bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation of Leclercia adecarboxylata from the blood culture of an asymptomatic platelet donor
Authors: Davenport Patricia , Land Kevin J. 
Published: July 2007

BACKGROUND: Bacterial contamination of platelet (PLT) components is a leading cause of transfusion‐related fatality. AABB and The College of American Pathologists require that blood centers and transfusion services have a process for detecting bacterial contamination in PLT products.CASE REPORT: Leclercia adecarboxylata was isolated from the donated blood of a healthy, asymptomatic 61‐year‐old man. The PLT donation was collected by apheresis method and was separated into three daughter or split products. Samples from all three products tested positive for the presence of bacterial contamination. L. adecarboxylata was subsequently identified in two of three products. The blood donor's records were reviewed and the donor was interviewed by telephone. The only possible risk identified during the interview was a questionable contact dermatitis, away from the antecubital fossa, thought to be due to poison ivy exposure before the donation. All subsequent donations have tested negative for the presence of bacterial contamination. The organism is a Gram‐negative bacillus variant of the Enterobacteriaceae family and known nosocomial isolate. It has been previously reported as a rarely isolated opportunistic pathogen mostly associated with patients having compromised immunity, chronic or inflammatory illness, catheter‐related bacteremia, or mixed‐bacterial wounds. L. adecarboxylata was originally identified in water, foods, and environment.CONCLUSION: This is the first known report of isolation of L. adecarboxylata from the blood donation of an apparently healthy individual and could represent transient asymptomatic bacteremia or more likely contamination by epidermal flora. The organism may be underrecognized due to its close resemblance to Escherichia coli.
Dental students’ attitude towards anti‐smoking programmes: a study in Flanders, Belgium
Authors: Vanobbergen J. , Nuytens P. , Van Herk M. , De Visschere L. 
Published: July 2007

Objective:  The aim of the study was to assess the dental students’ attitude towards tobacco cessation counselling in the dental setting and to explore the influence of knowledge, belief in effectiveness, smoking status, gender and curriculum.Material and methods:  The study group consisted of all undergraduate students from the 2002–2003 classes of the Ghent University (n = 96). A validated questionnaire was administered to all students involving four different sections: demographic characteristics, attitude related to tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting, belief in their effectiveness and knowledge concerning tobacco health effects. Statistical analysis included simple univariate nonparametric tests for evaluating differences in attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes, belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting and knowledge of students concerning tobacco health effects by year of graduation, smoking status and gender. Multiple logistic regression was chosen to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.Results:  Students view willingness to advise individual patients to quit using tobacco. Yet only 51.3% are willing to co‐operate in anti‐tobacco programmes at the community level, and the perception of students of the effectiveness of smoking cessation counselling in the dental setting is low. The variance of attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes was significantly affected by knowledge and the belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting. Better knowledge and belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation counselling was associated with an increasing positive attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes expressed by an odds ratio of 3.12 (95% CI 1.00–9.67) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.00–1.37) respectively.Conclusion:  Belief in effectiveness and knowledge seem to influence the attitude of students towards tobacco cessation counselling.Practice implications:  Besides imparting knowledge, the attitude of newly graduated dentists could be improved by stressing the effectiveness of smoking cessation activities during lectures and integrated training modules in the undergraduate education.
Anaphylactoid reaction to Haemaccel® infusion and contact sensitization to Opticlude® orthoptic eye patches: a case report
Authors: GUPTA DEEPAK , MISHRA SEEMA , CHAUHAN HIMANSHU , BHATNAGAR SUSHMA 
Published: July 2007

SUMMARYA 46‐year‐old female patient undergoing hemiglossectomy with supraomohyoid neck dissection under general anesthesia suffered acute bronchospasm which was successfully treated with subcutaneous terbutaline. The only other noticeable adverse event during induction of anesthesia was the development of periorbital skin erythema encircling the Opticlude® orthoptic eye patches within a few minutes of application. The eye patches were immediately removed. Eight weeks later, negative intradermal skin testing to Haemaccel® implicated anaphylactoid reaction instead of anaphylaxis. This case report illustrates the importance of routine history taking of known allergies and dermatological conditions that can require caution in the use of allergen drugs and associated agents such as Haemaccel® and Opticlude® orthoptic eye patches.
