bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Roles for Cell Wall Glycopeptidolipid in Surface Adherence and Planktonic Dispersal ofMycobacterium avium
Authors: Freeman Robert , Geier Henriette , Weigel Kris M. , Do Julie , Ford Timothy E. , Cangelosi Gerard A. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTThe opportunistic pathogenMycobacterium aviumis a significant inhabitant of biofilms in drinking water distribution systems.M. aviumexpresses on its cell surface serovar-specific glycopeptidolipids (ssGPLs). Studies have implicated the core GPL in biofilm formation byM. aviumand by otherMycobacteriumspecies. In order to test this hypothesis in a directed fashion, three model systems were used to examine biofilm formation by mutants ofM. aviumwith transposon insertions intopstAB(also known asnrpandmps).pstABencodes the nonribosomal peptide synthetase that catalyzes the synthesis of the core GPL. The mutants did not adhere to polyvinyl chloride plates; however, they adhered well to plastic and glass chamber slide surfaces, albeit with different morphologies from the parent strain. In a model that quantified surface adherence under recirculating water, wild-type andpstABmutant cells accumulated on stainless steel surfaces in equal numbers. Unexpectedly,pstABmutant cells were >10-fold less abundant in the recirculating-water phase than parent strain cells. These observations show that GPLs are directly or indirectly required for colonization of some, but by no means all, surfaces. Under some conditions, GPLs may play an entirely different role by facilitating the survival or dispersal of nonadherentM. aviumcells in circulating water. Such a function could contribute to waterborneM. aviuminfection.
In Vitro Deoxynucleotidylation of the Terminal Protein of
Streptomyces
Linear Chromosomes
Authors: Yang Chien-Chin , Chen Yi-Hong , Tsai Hsiu-Hui , Huang Chih-Hung , Huang Tzu-Wen , Chen Carton W. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Single-stranded gaps at the 3′ ends of
Streptomyces
linear replicons are patched by DNA synthesis primed by terminal proteins (TP) during replication. We devised an in vitro system that specifically incorporated dCMP, the first nucleotide at the 5′ ends, onto a threonine residue of the TP of
Streptomyces coelicolor
.
Giardia
Cysts and
Cryptosporidium
Oocysts in Membrane-Filtered Municipal Wastewater Used for Irrigation
Authors: Lonigro A. , Pollice A. , Spinelli R. , Berrilli F. , Di Cave D. , D'Orazi C. , Cavallo P. , Brandonisio O. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

A wastewater tertiary treatment system based on membrane ultrafiltration and fed with secondary-treated municipal wastewater was evaluated for its
Giardia
cyst and
Cryptosporidium
oocyst removal efficiency.
Giardia duodenalis
(assemblages A and B) and
Cryptosporidium parvum
were identified in feed water but were found in filtered water only during occasional failure of the filtration system.
Comparative Effects of Osmotic, Sodium Nitrite-Induced, and pH-Induced Stress on Growth and Survival of
Clostridium perfringens
Type A Isolates Carrying Chromosomal or Plasmid-Borne Enterotoxin Genes
Authors: Li Jihong , McClane Bruce A. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

