profiles: susceptible, resistant, and showing a paradoxical effect. A number of different species whose morphological features resemble those of
A. niger
showed unusual MICs to itraconazole that have never been described for the
Aspergillus
genus.
Is the Recommended Dose of Efavirenz Optimal in Young West African Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Children?
Authors: Hirt Déborah , Urien Saik , Olivier Mathieu , Peyrière Hélène , Nacro Boubacar , Diagbouga Serge , Zoure Emmanuelle , Rouet François , Hien Hervé , Msellati Philippe , Van De Perre Philippe , Tréluyer Jean-Marc 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTWe aimed in this study to describe efavirenz concentration-time courses in treatment-naïve children after once-daily administration to study the effects of age and body weight on efavirenz pharmacokinetics and to test relationships between doses, plasma concentrations, and efficacy. For this purpose, efavirenz concentrations in 48 children were measured after 2 weeks of didanosine-lamivudine-efavirenz treatment, and samples were available for 9/48 children between months 2 and 5 of treatment. Efavirenz concentrations in 200 plasma specimens were measured using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed with NONMEM. The influence of individual characteristics was tested using a likelihood ratio test. The estimated minimal and maximal concentrations of efavirenz in plasma (CminandCmax, respectively) and the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were correlated to the decrease in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA levels after 3 months of treatment. The thresholdCmin(and AUC) that improved efficacy was determined. The target minimal concentration of 4 mg/liter was considered for toxicity. An optimized dosing schedule that would place the highest percentage of children in the interval of effective and nontoxic concentrations was simulated. The pharmacokinetics of efavirenz was best described by a one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination. The mean apparent clearance and volume of distribution for efavirenz were 0.211 liter/h/kg and 4.48 liters/kg, respectively. Clearance decreased significantly with age. When the recommended doses were given to 46 of the 48 children, 19% (44% of children weighing less than 15 kg) hadCmins below 1 mg/liter. A significantly higher percentage of children withCmins of >1.1 mg/liter or AUCs of >51 mg/liter·h than of children with lower values had viral load decreases greater than 2 log10copies/ml after 3 months of treatment. Therefore, to optimize the percentage of children withCmins between 1.1 and 4 mg/liter, children should receive the following once-daily efavirenz doses: 25 mg/kg of body weight from 2 to 6 years, 15 mg/kg from 6 to 10 years, and 10 mg/kg from 10 to 15 years. These assumptions should be prospectively confirmed.
Novel Broad-Spectrum Bis-(Imidazolinylindole) Derivatives with Potent Antibacterial Activities against Antibiotic-Resistant Strains
Authors: Panchal Rekha G. , Ulrich Ricky L. , Lane Douglas , Butler Michelle M. , Houseweart Chad , Opperman Timothy , Williams John D. , Peet Norton P. , Moir Donald T. , Nguyen Tam , Gussio Rick , Bowlin Terry , Bavari Sina 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

Given the limited number of structural classes of clinically available antimicrobial drugs, the discovery of antibacterials with novel chemical scaffolds is an important strategy in the development of effective therapeutics for both naturally occurring and engineered resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria. In this study, several diarylamidine derivatives were evaluated for their ability to protect macrophages from cell death following infection with
Bacillus anthracis
, a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium. Four bis-(imidazolinylindole) compounds were identified with potent antibacterial activity as measured by the protection of macrophages and by the inhibition of bacterial growth in vitro. These compounds were effective against a broad range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species, including several antibiotic-resistant strains. Minor structural variations among the four compounds correlated with differences in their effects on bacterial macromolecular synthesis and mechanisms of resistance. In vivo studies revealed protection by two of the compounds of mice lethally infected with
B. anthracis
,
Staphylococcus aureus
, or
Yersinia pestis
. Taken together, these results indicate that the bis-(imidazolinylindole) compounds represent a new chemotype for the development of therapeutics for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species as well as against antibiotic-resistant infections.