Characterization by Ab Initio Calculations of an Intermediate Band
Material Based on Chalcopyrite Semiconductors Substituted by Several Transition
Metals
Authors: Palacios P. , Sánchez K. , Wahnón P. , Conesa J. C. 
Published: July 2007

Abstract
Recent work has proposed that enhanced efficiency can be achieved in photovoltaic cells through implementation of the intermediate band (IB) concept in which a narrow band inserted within the band gap of a semiconductor is used to make the combined absorption of two sub-band gap energy photons lead to the generation of current at the higher voltage corresponding to the full band gap. Trying to tell which materials could have the IB properties necessary for this, quantum calculations within density functional theory at the generalized gradient approximation level have been carried out in this work for chalcopyrite-type copper gallium sulphide structures where gallium is partially substituted by transition metal atoms (Ti, V, Cr, Mn), as these materials are presumed to be candidates for developing the IB electronic structure able to realize this concept. The computed electronic structures characterized by density-of-state curves and band dispersion diagrams, show transition metal-induced spin-polarized characteristics and additional bands appearing in the band gap of the parent sulphide compound. In the results reported here for these compounds, the multiplicity, degree of filling, and energy position of the electronic levels depends on the number of electrons and the electronegativity of the transition element, and they are analyzed in terms of the crystal field splitting produced by the crystalline structure in the metal 3d orbital manifold. For the Ti- and Cr-derived structures (the more interesting ones from the point of view of the intermediate band photovoltaic concept), the stability of these materials is also assessed by computing the energetics of their decomposition in appropriate, known stable compounds. Although this decomposition is found to be favorable, the corresponding energy difference is relatively small, and it is envisaged that they can be made effective experimentally. With these results, the suitability of these materials for use as IB compounds in photovoltaic cells is discussed, and the Ti-substituted one is proposed as the best candidate of this type.
Development of Recombinant Nucleoprotein-Based Diagnostic Systems for Lassa Fever
Authors: Saijo Masayuki , Georges-Courbot Marie-Claude , Marianneau Philippe , Romanowski Victor , Fukushi Shuetsu , Mizutani Tetsuya , Georges Alain-Jean , Kurata Takeshi , Kurane Ichiro , Morikawa Shigeru 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT
Diagnostic systems for Lassa fever (LF), a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus (LASV), such as enzyme immunoassays for the detection of LASV antibodies and LASV antigens, were developed using the recombinant nucleoprotein (rNP) of LASV (LASV-rNP). The LASV-rNP was expressed in a recombinant baculovirus system. LASV-rNP was used as an antigen in the detection of LASV-antibodies and as an immunogen for the production of monoclonal antibodies. The LASV-rNP was also expressed in HeLa cells by transfection with the expression vector encoding cDNA of the LASV-NP gene. An immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using LASV-rNP and an indirect immunofluorescence assay using LASV-rNP-expressing HeLa cells were confirmed to have high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of LASV-antibodies. A novel monoclonal antibody to LASV-rNP, monoclonal antibody 4A5, was established. A sandwich antigen capture (Ag-capture) ELISA using the monoclonal antibody and an anti-LASV-rNP rabbit serum as capture and detection antibodies, respectively, was then developed. Authentic LASV nucleoprotein in serum samples collected from hamsters experimentally infected with LASV was detected by the Ag-capture ELISA. The Ag-capture ELISA specifically detected LASV-rNP but not the rNPs of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus or Junin virus. The sensitivity of the Ag-capture ELISA in detecting LASV antigens was comparable to that of reverse transcription-PCR in detecting LASV RNA. These LASV rNP-based diagnostics were confirmed to be useful in the diagnosis of LF even in institutes without a high containment laboratory, since the antigens can be prepared without manipulation of the infectious viruses.
