Full-length fuel rod behavior under severe accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lombardo, N.J.; Lanning, D.D.; Panisko, F.E.

1992-12-01

This document presents an assessment of the severe accident phenomena observed from four Full-Length High-Temperature (FLHT) tests that were performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, Canada. These tests were conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as part of the Severe Accident Research Program. The objectives of the test were to simulate conditions and provide information on the behavior of full-length fuel rods during hypothetical, small-break, loss-of-coolant severe accidents, in commercial light water reactors

VP1u phospholipase activity is critical for infectivity of full-length parvovirus B19 genomic clones.

Science.gov (United States)

Filippone, Claudia; Zhi, Ning; Wong, Susan; Lu, Jun; Kajigaya, Sachiko; Gallinella, Giorgio; Kakkola, Laura; Söderlund-Venermo, Maria; Young, Neal S; Brown, Kevin E

2008-05-10

Three full-length genomic clones (pB19-M20, pB19-FL and pB19-HG1) of parvovirus B19 were produced in different laboratories. pB19-M20 was shown to produce infectious virus. To determine the differences in infectivity, all three plasmids were tested by transfection and infection assays. All three clones were similar in viral DNA replication, RNA transcription, and viral capsid protein production. However, only pB19-M20 and pB19-HG1 produced infectious virus. Comparison of viral sequences showed no significant differences in ITR or NS regions. In the capsid region, there was a nucleotide sequence difference conferring an amino acid substitution (E176K) in the phospholipase A2-like motif of the VP1-unique (VP1u) region. The recombinant VP1u with the E176K mutation had no catalytic activity as compared with the wild-type. When this mutation was introduced into pB19-M20, infectivity was significantly attenuated, confirming the critical role of this motif. Investigation of the original serum from which pB19-FL was cloned confirmed that the phospholipase mutation was present in the native B19 virus.

VP1u phospholipase activity is critical for infectivity of full-length parvovirus B19 genomic clones✰

Science.gov (United States)

Filippone, Claudia; Zhi, Ning; Wong, Susan; Lu, Jun; Kajigaya, Sachiko; Gallinella, Giorgio; Kakkola, Laura; Venermo, Maria S Söderlund; Young, Neal S.; Brown, Kevin E.

2008-01-01

Three full-length genomic clones (pB19-M20, pB19-FL and pB19-HG1) of parvovirus B19 were produced in different laboratories. pB19-M20 was shown to produce infectious virus. To determine the differences in infectivity, all three plasmids were tested by transfection and infection assays. All three clones were similar in viral DNA replication, RNA transcription, and viral capsid protein production. However, only pB19-M20 and pB19-HG1 produced infectious virus. Comparison of viral sequences showed no significant differences in ITR or NS regions. In the capsid region, there was a nucleotide sequence difference conferring an amino acid substitution (E176K) in the phospholipase A2-like motif of the VP1-unique (VP1u) region. The recombinant VP1u with the E176K mutation had no catalytic activity as compared with the wild-type. When this mutation was introduced into pB19-M20, infectivity was significantly attenuated, confirming the critical role of this motif. Investigation of the original serum from which pB19-FL was cloned confirmed that the phospholipase mutation was present in the native B19 virus. PMID:18252260

Production of a full-length infectious GFP-tagged cDNA clone of Beet mild yellowing virus for the study of plant-polerovirus interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Mark; Viganó, Felicita

2007-04-01

The full-length cDNA of Beet mild yellowing virus (Broom's Barn isolate) was sequenced and cloned into the vector pLitmus 29 (pBMYV-BBfl). The sequence of BMYV-BBfl (5721 bases) shared 96% and 98% nucleotide identity with the other complete sequences of BMYV (BMYV-2ITB, France and BMYV-IPP, Germany respectively). Full-length capped RNA transcripts of pBMYV-BBfl were synthesised and found to be biologically active in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts following electroporation or PEG inoculation when the protoplasts were subsequently analysed using serological and molecular methods. The BMYV sequence was modified by inserting DNA that encoded the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the P5 gene close to its 3' end. A. thaliana protoplasts electroporated with these RNA transcripts were biologically active and up to 2% of transfected protoplasts showed GFP-specific fluorescence. The exploitation of these cDNA clones for the study of the biology of beet poleroviruses is discussed.

Effect of metronidazole versus standard care on length of stay of patients admitted with severe infectious mononucleosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Lennon, P; O'Neill, J P; Fenton, J E

2014-07-01

Metronidazole may be of use in the treatment of infectious mononucleosis (IM). Our aim is to show that metronidazole shortens hospital stay for patients with severe IM. A single-centre randomized controlled trial was undertaken in patients admitted with severe IM, who were with a similar group treated by the standard care. Patients were blinded to which treatment arm they were in. Forty-two of these patients were enrolled in the trial. The primary endpoint was the difference in length of stay. This was significantly less in the metronidazole group (3.67 days v 4.67) (p 0.032). This study demonstrates that metronidazole has a role to play in severe infectious mononucleosis. © 2013 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2013 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Technology development for gene discovery and full-length sequencing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcelo Bento Soares

2004-07-19

In previous years, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, we developed methods for construction of normalized and subtracted cDNA libraries, and constructed hundreds of high-quality libraries for production of Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs). Our clones were made widely available to the scientific community through the IMAGE Consortium, and millions of ESTs were produced from our libraries either by collaborators or by our own sequencing laboratory at the University of Iowa. During this grant period, we focused on (1) the development of a method for preferential cloning of tissue-specific and/or rare transcripts, (2) its utilization to expedite EST-based gene discovery for the NIH Mouse Brain Molecular Anatomy Project, (3) further development and optimization of a method for construction of full-length-enriched cDNA libraries, and (4) modification of a plasmid vector to maximize efficiency of full-length cDNA sequencing by the transposon-mediated approach. It is noteworthy that the technology developed for preferential cloning of rare mRNAs enabled identification of over 2,000 mouse transcripts differentially expressed in the hippocampus. In addition, the method that we optimized for construction of full-length-enriched cDNA libraries was successfully utilized for the production of approximately fifty libraries from the developing mouse nervous system, from which over 2,500 full-ORF-containing cDNAs have been identified and accurately sequenced in their entirety either by our group or by the NIH-Mammalian Gene Collection Program Sequencing Team.

