bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leucocyte hepatitis B virus DNA in acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Davison F. , Alexander G. J. M. , Anastassakos Ch. , Fagan E. A. , Williams Roger 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn the present study we have investigated 53 patients with a spectrum of acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for the presence of leucocyte HBV‐DNA with the aid of molecular techniques. HBV‐DNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 31 of 45 (69%) of chronic HBsAg carriers and 2 of 8 (25%) patients with acute hepatitis B. Although HBV‐DNA was detected more frequently in leucocytes from those HBsAg carriers seropositive for HBeAg (79%), 50% of those with anti‐HBe in serum had leucocytes positive for HBV‐DNA independent of the presence of serum HBV‐DNA.Examination of various leucocyte subpopulations showed the presence of HBV‐DNA in polymorphonuclear leucocytes as well as T‐ and non‐T‐enriched mononuclear cell fractions. The HBV‐DNA identified was predominantly 3.2‐kilobase (kb), while higher molecular weight sequences were rarely detected, and lower molecular weight sequences indicative of active viral replication were not observed.These data indicate that although leucocytes do not actively support viral replication, they frequently harbour 3.2‐kb HBV‐DNA and may act as a reservoir for infection and, more importantly, since leucocytes contaminate several body secretions, may be involved in virus transmission.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) enhances bovine papilloma virus (BPV) transformation in vitro
Authors: Goldstein Simoy C. , Byrne Janet C. , Rabson Alan S. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractInfection of NIH 3T3 cells with a combination of HCMV and BPV resulted in more foci than infection with BPV alone. Foci were microscopically apparent at 4 days in the mixed infection and did not appear until 2 days later in the cultures infected with BPV alone. The enhancement was abolished by heat inactivation of the HCMV and also when the HCMV was replaced by a “mock inoculum.” Southern blot analysis of cellular DNA from transformed cells showed a similar amount of extrachromosomal BPV DNA in cells infected by BPV alone and in cells co‐infected with HCMV. No HCMV antigens could be found in these cells by immunofluorescence. The mechanisms of the enhancement are not known. Stimulation of host DNA synthesis by HCMV could possibly increase the transforming efficiency of BPV. Alternatively, the increase in BPV transforming efficiency could be due to a transient increase in BPV‐1 transcription by an HCMV transcriptional transactivation factor. Since both HCMV and human papillomaviruses are commonly found in the uterine cervix, HCMV may play a role in human cervical cancer by enhancing the carcinogenic potential of human papillomavirus.
Detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome from the lymphocytes of homosexual men
Authors: Lee Yih Shyong , Baker Louis 
Published: March 2007

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the primary etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This virus can be transmitted by blood or blood products. Homosexual males (HM) are regarded as one of the high‐risk groups for AIDS. Lymphocytes obtained from HM were used for cocultivation with fresh HIV antibody negative lymphocytes. The presence of virus particles was monitored by reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. Three out of eleven donors were found to have reverse transcriptase activity. All three donors were also found to be HIV antibody positive. HIV DNA from infected cells was detected by dot blot hybridization. The number of genome per cell is low. The correlation between RT activity and the cytolytic effect of HIV will be discussed.
Specific serum IgA in rotavirus gastroenteritis
Authors: Angeretti A. , Magi M. T. , Merlino C. , Ferrara B. , Ponzi A. Negro 
Published: March 2007

AbstractVirus‐specific serum IgM, IgA, and IgG were detected by ELISA in sera obtained from children with rotavirus gastroenteritis and fractionated by gel filtration. Specific IgM and IgG could be easily demonstrated, whereas IgA were very low. Moreover, polymeric IgA (p‐IgA) were not present, whereas in the immune response against viruses causing systemic infections, they are synthetised in large amounts.
Circulating interferon in the guinea pig infected with the XJ, prototype Junín virus strain
Authors: Dejean C. B. , Oubiña J. R. , Carballal G. , Teyssié A. R. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe interferon (IFN) induction capacity of the XJ prototype strain of Junín virus (JV) was investigated in the guinea pig model. Circulating alpha IFN was detected in 50% of the animals from days 2 to 9 postinfection (pi) and in 100% at day 11 pi, when all animals were in the premortem stage.Individual levels ranged from 20 to 1,280 guinea pig IFN units (GPIFNU)/ml. A correlation between XJ strain virulence and IFN titers was recorded. A possible role of IFN as a pathogenic factor in the outcome of the disease is discussed.
