bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis C Virus Isolates from Argentina Disclose a Novel Genotype 1-Associated Restriction Pattern
Authors: Gismondi María Inés , Staendner Lothar Heinrich , Grinstein Saúl , Guzmán Carlos Alberto , Preciado María Victoria 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus isolates which disclosed a novel genotype 1-associated restriction pattern by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis were characterized. Except for a mother and child pair, the patients were unrelated. Sequence analysis showed a G→A substitution leading to a new
Rsa
I recognition site. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these isolates constitute a novel genetic lineage within the main cluster of genotype 1 strains.
Genetic Diversity of Norovirus and Sapovirus in Hospitalized Infants with Sporadic Cases of Acute Gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Authors: Hansman Grant S. , Katayama Kazuhiko , Maneekarn Niwat , Peerakome Supatra , Khamrin Pattara , Tonusin Supin , Okitsu Shoko , Nishio Osamu , Takeda Naokazu , Ushijima Hiroshi 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT
Stool specimens from hospitalized infants with sporadic gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, between July 2000 and July 2001 were examined for norovirus and sapovirus by reverse transcription-PCR and sequence analysis. These viruses were identified in 13 of 105 (12%) specimens. One strain was found to be a recombinant norovirus.
DifferentialIdentification of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Complexand Nontuberculous Mycobacteria by Duplex PCR Assay Using the RNAPolymerase Gene(
rpoB
)
Authors: Kim Bum-Joon , Hong Seong-Karp , Lee Keun-Hwa , Yun Yeo-Jun , Kim Eui-Chong , Park Young-Gil , Bai Gil-Han , Kook Yoon-Hoh 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

A
novel duplex PCR method that can amplify the 235- and 136-bp
rpoB
DNAs of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), respectively, with two
different sets of primers was used to differentially identify 44
reference strains and 379 clinical isolates of mycobacteria in a
single-step assay. Showing 100% sensitivity and specificity, the
duplex PCR method could clearly differentiate
M
.
tuberculosis
complex and NTM strains. In addition, restriction
fragment length polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing of the
amplicon of NTM could be used to supplement species
identification.
Correlation between Detection Rates of Periodontopathic Bacterial DNA in Carotid Coronary Stenotic Artery Plaque and in Dental Plaque Samples
Authors: Ishihara Kazuyuki , Nabuchi Akihiro , Ito Rieko , Miyachi Kouji , Kuramitsu Howard K. , Okuda Katsuji 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Utilizing PCR, the 16S rRNA detection rates for
Porphyromonas gingivalis
,
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
,
Bacteroides forsythus
,
Treponema denticola
, and
Campylobacter rectus
in samples of stenotic coronary artery plaques were determined to be 21.6, 23.3, 5.9, 23.5, and 15.7%, respectively. The detection rates for
P. gingivalis
and
C. rectus
correlated with their presence in subgingival plaque.
First Molecular Identification of Human Dobrava Virus Infection in Central Europe
Authors: Klempa Boris , Schütt Morten , Auste Brita , Labuda Milan , Ulrich Rainer , Meisel Helga , Krüger Detlev H. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Viral RNA was amplified by reverse transcription-PCR from a patient suffering from hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Germany. The virus strain could be assigned to the Dobrava hantavirus (DOBV). This is the first molecular identification of human infection by DOBV in central Europe and the first proof that a virus strain related to the DOBV-Aa lineage, carried by
Apodemus agrarius
rodents, is able to cause HFRS.
Multiplex PCR Assay for Direct Identification of Group B Streptococcal Alpha-Protein-Like Protein Genes
Authors: Creti Roberta , Fabretti Francesca , Orefici Graziella , von Hunolstein Christina 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