Producing infectious enterovirus type 71 in a rapid strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qin E-De

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Enterovirus 71 (EV71 is an etiologic agent of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD, and recent HFMD epidemics worldwide have been associated with a severe form of brainstem encephalitis associated with pulmonary edema and high case-fatality rates. EV71 contains a positive-sense single-stranded genome RNA of approximately 7400 bp in length which encodes a polyprotein with a single open reading frame (ORF, which is flanked by untranslated regions at both the 5' and 3' ends. Results A long distance RT-PCR assay was developed to amplify the full length genome cDNA of EV71 by using specific primes carrying a SP6 promoter. Then the in vitro synthesized RNA transcripts from the RT-PCR amplicons were then transfected into RD cells to produce the rescued virus. The rescued virus was further characterized by RT-PCR and indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA assay in comparison with the wild type virus. The rescued viruses were infectious on RD cells and neurovirulent when intracerebrally injected into suckling mice. Conclusions Thus, we established a rapid method to produce the infectious full length cDNA of EV71 directly from RNA preparations and specific mutations can be easily engineered into the rescued enterovirus genome by this method.

Full-length Ebola glycoprotein accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhattacharyya Suchita

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The Filoviridae family comprises of Ebola and Marburg viruses, which are known to cause lethal hemorrhagic fever. However, there is no effective anti-viral therapy or licensed vaccines currently available for these human pathogens. The envelope glycoprotein (GP of Ebola virus, which mediates entry into target cells, is cytotoxic and this effect maps to a highly glycosylated mucin-like region in the surface subunit of GP (GP1. However, the mechanism underlying this cytotoxic property of GP is unknown. To gain insight into the basis of this GP-induced cytotoxicity, HEK293T cells were transiently transfected with full-length and mucin-deleted (Δmucin Ebola GP plasmids and GP localization was examined relative to the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum (ER, Golgi, early and late endosomes using deconvolution fluorescent microscopy. Full-length Ebola GP was observed to accumulate in the ER. In contrast, GPΔmucin was uniformly expressed throughout the cell and did not localize in the ER. The Ebola major matrix protein VP40 was also co-expressed with GP to investigate its influence on GP localization. GP and VP40 co-expression did not alter GP localization to the ER. Also, when VP40 was co-expressed with the nucleoprotein (NP, it localized to the plasma membrane while NP accumulated in distinct cytoplasmic structures lined with vimentin. These latter structures are consistent with aggresomes and may serve as assembly sites for filoviral nucleocapsids. Collectively, these data suggest that full-length GP, but not GPΔmucin, accumulates in the ER in close proximity to the nuclear membrane, which may underscore its cytotoxic property.

Generation of recombinant pestiviruses using a full-genome amplification strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun; Reimann, I.; Uttenthal, Åse

2010-01-01

-Gifhorn genome was generated by long RTPCR and then RNA transcripts derived from this amplicon were used to rescue infectious virus. Here, we have now used this full-genome amplification strategy for efficient and robust amplification of three additional pestivirus strains: the vaccine strain C and the virulent...... Paderborn strain of Classical swine fever virus plus the CP7 strain of Bovine viral diarrhoea virus. The amplicons were cloned directly into a stable single-copy bacterial artificial chromosome generating full-length pestivirus DNAs from which infectious RNA transcripts could be also derived....

A comparative phylogenetic analysis of full-length mariner elements

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Mariner like elements (MLEs) are widely distributed type II transposons with an open reading frame (ORF) for transposase. We studied comparative phylogenetic evolution and inverted terminal repeat (ITR) conservation of MLEs from Indian saturniid silkmoth, Antheraea mylitta with other full length MLEs submitted in the ...

Irradiation performance of full-length metallic IFR fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, H.; Neimark, L.A.

1992-07-01

An assembly irradiation of 169 full-length U-Pu-Zr metallic fuel pins was successfully completed in FFTF to a goal burnup of 10 at.%. All test fuel pins maintained their cladding integrity during the irradiation. Postirradiation examination showed minimal fuel/cladding mechanical interaction and excellent stability of the fuel column. Fission-gas release was normal and consistent with the existing data base from irradiation testing of shorter metallic fuel pins in EBR-II

The function analysis of full-length cDNA sequence from IRM-2 mouse cDNA library

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Qin; Liu Xiaoqiu; Xu Chang; Du Liqing; Sun Zhijuan; Wang Yan; Liu Qiang; Song Li; Li Jin; Fan Feiyue

2013-01-01

Objective: To identify the function of full-length cDNA sequence from IRM-2 mouse cDNA library. Methods: Full-length cDNA products were amplified by PCR from IRM-2 mouse cDNA library according to twenty-one pieces of expressed sequence tag. The expression of full-length cDNAs were detected after mouse embryonic fibroblasts were exposed to 6.5 Gy γ-ray radiation. And the effect on the growth of radiosensitivity cells AT5B1VA transfected with full-length cDNAs was investigated. Results: The expression of No.4, 5 and 2 full-length cDNAs from IRM-2 mouse were higher than that of parental ICR and 615 mouse after mouse embryonic fibroblasts irradiated with γ-ray radiation. And the survival rate of AT5B1VA cells transfected with No.4, 5 and 2 full-length cDNAs was high. Conclusion: No.4, 5 and 2 full-length cDNAs of IRM-2 mouse are of high radioresistance. (authors)

Generation of recombinant pestiviruses using a full genome amplification strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun; Reimann, Ilona; Uttenthal, Åse

Aim Complete genome amplification of viral RNA provides a new tool for generation of modified pestiviruses. We have recently reported a full genome amplification strategy for direct recovery of infectious pestivirus (Rasmussen et al., 2008). This comprised rescue of BDV strain “Gifhorn” from a full......-length RT-PCR amplicon demonstrating that long RT-PCR can be used for direct generation of an infectious pestivirus. The strategy is not limited to amplification of BDV “Gifhorn”, but can be further utilized for amplification of a diverse selection of pestivirus strains and for the generation of modified...... was reverse transcribed to cDNA at 50C for 90 minutes using SuperScript III reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen). Full-length PCR amplification was performed using primers specific for the extreme 5’- and 3’-ends of the viral genomes. A T7 promoter was incorporated in the 5’-primers for direct in vitro...

