bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An In-House RD1-Based Enzyme-Linked Immunospot-Gamma Interferon Assay Instead of the Tuberculin Skin Test for Diagnosis of LatentMycobacterium tuberculosisInfection
Authors: Codecasa Luigi , Mantegani Paola , Galli Laura , Lazzarin Adriano , Scarpellini Paolo , Fortis Claudio 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACTIdentification of individuals infected withMycobacterium tuberculosisis essential for the control of tuberculosis (TB). The specificity of the currently used tuberculin skin test (TST) is poor because of the broad antigenic cross-reactivity of purified protein derivative (PPD) with BCG vaccine strains and environmental mycobacteria. Both ESAT-6 and CFP-10, two secretory proteins that are highly specific forM. tuberculosiscomplex, elicit strong T-cell responses in subjects with TB. Using an enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT)-IFN-γ assay and a restricted pool of peptides derived from ESAT-6 and CFP-10, we have previously demonstrated a high degree of specificity and sensitivity of the test for the diagnosis of TB. Here, 119 contacts of individuals with contagious TB who underwent TST and the ELISPOT-IFN-γ assay were consecutively recruited. We compared the efficacy of the two tests in detecting latent TB infection and defined a more appropriate TST cutoff point. There was little agreement between the tests (k = 0.33,P< 0.0001): 53% of the contacts with a positive TST were ELISPOT negative, and 7% with a negative TST were ELISPOT positive. Furthermore, respectively 76 and 59% of the ELISPOT-negative contacts responded in vitro to BCG and PPD, suggesting that most of them were BCG vaccinated or infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria. The number of spot-forming cells significantly correlated with TST induration (P< 0.0001). Our in-house ELISPOT assay based on a restricted pool of highly selected peptides is more accurate than TST for identifying individuals with latent TB infection and could improve chemoprophylaxis for the control of TB.
Development of a Sensitive and Specific Assay Combining Multiplex PCR and DNA Microarray Primer Extension To Detect High-Risk Mucosal Human Papillomavirus Types
Authors: Gheit Tarik , Landi Stefano , Gemignani Federica , Snijders Peter J. F. , Vaccarella Salvatore , Franceschi Silvia , Canzian Federico , Tommasino Massimo 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT
The importance of assays for the detection and typing of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in clinical and epidemiological studies has been well demonstrated. Several accurate methods for HPV detection and typing have been developed. However, comparative studies showed that several assays have different sensitivities for the detection of specific HPV types, particularly in the case of multiple infections. Here, we describe a novel one-shot method for the detection and typing of 19 mucosal high-risk (HR) HPV types (types 16, 18, 26, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, 70, 73, and 82). This assay combines two different techniques: multiplex PCR with HPV type-specific primers for amplification of viral DNA and array primer extension (APEX) for typing. This novel method has been validated with artificial mixtures of HPV DNAs and clinical samples that were already analyzed for the presence of mucosal HPV types by a different consensus PCR method, i.e., GP5+/GP6+. Our data showed a very good agreement between the results from the multiplex PCR/APEX assay and those from the GP5+/GP6+ PCR (overall rates of HPV positivity, 63.0 and 60.9%, respectively). Whereas the GP5+/GP6+ PCR was slightly more sensitive for the detection of HPV type 16 (HPV-16), multiplex PCR-APEX found a higher number of infections with HPV-33, HPV-53, and multiple HPV types. These favorable features and the high-throughput potential make our present novel assay ideal for large-scale clinical and epidemiological studies aimed at determining the spectrum of mucosal HR HPV types in cervical specimens.
Heterogeneity of Methicillin-SusceptibleStaphylococcus aureusStrains at a German University Hospital Implicates the Circulating-Strain Pool as a Potential Source of Emerging Methicillin-ResistantS. aureusClones
Authors: Layer F. , Ghebremedhin B. , König W. , König B. 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACTRecently, we demonstrated rapid dissemination of different methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) clones at the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Magdeburg (B. Ghebremedhin, W. König, and B. König, Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis.24:388-398, 2005). The majority of them harbored the readily transmissiblemeccassette type IV. Thus, theoretically, methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureus(MSSA) might capture themecAgene from circulating MRSA, or MRSA strains might catch mobile toxin genes from MSSA. Therefore, we characterized MSSA strains circulating at the University Hospital in Magdeburg. Among a total of 84 MSSA strains under study, about 40% possessed thetst(toxic shock syndrome toxin) gene and up to four additional enterotoxin genes.tst-positive MSSA strains belonged to all knownagrgroups (I to IV) and to 14 differentspatypes (t008, t012, t015, t019, t024, t056, t065, t127, t133, t162, t271, t287, t399, and t400), and they were classified by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) as ST1, ST8, ST30, ST39, ST45, ST101, ST121, ST395, and ST426. In contrast, simultaneously circulating MRSA strains (n= 24) harbored in general two or three genes of the enterotoxin gene cluster, and thetst-positive MRSA isolates belonged to the well-known epidemic types ST22, ST45, and ST228 and were classified asspatypes t001, t028, and t032. From our results, one may conclude that the pool of circulating MSSA strains is an important parameter with regard to the epidemiology of hospital- and community-acquired MRSA clones and their potential virulence.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Previously Nontypeable Hepatitis C Virus Isolates from Argentina
Authors: Gismondi María Inés , Becker Pablo Daniel , Valva Pamela , Guzmán Carlos Alberto , Preciado María Victoria 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACTPhylogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus isolates from Argentina that were previously nontypeable by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis revealed that they belong to genotype 1a. A substitution at position 107 (G→A), which is the landmark of these strains, was shown to be distributed among isolates worldwide. The RFLP patterns obtained for these isolates should be added to the ones reported for genotype 1 isolates.
Correlation between Microdilution, E-test, and Disk Diffusion Methods for Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Posaconazole against
Candida
spp
Authors: Sims Charles R. , Paetznick Victor L. , Rodriguez Jose R. , Chen Enuo , Ostrosky-Zeichner Luis 
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT

Agar-based antifungal susceptibility testing is an attractive alternative to the microdilution method. We examined the correlation between the microdilution, E-test, and disk diffusion methods for posaconazole against
Candida
spp. A total of 270 bloodstream isolates of
Candida
spp. with a broad range of posaconazole MICs were tested using the CLSI M27-A2 method for microdilution, as well as the M-44A method and E-test methods for agar-based testing on Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with 2% glucose and 0.5 μg of methylene blue. MICs and inhibitory zone diameters at the prominent growth reduction endpoint were recorded at 24 and 48 h. The
Candida
isolates included
Candida albicans
(
n
= 124),
C. parapsilosis
(
n
= 44),
C. tropicalis
(
n
= 41),
C. glabrata
(
n
= 36),
C. krusei
(
n
= 20),
C. lusitaniae
(
n
= 3), and
C. dubliniensis
(
n
= 2). The overall concordance (i.e., the percentage of isolates within two dilutions) between the E-test and microdilution was 64.8% at 24 h and 82.6% at 48 h. When we considered an arbitrary breakpoint of ≤1 μg/ml, the agreement between the E-test and microdilution methods was 87.8% at 24 h and 93.0% at 48 h. The correlation of MICs with disk diffusion zone diameters was better for the E-test than the microdilution method. Zone correlation for diameters produced by the disks of two manufacturers was high, with a Pearson test value of 0.941 at 24 h. The E-test and microdilution MICs show good concordance and interpretative agreement. The disk diffusion zone diameters are highly reproducible and correlate well with both the E-test and the microdilution method, making agar-based methods a viable alternative to microdilution for posaconazole susceptibility testing.
The Continuing Story of Class IIa Bacteriocins
Authors: Drider Djamel , Fimland Gunnar , Héchard Yann , McMullen Lynn M. , Prévost Hervé 
Published: June 2006

SUMMARY

Many bacteria produce antimicrobial peptides, which are also referred to as peptide bacteriocins. The class IIa bacteriocins, often designated pediocin-like bacteriocins, constitute the most dominant group of antimicrobial peptides produced by lactic acid bacteria. The bacteriocins that belong to this class are structurally related and kill target cells by membrane permeabilization. Despite their structural similarity, class IIa bacteriocins display different target cell specificities. In the search for new antibiotic substances, the class IIa bacteriocins have been identified as promising new candidates and have thus received much attention. They kill some pathogenic bacteria (e.g.,
Listeria
) with high efficiency, and they constitute a good model system for structure-function analyses of antimicrobial peptides in general. This review focuses on class IIa bacteriocins, especially on their structure, function, mode of action, biosynthesis, bacteriocin immunity, and current food applications. The genetics and biosynthesis of class IIa bacteriocins are well understood. The bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized with an N-terminal leader sequence, which is cleaved off upon secretion. After externalization, the class IIa bacteriocins attach to potential target cells and, through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, subsequently permeabilize the cell membrane of sensitive cells. Recent observations suggest that a chiral interaction and possibly the presence of a mannose permease protein on the target cell surface are required for a bacteria to be sensitive to class IIa bacteriocins. There is also substantial evidence that the C-terminal half penetrates into the target cell membrane, and it plays an important role in determining the target cell specificity of these bacteriocins. Immunity proteins protect the bacteriocin producer from the bacteriocin it secretes. The three-dimensional structures of two class IIa immunity proteins have been determined, and it has been shown that the C-terminal halves of these cytosolic four-helix bundle proteins specify which class IIa bacteriocin they protect against.
Carbohydrate Binding Modules: Biochemical Properties and Novel Applications
Authors: Shoseyov Oded , Shani Ziv , Levy Ilan 
Published: June 2006

