bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protective Mucosal Th2 Immune Response againstToxoplasma gondiiby Murine Mesenteric Lymph Node Dendritic Cells
Authors: Dimier-Poisson Isabelle , Aline Fleur , Mévélec Marie-Noëlle , Beauvillain Céline , Buzoni-Gatel Dominique , Bout Daniel 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite pathogen which initially invades the intestinal epithelium before disseminating throughout the body, may cause severe sequelae in fetuses and life-threatening neuropathy in immunocompromised patients. Immune protection is usually thought to be performed through a systemic Th1 response; considering the route of parasite entry it is important to study and characterize the local mucosal immune response toT. gondii. Despite considerable effort,Toxoplasma-targeted vaccines have proven to be elusive using conventional strategies. We report the use of mesenteric lymph node dendritic cells (MLNDCs) pulsed ex vivo withT. gondiiantigens (TAg) as a novel investigation approach to vaccination againstT. gondii-driven pathogenic processes. Using a murine model, we demonstrate in two genetically distinct mouse strains (C57BL/6 and CBA/J) that adoptively transferred TAg-pulsed MLNDCs elicit a mucosalToxoplasma-specific Th2-biased immune response in vivo and confer strong protection against infection. We also observe that MLNDCs mostly traffic to the intestine where they enhance resistance by reduction in the mortality and in the number of brain cysts. Thus, ex vivo TAg-pulsed MLNDCs represent a powerful tool for the study of protective immunity toT. gondii, delivered through its natural route of entry. These findings might impact the design of vaccine strategies against other invasive microorganisms known to be delivered through digestive tract.
A Monoclonal Antibody Directed against aCandida albicansCell Wall Mannoprotein Exerts Three Anti-C. albicansActivities
Authors: Moragues María D. , Omaetxebarria Miren J. , Elguezabal Natalia , Sevilla María J. , Conti Stefania , Polonelli Luciano , Pontón José 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTAntibodies are believed to play a role in the protection againstCandida albicansinfections by a number of mechanisms, including the inhibition of adhesion or germ tube formation, opsonization, neutralization of virulence-related enzymes, and direct candidacidal activity. Although some of these biological activities have been demonstrated individually in monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), it is not clear if all these anti-C. albicansactivities can be displayed by a single antibody. In this report, we characterized a monoclonal antibody raised against the main target of salivary secretory immunoglobulin A in the cell wall ofC. albicans, which exerts three anti-C. albicansactivities: (i) inhibition of adherence to HEp-2 cells, (ii) inhibition of germination, and (iii) direct candidacidal activity. MAb C7 reacted with a proteinic epitope from a mannoprotein with a molecular mass of >200 kDa predominantly expressed on theC. albicansgerm tube cell wall surface as well as with a number of antigens fromCandida lusitaniae,Cryptococcus neoformans,Aspergillus fumigatus, andScedosporium prolificans.MAb C7 caused a 31.1% inhibition in the adhesion ofC. albicansto HEp-2 monolayers and a 55.3% inhibition in the adhesion ofC. albicansto buccal epithelial cells, produced a 38.5% decrease in the filamentation ofC. albicans, and exhibited a potent fungicidal effect againstC. albicans,C. lusitaniae,Cryptococcus neoformans,A. fumigatus, andS. prolificans, showing reductions in fungal growth ranging from 34.2 to 88.7%. The fungicidal activity showed by MAb C7 seems to be related to that reported by antibodies mimicking the activity of a killer toxin produced by the yeastPichia anomala, since one of these MAbs also reacted with theC. albicansmannoprotein with a molecular mass of >200 kDa. Results presented in this study support the concept of a family of microbicidal antibodies that could be useful in the treatment of a wide range of microbial infections when used alone or in combination with current antimicrobial agents.
Comparative Analysis of Plant and Animal Models for Characterization of
Burkholderia cepacia
Virulence
Authors: Bernier Steve P. , Silo-Suh Laura , Woods Donald E. , Ohman Dennis E. , Sokol Pamela A. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