Seismic inference of 57 stars using full-length Kepler data sets

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Creevey Orlagh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present stellar properties of 57 stars from a seismic inference using full-length data sets from Kepler (mass, age, radius, distances. These stars comprise active stars, planet-hosts, solar-analogs, and binary systems. We validate the distances derived from the astrometric Gaia-Tycho solution. Ensemble analysis of the stellar properties reveals a trend of mixing-length parameter with the surface gravity and effective temperature. We derive a linear relationship with the seismic quantity ‹r02› to estimate the stellar age. Finally, we define the stellar regimes where the Kjeldsen et al (2008 empirical surface correction for 1D model frequencies is valid.

Full length prototype SSC dipole test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strait, J.; Brown, B.C.; Carson, J.

1987-01-01

Results are presented from tests of the first full length prototype SSC dipole magnet. The cryogenic behavior of the magnet during a slow cooldown to 4.5K and a slow warmup to room temperature has been measured. Magnetic field quality was measured at currents up to 2000 A. Averaged over the body field all harmonics with the exception of b 2 and b 8 are at or within the tolerances specified by the SSC Central Design Group. (The values of b 2 and b 8 result from known design and construction defects which will be be corrected in later magnets.) Using an NMR probe the average body field strength is measured to be 10.283 G/A with point to point variations on the order of one part in 1000. Data are presented on quench behavior of the magnet up to 3500 A (approximately 55% of full field) including longitudinal and transverse velocities for the first 250 msec of the quench

Purification and Fibrillation of Full-Length Recombinant PrP

OpenAIRE

Makarava, Natallia; Baskakov, Ilia V.

2012-01-01

Misfolding and aggregation of prion protein (PrP) is related to several neurodegenerative diseases in humans such as Creutzfeldt–Jacob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and Gerstmann–Straussler–Sheinker disease. Certain applications in prion area require recombinant PrP of high purity and quality. Here, we report an experimental procedure for expression and purification of full-length mammalian PrP. This protocol has been proved to yield PrP of extremely high purity that lac...

Increased circulating full-length betatrophin levels in drug-naïve metabolic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dan; Li, Sheyu; He, He; Yu, Chuan; Li, Xiaodan; Liang, Libo; Chen, Yi; Li, Jianwei; Li, Jianshu; Sun, Xin; Tian, Haoming; An, Zhenmei

2017-03-14

Betatrophin is a newly identified circulating adipokine playing a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. But its role in metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to compare the circulating betatrophin concentrations between patients with MetS and healthy controls. We recruited 47 patients with MetS and 47 age and sex matched healthy controls. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed, and serum betatrophin levels were detected by ELISA. Full-length betatrophin levels in patients with MetS were significantly higher than those in controls (694.84 ± 365.51 pg/ml versus 356.64 ± 287.92 pg/ml; P <0.001). While no significant difference of total betatrophin levels was found between the two groups (1.20 ± 0.79 ng/ml versus 1.31 ± 1.08 ng/ml; P = 0.524). Full-length betatrophin level was positively correlated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (r = 0.357, P = 0.014) and 2-hour plasma glucose (2hPG) (r = 0.38, P <0.01). Binary logistic regression models indicated that subjects in the tertile of the highest full-length betatrophin level experienced higher odds of having MetS (OR, 8.6; 95% CI 2.8-26.8; P <0.001). Our study showed that full-length betatrophin concentrations were increased in drug-naïve MetS patients.

Simulations of The Dalles Dam Proposed Full Length Spillwall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rakowski, Cynthia L.; Perkins, William A.; Richmond, Marshall C.; Serkowski, John A.

2008-02-25

This report presents results of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling study to evaluatethe impacts of a full-length spillwall at The Dalles Dam. The full-length spillwall is being designed and evaluated as a structural means to improve tailrace egress and thus survival of juvenile fish passing through the spillway. During the course of this study, a full-length spillwall at Bays 6/7 and 8/9 were considered. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has proposed extending the spillwall constructed in the stilling basin between spillway Bays 6 and 7 about 590 ft farther downstream. It is believed that the extension of the spillwall will improve egress conditions for downstream juvenile salmonids by moving them more rapidly into the thalweg of the river hence reducing their exposure to predators. A numerical model was created, validated, and applied the The Dalles Dam tailrace. The models were designed to assess impacts to flow, tailrace egress, navigation, and adult salmon passage of a proposed spill wall extension. The more extensive model validation undertaken in this study greatly improved our confidence in the numerical model to represent the flow conditions in The Dalles tailrace. This study used these validated CFD models to simulate the potential impacts of a spillwall extension for The Dalles Dam tailrace for two locations. We determined the following: (1)The construction of an extended wall (between Bays 6/7) will not adversely impact entering or exiting the navigation lock. Impact should be less if a wall were constructed between Bays 8/9. (2)The construction of a wall between Bays 6/7 will increase the water surface elevation between the wall and the Washington shore. Although the increased water surface elevation would be beneficial to adult upstream migrants in that it decreases velocities on the approach to the adult ladder, the increased flow depth would enhance dissolved gas production, impacting potential operations of the project because of

Construction of Infectious cDNA Clone of a Chrysanthemum stunt viroid Korean Isolate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ju-Yeon Yoon

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd, a noncoding infectious RNA molecule, causes seriously economic losses of chrysanthemum for 3 or 4 years after its first infection. Monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd isolate SK1 (CSVd-SK1 were constructed in the plasmids pGEM-T easy vector and pUC19 vector. Linear positive-sense transcripts synthesized in vitro from the full-length monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd-SK1 could infect systemically tomato seedlings and chrysanthemum plants, suggesting that the linear CSVd RNA transcribed from the cDNA clones could be replicated as efficiently as circular CSVd in host species. However, direct inoculation of plasmid cDNA clones containing full-length monomeric cDNA of CSVd-SK1 failed to infect tomato and chrysanthemum and linear negative-sense transcripts from the plasmid DNAs were not infectious in the two plant species. The cDNA sequences of progeny viroid in systemically infected tomato and chrysanthemum showed a few substitutions at a specific nucleotide position, but there were no deletions and insertions in the sequences of the CSVd progeny from tomato and chrysanthemum plants.