Dendritic Cell Function during Chronic Hepatitis C Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection
Authors: Fan Zheng , Huang Xiao-Li , Kalinski Pawel , Young Stephen , Rinaldo Charles R. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can persist despite HCV-specific T-cell immunity and can have a more aggressive course in persons coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Defects in antigen-presenting, myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) could underlie this T-cell dysfunction. Here we show that monocyte-derived DCs from persons with chronic HCV infection, with or without HIV-1 coinfection, being treated with combination antiretroviral therapy produced lower levels of interleukin 12 (IL-12) p70 in response to CD40 ligand (CD40L), whereas the expression of DC surface activation and costimulatory molecules was unimpaired. The deficiency in IL-12 production could be overcome by addition of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) with CD40L, resulting in very high, comparable levels of IL-12 production by DCs from HCV- and HIV-1-infected subjects. Smaller amounts of IL-12 p70 were produced by DCs treated with the immune modulators tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-1β, with or without IFN-γ, and the amounts did not differ among the uninfected and infected subjects. Blocking of IL-10 with an anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody in the CD40L-stimulated DC cultures from HCV-infected persons increased the level of IL-12 p70 production. The ability of DCs from HCV-infected persons to stimulate allogeneic CD4+T cells or induce IL-2, IL-5, or IL-10 in a mixed lymphocyte reaction was not impaired. Thus, myeloid DCs derived from persons with chronic HCV infection or with both HCV and HIV-1 infections have defects in IL-12 p70 production related to IL-10 activity that can be overcome by treatment of the DCs with CD40L and IFN-γ. DCs from these infected subjects have a normal capacity to stimulate CD4+T cells. The functional effectiveness of DCs derived from HCV-infected individuals provides a rationale for the DC-based immunotherapy of chronic HCV infection.
Feasibility of a Multiplex Flow Cytometric Bead Immunoassay for Detection of Anti-Epoetin Alfa Antibodies
Authors: Ferbas John , Thomas John , Hodgson John , Gaur Amitabh , Casadevall Nicole , Swanson Steven J. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTImmunogenicity profiles of recombinant therapeutic proteins are important to understand because antibodies raised against these molecules may have important clinical sequelae. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate that a flow cytometric bead array could be used to detect clinically relevant antibodies with specificity to such therapeutics. We chose to evaluate well-characterized specimens from persons treated with epoetin alfa that developed antibody-mediated pure red blood cell aplasia as a means to demonstrate the utility of this platform. Our data show that this assay is capable of detecting anti-epoetin alfa antibodies with a relative antibody concentration of 50 ng/ml, where 25 of 25 sera spiked with antibodies at this concentration scored positive. Moreover, the assay was designed to include positive and negative control beads for each specimen that is processed to ensure the specificity of the signal when detected. Measurement of interassay precision supports quantitative estimates of relative antibody concentrations in the range of 313 to 5,000 ng/ml, where the percent coefficient of variation did not exceed 20%. With respect to clinical specimens, antibodies with specificity for epoetin alfa could be easily detected in a set of specimens from persons with pure red blood cell aplasia that had prior exposure to the EPREX brand of recombinant epoetin alfa. Further development and validation of this approach may facilitate successful widespread application of the method for detection of anti-epoetin alfa antibodies, as well as antibodies directed against other recombinant therapeutic proteins.
