bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of Rho GTPase in astrocyte morphology and migratory response during in vitro wound healing
Authors: Höltje Markus , Hoffmann Anja , Hofmann Fred , Mucke Christian , Große Gisela , Van Rooijen Nico , Kettenmann Helmut , Just Ingo , Ahnert‐Hilger Gudrun 
Published: September 2005

AbstractSmall Rho GTPases are key regulators of the cytoskeleton in a great variety of cells. Rho function mediates morphological changes as well as locomotor activity. Using astrocyte cultures established from neonatal mice we investigated the role of Rho in process formation during astrocyte stellation. Using a scratch‐wound model, we examined the impact of Rho on a variety of morphological and functional variables such as stellation and migratory activity during wound healing. C3 proteins are widely used to study cellular Rho functions. In addition, C3 derived from Clostridium botulinum (C3bot) is considered selectively to promote neuronal regeneration. Because the latter requires a balanced activity of neurones and glial cells, the effects of C3 protein on glial cells such as astrocytes have to be considered carefully. Low nanomolar concentrations of C3 proteins significantly promoted process outgrowth and increased process branching. Besides enzymatic inactivation of Rho by ADP‐ribosylation, changes in protein levels of the various Rho GTPases may also contribute to the observed effects. Furthermore, incubation of scratch‐wounded astrocyte cultures with C3bot accelerated wound healing. By inhibiting the Rho downstream effector ROCK with the selective inhibitor Y27632 we were able to demonstrate that the accelerated wound closure resulted from both enhanced polarized process formation and increased migratory activity of astrocytes into the lesion site. These results suggest that Rho negatively regulates astrocytic process growth and migratory responses after injury and that its inactivation by C3bot in nanomolar concentrations promotes astrocyte migration.
Post‐training intrahippocampal infusion of nicotine prevents spatial memory retention deficits induced by the cyclo‐oxygenase‐2‐specific inhibitor celecoxib in rats
Authors: Sharifzadeh Mohammad , Tavasoli Mahtab , Naghdi Nasser , Ghanbari Azam , Amini Mohsen , Roghani Ali 
Published: September 2005

AbstractRecently, we demonstrated that intrahippocampal infusion of the cyclo‐oxygenase (COX)‐2‐specific inhibitor celecoxib impaired spatial memory retention in the Morris water maze. In the present work, we investigated the effects of nicotine, infused in the rat dorsal hippocampus several minutes after infusion of celecoxib, on memory retention in the Morris water maze. Rats were trained for 3 days; each day included two blocks, and each block contained four trials. Test trials were conducted 48 h after surgery. As expected, bilateral intrahippocampal infusion of celecoxib (19 µg/side; 0.1 m) increased escape latency and travel distance in rats, indicating significant impairment of spatial memory retention. We also examined the effects of bilateral infusion of nicotine (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 µg/side) on memory retention. Infusion of 1 µg nicotine significantly decreased escape latency and travel distance but not swimming speed, compared with controls, suggesting memory retention enhancement by nicotine at this concentration. In separate experiments, bilateral infusion of nicotine, infused 5 min after 0.1 m (19 µg/side) celecoxib infusion, was associated with escape latency, travel distance and swimming speed profiles very similar to those in control animals. Brain tissue sections from several of these animals were subjected to immunohistochemical staining analysis with anti‐COX‐2 antibodies. Quantification analysis by optical density measurements showed that the celecoxib infusion reduced the immunoreactivity of COX‐2‐containing neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus compared with controls, although this reduction was not significant. However, infusion of a combination of celecoxib and nicotine significantly increased this immunoreactivity compared with levels in control and celecoxib‐infused groups. These results suggest that nicotine prevented or reversed the adverse effects of celecoxib on spatial memory retention and protected or restored the immunostaining pattern of COX‐2 neurons in the rat dorsal hippocampus.
Effects of perioperative hypothermia and warming in surgical practice
Authors: Kumar Senthil , Wong Peng Foo , Melling Andrew Christian , Leaper David John 
Published: September 2005

