bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Airway Inflammation by Immunostimulatory CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides in a Murine Model of Allergic Aspergillosis
Authors: Banerjee Banani , Kelly Kevin J. , Fink Jordan N. , Henderson James D. , Bansal Naveen K. , Kurup Viswanath P. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTAllergic aspergillosis is a Th2 T-lymphocyte-mediated pulmonary complication in patients with atopic asthma and cystic fibrosis. Therefore, any therapeutic strategy that selectively inhibits Th2 T-cell activation may be useful in downregulating allergic lung inflammation in asthma. In the present study, we developed a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)-based immune intervention of allergic inflammation in a mouse model of allergic aspergillosis. Four different groups of mice were used in a short-term immunization protocol. Three experimental groups of animals (groups 1 to 3) were sensitized withAspergillus fumigatusantigens. Animals in group 1 were immunized withA. fumigatusantigen alone, while those in group 2 were treated with CpG-ODN 1 day before the first antigen immunization, and the animals in group 3 received the first CpG-ODN administration between the antigen treatments. The animals in group 4 served as controls and were given phosphate-buffered saline. Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulins and total immunoglobulin E in different groups of animals were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while airway remodeling and cytokine production were studied by immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated that CpG-ODN administration either before (group 2) or between (group 3) antigen treatments resulted in reduced total immunoglobulin E levels and peripheral blood eosinophil numbers compared toA. fumigatusallergen-sensitized group 1 animals. Similarly, treatment with CpG-ODN also downregulated inflammatory cell infiltration, goblet cell hyperplasia, and basement membrane thickening compared toA. fumigatus-sensitized mice. The distinct reduction in peripheral blood eosinophilia and airway remodeling in CpG-ODN-treated mice emphasized its usefulness as an immunomodulating agent for allergic fungal diseases.
Biofilm Formation by
Neisseria meningitidis
Authors: Yi Kyungcheol , Rasmussen Andrew W. , Gudlavalleti Seshu K. , Stephens David S. , Stojiljkovic Igor 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

Biofilm formation by the human pathogen
Neisseria meningitidis
was analyzed. Biofilm-forming meningococcal strains were identified and quantitated by crystal violet staining. Laser scanning confocal microscopy of the meningococcal biofilm revealed variable layers up to 90 μm in thickness. A total of 39 meningococcal isolates were studied; 23 were nasopharyngeal-carriage isolates, and 16 were invasive-disease isolates. Thirty percent of carriage isolates and 12.5% of invasive-disease isolates formed biofilms proficiently on a polystyrene surface. Generally, the strains that formed biofilms showed high-level cell surface hydrophobicity, characteristic of strains lacking a capsule. The inhibitory role of capsule in biofilm formation was further confirmed by comparing the biofilm-forming capabilities of a serogroup B wild-type strain of a disease-associated isolate to those of its capsule-deficient mutant (
ctrA
). Some strains of meningococci form biofilms, and this process is likely important in menigococcal colonization.
Granuloma Necrosis during
Mycobacterium avium
Infection Does Not Require Tumor Necrosis Factor
Authors: Flórido Manuela , Appelberg Rui 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

The infection of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-deficient mice with low doses of the virulent
Mycobacterium avium
strain 25291 led to the appearance of necrotic granulomas at 93 days of infection, i.e., sooner than necrotic granulomas appeared in C57BL/6 animals. Additionally, TNF-deficient mice exhibited higher mycobacterial loads in the infected organs, had extremely exacerbated gamma interferon responses as evaluated in the sera of infected animals, and showed reduced survival. Thus, TNF is not required for granuloma necrosis.
Persistence of
Burkholderia multivorans
within the Pulmonary Macrophage in the Murine Lung
Authors: Chu Karen K. , MacDonald Kelly L. , Davidson Donald J. , Speert David P. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

Differences in infection kinetics and host response between
Burkholderia multivorans
and
Burkholderia cenocepacia
were demonstrated in a pulmonary infection model in BALB/c mice.
B. multivorans
persisted in the lung, while
B. cenocepacia
was cleared. Indirect immunofluorescence and electron microscopy of
B. multivorans
-infected lungs localized bacteria to macrophages. Clearance of
B. cenocepacia
was associated with greater interleukin-1β and neutrophil responses than the responses induced by
B. multivorans
.
Protective Effect of a Tuberculosis Subunit Vaccine Based on a Fusion of Antigen 85B and ESAT-6 in the Aerosol Guinea Pig Model
Authors: Olsen Anja W. , Williams Ann , Okkels Limei M. , Hatch Graham , Andersen Peter 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