Construction of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated tomato black ring virus infectious cDNA clones.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarzyńska-Nowak, Aleksandra; Ferriol, Inmaculada; Falk, Bryce W; Borodynko-Filas, Natasza; Hasiów-Jaroszewska, Beata

2017-02-15

Tomato black ring virus (TBRV, genus Nepovirus) infects a wide range of economically important plants such as tomato, potato, tobacco and cucumber. Here, a successful construction of infectious full-length cDNA clones of the TBRV genomic RNAs (RNA1 and RNA2) is reported for the first time. The engineered constructs consisting of PCR-amplified DNAs were cloned into binary vector pJL89 immediately downstream of a double cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, and upstream of the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme and nopaline synthase terminator (NOS). The symptoms induced on plants agroinoculated with both constructs were indistinguishable from those caused by the wild-type virus. The infectivity of obtained clones was verified by reinoculation to Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi, Chenopodium quinoa and Cucumis sativus. The presence of viral particles and RNA was confirmed by electron microscopy and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Constructed full-length infectious cDNA clones will serve as an excellent tool to study virus-host-vector interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of expressed sequence tags generated from full-length enriched cDNA libraries of melon

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Bendahmane Abdelhafid

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Melon (Cucumis melo, an economically important vegetable crop, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family which includes several other important crops such as watermelon, cucumber, and pumpkin. It has served as a model system for sex determination and vascular biology studies. However, genomic resources currently available for melon are limited. Result We constructed eleven full-length enriched and four standard cDNA libraries from fruits, flowers, leaves, roots, cotyledons, and calluses of four different melon genotypes, and generated 71,577 and 22,179 ESTs from full-length enriched and standard cDNA libraries, respectively. These ESTs, together with ~35,000 ESTs available in public domains, were assembled into 24,444 unigenes, which were extensively annotated by comparing their sequences to different protein and functional domain databases, assigning them Gene Ontology (GO terms, and mapping them onto metabolic pathways. Comparative analysis of melon unigenes and other plant genomes revealed that 75% to 85% of melon unigenes had homologs in other dicot plants, while approximately 70% had homologs in monocot plants. The analysis also identified 6,972 gene families that were conserved across dicot and monocot plants, and 181, 1,192, and 220 gene families specific to fleshy fruit-bearing plants, the Cucurbitaceae family, and melon, respectively. Digital expression analysis identified a total of 175 tissue-specific genes, which provides a valuable gene sequence resource for future genomics and functional studies. Furthermore, we identified 4,068 simple sequence repeats (SSRs and 3,073 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the melon EST collection. Finally, we obtained a total of 1,382 melon full-length transcripts through the analysis of full-length enriched cDNA clones that were sequenced from both ends. Analysis of these full-length transcripts indicated that sizes of melon 5' and 3' UTRs were similar to those of tomato, but

Expression of full-length and splice forms of FoxP3 in rheumatoid arthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ryder, L R; Woetmann, A; Madsen, H O

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to compare the presence of full-length and alternative splice forms of FoxP3 mRNA in CD4 cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls. METHODS: A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) method was used to measure...... the amount of FoxP3 mRNA full-length and splice forms. CD4-positive T cells were isolated from peripheral blood from 50 RA patients by immunomagnetic separation, and the FoxP3 mRNA expression was compared with the results from 10 healthy controls. RESULTS: We observed an increased expression of full......-length FoxP3 mRNA in RA patients when compared to healthy controls, as well as an increase in CD25 mRNA expression, but no corresponding increase in CTLA-4 mRNA expression. The presence of an alternative splice form of FoxP3 lacking exon 2 was confirmed in both RA patients and healthy controls...

Construction experience with Fermilab-built full length 50mm SSC dipoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blessing, M.J.; Hoffman, D.E.; Packer, M.D.; Gordon, M.; Higinbotham, W.; Sims, R.

1992-03-01

Fourteen full length SSC dipole magnets are being built and tested at Fermilab. Their purpose is to verify the magnet design as well as transfer the construction technology to industry. Magnet design is summarized. Construction problems and their solutions are discussed. Topics include coil winding, curing and measuring, collaring, instrumentation, end clamp installation, yoking and electrical and mechanical interconnection

3G vector-primer plasmid for constructing full-length-enriched cDNA libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Dong; Zhou, Yanna; Zhang, Zidong; Li, Zaiyu; Liu, Xuedong

2008-09-01

We designed a 3G vector-primer plasmid for the generation of full-length-enriched complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries. By employing the terminal transferase activity of reverse transcriptase and the modified strand replacement method, this plasmid (assembled with a polydT end and a deoxyguanosine [dG] end) combines priming full-length cDNA strand synthesis and directional cDNA cloning. As a result, the number of steps involved in cDNA library preparation is decreased while simplifying downstream gene manipulation, sequencing, and subcloning. The 3G vector-primer plasmid method yields fully represented plasmid primed libraries that are equivalent to those made by the SMART (switching mechanism at 5' end of RNA transcript) approach.

Full-length high-temperature severe fuel damage test No. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesson, G.M.; Lombardo, N.J.; Pilger, J.P.; Rausch, W.N.; King, L.L.; Hurley, D.E.; Parchen, L.J.; Panisko, F.E.