About 1 to 2% of
Clostridium perfringens
isolates carry the enterotoxin gene (
cpe
) necessary for causing
C. perfringens
type A food poisoning. While the
cpe
gene can be either chromosomal or plasmid borne, food poisoning isolates usually carry a chromosomal
cpe
gene. Previous studies have linked this association between chromosomal
cpe
isolates (i.e., C-
cpe
isolates) and food poisoning, at least in part, to both the spores and vegetative cells of C-
cpe
isolates being particularly resistant to high and low temperatures. The current study now reveals that the resistance phenotype of C-
cpe
isolates extends beyond temperature resistance to also include, for both vegetative cells and spores, enhanced resistance to osmotic stress (from NaCl) and nitrites. However, by omitting one outlier isolate, no significant differences in pH sensitivity were detected between the spores or vegetative cells of C-
cpe
isolates versus isolates carrying a plasmid-borne
cpe
gene. These results indicate that both vegetative cells and spores of C-
cpe
isolates are unusually resistant to several food preservation approaches in addition to temperature extremes. The broad-spectrum nature of the C-
cpe
resistance phenotype suggests these bacteria may employ multiple mechanisms to persist and grow in foods prior to their transmission to humans.
Dynamic Changes in Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Profiles and Gamma Interferon Receptor Signaling Integrity Correlate with Tuberculosis Disease Activity and Response to Curative Treatment
Authors: Sahiratmadja Edhyana , Alisjahbana Bachti , de Boer Tjitske , Adnan Iskandar , Maya Anugrah , Danusantoso Halim , Nelwan Ronald H. H. , Marzuki Sangkot , van der Meer Jos W. M. , van Crevel Reinout , van de Vosse Esther , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTPro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and their signaling pathways play key roles in protection from and pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection, and their balance and dynamic changes may control or predict clinical outcome. Peripheral blood cells' capacity to produce proinflammatory (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], interleukin-12/23p40 [IL-12/23p40], and gamma interferon [IFN-γ]) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in response toMycobacterium tuberculosisor unrelated stimuli (lipopolysaccharide, phytohemagglutinin) was studied in 93 pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients and 127 healthy controls from Indonesia. Their cells' ability to respond to IFN-γ was examined to investigate whetherM. tuberculosisinfection can also inhibit IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR) signaling. Although there was interindividual variability in the observed responses, the overall results revealed thatM. tuberculosis-induced TNF-α and IFN-γ levels showed opposite trends. Whereas TNF-α production was higher in active-TB patients than in controls, IFN-γ production was strongly depressed during active TB, correlated inversely with TB disease severity, and increased during therapy. By contrast, mitogen-induced IFN-γ production, although lower in patients than in controls, did not change during treatment, suggesting anM. tuberculosis-specific and reversible component in the depression of IFN-γ. Depressed IFN-γ production was not due to decreased IL-12/IL-23 production. Importantly, IFN-γ-inducible responses were also significantly depressed during active TB and normalized during treatment, revealing disease activity-related and reversible impairment in IFN-γR signaling in TB. Finally, IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios significantly correlated with TB cure. Taken together, these results show thatM. tuberculosis-specific stimulation of IFN-γ (but not TNF-α) production and IFN-γR signaling are significantly depressed in active TB, correlate with TB disease severity and activity, and normalize during microbiological TB cure. The depression of both IFN-γ production and IFN-γR signaling may synergize in contributing to defective host control in active TB.
Immunization of Cattle with Live Tachyzoites of
Neospora caninum
Confers Protection against Fetal Death
Authors: Williams D. J. L. , Guy C. S. , Smith R. F. , Ellis J. , Björkman C. , Reichel M. P. , Trees A. J. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Neospora caninum
is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes abortion in cattle. It is normally found as a latent infection controlled by a T-helper-cell type 1 response involving CD4
+