A fusion protein of antigen 85B (Ag85B) and ESAT-6 administered in cationic lipid vesicles conferred a highly significant level of protection against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
in the guinea pig aerosol model of infection. The protection was manifested as delayed clinical illness and prolonged survival. Neither Ag85B nor ESAT-6 (independently or as a cocktail) induced significant protection in this model.
Use of Deoxyribose by Intestinal and Extraintestinal Pathogenic
Escherichia coli
Strains: a Metabolic Adaptation Involved in Competitiveness
Authors: Bernier-Fébreau Christine , du Merle Laurence , Turlin Evelyne , Labas Valérie , Ordonez Juana , Gilles Anne-Marie , Le Bouguénec Chantal 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

We showed that the
deoK
operon, which confers the ability to use deoxyribose as a carbon source, is more common among pathogenic than commensal
Escherichia coli
strains. The expression of the
deoK
operon increases the competitiveness of clinical isolates, suggesting that this biochemical characteristic plays a role in host infectivity.
Binding of Pro-Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 byFusobacterium nucleatumsubsp.nucleatumas a Mechanism To Promote the Invasion of a Reconstituted Basement Membrane
Authors: Gendron Renée , Plamondon Pascale , Grenier Daniel 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTIn this study, we investigated the ability ofFusobacterium nucleatumsubsp.nucleatumto increase its tissue-invasive potential by acquiring cell-associated human matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) activity. Binding of pro-MMP-9 to fusobacteria was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Zymography and a colorimetric assay showed that bound pro-MMP-9 can be converted into a proteolytically active form. The potential contribution of this acquired host activity in tissue invasion was demonstrated using a reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel).
Long Polar Fimbriae Contribute to Colonization by
Escherichia coli
O157:H7 In Vivo
Authors: Jordan Dianna M. , Cornick Nancy , Torres Alfredo G. , Dean-Nystrom Evelyn A. , Kaper James B. , Moon Harley W. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

The contribution of long polar fimbriae to intestinal colonization by
Escherichia coli
O157:H7 was evaluated in sheep, conventional pigs, and gnotobiotic piglets.
E. coli
O157:H7 strains with
lpfA1
and
lpfA2
mutated were recovered in significantly lower numbers and caused fewer attachment and effacement lesions than the parent strain.
Oral Immunization with a Combination ofPlasmodium yoeliiMerozoite Surface Proteins 1 and 4/5 Enhances Protection against Lethal Malaria Challenge
Authors: Wang Lina , Goschnick Matthew W. , Coppel Ross L. 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACTOral immunization of mice withEscherichia coli-expressedPlasmodium yoeliimerozoite surface protein 4/5 or the C-terminal 19-kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 induced systemic antibody responses and protected mice against lethal malaria infection. A combination of these two proteins administered orally conferred improved protection compared to that conferred by either protein administered alone.
A Peptide Domain of Bovine Milk Lactoferrin Inhibits the Interaction between Streptococcal Surface Protein Antigen and a Salivary Agglutinin Peptide Domain
Authors: Oho Takahiko , Bikker Floris J. , Nieuw Amerongen Arie V. , Groenink Jasper 
Published: September 2004