AbstractPerioperative hypothermia is common and adversely affects clinical outcomes due to its effect on a range of homeostatic functions. Many of these adverse consequences are preventable by the use of warming techniques. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant published articles on perioperative hypothermia and warming. The databases searched include MEDLINE (1966 to February 2005), EMBASE (1974 to February 2005), CINAHL, the Cochrane library and the health technology assessment database. Reference lists of key articles were also searched. The primary beneficial effects of warming are mediated through increased blood flow and oxygen tension at tissue level. Reduction in wound infection, blood loss and perioperative pain with warming is promising. However, more evidence from good‐quality prospective randomised controlled trials is needed to evaluate the role of warming in improving overall morbidity, mortality and hospital stay as well as to clarify its role as an adjunct to resuscitation and during the pre‐hospital transport phase of critically ill patients. Awareness of the risks of perioperative hypothermia is the key to prevention. Achieving normothermia throughout the patient's journey is a worthwhile goal in surgical patients.
Generalised cutaneous necrosis: a complication of low‐molecular‐weight heparin
Authors: Patel Girish K , Knight Arthur G 
Published: September 2005

AbstractSubcutaneous low‐molecular‐weight heparin (LMWH) injections have a predictable dose‐dependent anticoagulant effect and have therefore become popular for the prevention and management of thromboembolic diseases. It was initially hoped that use of the smaller molecule and better dose titration would reduce the incidence of side‐effects associated with conventional heparin therapy. However, case reports such as this have demonstrated that LMWHs still have the capacity to cause heparin‐induced thrombocytopaenia and heparin‐induced thrombocytopaenia with thrombosis, as well as heparin necrosis. To our knowledge, this is the first‐ever‐reported case of heparin necrosis associated with tinazaparin. Heparin necrosis is characterised by widespread life‐threatening cutaneous necrosis and systemic thrombosis, in which fatal progression of disease can only be halted by stopping heparin therapy. As heparin necrosis is an uncommon disorder, in this report we focus on the clinical clues that may help woundcare professionals consider and confirm the diagnosis.
Use of the sensory nerve stimulator to accelerate healing of a venous leg ulcer with sensory nerve dysfunction: a case study
Authors: Ogrin Rajna , Darzins Peteris , Khalil Zeinab 
Published: September 2005

AbstractA new therapy using sensory nerve stimulation [International Patent Application Number PCT/AU2004/001079: ‘nerve function and tissue healing’ (Khalil, Z)] has been developed in our vascular physiology laboratory. This treatment has been found to improve the deficient sensory nerve function and associated deficient wound healing of older persons to levels seen in young people. An 82‐year‐old man with a small but persistent venous leg ulcer for 18 months, despite apparently appropriate wound dressings and compression therapy, was seen in a specialist wound management service. The patient's sensory and microvascular function was assessed in great detail using the vascular physiology laboratory techniques, and he was provided the sensory nerve stimulation therapy in addition to conventional therapy. His wound healed after 4 weeks. We report the case here. Prior to nerve stimulation therapy, cutaneous sensation, microvascular blood flow and oxygen tension were found to be reduced near the ulcer when compared with the opposite, non ulcerated leg. After therapy, oxygen tension and microvascular blood flow had improved. This case provides further evidence that sensory nerve stimulation therapy at the stipulated parameters improves wound healing. The observation that sensory nerve function improved provides support for the notion that improvement in healing is mediated by improved nerve function.
Economic comparison of methods of wound closure: wound closure strips vs. sutures and wound adhesives
Authors: Zempsky William T , Zehrer Cindy L , Lyle Christopher T , Hedbloom Edwin C 
Published: September 2005