A simple alfalfa model was developed as an alternative infection model for virulence studies of the
Burkholderia cepacia
complex. Symptoms of disease were observed in wounded alfalfa seedlings within 7 days following inoculation of 10
1
to 10
5
CFU of most strains of the
B. cepacia
complex. Strains from seven genomovars of the
B. cepacia
complex were tested for virulence in the alfalfa model, and the degree of virulence was generally similar in strains belonging to the same genomovar. Strains of
Burkholderia multivorans
and some strains of
Burkholderia stabilis
did not cause symptoms of disease in alfalfa seedlings. Representative strains were also tested for virulence using the rat agar bead model. Most of the strains tested were able to establish chronic lung infections;
B. stabilis
strains were the exception. Most of the strains that were virulent in the alfalfa infection model were also virulent in the lung infection model. The
B. cepacia
genomovar III mutants K56
pvdA
::tp and K56-H15 were significantly less virulent in the alfalfa infection model than their parent strain. Therefore, this alfalfa infection model may be a useful tool for assessing virulence of strains of the
B. cepacia
complex and identifying new virulence-associated genes.
Mice Intranasally Immunized with a Recombinant 16-Kilodalton Antigen from RoundwormAscarisParasites Are Protected against Larval Migration ofAscaris suum
Authors: Tsuji Naotoshi , Suzuki Kayo , Kasuga-Aoki Harue , Isobe Takashi , Arakawa Takeshi , Matsumoto Yasunobu 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTProtective immunity to the pig roundworm,Ascaris suum, has been demonstrated by immunization of pigs with antigens derived from the parasite's larval stages. We identified a protective antigen commonly expressed in the human and pigAscarisinfections as a 16-kDa protein (As16), which has no similarity at the amino acid level to mammalian proteins but has some similarity to those of the filarial parasites andCaenorhabditis elegansgene product. Localization analysis revealed that the native As16 was highly expressed in the adult worm intestine, hypodermis, and cuticles. In addition, As16 was detected in the parasite excretory and secretory products. Mice intranasally vaccinated withEscherichia coli-expressed recombinant As16 (rAs16), coupled with cholera toxin B subunit, generated a significant increase in the level of rAs16-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgE in serum. Mucosal IgA levels were also increased. The recombinant protein evoked a mixed (both Th1 and Th2) type of immune response characterized by elevated levels of gamma interferon and interleukin-10 in the culture supernatants of activated spleen cells. An increased level of IgG1 and IgG2a in serum was also observed. The vaccinated mice showed a reduction by 58% in the recovery of challenged larvae compared to a nonvaccinated control. These results suggest the possibility of developing a mucosal vaccine for human and pig ascariasis.
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Is a Key Mediator of Gut Inflammation Seen in Amebic Colitis in Human Intestine in the SCID Mouse-Human Intestinal Xenograft Model of Disease
Authors: Zhang Zhi , Mahajan Sajan , Zhang Xiaochung , Stanley Samuel L. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTWe usedEntamoeba histolyticainfection in human intestinal xenografts to study the roles interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the pathogenesis of amebic colitis. We found that blockade of TNF-α reduced inflammation and intestinal damage in amebic infection, while inhibition of IL-1 reduced cytokine production but had less marked effects on inflammation and disease.
Nicotinamide Ribosyl Uptake Mutants in
Haemophilus influenzae
Authors: Herbert Mark , Sauer Elizabeta , Smethurst Graeme , Kraiβ Anita , Hilpert Anna-Karina , Reidl Joachim 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