SUMMARYPolysaccharide-degrading microorganisms express a repertoire of hydrolytic enzymes that act in synergy on plant cell wall and other natural polysaccharides to elicit the degradation of often-recalcitrant substrates. These enzymes, particularly those that hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose, have a complex molecular architecture comprising discrete modules which are normally joined by relatively unstructured linker sequences. This structure is typically comprised of a catalytic module and one or more carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) that bind to the polysaccharide. CBMs, by bringing the biocatalyst into intimate and prolonged association with its substrate, allow and promote catalysis. Based on their properties, CBMs are grouped into 43 families that display substantial variation in substrate specificity, along with other properties that make them a gold mine for biotechnologists who seek natural molecular “Velcro” for diverse and unusual applications. In this article, we review recent progress in the field of CBMs and provide an up-to-date summary of the latest developments in CBM applications.
Mortality from non-malignant diseases in a cohort of female pulp and paper workers in Norway
Authors: Langseth H , Kjærheim K 
Published: June 2006

Objectives:The objective of the present study was to investigate the risk of death from non-malignant diseases in female pulp and paper workers in Norway.Methods:A total of 3143 women first employed between 1920–93 were included in the study cohort. Information about each cohort member was obtained from personnel record files in the mills in order to identify employment periods and job categories. Data on cause and date of death were added by linkage to the Cause of Death Register using unique personal identification numbers. The follow up period was 1951–2000. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using the national female mortality rates as reference. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine internal relations between the duration of employment in paper departments and the risk of death from selected causes. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were calculated.Results:The study showed a significantly increased risk for total non-malignant mortality (SMR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.24), mainly due to increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (SMR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.43) and cerebrovascular diseases (SMR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.42). Analysis by department showed the highest risk of death in paper department workers with short term employment. Internal analyses showed a 5% and 9% increase in risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease and respiratory diseases, respectively, among paper department workers exposed to paper dust. The risk decreased with increasing duration of employment.Conclusion:The increased risk of ischaemic heart diseases and respiratory diseases seen among employees of paper departments may be related to exposure to paper dust.
Response of the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation and Ventilation to Increasing Carbon Dioxide in CCSM3
Authors: Bryan Frank O. , Danabasoglu Gokhan , Nakashiki Norikazu , Yoshida Yoshikatsu , Kim Dong-Hoon , Tsutsui Junichi , Doney Scott C. 
Published: June 2006

Abstract
The response of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation to idealized climate forcing of 1% per year compound increase in CO2 is examined in three configurations of the Community Climate System Model version 3 that differ in their component model resolutions. The strength of the Atlantic overturning circulation declines at a rate of 22%–26% of the corresponding control experiment maximum overturning per century in response to the increase in CO2. The mean meridional overturning and its variability on decadal time scales in the control experiments, the rate of decrease in the transient forcing experiments, and the rate of recovery in periods of CO2 stabilization all increase with increasing component model resolution. By examining the changes in ocean surface forcing with increasing CO2 in the framework of the water-mass transformation function, we show that the decline in the overturning is driven by decreasing density of the subpolar North Atlantic due to increasing surface heat fluxes. While there is an intensification of the hydrologic cycle in response to increasing CO2, the net effect of changes in surface freshwater fluxes on those density classes that are involved in deep-water formation is to increase their density; that is, changes in surface freshwater fluxes act to maintain a stronger overturning circulation. The differences in the control experiment overturning strength and the response to increasing CO2 are well predicted by the corresponding differences in the water-mass transformation rate. Reduction of meridional heat transport and enhancement of meridional salt transport from mid- to high latitudes with increasing CO2 also act to strengthen the overturning circulation. Analysis of the trends in an ideal age tracer provides a direct measure of changes in ocean ventilation time scale in response to increasing CO2. In the subpolar North Atlantic south of the Greenland–Scotland ridge system, there is a significant increase in subsurface ages as open-ocean deep convection is diminished and ventilation switches to a predominance of overflow waters. In middle and low latitudes there is a decrease in age within and just below the thermocline in response to a decrease in the upwelling of old deep waters. However, when considering ventilation within isopycnal layers, age increases for layers in and below the thermocline due to the deepening of isopycnals in response to global warming.
Tropical Pacific and Atlantic Climate Variability in CCSM3
Authors: Deser Clara , Capotondi Antonietta , Saravanan R. , Phillips Adam S. 
Published: June 2006