Differential effect of systemic acyclovir treatment of genital HSV‐2 infections on antibody responses to individual HSV‐2 proteins
Authors: Ashley R. , Mack K. , Critchlow C. , Shurtleff M. , Corey L. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWestern blot and reflectance densitometry were used to evaluate the antibody response from patients treated with systemic acyclovir during their primary episodes of genital HSV‐2 infection. Of 39 patients studied, 10 received oral acyclovir, 10 received intravenous acyclovir, and 19 received placebo. Total antibody levels as well as levels of antibodies to individual HSV‐2 proteins (gB, gG, gC/gE, VP16, gD, and p45) were determined in convalescent phase sera. The median number of HSV‐2 proteins recognized and the total amount of HSV‐2 antibody were significantly lower in acyclovir than placebo treated patients (P ≤ 0.01). Levels of antibodies to individual proteins were also lower in sera from acyclovir versus placebo treated patients: gB (P = 0.013), gC/gE (P = 0.017), VP16 (P = 0.001), gD (P = 0.009), and p45 (P = 0.015). Antibody response to gG‐92 and to a newly described gG species, gG‐70, was not significantly different among treatment groups. A low number of proteins recognized by convalescent serum antibodies were associated with a higher number of lesions at first recurrence (P = 0.02) and with a longer duration of the first recurrent episode (P = 0.02). Low levels of total antibody were associated with shorter times to first recurrence (P = 0.05). Low levels of antibody to VP16 (P = 0.05) and gD (P = 0.01) were associated with longer duration of the first recurrence.
Assessment of HBV persistent infection in an adult population in Taiwan
Authors: Peng Hong‐Wen , Su Tsung‐Sheng , Han Shou‐Hwa , Ho Chi‐Kuan , Ho Chao‐Hung , Ching King‐Nien , Chiang Benjamin N. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn order to study the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the adult population of Taiwan, we screened for the presence of HBV DNA in 205 blood samples from adult (20–59‐year‐old) volunteers. According to the serological markers of HBV, samples were divided into three groups: group I (173 subjects) was negative for both HBsAg and HBeAg; group II (14 subjects) was positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg; and group III consisted of 18 subjects who were HBsAg‐positive but HBeAg‐negative. Plasma HBV DNA was not detected in group I, but it was found in 85.7% and 11.8% of samples in group II and group III, respectively. A free‐form HBV DNA was found in 14.3% of the leukocyte samples in group II. Furthermore, an integrated form of HBV DNA was detected in the leukocytes of two cases of group I who remained healthy based on clinical data. HBV DNA was also detected in the spermatozoa and liver cells of one of the cases.
HBeAg/Anti‐HBe seroconversion during and after protracted immunosuppressive treatment in type B chronic hepatitis
Authors: Tanno Hugo , Fay Oscar H. , Rojman José A. , Palazzi Jorge , Bessone Fernando 
Published: March 2007

AbstractSeventy‐seven consecutive HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis patients were studied from 1971 to 1983 to establish the seroconversion rate in the e system. Patients with less than a year of follow‐up were not included in the study. Fifty‐six patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) received immunosuppressive treatment (corticosteroids combined with azathioprine). The remaining twenty‐one patients received no treatment, nine of them with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) and 12 with CAH. A retrospective study was performed with stored sera samples: HBeAg and anti‐HBe were determined by RIA, and results were correlated with alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) levels in the same samples. The linearized seroconversion rate from HBeAg to anti‐HBe was expressed as percent per patient‐year. It was 9.6% in CPH patients and 8.8% in CAH patients without treatment. In CAH patients under immunosuppressive drugs it was as low as 1.1% and increased to 28.7% when treatment was withdrawn. ALAT levels were significantly lower in total seroconverted patients when compared with nonseroconverted (NS) patients, but no difference was found between partial seroconverted (PS) and NS patients. The results suggest that although immunosuppressive drug withdrawal may enhance seroconversion rate in type B CAH, delayed seroconversion and reported side effects during treatment stand against protracted usage of these drugs.