ABSTRACT

The peptide domain of salivary agglutinin responsible for its interaction with cell surface protein antigen (PAc) of
Streptococcus mutans
or bovine lactoferrin was found in the same peptide, scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain peptide 2 (SRCRP2). Inhibition studies suggest that PAc and lactoferrin, of which residues 480 to 492 seem important, competitively bind to the SRCRP2 domain of salivary agglutinin.
Before Timur Came: Provincialization of the Delhi Sultanate Through The Fourteenth Century
Authors: Digby Simon 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe present essay examines information on the relationship of provincial settlements in the territories of the Dehli Sultanate with the capital city during the fourteenth century. This is drawn mainly from hagiographical sources in Persian rather than the much-utilized series of chronicles compiled in the city of Dehli itself. After a brief discussion of some of the factors of continuity and change operative in the fourteenth century in the territories of the Dehli Sultanate, it turns to a series of case studies, where evidence is available, of the processes of settlement of Muslim communities under the aegis of the Sultans of Dehli and in a radius extending from the capital city in northern India. The main routes of extension were to the south and to the east. Evidence suggests a process of growth of provincial centers of power to the detriment of the authority of the Sultan and the administration lodged in the capital city before the collapse of this authority in 1398. The latter part of the paper examines the linguistic consequences of the provincial political developments of the fourteenth century. It is argued that these affected changes in North Indian climates of sensibility that have endured to the present day. L'article étudie les informations sur la relation entre les établissement régionaux dans les territoires du Sultanat de Dehli et la ville capitale durant le XIV e siècle. Ces données sont surtout puisées aux sources hagiographiques en langue persane plutôt qu'aux séries de chroniques compilées dans la ville de Dehli elle-même. Après une discussion concise de certains facteurs responsables de la continuité et du changement en vigueur au XIVe siècle dans les territoires du Sultantat de Dehli, un nombre d'études de cas passe la revue — en fonction des temoignages disponibles. Elles traitent les processus d'établissement des communautés musulmanes sous la protection des sultans de Dehli et dans un rayon autour de la ville capitale de l'Inde septentrionale. Les principales routes d'épanouissment menèrent du Sud vers l'Est. Les temoignages suggèrent une croissance des centres de pouvoir régionaux au détriment de l'autorité du Sultan et son administration, logées dans la ville capitale jusqu'à son écroulement en 1398. La dernière section de l'article étudie les conséquences linguistiques des développements politiques et régionaux du XIV e siècle. Il est avancé que ces changements engendrèrent des modi fications dans les climats de sensibilité dans l'Inde septentrionale qui ont duré jusqu'à nos jours.
The Deccan Frontier and Mughal Expansion, Ca. 1600: Contemporary Perspectives
Authors: Subrahmanyam Sanjay , Alam Muzaffar 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThis essay explores the situation in the Deccan in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, at a time when the Mughal empire was expanding over the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and beginning to threaten both Bijapur and Goa. It does so through a close reading of two sources, the reports of the Mughal court-poet Abu'l Faiz 'Faizi,' who was sent there as a Mughal envoy in the early 1590s; and the autobiographical text of Asad Beg Qazwini, who followed Faizi some ten years later. It seeks to demonstrate the role of the Deccan as frontier zone in this period, not only between northern and southern India, but equally between Safavid Iran and Mughal India. Cet essai est consacré à l'étude de la situation politique dans le Deccan au tournant du XVIIe siècle, en s'appuyant sur deux sources peu explorées. La première est la collection des rap- ports envoyés par le poète et diplomate Abu'l Faiz 'Faizi', qui se trouvait dans le Deccan autour de 1591-92 comme représentant de l'empereur moghol Akbar. La seconde source est le récit autobiographique d'Asad Beg Qazwini, également envoyé par les Moghols au début du XVIIe siècle dans une mission auprès du Sultan de Bijapur, Ibrahim II. Nous nous efforçons de démontrer le rôle du Deccan comme région frontière, à la fois entre l'Inde du Nord et l'Inde du Sud, et entre les zones d'in fluences des Moghols et des Safavides.
"Ich Spreche Ständig Zu Aton...": Zur Menschgott-beziehung in Der Amarna Religion
Authors: Bickel Susanne 
Published: September 2004

AbstractVery little is known about the impact of the Amarna revolution on individual religious feeling and belief. This article gathers various traces of individual religiosity at Amarna. Traditional divine forces (Toeris, Bes, Hathor), and the king, but also the god Aten could be addressed as guarantors of health and prosperity. Several sources show that individuals of varying social status could have knowledge of and direct contact with Aten, despite the assertion in the Great Hymn that these were exclusively royal privileges. The expression of individual religiosity was possible within the context of Amarna religion in forms that continue earlier ways of approaching the divine and prefigure Ramesside modes of expression of personal piety.
Zum Hethitischen Schutzgott Der Lanze
Authors: Popko Maciej 
Published: September 2004