1993-09-01

Hazardous conditions associated with performing the Full-Length High- Temperature (FLHT). Severe Fuel Damage Test No. 2 experiment have been analyzed. Major hazards that could cause harm or damage are (1) radioactive fission products, (2) radiation fields, (3) reactivity changes, (4) hydrogen generation, (5) materials at high temperature, (6) steam explosion, and (7) steam pressure pulse. As a result of this analysis, it is concluded that with proper precautions the FLHT- 2 test can be safely conducted

A new strategy for full-length Ebola virus glycoprotein expression in E.coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Zai, Junjie; Yi, Yinhua; Xia, Han; Zhang, Bo; Yuan, Zhiming

2016-12-01

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates with high rates of fatality. Glycoprotein (GP) is the only envelope protein of EBOV, which may play a critical role in virus attachment and entry as well as stimulating host protective immune responses. However, the lack of expression of full-length GP in Escherichia coli hinders the further study of its function in viral pathogenesis. In this study, the vp40 gene was fused to the full-length gp gene and cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector. We showed that the VP40-GP and GP-VP40 fusion proteins could be expressed in E.coli at 16 °C. In addition, it was shown that the position of vp40 in the fusion proteins affected the yields of the fusion proteins, with a higher level of production of the fusion protein when vp40 was upstream of gp compared to when it was downstream. The results provide a strategy for the expression of a large quantity of EBOV full-length GP, which is of importance for further analyzing the relationship between the structure and function of GP and developing an antibody for the treatment of EBOV infection.

Development and analysis of a tick-borne encephalitis virus infectious clone using a novel and rapid strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gritsun, T S; Gould, E A

1998-12-01

In less than 1 month we have constructed an infectious clone of attenuated tick-borne encephalitis virus (strain Vasilchenko) from 100 microl of unpurified virus suspension using long high fidelity PCR and a modified bacterial cloning system. Optimization of the 3' antisense primer concentration was essential to achieve PCR synthesis of an 11 kb cDNA copy of RNA from infectious virus. A novel system utilising two antisense primers, a 14-mer for reverse transcription and a 35-mer for long PCR, produced high yields of genomic length cDNA. Use of low copy number Able K cells and an incubation temperature of 28 degrees C increased the genetic stability of cloned cDNA. Clones containing 11 kb cDNA inserts produced colonies of reduced size, thus providing a positive selection system for full length clones. Sequencing of the infectious clone emphasised the improved fidelity of the method compared with conventional PCR and cloning methods. A simple and rapid strategy for genetic manipulation of the infectious clone is also described. These developments represent a significant advance in recombinant technology and should be applicable to positive stranded RNA viruses which cannot easily be purified or genetically manipulated.

BIOLOGYCAL IMUNOMODULATORS IN THE COMPLEX THERAPY OF INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS IN CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. G. Bokovoy

2015-01-01

Full Text Available 80 patients were observed with infectious mononucleosis (IM from 2 to 12 years. Diagnosis was confirmed by the definition of M- and G-antibodies to EBV, CMV, HHV6, PCR DNA these viruses, bacteriological and blood-tests investigations. 40 patients was given bifidumbacterin forte 45—90 doses a day and cycloferon 8 mg/kg/weight a day(1-st group. The comparison group consisted of 40 patients with IM receiving symptomatic therapy and antibiotics (2-nd group. The observations shoved significant decreasing of length of clinical symptoms IM in the 1-st group with comparison of the 2-nd group. The obtained results allow to recommend bifidumbacterin forte and cycloferon in the complex therapy in children with infectious mononucleosis.

Full-length cDNA sequences from Rhesus monkey placenta tissue: analysis and utility for comparative mapping

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Lee Sang-Rae

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta are widely-used as experimental animals in biomedical research and are closely related to other laboratory macaques, such as cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis, and to humans, sharing a last common ancestor from about 25 million years ago. Although rhesus monkeys have been studied extensively under field and laboratory conditions, research has been limited by the lack of genetic resources. The present study generated placenta full-length cDNA libraries, characterized the resulting expressed sequence tags, and described their utility for comparative mapping with human RefSeq mRNA transcripts. Results From rhesus monkey placenta full-length cDNA libraries, 2000 full-length cDNA sequences were determined and 1835 rhesus placenta cDNA sequences longer than 100 bp were collected. These sequences were annotated based on homology to human genes. Homology search against human RefSeq mRNAs revealed that our collection included the sequences of 1462 putative rhesus monkey genes. Moreover, we identified 207 genes containing exon alterations in the coding region and the untranslated region of rhesus monkey transcripts, despite the highly conserved structure of the coding regions. Approximately 10% (187 of all full-length cDNA sequences did not represent any public human RefSeq mRNAs. Intriguingly, two rhesus monkey specific exons derived from the transposable elements of AluYRa2 (SINE family and MER11B (LTR family were also identified. Conclusion The 1835 rhesus monkey placenta full-length cDNA sequences described here could expand genomic resources and information of rhesus monkeys. This increased genomic information will greatly contribute to the development of evolutionary biology and biomedical research.

Association of murine lupus and thymic full-length endogenous retroviral expression maps to a bone marrow stem cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krieg, A.M.; Gourley, M.F.; Steinberg, A.D.

1991-01-01

Recent studies of thymic gene expression in murine lupus have demonstrated 8.4-kb (full-length size) modified polytropic (Mpmv) endogenous retroviral RNA. In contrast, normal control mouse strains do not produce detectable amounts of such RNA in their thymuses. Prior studies have attributed a defect in experimental tolerance in murine lupus to a bone marrow stem cell rather than to the thymic epithelium; in contrast, infectious retroviral expression has been associated with the thymic epithelium, rather than with the bone marrow stem cell. The present study was designed to determine whether the abnormal Mpmv expression associated with murine lupus mapped to thymic epithelium or to a marrow precursor. Lethally irradiated control and lupus-prone mice were reconstituted with T cell depleted bone marrow; one month later their thymuses were studied for endogenous retroviral RNA and protein expression. Recipients of bone marrow from nonautoimmune donors expressed neither 8.4-kb Mpmv RNA nor surface MCF gp70 in their thymuses. In contrast, recipients of bone marrow from autoimmune NZB or BXSB donors expressed thymic 8.4-kb Mpmv RNA and mink cell focus-forming gp70. These studies demonstrate that lupus-associated 8.4-kb Mpmv endogenous retroviral expression is determined by bone marrow stem cells

Full-length high-temperature severe fuel damage test No. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanning, D.D.; Lombardo, N.J.; Hensley, W.K.; Fitzsimmons, D.E.; Panisko, F.E.; Hartwell, J.K.