We
developed a group B streptococcus multiplex PCR assay which allows, by
direct analysis of the amplicon size, determination of the surface
protein antigen genes of alpha-C protein, epsilon protein, Rib, Alp2,
Alp3, and Alp4. The multiplex PCR assay offers a rapid and
simple method of subtyping
Streptococcus agalactiae
based on
surface protein
genes.
Rapid Detection of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
from Blood Culture Bottles by Real-Time PCR
Authors: Kurupati Prathiba , Chow Carol , Kumarasinghe Gamini , Poh Chit Laa 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

A LightCycler real-time PCR hybridization probe-based assay which detects a partial
Klebsiella pneumoniae
16S rRNA gene was developed for the rapid identification of
K. pneumoniae
directly from growth-positive blood culture bottles (BACTEC 9240 system) within 2 h. No cross-reactivity was observed with 65 negative-control blood cultures that grew bacteria other than
K. pneumoniae
and 48 negative blood cultures from double-blind experiments, thus demonstrating 100% specificity when compared to results of conventional biochemical characterization. The assay also showed 100% sensitivity, as it correctly identified all 142 positive-control blood cultures and 4 from double-blind trials.
Highly Conserved Alpha-Toxin Sequences of Avian Isolates ofClostridium perfringens
Authors: Sheedy Scott A. , Ingham Aaron B. , Rood Julian I. , Moore Robert J. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTClostridium perfringenscauses necrotic enteritis in chickens, and alpha-toxin has been suggested to be a key virulence determinant. Analysis of the alpha-toxin of 25 chicken-derivedC. perfringensstrains demonstrated high homology to mammal-derived strains rather than to the only avian-derivedC. perfringensalpha-toxin sequence reported previously.
Development of a Diagnostic PCR Assay Targeting the Mn-Dependent Superoxide Dismutase Gene (sodA) for Identification ofStreptococcus gallolyticus
Authors: Sasaki Eiki , Osawa Ro , Nishitani Yosuke , Whiley Robert A. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTA PCR-based assay to identifyStreptococcus gallolyticushas been developed. The assay uses an oligonucleotide primer pair targeting a partial sequence of the manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase gene (sodA). The assay distinguished members of theS. gallolyticusgroup from other, closely related taxa successfully by yielding a 408-bp specific amplicon.
Occurrence of
Campylobacter jejuni
in Pets Living with Human Patients Infected with
C. jejuni
Authors: Damborg Peter , Olsen Katharina E. P. , Møller Nielsen Eva , Guardabassi Luca 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter jejuni
was recovered from four dogs (11%) and four cats (33%) living with Danish human patients infected with
C. jejuni
. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis revealed the occurrence of the same quinolone-resistant strain in a girl and her dog.
C. jejuni
isolates with closely related (>95% similarity) PFGE profiles occurred in humans and pets from different Danish counties.
Disseminated Basidiobolomycosis in an Immunocompetent Woman
Authors: Bigliazzi Caterina , Poletti Venerino , Dell'Amore Davide , Saragoni Luca , Colby Thomas V. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACTBasidiobolomycosis is a chronic subcutaneous infection of the trunk and limbs due toBasidiobolus ranarum.The disease is well known in tropical areas, although recent cases of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis have also been reported in Arizona. We describe a young immunocompetent women who had presented with eosinophilia and lung infiltrates. She subsequently died, and diagnosis of disseminated basidiobolomycosis was made on the basis of histological features at autopsy.
Two Cases of Fatal Necrotizing Fasciitis Caused by
Photobacterium damsela
in Japan
Authors: Yamane Kunikazu , Asato Jun , Kawade Naofumi , Takahashi Hajime , Kimura Bon , Arakawa Yoshichika 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