AbstractOur objective was to review and assess the treatment of low‐tension wounds and evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of wound closure methods. We used a health economic model to estimate cost/closure of adhesive wound closure strips, tissue adhesives and sutures. The model incorporated cost‐driving variables: application time, costs and the likelihood and costs of dehiscence and infection. The model was populated with variable estimates derived from the literature. Cost estimates and cosmetic results were compared. Parameter values were estimated using national healthcare and labour statistics. Sensitivity analyses were used to verify the results. Our analysis suggests that adhesive wound closure strips had the lowest average cost per laceration ($7·54), the lowest cost per infected laceration ($53·40) and the lowest cost per laceration with dehiscence ($25·40). The costs for sutures were $24·11, $69·91 and $41·91, respectively; the costs for tissue adhesives were $28·77, $74·68 and $46·68, respectively. The cosmetic outcome for all three treatments was equivalent. We conclude adhesive wound closure strips were both a cost‐saving and a cost‐effective alternative to sutures and tissue adhesives in the closure of low‐tension lacerations.
Detection of Immune Complexes Is Not Independent of Detection of Antibodies in Lyme Disease Patients and Does Not Confirm Active Infection with
Borrelia burgdorferi
Authors: Marques Adriana R. , Hornung Ronald L. , Dally Len , Philipp Mario T. 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACT

The
Borrelia burgdorferi
-specific immune complex (IC) test, which uses polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation to isolate ICs from serum, has been used as a research test in the laboratory diagnosis of early Lyme disease (LD) and has been proposed as a marker of active infection. We examined whether
B. burgdorferi
-specific antibodies were present within PEG-precipitated ICs (PEG-ICs) in patients with LD, posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome, and controls, including individuals who received the outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccine. Using a
B. burgdorferi
whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we obtained positive PEG-IC results not only in patients with a history of LD, but also in individuals vaccinated with OspA vaccine. The frequency of positive PEG-IC ELISAs in OspA vaccinees was significantly higher with ELISA-reactive than with ELISA-negative unprocessed serum samples (
P
= 0.001), demonstrating dependency between the tests. Similar results were found using samples from rhesus macaques infected with
B. burgdorferi
, uninfected macaques vaccinated with OspA, and controls. Therefore, testing for the presence of antibodies against
B. burgdorferi
in PEG-IC preparations is not more likely to reflect active infection than testing in unprocessed serum and should not be used in individuals who received the OspA vaccine.
Monoclonal Immunoglobulin G1 Directed againstAspergillus fumigatusCell Wall Glycoprotein Protects against Experimental Murine Aspergillosis
Authors: Chaturvedi Ashok K. , Kavishwar A. , Shiva Keshava G. B. , Shukla P. K. 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACTMost of the biological functions related to pathogenicity and virulence reside in the fungal cell wall, which, being the outermost part of the cell, mediates the host-fungus interplay. For these reasons much effort has focused on the discovery of useful inhibitors of cell wall glucan, chitin, and mannoprotein biosynthesis. In the absence of a wide-spectrum, safe, and potent antifungal agent, a new strategy for antifungal therapy is directed towards the development of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). In the present study the MAb A9 (immunoglobulin G1 [IgG1]) was identified from hybridomas raised in BALB/c mice immunized with cell wall antigen ofAspergillus fumigatus. The immunoreactive epitopes for this IgG1 MAb appeared to be associated with a peptide moiety, and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed its binding to the cell wall surface of hyphae as well as with swollen conidia. MAb A9 inhibited hyphal development as observed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay (25.76%), reduced the duration of spore germination, and exerted an in vitro cidal effect againstAspergillus fumigatus. The in vivo protective efficacy of MAb A9 was also evaluated in a murine model of invasive aspergillosis, where a reduction in CFU (>4 log10units) was observed in kidney tissue of BALB/c mice challenged withA. fumigatus(2 × 105CFU/ml) and where enhanced mean survival times (19.5 days) compared to the control (7.1 days) and an irrelevant MAb (6.1 days) were also observed.
A Decline in C
6
Antibody Titer Occurs in Successfully Treated Patients with Culture-Confirmed Early Localized or Early Disseminated Lyme Borreliosis
Authors: Philipp Mario T. , Wormser Gary P. , Marques Adriana R. , Bittker Susan , Martin Dale S. , Nowakowski John , Dally Leonard G. 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACT

C
6
, a
Borrelia burgdorferi-
derived peptide, is used as the antigen in the C
6
-Lyme disease diagnostic test. We assessed retrospectively whether a fourfold decrease or a decrease to a negative value in anti-C
6
antibody titer is positively correlated with a positive response to treatment in a sample of culture-confirmed patients with either early localized (single erythema migrans [EM];
n
= 93) or early disseminated (multiple EM;
n
= 27) disease. All of these patients had been treated with antibiotics and were free of disease within 6 to 12 months of follow-up. Results show that a serum specimen taken at this time was either C
6
negative or had a ≥4-fold decrease in C
6
antibody titer with respect to a specimen taken at baseline (or during the early convalescent period if the baseline specimen was C
6
negative) for all of the multiple-EM patients (
P
< 0.0001) and in 89% of the single-EM patients (
P
< 0.0001). These results indicate that a decline in anti-C
6
antibody titer coincides with effective antimicrobial therapy in patients with early localized or early disseminated Lyme borreliosis.
Role of Intestinal Epithelial Cells in Immune Effects Mediated by Gram-Positive Probiotic Bacteria: Involvement of Toll-Like Receptors
Authors: Vinderola Gabriel , Matar Chantal , Perdigon Gabriela 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACT

The mechanisms by which probiotic bacteria exert their effects on the immune system are not completely understood, but the epithelium may be a crucial player in the orchestration of the effects induced. In a previous work, we observed that some orally administered strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased the number of immunoglobulin A (IgA)-producing cells in the small intestine without a concomitant increase in the CD4
+
T-cell population, indicating that some LAB strains induce clonal expansion only of B cells triggered to produce IgA. The present work aimed to study the cytokines induced by the interaction of probiotic LAB with murine intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) in healthy animals. We focused our investigation mainly on the secretion of interleukin 6 (IL-6) necessary for the clonal expansion of B cells previously observed with probiotic bacteria. The role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in such interaction was also addressed. The cytokines released by primary cultures of IEC in animals fed with
Lactobacillus casei
CRL 431 or
Lactobacillus helveticus
R389 were determined. Cytokines were also determined in the supernatants of primary cultures of IEC of unfed animals challenged with different concentrations of viable or nonviable lactobacilli and
Escherichia coli
, previously blocked or not with anti-TLR2 and anti-TLR4. We concluded that the small intestine is the place where a major distinction would occur between probiotic LAB and pathogens. This distinction comprises the type of cytokines released and the magnitude of the response, cutting across the line that separates IL-6 necessary for B-cell differentiation, which was the case with probiotic lactobacilli, from inflammatory levels of IL-6 for pathogens.
Circulating Inflammatory Mediators during Start of Fever in Differential Diagnosis of Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Infections in Leukopenic Rats
Authors: Tavares Eva , Maldonado Rosario , Ojeda Maria L. , Miñano Francisco J. 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACT
Gram-negative and gram-positive infections have been considered the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with leukopenia following chemotherapy. However, discrimination between bacterial infections and harmless fever episodes is difficult. Because classical inflammatory signs of infection are often absent and fever is frequently the only sign of infection, the aim of this study was to assess the significance of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) patterns in identifying bacterial infections during start of fever in normal and cyclophosphamide-treated (leukopenic) rats following an injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or muramyl dipeptide (MDP) as a model for gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial infections. We found that, compared to normal rats, immunosuppressed animals exhibited significantly higher fevers and lesser production of all mediators, except IL-6, after toxin challenge. Moreover, compared to rats that received MDP, both groups of animals that received an equivalent dose of LPS showed significantly higher fevers and greater increase in serum cytokine levels. Furthermore, in contrast to those in immunocompetent rats, serum levels of IL-6 and MIP-2 were not significantly changed in leukopenic animals after MDP injection. Other serum markers such as PCT and CRP failed to discriminate between bacterial stimuli in both groups of animals. These results suggest that the use of the analyzed serum markers at an early stage of fever could give useful information for the clinician for excluding gram-negative from gram-positive infections.
Application of a Stool Antigen Test To Evaluate the Incidence ofHelicobacter pyloriInfection in Children and Adolescents from Tehran, Iran
Authors: Falsafi Tahereh , Valizadeh Nargess , Sepehr Shayesteh , Najafi Mehri 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACTHelicobacter pyloriinfection is acquired mainly in childhood, especially in developing countries, where a low-cost, rapid diagnostic technique which is reliable for all age groups may be useful for the management ofH. pyloriinfection. For this purpose, we used an HpSA test (Equipar) to detectH. pyloriinfection in children and adolescents from Tehran, Iran. Thirty-five children who were positive or negative forH. pyloriinfection by endoscopy-based tests were used as positive and negative controls for the HpSA test. Stools were collected from 430 randomly selected children and adolescents (4 to 18 years old) from southwest, near the center, and northwest of Tehran. A questionnaire that included presence of recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), family history of infection and/or peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and income of parents was completed. A good agreement was found between the results of endoscopy-based tests and those of the HpSA test; the sensitivity and specificity of the Equipar-HpSA test were 100% and 83.4%, respectively. Among 430 children and adolescents, 47% were positive by the HpSA test, of whom 82% had RAP. No difference in incidence was observed between the two sexes; the various categories of age showed an increasing incidence, ranging from 24% (ages 4 to 6) to 58% (ages 16 to 18). The rate of infection in children and adolescents from the southwest was significantly higher (70%) than the rate in those from the northwest (32%), and a family history ofH. pyloriinfection or PUD was observed in 59% of the HpSA positive subjects. The HpSA test is a useful test to detectH. pyloriinfection in children and adolescents from developing countries.
Detection of Aerosolized
Alternaria alternata
Conidia, Hyphae, and Fragments by Using a Novel Double-Immunostaining Technique
Authors: Green Brett James , Schmechel Detlef , Tovey Euan Roger 
Published: September 2005