1993-09-01

This report describes and presents data from a severe fuel damage test that was conducted in the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories (CRNL), Ontario, Canada. The test, designated FLHT-5, was the fourth in a series of full-length high-temperature (FLHT) tests on light-water reactor fuel. The tests were designed and performed by staff from the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), operated by Battelle Memorial Institute. The test operation and test results are described in this report. The fuel bundle in the FLHT-5 experiment included 10 unirradiated full-length pressurized-water reactor (PWR) rods, 1 irradiated PWR rod and 1 dummy gamma thermometer. The fuel rods were subjected to a very low coolant flow while operating at low fission power. This caused coolant boilaway, rod dryout and overheating to temperatures above 2600 K, severe fuel rod damage, hydrogen generation, and fission product release. The test assembly and its effluent path were extensively instrumented to record temperatures, pressures, flow rates, hydrogen evolution, and fission product release during the boilaway/heatup transient. Post-test gamma scanning of the upper plenum indicated significant iodine and cesium release and deposition. Both stack gas activity and on-line gamma spectrometer data indicated significant (∼50%) release of noble fission gases. Post-test visual examination of one side of the fuel bundle revealed no massive relocation and flow blockage; however, rundown of molten cladding was evident

A two-plasmid strategy for engineering a dengue virus type 3 infectious clone from primary Brazilian isolate.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Jefferson J S; Cordeiro, Marli T; Bertani, Giovani R; Marques, Ernesto T A; Gil, Laura H V G

2014-12-01

Dengue infections represent one of the most prevalent arthropod-borne diseases worldwide, causing a wide spectrum of clinical outcomes. Engineered infectious clone is an important tool to study Dengue virus (DENV) biology. Functional full-length cDNA clones have been constructed for many positive-strand RNA viruses and have provided valuable tools for studying the molecular mechanisms involved in viral genome replication, virion assembly, virus pathogenesis and vaccine development. We report herein the successful development of an infectious clone from a primary Brazilian isolate of dengue virus 3 (DENV3) of the genotype III. Using a two-plasmid strategy, DENV3 genome was divided in two parts and cloned separately into a yeast-bacteria shuttle vector. All plasmids were assembled in yeast by homologous recombination technique and a full-length template for transcription was obtained by in vitro ligation of the two parts of the genome. Transcript-derived DENV3 is infectious upon transfection into BHK-21 cells and in vitro characterization confirmed its identity. Growth kinetics of transcript-derived DENV3 was indistinguishable from wild type DENV3. This system is a powerful tool that will help shed light on molecular features of DENV biology, as the relationship of specific mutations and DENV pathogenesis.

A reverse genetics approach to study feline infectious peritonitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tekes, Gergely; Spies, Danica; Bank-Wolf, Barbara; Thiel, Volker; Thiel, Heinz-Jürgen

2012-06-01

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a lethal immunopathological disease caused by feline coronaviruses (FCoVs). Here, we describe a reverse genetics approach to study FIP by assessing the pathogenicity of recombinant type I and type II and chimeric type I/type II FCoVs. All recombinant FCoVs established productive infection in cats, and recombinant type II FCoV (strain 79-1146) induced FIP. Virus sequence analyses from FIP-diseased cats revealed that the 3c gene stop codon of strain 79-1146 has changed to restore a full-length open reading frame (ORF).

Pulp regeneration in a full-length human tooth root using a hierarchical nanofibrous microsphere system.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiangwei; Ma, Chi; Xie, Xiaohua; Sun, Hongchen; Liu, Xiaohua

2016-04-15

While pulp regeneration using tissue engineering strategy has been explored for over a decade, successful regeneration of pulp tissues in a full-length human root with a one-end seal that truly simulates clinical endodontic treatment has not been achieved. To address this challenge, we designed and synthesized a unique hierarchical growth factor-loaded nanofibrous microsphere scaffolding system. In this system, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) binds with heparin and is encapsulated in heparin-conjugated gelatin nanospheres, which are further immobilized in the nanofibers of an injectable poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) microsphere. This hierarchical microsphere system not only protects the VEGF from denaturation and degradation, but also provides excellent control of its sustained release. In addition, the nanofibrous PLLA microsphere integrates the extracellular matrix-mimicking architecture with a highly porous injectable form, efficiently accommodating dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and supporting their proliferation and pulp tissue formation. Our in vivo study showed the successful regeneration of pulp-like tissues that fulfilled the entire apical and middle thirds and reached the coronal third of the full-length root canal. In addition, a large number of blood vessels were regenerated throughout the canal. For the first time, our work demonstrates the success of pulp tissue regeneration in a full-length root canal, making it a significant step toward regenerative endodontics. The regeneration of pulp tissues in a full-length tooth root canal has been one of the greatest challenges in the field of regenerative endodontics, and one of the biggest barriers for its clinical application. In this study, we developed a unique approach to tackle this challenge, and for the first time, we successfully regenerated living pulp tissues in a full-length root canal, making it a significant step toward regenerative endodontics. This study will make positive scientific

Scalable production in human cells and biochemical characterization of full-length normal and mutant huntingtin.

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Bin Huang

Full Text Available Huntingtin (Htt is a 350 kD intracellular protein, ubiquitously expressed and mainly localized in the cytoplasm. Huntington's disease (HD is caused by a CAG triplet amplification in exon 1 of the corresponding gene resulting in a polyglutamine (polyQ expansion at the N-terminus of Htt. Production of full-length Htt has been difficult in the past and so far a scalable system or process has not been established for recombinant production of Htt in human cells. The ability to produce Htt in milligram quantities would be a prerequisite for many biochemical and biophysical studies aiming in a better understanding of Htt function under physiological conditions and in case of mutation and disease. For scalable production of full-length normal (17Q and mutant (46Q and 128Q Htt we have established two different systems, the first based on doxycycline-inducible Htt expression in stable cell lines, the second on "gutless" adenovirus mediated gene transfer. Purified material has then been used for biochemical characterization of full-length Htt. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs were determined and several new phosphorylation sites were identified. Nearly all PTMs in full-length Htt localized to areas outside of predicted alpha-solenoid protein regions. In all detected N-terminal peptides methionine as the first amino acid was missing and the second, alanine, was found to be acetylated. Differences in secondary structure between normal and mutant Htt, a helix-rich protein, were not observed in our study. Purified Htt tends to form dimers and higher order oligomers, thus resembling the situation observed with N-terminal fragments, although the mechanism of oligomer formation may be different.