We encountered two cases of fatal necrotizing fasciitis caused by
Photobacterium damsela
in Japan. Both cases occurred in fishermen who became sick after fishing. They developed multiple organ failure within 20 to 36 h from the onset of initial symptoms despite intensive chemotherapy and surgical treatments.
Laboratory Confirmation of Generalized Vaccinia following Smallpox Vaccination
Authors: Kelly Cassandra D. , Egan Christina , Davis Stephen W. , Samsonoff William A. , Musser Kimberlee A. , Drabkin Peter , Miller James R. , Taylor Jill , Cirino Nick M. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT
The reinitiation of smallpox vaccination has renewed interest in implementing modern diagnostic methods to assess orthopoxvirus infection and adverse events following vaccination. We report here the laboratory confirmation of vaccinia virus in pustular lesions of a healthy adult vaccinee by use of a two-tier algorithm incorporating TaqMan PCR and electron microscopy.
Aspergillus fumigatus
Empyema, Arthritis, and Calcaneal Osteomyelitis in a Lung Transplant Patient Successfully Treated with Posaconazole
Authors: Lodge Barbara Alexander , Ashley Elizabeth Dodds , Steele Mark P. , Perfect John R. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

A 64-year-old male with
Aspergillus fumigatus
infection that had disseminated from the lung to the ankle and adjacent bone was treated successfully with posaconazole after therapy with itraconazole and amphotericin B lipid complex failed. Marked clinical improvement occurred within 6 weeks of initiation of posaconazole therapy; after 6 months, infection had resolved at all sites. The patient has had no recurrence of infection.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Analyses of Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
O145 Strains from Patients in Germany
Authors: Sonntag Anne-Katharina , Prager Rita , Bielaszewska Martina , Zhang Wenlan , Fruth Angelika , Tschäpe Helmut , Karch Helge 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
(EHEC) strains of serogroup O145 are emerging as causes of diarrhea and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. However, there have been few genetic analyses of this EHEC group. We investigated the serotypes, virulence genes, plasmid profiles, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, and genetic variability of the
fliC
and
eae
genes in 120 EHEC O145 strains isolated from cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (
n
= 24) or diarrhea (
n
= 96) in Germany between 1996 and 2002. Three isolates belonged to serotype O145:H28, one to serotype O145:H25, and 116 were nonmotile (O145:H
−
). One hundred fourteen of the nonmotile strains shared
fliC
restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns identical to that of the O145:H28 strains. The remaining two nonmotile strains displayed a
fliC
-RFLP pattern identical to that of the O145:H25 strain. Each of the 117 strains with the
fliC
-RFLP
H28
pattern harbored
eae
γ, whereas the three strains with the
fliC
-RFLP
H25
pattern possessed
eae
β. Five different
stx
genotypes, six combinations of plasmid-encoded putative virulence genes, 29 plasmid profiles, and 47 PFGE types were identified. Strains within some of the PFGE types could be further subtyped by means of distinct plasmid profiles. These data demonstrate that the EHEC O145 serogroup is comprised of two different serotypes that possess distinct
eae
types. The heterogeneity of EHEC O145 strains at the chromosomal and plasmid level, in particular the high diversity in PFGE patterns, provides a basis for molecular subtyping of these pathogens.
Discrimination between Scrapie and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Sheep by Molecular Size, Immunoreactivity, and Glycoprofile of Prion Protein
Authors: Thuring C. M. A. , Erkens J. H. F. , Jacobs J. G. , Bossers A. , Van Keulen L. J. M. , Garssen G. J. , Van Zijderveld F. G. , Ryder S. J. , Groschup M. H. , Sweeney T. , Langeveld J. P. M. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT

A procedure for discrimination between scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in sheep is of importance for establishing whether BSE has entered the sheep population. Since BSE has not yet been found in sheep at the farm level, such discrimination procedures can be developed only with experimental sheep BSE. Two distinctive molecular features of the prion protein (PrP)—molecular size and glycosylation profile—in proteinase K digests of brain stem tissue from sheep were used here; upon Western blotting, these features led to an unequivocal discrimination among natural scrapie, experimental scrapie, and experimental BSE. The higher electrophoretic mobility of PrP in sheep BSE could be best observed after deglycosylation treatment with
N
-glycosidase F. A simpler method for confirmation of this size difference involved comparison of the ratios for the binding of two monoclonal antibodies: P4 and 66.94b4. Based on epitope mapping studies with P4 and peptides, it appeared that N-terminal amino acid sequence WGQGGSH was intact only in sheep scrapie digests. Another feature typical for PrP in sheep BSE was the large fraction of diglycosylated PrP (70% or more). These data were obtained for a large group of positive sheep, consisting of 7 sheep with experimental BSE infection (genotypes: six ARQ/ARQ and one AHQ/AHQ), 48 sheep naturally infected with scrapie (six different genotypes), and 3 sheep with primary experimental scrapie infection. Routine tests of slaughter material serve well for the initial detection of both BSE and scrapie. With Western blotting as a rapid follow-up test, a 66.94b4/P4 antibody binding ratio above 1.5 is a practical indicator for serious suspicion of BSE infection in sheep.
Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR Assay for Detection of Human Metapneumoviruses from All Known Genetic Lineages
Authors: Maertzdorf Jeroen , Wang Chiaoyin K. , Brown Jennifer B. , Quinto Joseph D. , Chu Marla , de Graaf Miranda , van den Hoogen Bernadette G. , Spaete Richard , Osterhaus Albert D. M. E. , Fouchier Ron A. M. 
Published: March 2004

ABSTRACT
The discovery of human metapneumovirus and its implications for respiratory tract disease have emphasized the need for a sensitive, specific, and rapid assay to detect this virus in a clinical setting. It recently became clear that human metapneumovirus can be grouped into at least four genetic lineages. Previously described assays for the detection of human metapneumovirus were developed by using limited sequence information and failed to detect viruses from all four genetic lineages with comparable sensitivities. Here we describe the development and evaluation of a real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay that detects human metapneumovirus from the four known genetic lineages with equal specificities and sensitivities.
Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation ofL-α-amino-n-butyric acid in moderately concentrated sulfuric acid medium
Authors: Bahrami Homayoon , Zahedi Mansour 
Published: March 2004

The reaction kinetics of L-α-amino-n-butyric acid oxidation by permanganate ion have been investigated in moderately strong acid medium using a spectrophotometric technique. In all cases studied an autocatalytic effect, due to Mn+2ions formed as a reaction product, was observed. Both catalytic and noncatalytic processes were determined to be first order with respect to the permanganate ion and the amino acid. The overall rate equation for this process may be written as: [Formula: see text]where k′1and k′2are pseudo-order rate constants for the noncatalytic and catalytic reactions, respectively. The influence of some factors such as temperature and reactant concentration on the rate constants has been studied, and the activation parameters have been calculated. Reaction mechanisms satisfying observations for both catalytic and noncatalytic routes have been presented.Key words: L-α-amino-n-butyric acid, permanganate oxidation, concentrated acidic medium, autocatalysis, free radical intermediates.
PARALLEL ALGORITHMS FOR VEHICLE ROUTING PROBLEMS
Authors: GUPTA ARVIND , KRISHNAMURTI RAMESH 
Published: March 2004

Vehicle routing problems involve the navigation of one or more vehicles through a network of locations. Locations have associated handling times as well as time windows during which they are active. The arcs connecting locations have time costs associated with them. In this paper, we consider two different problems in single vehicle routing. The first is to find least time cost routes between all pairs of nodes in a network for navigating vehicles; we call this the all pairs routing problem. We show that there is an O( log3n) time parallel algorithm using a polynomial number of processors for this problem on a CREW PRAM.We next consider the problem in which a vehicle services all locations in a network. Here, locations can be passed through at any time but only serviced during their time window. The general problem is [Formula: see text] -complete under even fairly stringent restrictions but polynomial algorithms have been developed for some special cases. In particular, when the network is a line, there is no time cost in servicing a location, and all time windows are unbounded at either their lower or upper end, O(n2) algorithms have been developed. We show that under the same conditions, we can reduce this problem to the all pairs routing problem and therefore obtain an O( log3n) time parallel algorithm on a CREW PRAM.
Context, Culture, and Structuration in the Languages of Australia
Authors: Evans Nicholas 
Published: March 2004