Comparison of five elsa assays for IgG antibody against coxsackievirus B1
Authors: Torfason Einar G. , Galindo Rosalba , Keyserling Harry L. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractEnterovirus type and group specificities of five different IgG ELISA methods were compared, using neutralization titration tests as an indicator of the presence or absence of antibodies to coxsackie B (CB) viruses.One of the ELISA assays was a “standard” IgG assay, where the solid phase was coated directly with the purified virus, followed by incubations with human serum, biotinylated anti‐human‐IgG, streptavidin‐peroxidase, and the substrate/chromogen In a modified standard assay, blocking of common epitopes was attempted by incubating the CBI virus antigen on the solid phase with a rabbit antiserum to CB5 before the human serum was added. In another modification the serum dilution buffer contained heat‐denatured heterologous enteroviruses in an attempt to consume human antibodies reacting with common epitopes. In one assay the purified CBl virus was captured by purified horse anti‐CB1 IgG on the solid phase, before incubation with human serum. In the last of the five assays the serum specimen was incubated with CBl virus (in the liquid phase) before the virus or virus‐antibody complex was captured with purified horse anti‐CB1‐IgG.Reactions against common antigens dominated in the first three assays. The antigen‐capture assay appeared to be at least predominantly type specific. Our data indicate that the liquid‐phase assay may be type specific, but more studies are needed. The method of virus purification was critical for the type specificity of the antigencapture and liquid‐phase assays.
Hepatitis B vaccine produced in yeast
Authors: Bitter Grant A. , Egan Kevin M. , Burnette W. Neal , Samal Babru , Fieschko John C. , Peterson Darrell L. , Downing Michael R. , Wypych Jette , Langley Keith E. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA gene encoding the 226 amino acid hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), subtype adw, was cloned into a generalized vector for the expression of heterologous genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The 5′ end of the genomic HBsAg gene was replaced with a chemically synthesized DNA segment that conserved the amino acid sequence of the protein but utilized DNA sequences that optimize translation initiation in yeast. High‐cell‐density fermentations of laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been developed in which HBsAg production increases linearly with respect to cell mass. The HBsAg is present as a lipoprotein particle in cell lysates and has been purified to homogeneity. The evidence presented indicates that the HBsAg particles may be formed during lysis of the yeast cells. The purified HBsAg particles have a morphology similar to that of the 22 nm particles present in the serum of human chronic carriers of hepatitis B. The reactivity of the yeast‐derived HBsAg particles with a series of monoclonal antibodies is essentially identical to that of human plasma HBsAg. By this analysis, therefore, the structure of the HBsAg protein is similar in yeast and in human particles. The purified yeast HBsAg particles were formulated with alum adjuvant and subsequently were shown to confer immunity in chimpanzees to challenge with two heterologous serotypes (adr, ayw) of hepatitis B virus.
Symptomatic anti‐HBe positive chronic hepatitis B in taiwan with special reference to persistent HBV replication and HDV superinfection
Authors: Wu Jaw‐Ching , Lee Shou‐Dong , Tsay Shyh‐Haw , Tsai Yang‐Te , Chan Cho‐Yu , Huang Yi‐Shin , Lo Kwang‐Juei , Ting Ling‐Pai 
Published: March 2007

AbstractNinety‐four patients, who were admitted with symptoms of liver disease and found to be positive for hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti‐HBe), were examined for hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum and immunoglobulin antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and liver biopsies were stained for hepatic hepatitis B core antigen. Of 94 patients, 34 (36%) had evidence of HBV replication and 35 (37%) evidence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) superinfection. Most of the latter two groups of patients (> 70%) had evidence of chronic active hepatitis or active cirrhosis in their liver biopsies. The majority of these patients (> 80%) also had high levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (> 200 U/L) during the acute stage of their illness, and suffered from prolonged hepatic inflammation (> 1 year). Many of the patients (59%) also experienced frequent (1–6 episodes) relapsing exacerbations during a two‐year follow‐up period. Thus, persistent replication or reactivation of HBV and HDV superinfection were the two major causes of clinical exacerbations in anti‐HBe‐positive chronic HBV carriers in Taiwan, and also played an important role in the progression of their liver diseases and unfavorable outcomes.