Evaluation of full-length, cleaved and nitrosylated serum surfactant protein D as biomarkers for COPD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duvoix, Annelyse; Miranda, Elena; Perez, Juan

2011-01-01

. Serum levels of SP-D are raised in individuals with COPD but there is no correlation between the serum level of SP-D and the severity of airflow obstruction. Serum SP-D is present in different forms that may have more utility as a biomarker for COPD. We report here the development of new monoclonal...... antibodies to full length and cleaved SP-D. We have assessed these and existing antibodies in 98 individuals with COPD recruited to the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (ECLIPSE) cohort. Our data show that neither monoclonal antibodies to full length nor cleaved SP...

Impaired heat shock response in cells expressing full-length polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin.

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Sidhartha M Chafekar

Full Text Available The molecular mechanisms by which polyglutamine (polyQ-expanded huntingtin (Htt causes neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (HD remain unclear. The malfunction of cellular proteostasis has been suggested as central in HD pathogenesis and also as a target of therapeutic interventions for the treatment of HD. We present results that offer a previously unexplored perspective regarding impaired proteostasis in HD. We find that, under non-stress conditions, the proteostatic capacity of cells expressing full length polyQ-expanded Htt is adequate. Yet, under stress conditions, the presence of polyQ-expanded Htt impairs the heat shock response, a key component of cellular proteostasis. This impaired heat shock response results in a reduced capacity to withstand the damage caused by cellular stress. We demonstrate that in cells expressing polyQ-expanded Htt the levels of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1 are reduced, and, as a consequence, these cells have an impaired a heat shock response. Also, we found reduced HSF1 and HSP70 levels in the striata of HD knock-in mice when compared to wild-type mice. Our results suggests that full length, non-aggregated polyQ-expanded Htt blocks the effective induction of the heat shock response under stress conditions and may thus trigger the accumulation of cellular damage during the course of HD pathogenesis.

Performance of initial full-length RHIC [Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider] dipoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, P.; Cottingham, J.; Garber, M.

1987-01-01

The first four full-length (9.7 m) R and D dipoles for the proposed Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have been successfully tested. The magnets reached a quench plateau of approximately 4.5 T with very reasonable training - a field level comfortably above the design field of 3.45 T required for operation with beams of 100 GeV/amu gold nuclei. Measured field multipoles are considered to be quite acceptable for this series of R and D magnets

Construction of an infectious plasmid clone of Muscovy duck parvovirus by TA cloning and creation of a partially attenuated strain.

Science.gov (United States)

Yen, T-Y; Li, K-P; Ou, S-C; Shien, J-H; Lu, H-M; Chang, P-C

2015-01-01

Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV) infection is a highly contagious and fatal disease of Muscovy ducklings. The infectious clone methodology is a valuable tool to study the pathogenic mechanisms of viruses, but no infectious clone of MDPV is yet available. In this study, a plasmid clone containing the full-length genome of MDPV was constructed using the TA cloning methodology. This MDPV clone was found to be infectious after transfection of primary Muscovy duck embryo fibroblast cells and passage in embryonated Muscovy duck eggs. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that the K75N mutation in the VP1 protein of MDPV resulted in the partial attenuation of the virus. The availability of an MDPV infectious clone can facilitate investigation of the pathogenic mechanisms of MDPV and development of vaccines against diseases caused by MDPV.

XenDB: Full length cDNA prediction and cross species mapping in Xenopus laevis

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Giegerich Robert

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research using the model system Xenopus laevis has provided critical insights into the mechanisms of early vertebrate development and cell biology. Large scale sequencing efforts have provided an increasingly important resource for researchers. To provide full advantage of the available sequence, we have analyzed 350,468 Xenopus laevis Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs both to identify full length protein encoding sequences and to develop a unique database system to support comparative approaches between X. laevis and other model systems. Description Using a suffix array based clustering approach, we have identified 25,971 clusters and 40,877 singleton sequences. Generation of a consensus sequence for each cluster resulted in 31,353 tentative contig and 4,801 singleton sequences. Using both BLASTX and FASTY comparison to five model organisms and the NR protein database, more than 15,000 sequences are predicted to encode full length proteins and these have been matched to publicly available IMAGE clones when available. Each sequence has been compared to the KOG database and ~67% of the sequences have been assigned a putative functional category. Based on sequence homology to mouse and human, putative GO annotations have been determined. Conclusion The results of the analysis have been stored in a publicly available database XenDB http://bibiserv.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/xendb/. A unique capability of the database is the ability to batch upload cross species queries to identify potential Xenopus homologues and their associated full length clones. Examples are provided including mapping of microarray results and application of 'in silico' analysis. The ability to quickly translate the results of various species into 'Xenopus-centric' information should greatly enhance comparative embryological approaches. Supplementary material can be found at http://bibiserv.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/xendb/.

Generation of an infectious clone of VR-2332, a highly virulent North American type isolate of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, H.S.; Liu, G.; Nielsen, Jens

2003-01-01

A full-length cDNA clone of the prototypical North American porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolate VR-2332 was assembled in the plasmid vector pOK(12). To rescue infectious virus, capped RNA was transcribed in vitro from the pOK(12) clone and transfected into BHK-21C...... cells. The supernatant from transfected monolayers were serially passaged on Marc-145 cells and porcine pulmonary alveolar macrophages. Infectious PRRSV was recovered on Marc-145 cells as well as porcine pulmonary macrophages; thus, the cloned virus exhibited the same cell tropism as the parental VR......-2332 strain. However, the cloned virus was clearly distinguishable from the parental VR-2332 strain by an engineered marker, a BstZ171 restriction site. The full-length cDNA clone had 11 nucleotide changes, 2 of which affected coding, compared to the parental VR-2332 strain. Additionally...