ABSTRACT

A double-immunostaining halogen immunoassay was developed to identify aerosolized conidia, hyphae, and fragments of
Alternaria alternata
by using an anti-
Alternaria
polyclonal antiserum, while, simultaneously, allergy to these components was concurrently determined by using human immunoglobulin E antibodies.
Laboratory-Directed Protein Evolution
Authors: Yuan Ling , Kurek Itzhak , English James , Keenan Robert 
Published: September 2005

SUMMARYSystematic approaches to directed evolution of proteins have been documented since the 1970s. The ability to recruit new protein functions arises from the considerable substrate ambiguity of many proteins. The substrate ambiguity of a protein can be interpreted as the evolutionary potential that allows a protein to acquire new specificities through mutation or to regain function via mutations that differ from the original protein sequence. All organisms have evolutionarily exploited this substrate ambiguity. When exploited in a laboratory under controlled mutagenesis and selection, it enables a protein to “evolve” in desired directions. One of the most effective strategies in directed protein evolution is to gradually accumulate mutations, either sequentially or by recombination, while applying selective pressure. This is typically achieved by the generation of libraries of mutants followed by efficient screening of these libraries for targeted functions and subsequent repetition of the process using improved mutants from the previous screening. Here we review some of the successful strategies in creating protein diversity and the more recent progress in directed protein evolution in a wide range of scientific disciplines and its impacts in chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sciences.
Fate of Heterotrophic Microbes in Pelagic Habitats: Focus on Populations
Authors: Pernthaler Jakob , Amann Rudolf 
Published: September 2005

SUMMARYMajor biogeochemical processes in the water columns of lakes and oceans are related to the activities of heterotrophic microbes, e.g., the mineralization of organic carbon from photosynthesis and allochthonous influx or its transport to the higher trophic levels. During the last 15 years, cultivation-independent molecular techniques have substantially contributed to our understanding of the diversity of the microbial communities in different aquatic systems. In parallel, the complexity of aquatic habitats at a microscale has inspired research on the ecophysiological properties of uncultured microorganisms that thrive in a continuum of dissolved to particulate organic matter. One possibility to link these two aspects is to adopt a “Gleasonian” perspective, i.e., to study aquatic microbial assemblages in situ at the population level rather than looking at microbial community structure, diversity, or function as a whole. This review compiles current knowledge about the role and fate of different populations of heterotrophic picoplankton in marine and inland waters. Specifically, we focus on a growing suite of techniques that link the analysis of bacterial identity with growth, morphology, and various physiological activities at the level of single cells. An overview is given of the potential and limitations of methodological approaches, and factors that might control the population sizes of different microbes in pelagic habitats are discussed.