Analysis of a major target of the human immune response to cytomegalovirus using monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Gold D. , Ashley R. , Abbo H. , Corey L. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractTwo murine monoclonal antibodies (C6D1 and D2B1) were found to react with a set of cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐infected cell polypeptides, which comprise a major target of the human immune response to CMV. C6D1 reacted with proteins of 50 kilodaltons (KD) and 40KD molecular weight; D2B1 reacted with these two proteins plus a third of 35KD. Western blot analysis demonstrated that these protein targets also react with serum antibody from patients with acute or latent CMV infection. Immunofluorescence staining of CMV‐infected diploid fibroblast cells by C6D1 and D2B1 showed that the protein targets are found in the nucleus throughout the course of viral infection. The proteins were shown to be late proteins dependent on viral DNA synthesis for their expression. Not all wild‐type CMV strains tested expressed proteins that react with C6D1 and D2B1. Using an immunofluorescence stain of diploid fibroblasts infected with CMV strains from infected patients, we found that 70 of 76 (92%) wild‐type strains reacted with C6D1 and 23 of 24 (96%) with D2B1. One strain was not reactive with either C6D1 or D2B1. Western blot analysis of 11 wild‐type strains revealed that two isolates either lack the C6D1 and D2B1 protein targets or have forms of these proteins that migrate at different molecular weights.
Spread of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis due to enterovirus‐70: Effect of air temperature and relative humidity on virus survival on fomites
Authors: Sattar Syed A. , Dimock Kenneth D. , Ansari Shamim A. , Springthorpe V. Susan 
Published: March 2007

AbstractEnterovirus 70 (EV‐70) has caused at least two pandemics and several major epidemics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) in the past 18 years, with the largest number of cases occurring in the coastal areas of the tropics. The exact means of its spread are not known, but fomites and hands contaminated by them are the most likely vehicles. We, therefore, tested EV‐70 survival under different environmental conditions using stainless steel disks (1 cm diameter). Each disk received 10 μl of the virus in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS). The disks were held at various temperatures with the relative humidity (RH) at the low (20 ± 5%), medium (50 ± 5%), high (80 ± 5%), or ultrahigh (95 ± 5%) level. The virus was eluted from the disks with tryptose phosphate broth and the eluate assayed in LLC‐MK2cells. Inactivation rates (Ki), expressed as hourly loss of virus plaque forming units (PFU) in log10, were then calculated. At 20°C, virus survival was proportional to the RH level, with the highest virus survival at the ultrahigh RH; at this level nearly 5% of the input virus was detectable even after 24 hr. Virus inactivation rates were only slightly higher at the ultrahigh RH when the temperature was raised to 33°C or 35°C. However, at 80% RH, increasing the temperature from 20°C to 33°C resulted in a dramatic rise in virus inactivation. The finding that high levels of RH prolong EV‐70 survival on fomites may help explain the epidemiology of AHC resulting from EV‐70.
Prognostic value of HBsAg/IgM complexes in hepatitis B patients: Nature of the proteins involved
Authors: Grangeot‐Keros Liliane , Pelletier Gilles , Briantais Marie‐José , Pillot Jacques 
Published: March 2007

AbstractHepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)/IgM complexes were measured using a solid phase radioimmunoassay in sera of patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B. These complexes were found in 6 out of 18 patients four weeks after the onset of the disease and only one of them developed chronic hepatitis. HBsAg/IgM complexes correlated with HBsAg, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and pre‐S2 concentration. The precipitation of HBsAg/IgM reactivity by polyethylene‐glycol (PEG) and the binding of this activity to the surface of certain uncoated enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) plates indicates that HBsAg/IgM positivity may reflect the presence of circulating complexes in serum. HBsAg and pre‐S2 were found as components of the complexes but anti‐HBs, anti‐pre‐S2, and polymerized human serum albumin (pHSA) were not. An immune binding between HBsAg and IgM is still questionable. Whatever the nature of the HBsAg/IgM complexes, their detection does not seem to be an earlier indicator of prognosis than HBeAg and/or pre‐S2.