AbstractDer Schutzgott der Lanze ist in den Keilschrifttexten aus Bo Å azköy ab mittelhethitischer Zeit belegt. Dieser Gott südlicher, vielleicht luwischer Herkunft wurde vor allem von den Angehörigen der königlichen Leibgarde, ferner auch von den "Leuten der Lanze" verehrt, deswegen befand sich sein Altar im "Hof der Leibgarde" in der Burg von ] attu à a. Die Lanze wird gelegentlich als Symbol des Gottes betrachtet, aber Beweise für die Richtigkeit dieser Auffassung fehlen. Die Begriffe "der Schutzgott der Lanze" und "die Lanze des/eines Schutzgottes" sind nicht zu verwechseln.
Angiostatin is a novel anti-inflammatory factor by inhibiting leukocyte recruitment
Authors: Chavakis Triantafyllos , Athanasopoulos Athanasios , Rhee Joong-Sup , Orlova Valeria , Schmidt-Wöll Thomas , Bierhaus Angelika , May Andreas E. , Celik Ilhan , Nawroth Peter P. , Preissner Klaus T. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractAngiogenesis and inflammation are closely related biologic processes in wound healing and the responses to vascular injury as well as in cardiovascular diseases; however, the molecular connections are poorly defined. In particular, it is yet unclear whether endogenous factors can regulate both angiogenesis and inflammation. Here, we show that the endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor, angiostatin (containing kringle domains 1-4 of plasminogen), serves an anti-inflammatory role, since the kringles 1-3 and its kringle 4 directly interact with leukocyte β1- and β2-integrins, respectively. In particular, a specific interaction between kringle 4 and αMβ2-integrin (Mac-1) but not leukocyte function antigen 1 (LFA-1) was identified. Angiostatin thereby inhibited β1- and β2-integrin–mediated adhesion of leukocytes to extracellular matrix proteins and the endothelium as well as their transmigration through the endothelium in vitro. Moreover, angiostatin blocked the peritonitis-induced neutrophil emigration in vivo. In addition, through its interaction with Mac-1, angiostatin reduced activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NFκB), as well as the NFκB-related expression of tissue factor, a potent initiator of hemostasis following vascular injury. Finally, angiostatin forms were generated in vivo following skin injury/inflammation and were detectable during the following entire period of wound healing peaking at the terminal phase of the healing process. Taken together, over and above inhibition of neovascularization, angiostatin was identified as an antiadhesive/anti-inflammatory substance. These observations could provide the basis for new therapeutic applications of angiostatin to target chronic inflammatory processes in different pathologic situations.
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein deficiency leads to reduced B-cell adhesion, migration, and homing, and a delayed humoral immune response
Authors: Westerberg Lisa , Larsson Malin , Hardy Samantha J. , Fernández Carmen , Thrasher Adrian J. , Severinson Eva 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is mutated in the severe immunodeficiency disease Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS). The function of B cells and the physiologic alterations in WAS remain unclear. We show that B cells from WAS patients exhibited decreased motility and had reduced capacity to migrate, adhere homotypically, and form long protrusions after in vitro culture. WASp-deficient murine B cells also migrated less well to chemokines. Upon antigen challenge, WASp-deficient mice mounted a reduced and delayed humoral immune response to both T-cell–dependent and –independent antigens. This was at least in part due to deficient migration and homing of B cells. In addition, the germinal center reaction was reduced in WASp-deficient mice. Thus, WASp is crucial for optimal B-cell responses and plays a pivotal role in the primary humoral immune response.
Mapping of genes that control the antibody response to human factor IX in mice
Authors: Lozier Jay N. , Tayebi Nahid , Zhang Pei 
Published: September 2004