Virulence and Cellular Interactions ofBurkholderia multivoransin Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Zelazny Adrian M. , Ding Li , Elloumi Houda Z. , Brinster Lauren R. , Benedetti Fran , Czapiga Meggan , Ulrich Ricky L. , Ballentine Samuel J. , Goldberg Joanna B. , Sampaio Elizabeth P. , Holland Steven M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTChronic granulomatous disease (CGD) patients are susceptible to life-threatening infections by theBurkholderia cepaciacomplex. We used leukocytes from CGD and healthy donors and compared cell association, invasion, and cytokine induction byBurkholderia multivoransstrains. A CGD isolate, CGD1, showed higher cell association than that of an environmental isolate, Env1, which correlated with cell entry. AllB. multivoransstrains associated significantly more with cells from CGD patients than with those from healthy donors. Similar findings were observed with another CGD pathogen,Serratia marcescens, but not withEscherichia coli. In a mouse model of CGD, strain CGD1 was virulent while Env1 was avirulent.B. multivoransorganisms were found in the spleens of CGD1-infected mice at levels that were 1,000 times higher than those found in Env1-infected mice, which was coincident with higher levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β. Taken together, these results may shed light on the unique susceptibility of CGD patients to specific pathogens.
Community-Wide Response of the Gut Microbiota to Enteropathogenic
Citrobacter rodentium
Infection Revealed by Deep Sequencing
Authors: Hoffmann Christian , Hill David A. , Minkah Nana , Kirn Thomas , Troy Amy , Artis David , Bushman Frederic 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

We investigated the spatial and temporal response of the murine gut microbiome to infection with
Citrobacter rodentium
, an attaching-and-effacing bacterium that provokes innate and adaptive immune responses, resulting in transient bacterial colitis. Previous studies have suggested that
C. rodentium
-induced inflammation is associated with an increased abundance of
Enterobacteriaceae
. We report here a deeper analysis of this model using DNA bar coding and 454 pyrosequencing to characterize 101,894 partial 16S rRNA gene sequences from 85 microbial samples from tissue-adhered and luminal bacteria of the cecum, proximal colon, and distal colon, which allowed us to identify previously unappreciated spatial and kinetic changes in multiple bacterial lineages. The deep sequencing data revealed that
C. rodentium
was most abundantly associated with the cecal mucosa at day 9 postinfection and then diminished in abundance, providing the first reported use of deep sequencing to track a pathogen in vivo through the course of infection. Notable changes were associated with both the mucosally adhered and luminal microbiota at both day 9 and day 14 postinfection. Alterations in abundance were seen for
Proteobacteria, Deferribacteres, Clostridia
, and others; however, changes in
Enterobacteriaceae
could be accounted for by the presence of
C. rodentium
itself, which is a member of this family. The
Lactobacillus
group decreased in abundance during infection, which may be important for pathogenesis because members of this lineage modulate the composition of the gut microbiota and are used as probiotics. Thus, deep sequencing provides previously inaccessible information on how
Citrobacter
infection and clearance reshapes the gut microbial community in space and time.
Characterization of the Effects of Salicylidene Acylhydrazide Compounds on Type III Secretion in
Escherichia coli
O157:H7
Authors: Tree Jai J. , Wang Dai , McInally Carol , Mahajan Arvind , Layton Abigail , Houghton Irene , Elofsson Mikael , Stevens Mark P. , Gally David L. , Roe Andrew J. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

Recent work has highlighted a number of compounds that target bacterial virulence by affecting gene regulation. In this work, we show that small-molecule inhibitors affect the expression of the type III secretion system (T3SS) of
Escherichia coli
O157:H7 in liquid culture and when this bacterium is attached to bovine epithelial cells. Inhibition of T3SS expression resulted in a reduction in the capacity of the bacteria to form attaching and effacing lesions. Our results show that there is marked variation in the abilities of four structurally related compounds to inhibit the T3SS of a panel of isolates. Using transcriptomics, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the conserved and inhibitor-specific transcriptional responses to these four compounds. These analyses of gene expression show that numerous virulence genes, located on horizontally acquired DNA elements, are affected by the compounds, but the number of genes significantly affected varied markedly for the different compounds. Overall, we highlight the importance of assessing the effect of such “antivirulence” agents on a range of isolates and discuss the possible mechanisms which may lead to the coordinate downregulation of horizontally acquired virulence genes.