Abstract
Simulations of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and tropical Atlantic climate variability in the newest version of the Community Climate System Model [version 3 (CCSM3)] are examined in comparison with observations and previous versions of the model. The analyses are based upon multicentury control integrations of CCSM3 at two different horizontal resolutions (T42 and T85) under present-day CO2 concentrations. Complementary uncoupled integrations with the atmosphere and ocean component models forced by observed time-varying boundary conditions allow an assessment of the impact of air–sea coupling upon the simulated characteristics of ENSO and tropical Atlantic variability.
The amplitude and zonal extent of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature variability associated with ENSO is well simulated in CCSM3 at both resolutions and represents an improvement relative to previous versions of the model. However, the period of ENSO remains too short (2–2.5 yr in CCSM3 compared to 2.5–8 yr in observations), and the sea surface temperature, wind stress, precipitation, and thermocline depth responses are too narrowly confined about the equator. The latter shortcoming is partially overcome in the atmosphere-only and ocean-only simulations, indicating that coupling between the two model components is a contributing cause. The relationships among sea surface temperature, thermocline depth, and zonal wind stress anomalies are consistent with the delayed/recharge oscillator paradigms for ENSO. We speculate that the overly narrow meridional scale of CCSM3's ENSO simulation may contribute to its excessively high frequency. The amplitude and spatial pattern of the extratropical atmospheric circulation response to ENSO is generally well simulated in the T85 version of CCSM3, with realistic impacts upon surface air temperature and precipitation; the simulation is not as good at T42.
CCSM3's simulation of interannual climate variability in the tropical Atlantic sector, including variability intrinsic to the basin and that associated with the remote influence of ENSO, exhibits similarities and differences with observations. Specifically, the observed counterpart of El Niño in the equatorial Atlantic is absent from the coupled model at both horizontal resolutions (as it was in earlier versions of the coupled model), but there are realistic (although weaker than observed) SST anomalies in the northern and southern tropical Atlantic that affect the position of the local intertropical convergence zone, and the remote influence of ENSO is similar in strength to observations, although the spatial pattern is somewhat different.
Diet rich in α-lactalbumin improves memory in unmedicated recovered depressed patients and matched controls
Authors: Booij Linda , Merens Wendelien , Markus C. Rob , Van der Does A. J. Willem 
Published: June 2006

Depression is associated with reduced brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) function and with cognitive dysfunctions. A diet rich in α-lactalbumin protein has been found to increase the ratio tryptophan /large neutral amino acids (Trp/σLNAA), and to improve cognitive functioning in individuals with high neuroticism scores. Since cognitive dysfunctions sometimes persist after remission of depression, the present study investigated the effects of α-lactalbumin-enriched diet on cognition in recovered depressed patients. Twenty-three recovered depressed patients and 20 healthy matched controls without a history of depression consumed meals rich in α-lactalbumin or casein protein in a double-blind crossover design. Mood, cognitive function and plasma amino acids were assessed at both sessions before and after dietary intake. Alpha-lactalbumin protein had no effect on mood, but improved abstract visual memory and impaired simple motor performance. These effects were independent of history of depression. Supplements of lactalbumin may be useful for nutrition research in relation to age- or disease-related memory decline. The present findings should be further examined in different (e.g. medicated) samples. The long-term effects of α-lactalbumin should also be investigated.
Sedation and memory: studies with a histamine H-1 receptor antagonist
Authors: Turner Claire , Handford Alison D. F. , Nicholson Anthony N. 
Published: June 2006

The influence of sedation on the effect of an H-1 receptor antagonist on various cognitive functions, including memory, were evaluated. Diphenhydramine (50, 75 and 100mg) and lorazepam (0.5 and 1.5mg) were given on single occasions to 12 healthy volunteers (six males, six females) aged 20–33 (mean 23.4) years. Subjective assessments of sedation, sleep latencies, digit symbol substitution, choice reaction time, sustained attention and memory recall were studied 1.0h before and 0.5, 2.0 and 3.5h after drug ingestion. The study was double blind, placebo controlled and with a crossover design. With all doses of diphenhydramine there was subjective sedation, reduced sleep latencies and impairments in performance on the digit symbol substitution, choice reaction time and sustained attention tasks. No effects were observed with 0.5mg lorazepam. With 1.5mg lorazepam there was subjective sedation, fewer digit symbol substitutions, slowed choice reaction time, impaired attention and memory, but no effect on sleep latencies. Contrast analysis of data measured at all time points showed that although there was no difference in the effect of diphenhydramine (100mg) and lorazepam (1.5mg) on those tasks without a memory component, response times were slower with lorazepam on those tasks with a memory component. However, both 100mg diphenhydramine and 1.5mg lorazepam impaired prompted recall measured at 2h post-ingestion only. It is considered that impaired memory is not necessarily associated with sedation, and that impairment of memory with drugs that lead to sedation may be effected through neuronal systems independent of those that affect arousal.