The gene for the nicotinamide riboside (NR) transporter (
pnuC
) was identified in
Haemophilus influenzae
. A
pnuC
mutant had only residual NR uptake and could survive in vitro with high concentrations of NR, but could not survive in vivo. PnuC may represent a target for the development of inhibitors for preventing
H. influenzae
disease.
Long-Term Protective Immune Response Elicited by Vaccination with an Expression Genomic Library ofToxoplasma gondii
Authors: Fachado Alberto , Rodriguez Alexandro , Molina Judith , Silvério Jaline C. , Marino Ana P. M. P. , Pinto Luzia M. O. , Angel Sergio O. , Infante Juan F. , Traub-Cseko Yara , Amendoeira Regina R. , Lannes-Vieira Joseli 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTImmunization of BALB/c mice with an expression genomic library ofToxoplasma gondiiinduces a Th1-type immune response, with recognition of severalT. gondiiproteins (21 to 117 kDa) and long-term protective immunity against a lethal challenge. These results support further investigations to achieve a multicomponent anti-T. gondiiDNA vaccine.
Induction of T Helper Type 1 Responses by a Polysaccharide Deacetylase fromCryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Biondo Carmelo , Beninati Concetta , Bombaci Mauro , Messina Luciano , Mancuso Giuseppe , Midiri Angelina , Galbo Roberta , Teti Giuseppe 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTA 25-kDa cryptococcal deacetylase (d25) was found here to induce cell proliferation, as well as secretion of interleukin 2 and gamma interferon, but not interleukin 4, in spleen cells from d25-immunized orCryptococcus neoformans-infected mice. The gamma interferon, but not the interleukin 2, response was required for the protective activities of d25 immunization in a murine cryptococcosis model.
Host Cell Fate on
Cryptosporidium parvum
Egress from MDCK Cells
Authors: Elliott David A. , Clark Douglas P. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

Cryptosporidium parvum
is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes a severe diarrheal illness of unclear etiology. Also unclear is the fate of the host cell upon parasite egress. We show in an MDCK cell model that the host cell is killed upon parasite egress; this death is necrotic, rather than apoptotic, in nature.
Characterization of a ComE3 Homologue Essential for DNA Transformation in
Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Yeh Yu-Ching , Lin Tzu-Lung , Chang Kai-Chih , Wang Jin-Town 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

To find genes involved in natural competence in
Helicobacter pylori
, we used a bioinformatics database search and found two transformation-related open reading frames (ORFs): a
comE3
homologue (HP1361 ORF) of
Bacillus subtilis
and a
comL
homologue (HP1378 ORF) of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
. We failed to obtain an HP1378 ORF knockout mutant, while an HP1361 ORF knockout mutant was obtained by transposon shuttle mutagenesis. The DNA transformation abilities of both natural transformation and electroporation were severely impaired (frequency, <10
−9
) in the HP1361
−
mutant. Complementation with a pHel2 vector carrying the HP1361 ORF restored the capabilities of natural competence (to a frequency of 4.21 × 10
−7
) and electroporation (to 3.62 × 10
−7
). The HP1361
−
mutant showed impairment in DNA binding and uptake. The results suggest that HP1361 is a
comE3
homologue and is required for DNA binding and uptake during DNA transformation.
“Cold calling” in psychiatric follow up studies: is it justified?
Authors: Tyrer P , Seivewright H , Ferguson B , Johnson T 
Published: August 2003

Background:The ethics of cold calling—visiting subjects at home without prior appointment agreed—in follow up research studies has received little attention although it is perceived to be quite common. We examined the ethical implications of cold calling in a study of subjects with defined neurotic disorders followed up 12 years after initial assessment carried out to determine outcome in terms of symptoms, social functioning, and contact with health services. The patients concerned were asked at original assessment if they would agree to be followed up subsequently and although they agreed no time limit was put on this.Objectives:To decide if cold calling was ethically justifiable and, if so, to set guidelines for researchers.Design:The study was a cohort study of patients with neurotic disorder treated initially for 10 weeks in a randomised controlled trial.Findings:At follow up by a research medical practitioner 18 of the 210 patients had died and of the remaining 192 patients 186 (97%) were seen or had a telephone interview. Four patients refused and two others did not have interviews but agreed to some data being obtained. However, only 104 patients (54%) responded to letters inviting them to make an appointment or to refuse contact and the remainder were followed up by cold calling, with most patients agreeing readily to the research interview. The findings illustrate the dilemma of the need to get the maximum possible data from such studies to achieve scientific validity (and thereby justify the ethics of the study) and the protection of subjects’ privacy and autonomy.Conclusions:More attention needs to be paid to consent procedures if cold calling is to be defended on ethical grounds but it is unreasonable to expect this to be obtained at the beginning of a research study in a way that satisfies the requirements for informed consent. A suggested way forward is to obtain written consent for the research at the time that cold calling takes place before beginning the research.
The implications of starvation induced psychological changes for the ethical treatment of hunger strikers
Authors: Fessler D M T 
Published: August 2003