Extracellular ATP Is Cytotoxic to Mononuclear Phagocytes but Does Not Induce Killing of IntracellularMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis
Authors: Woo Seng-Ryong , Barletta Raúl G. , Czuprynski Charles J. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisis the etiologic agent of Johne's disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants. ATP has been reported to induce cell death of macrophages and killing ofMycobacteriumspecies in human and murine macrophages. In this study we investigated the short-term effect of ATP on the viability ofM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-infected bovine mononuclear phagocytes and the bacilli within them. Addition of 5 mM ATP toM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-infected bovine monocytes resulted in 50% cytotoxicity of bovine monocytes at 24 h. Addition of 2′(3′)-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) ATP triethylammonium salt (Bz-ATP), which is a longer-lived ATP homologue and purinergic receptor agonist, significantly increased the uptake of YO-PRO, which is a marker for membrane pore activation by P2X receptors. Addition of Bz-ATP also stimulated lactate dehydrogenase release and caspase-3 activity in infected bovine monocytes. Neither ATP nor Bz-ATP reduced the survival ofM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisin bovine mononuclear phagocytes. Likewise, addition of ATP or Bz-ATP was cytotoxic to murine macrophage cell lines (RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 cells) but did not affect the intracellular survival ofM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis, nor were the numbers of viableMycobacterium aviumsubsp.aviumorMycobacterium bovisBCG cells altered in bovine mononuclear phagocytes or J774A.1 cells following ATP or Bz-ATP treatment. These data suggest that extracellular ATP does not induce the killing of intracellularM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisin bovine mononuclear phagocytes.
Measurement of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B in Serum and Culture Supernatant with a Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Authors: Cook E. , Wang X. , Robiou N. , Fries B. C. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a select agent because it is a potent mitogen that elicits life-threatening polyclonal T-cell proliferation and cytokine production at very low concentrations. Efforts are in progress to develop therapeutic reagents and vaccines that neutralize or prevent the devastating effects of this toxin. Because of its rapid binding to in vivo receptors, this toxin is difficult to detect in serum. This rapid binding also constitutes a major challenge for the development of effective therapeutic reagents that can neutralize the effects of the toxin in vivo. We have developed a highly sensitive capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects SEB in body fluids at very low levels. With this assay, the peak levels of SEB in serum and renal clearance can be measured in mice. After either oral ingestion or nasal inhalation of SEB by mice, this assay documents the transcytosis of SEB across the mucosal membranes into serum within 2 h. Furthermore, this assay was used to compare the SEB levels in different murine models for SEB-induced lethal shock and demonstrated that the coadministration of toxin-enhancing chemicals, such as
d
-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide, can alter the peak serum SEB levels. Hence, this assay is a potentially useful tool for the study of the pharmacokinetics of SEB and the effects of potential therapeutic reagents on serum SEB levels.
Molecular Diagnosis of
Kingella kingae
Pericarditis by Amplification and Sequencing of the 16S rRNA Gene
Authors: Matta Matta , Wermert Delphine , Podglajen Isabelle , Sanchez Olivier , Buu-Hoï Annie , Gutmann Laurent , Meyer Guy , Mainardi Jean-Luc 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Kingella kingae
is a fastidious gram-negative bacillus that is considered an emerging pathogen in pediatric settings but remains less common in adults. Here we describe a case of pericarditis in an immunocompetent adult host. The microorganism was identified directly from the clinical sample by molecular techniques, i.e., 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing.