cytotoxic T cells and gamma interferon. Cattle may be infected by two different routes: transplacentally as a result of activation of the latent infection in the mother causing congenital infection or abortion and by ingestion of oocysts, which, if it occurs during gestation, can also result in abortion. Here, for the first time, we establish proof that live vaccination protects against fetal death, whereas immunization using whole-tachyzoite lysate in different adjuvants fails to protect against fetal death. Strong antibody responses were induced in all the vaccinated groups, and the quality and magnitude of these responses were similar in the live- and the lysate-vaccinated groups. In contrast, only the group immunized with live tachyzoites had strong cellular and gamma interferon responses prior to challenge, and these responses correlated with protection against fetopathy. These results suggest that a cellular immune response may be important in the mechanisms involved in protection against
N. caninum
-associated abortions.
Identification of Candidates for a Subunit Vaccine against Extraintestinal Pathogenic
Escherichia coli
Authors: Durant Lionel , Metais Arnaud , Soulama-Mouze Coralie , Genevard Jean-Marie , Nassif Xavier , Escaich Sonia 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Extraintestinal pathogenic
Escherichia coli
(ExPEC) strains cause a large spectrum of infections. The majority of ExPEC strains are closely related to the B2 or the D phylogenetic group. The aim of our study was to develop a protein-based vaccine against these ExPEC strains. To this end, we identified ExPEC-specific genomic regions, using a comparative genome analysis, between the nonpathogenic
E. coli
strain K-12 MG1655 and ExPEC strains C5 (meningitis isolate) and CFT073 (urinary tract infection isolate). The analysis of these genomic regions allowed the selection of 40 open reading frames, which are conserved among B2/D clinical isolates and encode proteins with putative outer membrane localization. These genes were cloned, and recombinant proteins were purified and assessed as vaccine candidates. After immunization of BALB/c mice, five proteins induced a significant protective immunity against a lethal challenge with a clinical
E. coli
strain of the B2 group. In passive immunization assays, antigen-specific antibodies afforded protection to naive mice against a lethal challenge. Three of these antigens were related to iron acquisition metabolism, an important virulence factor of the ExPEC, and two corresponded to new, uncharacterized proteins. Due to the large number of genetic differences that exists between commensal and pathogenic strains of
E. coli
, our results demonstrate that it is possible to identify targets that elicit protective immune responses specific to those strains. The five protective antigens could constitute the basis for a preventive subunit vaccine against diseases caused by ExPEC strains.
Chlamydia pneumoniae
-Induced Macrophage Foam Cell Formation Is Mediated by Toll-Like Receptor 2
Authors: Cao Fei , Castrillo Antonio , Tontonoz Peter , Re Fabio , Byrne Gerald I. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Chlamydia pneumoniae
induces macrophage foam cell formation, a hallmark of early atherosclerosis, in the presence of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This study examined the role that Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 may play in pathogen-induced foam cell formation. Murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells either infected with
C. pneumoniae
or treated with the TLR4 ligand
E. coli
lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the TLR2 ligand Pam
3
-Cys-Ala-Gly-OH (Pam) became Oil Red O-stained foam cells and showed increased cholesteryl ester (CE) content when cocultured with LDL. In macrophages from TLR2
−/−
mice, foam cells were induced by
Escherichia coli
LPS but not by
C. pneumoniae
or Pam. Conversely,
C. pneumoniae
or Pam, but not
E. coli
LPS, induced foam cells in the TLR4-deficient GG2EE macrophage cell line, suggesting that
C. pneumoniae
elicits foam cell formation predominantly via TLR2. Enhancing cholesterol efflux using the liver X receptor (LXR) agonist GW3965 significantly decreased the CE content of cells exposed to each of the three TLR ligands (
C. pneumoniae
, Pam, and
E. coli
LPS). Overall, our results suggest that activation of the LXR signaling pathway may affect potentially atherogenic processes modulated by the TLR ligands.
Cystine calculi: challenging group of stones
Authors: Ahmed Kamran , Dasgupta Prokar , Khan Mohammad Shamim 
Published: December 2006