Cryptococcus gattiiIsolates from the British Columbia Cryptococcosis Outbreak Induce Less Protective Inflammation in a Murine Model of Infection thanCryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Cheng Po-Yan , Sham Anita , Kronstad James W. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe fungal pathogenCryptococcus neoformanscauses approximately one million cases of cryptococcosis per year in people with AIDS. In contrast, the related speciesC. gattiiis responsible for a much smaller number of cases, but these often occur in immunocompetent people. In fact,C. gattiihas emerged in the last decade as the frequent cause of cryptococcosis in otherwise healthy people in British Columbia. We analyzed the immune responses elicited by threeC. gattiistrains and oneC. neoformansstrain in mice as a first step toward understanding whyC. gattiiis able to cause disease in immunocompetent hosts. TheC. gattiistrains all induced a less protective inflammatory response in C57BL/6 mice by inhibiting or failing to provoke the migration of neutrophils to sites of infection. TheC. gattiistrains also failed to elicit the production of protective cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, compared to the ability of theC. neoformansstrain. Despite these differences, the strain representing the major outbreak genotype from British Columbia showed a virulence equivalent to that of theC. neoformansstrain, while two otherC. gattiistrains had reduced virulence. Taken together, our results indicate thatC. gattiistrains thrive in immunocompetent hosts by evading or suppressing the protective immune responses that normally limit the progression of disease caused byC. neoformans.
Vaccination with an Attenuated Strain of
Francisella novicida
Prevents T-Cell Depletion and Protects Mice Infected with the Wild-Type Strain from Severe Sepsis
Authors: Sharma Jyotika , Li Qun , Mishra Bibhuti B. , Georges Michelle J. , Teale Judy M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT

Francisella tularensis
is the causative agent of zoonotic tularemia, a severe pneumonia in humans, and
Francisella novicida
causes a similarly severe tularemia in mice upon inhalation. The correlates of protective immunity, as well as the virulence mechanisms of this deadly pathogen, are not well understood. In the present study, we compared the host immune responses of lethally infected and vaccinated mice to highlight the host determinants of protection from this disease. Intranasal infection with an attenuated mutant (Mut) of
F. novicida
lacking a 58-kDa hypothetical protein protected C57BL/6 mice from a subsequent challenge with the fully virulent wild-type strain U112 via the same route. The protection conferred by Mut vaccination was associated with reduced bacterial burdens in systemic organs, as well as the absence of bacteremia. Also, there was reduced lung pathology and associated cell death in the lungs of vaccinated mice. Both vaccinated and nonvaccinated mice displayed an initial 2-day delay in upregulation of signature inflammatory mediators after challenge. Whereas the nonvaccinated mice developed severe sepsis characterized by hypercytokinemia and T-cell depletion, the vaccinated mice displayed moderated cytokine induction and contained increased numbers of αβ T cells. The recall response in vaccinated mice consisted of a characteristic Th1-type response in terms of cytokines, as well as antibody isotypes. Our results show that a regulated Th1 type of cell-mediated and humoral immunity in the absence of severe sepsis is associated with protection from respiratory tularemia, whereas a deregulated host response leading to severe sepsis contributes to mortality.
Important Science—It's All about the SPIN
Authors: Casadevall Arturo , Fang Ferric C. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT
The importance of a scientific finding can be difficult to ascertain because it requires both subjective judgment and foresight. We propose criteria, based upon whether a discovery is sizeable (S), practical (P), integrated (I), and new (N), that can be used individually or collectively to systematically assess the importance of a finding.