Enzyme‐Linked immunosorbent assay of core antigens for clinical diagnosis of influenza
Authors: Coonrod J. Donald , Karathanasis Paraskevi , Betts Robert F. , Donofrio James C. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA solid‐phase enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal secondary antibodies was used to detect matrix protein and nucleoprotein of influenza A. The sensitivity of the ELISA for highly purified A/Brazil nucleoprotein and matrix protein was 0.05 and 1.0 ng, respectively. Nasal washes from 10 of 20 adult subjects with culture‐proven, naturally acquired infection caused by A/Brazil/11/78‐like influenza virus were positive in the test, and 2 of 13 subjects with rhinovirus infection were falsely positive. To determine if ELISA results could be improved, nasal washes were obtained from 21 adult volunteers who had been inoculated intranasally with wild‐type A/Korea/1/82 (five subjects) or A/Korea recombinants with matrix protein or RNA‐2 protein of A/Ann Arbor/6/60 (16 subjects), and the nasal washes were processed by a variety of methods. Prompt addition of sodium azide to the nasal washes to limit bacterial growth, avoidance of freezing, and the use of an antiproteolytic agent all failed to improve ELISA results noticeably. Under the best conditions, ELISA was positive in only 12 of the 21 experimentally infected subjects and in 1 of 15 uninfected controls. Positive ELISA results in experimentally infected subjects correlated significantly with the titer of live virus in the nasal washes (r = +0.506; P < 0.001). Detection of gradient‐purified whole influenza virus or isolated core antigen in ELISA was inhibited by prior incubation with nasal washes, and the inhibitory activity was only partly decreased by heat treatment of the secretions. At present, the use of ELISA for detection of influenza antigens in respiratory secretions is not sufficiently sensitive or specific for routine laboratory diagnosis of influenza.
Successful postexposure vaccination against hepatitis B in chimpanzees
Authors: Iwarson Sten , Wahl Martin , Ruttimann Eva , Snoy Philip , Seto Belinda , Gerety Robert J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractTo study the effect of postexposure vaccination, four chimpanzees were vaccinated with hepatitis B (HB) vaccine 4, 8, 48, and 72 hr, respectively, after intravenous injection of an infectious hepatitis B virus (HBV) inoculum. The second and third vaccine inoculations were given 2 and 6 weeks later, i.e., at considerably shorter intervals than recommended either for ordinary prophylactic vaccination or for postexposure vaccination in combination with hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG).The chimpanzees were followed for 1 year. None showed HBs‐antigenemia, liver enzyme elevation (ALT), or histopathological alterations in liver biopsies. Late appearance of anti‐HBc was observed only in the serum of the animal whose series of vaccination started 72 hr after HBV inoculation. An unvaccinated control chimpanzee, which received the HBV inoculum only, developed clinical hepatitis B with ALT‐elevations and HBs‐antigenemia within 2 months of the experimental HBV inoculation.These results indicate that postexposure vaccination against hepatitis B begun within 48 hr after HBV exposure, with short intervals between the vaccine injections, can protect against hepatitis B infection also when concomitant HBIG‐prophylaxis is not given.
Evaluation of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay that measures rhinovirus‐specific antibodies in human sera and nasal secretions
Authors: Barclay Wendy S. , Callow Kathleen A. , Sergeant Marianne , Ai‐Nakib Widad 
Published: March 2007

AbstractRhinovirus‐specific antibodies have traditionally been detected by their ability to neutralise the homologous rhinovirus serotype in tissue culture. Recently, however, we have described an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay that detects rhinovirus‐specific antibodies in sera and nasal secretions [Barclay and Al‐Nakib, 1987]. Here we describe an evaluation of the ELISA in a study involving 71 adult volunteers inoculated intranasally with human rhinovirus type 2 (HRV‐2). Pre‐and post‐inoculation serum samples and pre‐inoculation nasal washings were tested for the presence of HRV‐2‐specific antibodies by ELISA. Such antibodies were associated with protection against infection when present locally in nasal secretions, but when also present in the serum they were associated with protection against both infection and the development of illness. The antibody concentrations showed strong correlation with each other and with that of antibodies detected by the neutralisation test. Following HRV‐2 infection, rises in HRV‐2‐specific IgA in sera detected by ELISA occurred more frequently than rises in neutralizing antibody. These results suggest that the ELISA is a sensitive and reliable indicator of recent infection, as well as a predictor of homologous immune status.