Objective:To evaluate existing ethical guidelines for the treatment of hunger strikers in light of findings on psychological changes that accompany the cessation of food intake.Design:Electronic databases were searched for (a) editorials and ethical proclamations on hunger strikers and their treatment; (b) studies of voluntary and involuntary starvation, and (c) legal cases pertaining to hunger striking. Additional studies were gathered in a snowball fashion from the published material cited in these databases. Material was included if it (a) provided ethical or legal guidelines; (b) shed light on psychological changes accompanying starvation, or (c) illustrated the practice of hunger striking. Authors’ observations, opinions, and conclusions were noted.Conclusions:Although the heterogeneous nature of the sources precluded statistical analysis, starvation appears to be accompanied by marked psychological changes. Some changes clearly impair competence, in which case physicians are advised to follow advance directives obtained early in the hunger strike. More problematic are increases in impulsivity and aggressivity, changes which, while not impairing competence, enhance the likelihood that patients will starve themselves to death.
Physicians’s reports on the impact of living wills at the end of life in Japan
Authors: Masuda Y , Fetters M D , Hattori A , Mogi N , Naito M , Iguchi A , Uemura K 
Published: August 2003

Context:A growing number of Japanese people have completed advance directives, especially living wills, even though there is no legislation recognising such documents and little empirical research on their impact on clinical care at the end of life in Japan.Objectives:To investigate physicians’ attitudes about living wills and their experiences with patients who had completed a living will and later died.Design:Self administered survey and qualitative study using open question and content analysis.Setting:Japan.Participants:Physicians known to have cared for a patient who had presented a living will prior to death.Measurements:The physician’s response to receiving a living will, communication about the living will, the impact of the living will on clinical care, demographics, and their opinion on advance directives, especially living wills.Main results:Fifty five per cent of respondents approved of advance directives in general, and 34% had more opportunities to communicate with a patient and his/her family after receiving the living will. Sixty nine per cent of the physicians who received a living will did not, however, change their course of therapy as a consequence of receiving the living wills. Based on the analysis, we identified three areas of concern in the comments on living wills: (1) concerns relative to patients, physicians, and families; (2) social context, and (3) clinical and administrative concerns. The physicians raised various topics for discussion; they tended to describe the issues from a clinical perspective.Conclusions:Our identified areas of concern should prove helpful in better understanding the clinical and ethical implications of living wills in Japan.
T-Ray Sensing and Imaging
Authors: Mickan S. P. , Zhang X.-C. 
Published: August 2003

Terahertz (THz) radiation occupies part of the electromagnetic spectrum between the infrared and microwave bands. Until recently, technology at THz frequencies was under-developed compared to the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum, leaving a gap between millimeter waves and the far-infrared (FIR). In the past decade, interest in the THz gap has been increased by the development of ultrafast laser-based T-ray systems and their demonstration of diffraction-limited spatial resolution, picosecond temporal resolution, DC-THz spectral bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratios above 104. This chapter reviews the development, the state of the art and the applications of T-ray spectrometers. Continuous-wave (CW) THz-frequency sources and detectors are briefly introduced in comparison to ultrafast pulsed THz systems. An emphasis is placed on experimental applications of T-rays to sensing and imaging, with a view to the continuing advance of technologies and applications in the THz band.
The Design of an Expert System for Domain Knowledge Engineering and Decision Making: A Case Study in the Criminal Justice System
Authors: Agyapong Owusu-Ansah , Bobbie Patrick O. 
Published: August 2003