▪ Abstract  Using Australian languages as examples, cultural selection is shown to shape linguistic structure through invisible hand processes that pattern the unintended outcomes (structures in the system of shared linguistic norms) of intentional actions (particular utterances by individual agents).Examples of the emergence of culturally patterned structure through use are drawn from various levels: the semantics of the lexicon, grammaticalized kin-related categories, and culture-specific organizations of sociolinguistic diversity, such as moiety lects, “mother-in-law” registers, and triangular kin terms. These phenomena result from a complex of diachronic processes that adapt linguistic structures to culture-specific concepts and practices, such as ritualization and phonetic reduction of frequently used sequences, the input of shared cultural knowledge into pragmatic interpretation, semanticization of originally context-dependent inferences, and the input of linguistic ideologies into the systematization of lectal variants. Some of these processes, such as the emergence of subsection terminology and moiety lects, operate over speech communities that transcend any single language and can only be explained if the relevant processes take the multilingual speech community as their domain of operation.Taken together, the cases considered here provide strong evidence against nativist assumptions that see linguistic structures simply as instantiations of biologically given “mentalese” concepts already present in the mind of every child and give evidence in favor of a view that sees individual language structures as also conditioned by historical processes, of which functional adaptation of various kinds is most important. They also illustrate how, in the domain of language, stable socially shared structures can emerge from the summed effects of many communicative micro-events by individual agents.
Maddening States
Authors: Aretxaga Begoña 
Published: March 2004

▪ Abstract  Despite transformations in the character of the state in an age of globalization, news of its demise is certainly exaggerated. Even as operations of state (or state-like) power exceed the boundaries of the nation-state to be deployed by actors such as transnational nongovernmental organizations, private corporations, guerrilla groups, or narcotraffickers, the state form shows remarkable tenacity and adaptability. Invested with a kind of meta-capital, the state remains a crucial presence, a screen for political desires and identifications as well as fears. This review addresses recent academic reflection on the field of knowledge we call the state. It asks how the state becomes a social subject in everyday life, examining the subjective experience of state power and tracing its effects on territories, populations, and bodies. Finally, it considers the ways violence, sexuality, and desire work in the intimate spaces of state power.Begoña Aretxaga's essay was left among her papers in an almost complete form at the time of her untimely death. A collective, consisting of James Brow, Charles Hale, Yael Navaro-Yahsin, Geeta Patel, Brandt Peterson, and Pauline Strong, worked to fill in citations, answer questions Begoña posed to herself, which were unresolved, and to lightly edit the final form of this essay. This piece has not been changed substantially. In an effort to keep to the form and spirit of Begoña's interrogations the essay stands as it was, without a literal conclusion. Perhaps a conclusion can be supplied by readers engaged in an ongoing analysis of contemporary political situations, to which Begoña's work speaks profoundly, as a legacy that this essay and her extended oeuvre bequeathed to us.
Management of Infertility in a Patient Presenting with Ovarian Dysfunction and McCune-Albright Syndrome
Authors: Laven Joop S. E. , Lumbroso Serge , Sultan Charles , Fauser Bart C. J. M. 
Published: March 2004

Abstract
Persistent autonomous ovarian dysfunction in McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) patients is associated with the development of multiple dominant follicles, premature luteinization, cyst formation, and anovulatory infertility. Due to the mosaic distribution of the mutation, ovaries may be unequally affected. In the current patient, the least affected ovary became quiescent upon GnRH agonist-induced gonadotropin suppression. Normoovulatory cycles were restored after subsequent removal of the affected right ovary, and a pregnancy was established within 3 months. A healthy unaffected girl was born at term after an uneventful pregnancy. The placental tissue was normal, and the mutation was not detected in the placenta, umbilical cord structures, or umbilical cord blood. GnRH analog administration may help to identify those MAS patients who might benefit from unilateral ovariectomy. Because a healthy baby was born, evidence is provided suggesting that MAS is not passed on to the children from the parents.