Abstract
Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disorder in renal tubular and intestinal transport of dibasic amino acids, which results in increased urinary excretion of cystine, ornithine, lysine and arginine. It affects 1 in 20 000 people and is caused by a defect in the rBAT gene on chromosome 2. Development of urinary tract cystine calculi is the only clinical manifestation of this disease. Owing to recurrent episodes of stone formation, these patients require a multi-modal approach to management. The role of medical management and minimally invasive surgery was reviewed for the treatment of cystinuria.
Tropical malabsorption
Authors: Ramakrishna B S , Venkataraman S , Mukhopadhya A 
Published: December 2006

Abstract
Malabsorption is an important clinical problem both in visitors to the tropics and in native residents of tropical countries. Infections of the small intestine are the most important cause of tropical malabsorption. Protozoal infections cause malabsorption in immunocompetent hosts, but do so more commonly in the setting of immune deficiency. Helminth infections occasionally cause malabsorption or protein-losing enteropathy. Intestinal tuberculosis, chronic pancreatitis and small-bowel bacterial overgrowth are important causes of tropical malabsorption. In recent years, inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease have become major causes of malabsorption in the tropics. Sporadic tropical sprue is still an important cause of malabsorption in adults and in children in South Asia. Investigations to exclude specific infective, immunological or inflammatory causes are important before considering tropical sprue as a diagnosis. This article briefly reviews the management of tropical sprue and presents an algorithm for its investigation and management.
Factors contributing to inappropriate ordering of tests in an academic medical department and the effect of an educational feedback strategy
Authors: Miyakis Spiros , Karamanof Georgios , Liontos Michalis , Mountokalakis Theodore D 
Published: December 2006

Abstract

Aims
To identify factors contributing to laboratory overutilisation in an academic medical department, and to assess the effect of an educational feedback strategy on inappropriate test-ordering behaviour.

Methods
The records of 426 patients admitted during a 6-month period were reviewed. The usefulness of 25 investigations (haematology, basic biochemistry and arterial blood gases) was assessed according to implicit criteria. Trainees' acquaintance with investigation costs was assessed via a multiple-choice questionnaire. The medical staff was informed about their test-ordering behaviour, cost awareness and the factors associated with overuse of diagnostic tests. The test-ordering behaviour of the same doctors was reassessed on 214 patients managed during 6 months after the intervention.

Results
Overall, 24 482 laboratory tests were ordered before the intervention (mean 2.96 tests/patient/day). Among those, 67.9% were not considered to have contributed towards management of patients (mean avoidable 2.01 tests/patient/day). Patient age ⩾65 years, hospitalisation beyond 7 days and increased case difficulty (death or inability to establish a diagnosis) were factors independently associated with overuse of laboratory tests. Senior trainees ordered more laboratory examinations, but the percentage of avoidable tests requested by junior trainees was higher. A moderate and disparate level of trainees' awareness about the cost of common laboratory examinations was disclosed. The avoidable tests/patient/day were significantly decreased after the intervention (mean 1.58, p = 0.002), but containment of unnecessary ordering of tests gradually waned during the semester after the intervention.

Conclusion
Repeated audit, continuous education and alertness of doctors, on the basis of assessment of factors contributing to laboratory overutilisation, result in restraining the redundant ordering of tests in the hospital setting.
HAMILTONIAN GENERAL RELATIVITY IN FINITE SPACE AND COSMOLOGICAL POTENTIAL PERTURBATIONS
Authors: BARBASHOV B. M. , PERVUSHIN V. N. , ZAKHAROV A. F. , ZINCHUK V. A. 
Published: December 2006

The Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity is considered in finite space–time and a specific reference frame given by the diffeo-invariant components of the Fock simplex in terms of the Dirac–ADM variables. The evolution parameter and energy invariant with respect to the time-coordinate transformations are constructed by the separation of the cosmological scale factor a(x0) and its identification with the spatial averaging of the metric determinant, so that the dimension of the kinemetric group of diffeomorphisms coincides with the dimension of a set of variables whose velocities are removed by the Gauss-type constraints in accordance with the second Nöther theorem. This coincidence allows us to solve the energy constraint, fulfil Dirac's Hamiltonian reduction, and to describe the potential perturbations in terms of the Lichnerowicz scale-invariant variables distinguished by the absence of the time derivatives of the spatial metric determinant. It was shown that the Hamiltonian version of the cosmological perturbation theory acquires attributes of the theory of superfluid liquid, and it leads to a generalization of the Schwarzschild solution. The astrophysical application of this approach to general relativity is considered under supposition that the Dirac–ADM Hamiltonian frame is identified with that of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation distinguished by its dipole component in the frame of an Earth observer.
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PIECE-WISE SELF-AFFINE FRACTAL INTERPOLATION MODEL IN TENSOR FORM
Authors: ZHANG TONG , LIU JIANLIN , ZHUANG ZHUO 
Published: December 2006