Molecular Epidemiology and Distribution of Serotypes, Surface Proteins, and Antibiotic Resistance among Group B Streptococci in Italy
Authors: Gherardi Giovanni , Imperi Monica , Baldassarri Lucilla , Pataracchia Marco , Alfarone Giovanna , Recchia Simona , Orefici Graziella , Dicuonzo Giordano , Creti Roberta 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Group B streptococci (GBS) comprising three different sets of isolates (31 invasive, 36 noninvasive, and 24 colonizing isolates) were collected in Italy during the years 2002 to 2005. Clonal groups were established by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and selected isolates were studied by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). GBS isolates were also characterized by classical and molecular techniques for serotyping and protein gene and antibiotic resistance profiling. Some serotypes were significantly associated with a particular isolate population: serotype Ia more frequently corresponded to invasive strains than other strains, serotype V was more frequently encountered among noninvasive strains, and nontypeable strains were more common among isolates from carriers. Four major clonal groups accounted for 52.7% of all isolates: PFGE type 1/clonal complex 1 (CC1) comprised mainly serotype V isolates carrying the
alp3
gene, PFGE type 2/CC23 encompassed serotype Ia isolates with the
alp1
or
alpha
gene, PFGE type 3/CC17 comprised serotype III isolates carrying the
rib
gene, and PFGE type 4/CC19 consisted mainly of serotype II isolates possessing the
rib
gene. The same serotypes were shared by isolates of different clonal groups, and conversely, isolates belonging to the same clonal groups were found to be of different serotypes, presumably due to capsular switching by the horizontal transfer of capsular genes. Erythromycin resistance (prevalence, 16.5%; 15 resistant isolates of 91) was restricted to strains isolated from patients with noninvasive infections and carriers, while tetracycline resistance was evenly distributed (prevalence, 68.1%; 62 resistant isolates of 91). Most erythromycin-resistant GBS strains were of serotype V, were
erm
(B) positive, and belonged to the PFGE type 1/CC1 group, suggesting that macrolide resistance may have arisen both by clonal dissemination and by the horizontal transfer of resistance genes.
Human Cytomegalovirus Protein Kinase UL97 Forms a Complex with the Tegument Phosphoprotein pp65
Authors: Kamil Jeremy P. , Coen Donald M. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTUL97 is a protein kinase encoded by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and is an important target for antiviral drugs against this ubiquitous herpesvirus, which is a major cause of life-threatening opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised host. In an effort to better understand the function(s) of UL97 during HCMV replication, a recombinant HCMV, NTAP97, which expresses a tandem affinity purification (TAP) tag at the amino terminus of UL97, was used to obtain UL97 protein complexes from infected cells. pp65 (also known as UL83), the 65-kDa virion tegument phosphoprotein, specifically copurified with UL97 during TAP, as shown by mass spectrometry and Western blot analyses. Reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation experiments using lysates of infected cells also indicated an interaction between UL97 and pp65. Moreover, in a glutathioneS-transferase (GST) pull-down experiment, purified GST-pp65 fusion protein specifically bound in vitro-translated UL97, suggesting that UL97 and pp65 do not require other viral proteins to form a complex and may directly interact. Notably, pp65 has been previously reported to form unusual aggregates during viral replication when UL97 is pharmacologically inhibited or genetically ablated, and a pp65 deletion mutant was observed to exhibit modest resistance to a UL97 inhibitor (M. N. Prichard, W. J. Britt, S. L. Daily, C. B. Hartline, and E. R. Kern, J. Virol. 79:15494-15502, 2005). A stable protein-protein interaction between pp65 and UL97 may be relevant to incorporation of these proteins into HCMV particles during virion morphogenesis, with potential implications for immunomodulation by HCMV, and may also be a mechanism by which UL97 is negatively regulated during HCMV replication.
Alanine Scanning of the Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Reveals Numerous Residues Essential for Production of Infectious Virus
Authors: Murray Catherine L. , Jones Christopher T. , Tassello Jodie , Rice Charles M. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus
(HCV) is an important human pathogen affecting an estimated 3% of the world's population. Recent advances have enabled in vitro propagation of the virus and allow assembly and egress to be investigated for the first time. As a component of the virion, the HCV core protein likely functions primarily in infectious virus production, although little is known about the determinants of this activity. To investigate the roles of core in the viral life cycle, we performed a comprehensive deletion and alanine scanning mutagenesis study of this protein in the context of a genotype 2a reporter virus. We have confirmed that core protein is essential for infectious virion production and have identified numerous residues required for this role. The infectivity of several assembly-defective core mutants could be rescued by compensatory mutations identified in p7 and NS2, suggesting genetic interactions with core and highlighting the importance of these nonstructural proteins in infectious virion morphogenesis.