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that the antibody response to human factor IX in mice is controlled by genetic factors, especially histocompatibility antigens. Seven inbred mouse strains were immunized against human factor IX by adenoviral gene transfer or serial injections of human factor IX protein. A/J mice had the highest antibody response and 2 C57 mouse strains had the lowest response. We used the adenovirus vector to immunize 26 recombinant inbred mouse strains (AXB and BXA) derived from A/J and C57BL/6J mice and observed highly significant linkage (logarithmic odds [LOD] scores ∼4.8) for the polymorphic D17Mit62 marker that is 1 centimorgan (∼300 000 base pair [bp]) from the mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus (H-2). Experiments in mice with chimeric MHC genes indicated that class IaK or class II H-2 (or both) genes were critical, but other genes contributed to the antibody response. Polymorphic markers from chromosomes 1 and 10 that are near important immunoregulatory genes such as interleukin 10 and the interferon-γ gene show suggestive linkage (LOD scores of ∼2.3-2.6) to the factor IX antibody response. This study confirms the hypothesis that H-2 (and other) genes control factor IX antibody development in mice and suggests their potential importance for factor IX antibody development in humans with hemophilia B.
Low-dose total body irradiation causes clonal fluctuation of primate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
Authors: Laukkanen Mikko O. , Kuramoto Ken , Calmels Boris , Takatoku Masaaki , von Kalle Christof , Donahue Robert E. , Dunbar Cynthia E. 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Due to high frequency of side effects caused by high-dose total body irradiation (TBI) the nonmyeloablative regimen together with cytotoxic agents is currently used especially for elderly patients. However, immediate and long-term effects of low-dose irradiation used in allogeneic transplantation on stem cells is less well known. We have studied the effect of low-dose 3 Gy TBI on the number of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) clones contributing simultaneously to granulocyte production in rhesus macaque. The number of clones after 3 Gy TBI decreased markedly by 2 to 3 weeks after 3 Gy TBI, followed by a period of clonal instability, and recovery to almost pre–3 Gy TBI clonal diversity. The clones accounting for this recovery contributed before 3 Gy TBI, suggesting the profound initial impact of TBI was on a pool of progenitor cells, whereas most of the more primitive HSCs remained unaffected and were able to again contribute to hematopoiesis after recovery. Clonal fluctuation may indirectly suggest the presence of short-term/long-term HSC populations in rhesus macaque bone marrow as reported in a mouse model. The results indicate that even low-dose irradiation affects hematopoietic clonal dynamics and have implications for design of conditioning regimens for transplantation purposes.
Immune responses and tolerance to the RhD blood group protein in HLA-transgenic mice
Authors: Hall Andrew M. , Cairns Lindsay S. , Altmann Daniel M. , Barker Robert N. , Urbaniak Stanislaw J. 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
RhD is a major blood group and the most important target antigen in hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). The aims of this study were to establish a humanized mouse model of responses to the RhD protein and to test whether these could be prevented by the induction of immune tolerance. HLA-DR15 is a major restricting element for human T-helper (Th) cells specific for RhD protein, and expression of this HLA-DR transgene was found to confer on mice the ability to respond to immunization with purified RhD protein. Synthetic peptides containing dominant Th cell epitopes, previously identified from studies of human alloimmunized donors, were administered to the nasal mucosa of transgenic mice before immunization with purified RhD protein. Treatment with each of the 4 dominant peptides, RhD52-66, RhD97-111, RhD117-131, and RhD177-191, inhibited T-cell priming and prevented antibody responses to the RhD protein. The ability to induce such active tolerance offers the prospect of peptide immunotherapy as a replacement for passive immune globulin in the prophylaxis of HDN.
Minute numbers of contaminant CD8+ T cells or CD11b+CD11c+ NK cells are the source of IFN-γ in IL-12/IL-18-stimulated mouse macrophage populations
Authors: Schleicher Ulrike , Hesse Andrea , Bogdan Christian 
Published: September 2004

AbstractMacrophages were reported to be strong producers of interferon γ (IFN-γ) after stimulation by interleukin 12 (IL-12) plus IL-18, which gave rise to a novel concept of auto-crine macrophage activation. Here, we show that peritoneal exudate and bone marrow-derived mouse macrophages generated by conventional techniques contain small quantities of CD11b+CD11c+CD31+DX5+NK1.1+ natural killer (NK) cells or CD3+CD8+TCRβ+ T cells, respectively. Intracellular cytokine staining, purification of macrophages by sorting, and the analysis of macrophages from alymphoid RAG2-/-γ-chain-/- mice revealed that the high amount of IFN-γ protein in the supernatants of unseparated IL-12/IL-18-stimulated macrophage populations originates exclusively from the contaminating lymphoid cells. Notably, IL-12/IL-18 still induced IFN-γ mRNA in highly purified macrophages from wild-type mice and in macrophages from RAG2-/-γ-chain-/- mice, whereas nuclear translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) and production of IFN-γ protein were no longer detectable. These results question the concept of autocrine macrophage activation by secreted IFN-γ, suggest differences in the expression of IFN-γ mRNA and protein between macrophages and lymphoid cells, and illustrate that the limited purity of most myeloid cell populations (≤ 98%) might lead to false conclusions.