In this paper, we discuss a tool for eliciting domain knowledge (specification) of a decision support system. In particular, we focus on a decision support software system (DSS) which employs domain knowledge of recidivism in the juvenile justice system. Using the elicited domain knowledge, the DSS tool uses deductive reasoning techniques to make inferences and provide suggestive courses of action to support the investigatory functions of police, attorneys, or probation officials. The motivation for developing the system is manifold: (1) the activities of the officials are repetitive and their procedures mostly manual; (2) investigations usually result in large volume of biographical data; (3) the need to link several, related case files; (4) officials seldom have concurrent access to case files — causing delays in resolving cases in the court system; among others. Developing a software system to support the investigation and decision making of criminal cases is in itself a daunting task, which makes the system specification a critical input to the development process. Hence, the correctness of the resultant domain knowledgebase and the underlying deductive/support system depends on logically consistent and sound methods. In the paper, we describe the rationale for developing the DSS system, why we focus on the criminal (juvenile) justice system, the methodology for eliciting DSS domain knowledge, and a scenario of what we are implementing as a proof-of-concept system. A series of elicitation sessions which epitomize the DSS system are discussed in the article.
A Formal Methodology for Analyzing Tradeoffs of Imprecise Requirements
Authors: Yen John , Tiao W. Amos 
Published: August 2003

Conflict identification and resolution are inevitable parts of the requirement analysis process. Over the past few years, the need to deal with conflicting system requirements has become increasingly important. These requirements are often elastic in that they can be satisfied to a degree. The overall goal of this research is to develop a formal methodology that facilitates the identification and tradeoff analysis of conflicting requirements by explicitly capturing their elasticity. In order to capture the elasticity of imprecise requirements, we represent imprecise requirements using fuzzy logic. Based on the representation, we build a formal foundation to facilitate the identification of conflicting requirements. Once the conflicting requirements are identified, we describe a systematic approach for analyzing the tradeoff between conflicting requirements using the techniques in decision science. The systematic tradeoff analyses are used for three important tasks in the requirement engineering process: (1) for validating the structure used in aggregating prioritized requirements, (2) for assisting requirement engineers in identifying the structures and the parameters of the underlying representation of imprecise requirements and in eliciting them from the customer, and (3) for assessing the priorities of conflicting requirements. We illustrate the usage of these techniques using the requirements of a conference room scheduling system.
Enhancing CASE Environments by Using Linguistics
Authors: Burg J. F. M. , van de Riet R. P. 
Published: August 2003

In this paper it is argued that CASE environments could and should be enhanced considerably by using theories and knowledge from linguistics. The environments should 'know' about the language of their users and the domains they are used for. By basing the modeling techniques supported by the CASE tool on linguistic theories and by incorporating Natural Language parsing and generating tools, the CASE environment is able to handle the users' language in an accurate way. More specifically, the CASE environment deals with the meaning of words, instead of the meaningless strings themselves. These meanings, which are retrieved from an online lexicon, are linked to the words used in both the requirements documents as well as in the conceptual models in order to achieve a certain degree of consistency between the two of them. The base structure of these models is automatically derived by analyzing the textual requirements documents that describe the domain under consideration. This Natural Language analysis consists of parsing the texts and retrieving the word meanings that corresponds to concepts that may be of interest for modeling this domain accurately. Furthermore, the resulting models can be validated by people who are not familiar with the modeling notations used, by paraphrasing the models to Natural Language sentences. This paper mainly focuses on the profits gained by using linguistic knowledge in CASE environments, on the philosophy behind this approach and on three specific Natural Language components: the lexicon, Natural Language analysis and text generation for requirements validation. This article is based on the paper "Truly Intelligent CASE Environments Profit from Linguistics" [7], which was presented during the SEKE conference in Madrid (June 1997).
ISF: A Visual Formalism for Specifying Interconnection Styles for Software Design
Authors: Mancoridis Spiros 
Published: August 2003

We have developed a framework for specifying high-level software designs. The core of the framework is a very simple visual notation. This notation enables designers to document designs as labelled rectangles and directed edges. In addition to the notation, our framework features a supporting formalism, called ISF (Interconnection Style Formalism). This formalism enables designers to customize the simple design notation by specifying the type of entities, relations, legal configurations of entities and relations, as well as scoping rules of the custom notation. In this paper we present the formal definition of ISF and use ISF to specify two custom design notations. We also describe how ISF specifications, using deductive database technology, are used to generate supporting tools for these custom notations.