Iterated Function System (IFS) models have been used to represent discrete sequences where the attractor of the IFS is piece-wise self-affine in R2 or R3 (R is the set of real numbers). In this paper, the piece-wise self-affine IFS model is extended from R3 to Rn (n is an integer greater than 3), which is called the multi-dimensional piece-wise self-affine fractal interpolation model. This model uses a "mapping partial derivative" and a constrained inverse algorithm to identify the model parameters. The model values depend continuously on all the model parameters, and represent most data which are not multi-dimensional self-affine in Rn. Therefore, the result is very general. Moreover, the multi-dimensional piece-wise self-affine fractal interpolation model in tensor form is more terse than in the usual matrix form.
Social Morals, the Sacred and State Regulation in Durkheim’s Sociology
Authors: Varga Ivan 
Published: December 2006

English Durkheim analysed the mechanisms and types of institutions that create organic solidarity and prevent it from imploding for lack of moral cement. In conformity with his life-long preoccupation with the origins and role of morals, he laid great emphasis on professional ethics and civic morals, together with the institutions—professional associations (“corporations”) and the state—that ought to ensure the maintenance of solidarity and avoid, or at least reduce, anomie. His considerations, explicitly or implicitly, involve the concept of the sacred, its relationship to “political society” and morality, authority, democracy, citizenship and “world patriotism”. French Durkheim analysait les mécanismes et types des institutions qui créent la solidarité organique et empêchent qu'elle n'implose à cause du manque de ciment moral. Conformément à sa préoccupation de toujours par rapport aux origines et au rôle des moeurs, il mettait en relation l'éthique professionnelle et les moeurs civiles avec les institutions -- associations civiles (``corporations'') et l'État -- qui doivent assurer le maintien de la solidarité et éviter, ou au moins réduire, l'anomie. Ses réflexions impliquent, explicitement ou implicitement, le concept du sacré, son rapport à la ``société politique'' et à la moralité, à l'autorité, à la démocratie, à la citoyenneté et au ``patriotisme mondial''.
Les prélats africains et les tentatives de démocratisation du début de la décennie 1990
Authors: Bédard-St-Pierre Nadine 
Published: December 2006

English In the beginning of the 1990s, unforeseen actors emerged from the periods of political crisis that took place in Africa. Among those actors was the Catholic Church. Approaching the mobilization for democratization from the angle of the resources activated by the various actors, this article analyses “compromise” as a resource which made it possible for the national catholic authorities to play a role in these sociopolitical transformations. If, to this day, the theoretical range of “compromise” has been adequately brought to light, the empirical value of the concept is not well known. This is why this contribution mainly aims at exposing the conceptual operationalization of “compromise” obtained from an analysis of contents. As a conclusion, we propose a three-point discussion. French Les périodes de crise politique en Afrique au début des années 1990 ont fait surgir des acteurs imprévus. Parmi eux, l'Église catholique. Abordant les mobilisations, en vue de la démocratisation, sous l'angle des ressources activées par les différents acteurs, l'auteure analyse dans cet article le compromis comme ressource qui aurait permis d'inscrire les autorités catholiques nationales au coeur de cette dynamique de transformation de l'ordre sociopolitique. Si, à ce jour, la portée théorique du compromis a efficacement été mise en lumière, la valeur empirique du concept demeure, pour sa part, méconnue. C'est pourquoi, cette contribution vise principalement à exposer l'opérationnalisation conceptuelle du compromis qui fut réalisée en vue d'une analyse de contenu. En guise de conclusion, une discussion en trois volets est proposée.