Full-length Dysferlin Transfer by the Hyperactive Sleeping Beauty Transposase Restores Dysferlin-deficient Muscle

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Helena Escobar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease characterized by muscle weakness and wasting for which there is no treatment. It is caused by mutations in DYSF, a large, multiexonic gene that forms a coding sequence of 6.2 kb. Sleeping Beauty (SB transposon is a nonviral gene transfer vector, already used in clinical trials. The hyperactive SB system consists of a transposon DNA sequence and a transposase protein, SB100X, that can integrate DNA over 10 kb into the target genome. We constructed an SB transposon-based vector to deliver full-length human DYSF cDNA into dysferlin-deficient H2K A/J myoblasts. We demonstrate proper dysferlin expression as well as highly efficient engraftment (>1,100 donor-derived fibers of the engineered myoblasts in the skeletal muscle of dysferlin- and immunodeficient B6. Cg-Dysfprmd Prkdcscid/J (Scid/BLA/J mice. Nonviral gene delivery of full-length human dysferlin into muscle cells, along with a successful and efficient transplantation into skeletal muscle are important advances towards successful gene therapy of dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy.

Recombination in Avian Gamma-Coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus

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Mark W. Jackwood

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Recombination in the family Coronaviridae has been well documented and is thought to be a contributing factor in the emergence and evolution of different coronaviral genotypes as well as different species of coronavirus. However, there are limited data available on the frequency and extent of recombination in coronaviruses in nature and particularly for the avian gamma-coronaviruses where only recently the emergence of a turkey coronavirus has been attributed solely to recombination. In this study, the full-length genomes of eight avian gamma-coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV isolates were sequenced and along with other full-length IBV genomes available from GenBank were analyzed for recombination. Evidence of recombination was found in every sequence analyzed and was distributed throughout the entire genome. Areas that have the highest occurrence of recombination are located in regions of the genome that code for nonstructural proteins 2, 3 and 16, and the structural spike glycoprotein. The extent of the recombination observed, suggests that this may be one of the principal mechanisms for generating genetic and antigenic diversity within IBV. These data indicate that reticulate evolutionary change due to recombination in IBV, likely plays a major role in the origin and adaptation of the virus leading to new genetic types and strains of the virus.

Parental LTRs are important in a construct of a stable and efficient replication-competent infectious molecular clone of HIV-1 CRF08_BC.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiwei; Zhang, Xiaomin; Wu, Hao; Seto, Donald; Zhang, Hao-Jie; Chen, Zhiwei; Wan, Chengsong; Zheng, Bo-Jian

2012-01-01

Circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) of HIV-1 have been identified in southern China in recent years. CRF08_BC is one of the most predominant subtypes circulating in China. In order to study HIV subtype biology and to provide a tool for biotechnological applications, the first full-length replication-competent infectious molecular clone harboring CRF08_BC is reported. The construction of this clone pBRGX indicates that a moderate-copy number vector is required for its amplification in E. coli. In addition, it is shown that the parental CRF08_BC LTRs are important for generating this efficient replication-competent infectious clone. These observations may aid in the construction of infectious clones from other subtypes. Both the pBRGX-derived virus and its parental isolate contain CCR5 tropism. Their full-length genomes were also sequenced, analyzed, compared and deposited in GenBank (JF719819 and JF719818, respectively). The availability of pBRGX as the first replication-competent molecular clone of CRF08_BC provides a useful tool for a wide range of studies of this newly emergent HIV subtype, including the development of HIV vaccine candidates, antiviral drug screening and drug resistance analysis.

Infectious morbidity, operative blood loss, and length of the operative procedure after cesarean delivery by method of placental removal and site of uterine repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Magann, E F; Washburne, J F; Harris, R L; Bass, J D; Duff, W P; Morrison, J C

1995-12-01

This study was done to determine the impact of the method of placental removal and the site of uterine repair on postcesarean infectious morbidity rates in women receiving prophylactic antibiotics at cesarean delivery. This prospective study included 284 women who underwent cesarean delivery and who were randomly assigned to four groups based on the method of placental removal and the site of uterine repair: group 1, spontaneous placental removal and in situ uterine repair; group 2, spontaneous placental removal and exteriorized uterine repair; group 3, manual placental removal and in situ uterine repair; and group 4, manual placental removal with exteriorized uterine repair. Exclusion criteria were repeat cesarean deliveries without labor, active infection at the time of cesarean delivery, and patient refusal to participate. There was no significant difference among the groups in maternal age, race, parity, weight, the length of time from rupture of membranes (ROM) or the number of vaginal examinations from ROM to cesarean delivery, or preoperative hematocrit. Intraoperatively, the type of uterine incision, anesthesia administered, incidence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, Apgar scores, and cord gases were similar between groups. The incidence of postcesarean endometritis was greater in group 4 (32 [45 percent] of 71, p = 0.003) compared with group 1 (17 [24 percent] of 71), group 2 (12 [30 percent] of 71); and group 3 (13 [18 percent] of 71). Manual placental removal and exteriorization of the uterus for repair of the surgical incision increases the infectious morbidity rate in women receiving prophylactic antibiotics at the time of cesarean delivery and increases the length of hospitalization.

Species-Specific Expression of Full-Length and Alternatively Spliced Variant Forms of CDK5RAP2.

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John S Y Park

Full Text Available CDK5RAP2 is one of the primary microcephaly genes that are associated with reduced brain size and mental retardation. We have previously shown that human CDK5RAP2 exists as a full-length form (hCDK5RAP2 or an alternatively spliced variant form (hCDK5RAP2-V1 that is lacking exon 32. The equivalent of hCDK5RAP2-V1 has been reported in rat and mouse but the presence of full-length equivalent hCDK5RAP2 in rat and mouse has not been examined. Here, we demonstrate that rat expresses both a full length and an alternatively spliced variant form of CDK5RAP2 that are equivalent to our previously reported hCDK5RAP2 and hCDK5RAP2-V1, repectively. However, mouse expresses only one form of CDK5RAP2 that is equivalent to the human and rat alternatively spliced variant forms. Knowledge of this expression of different forms of CDK5RAP2 in human, rat and mouse is essential in selecting the appropriate model for studies of CDK5RAP2 and primary microcephaly but our findings further indicate the evolutionary divergence of mouse from the human and rat species.

A longer stay for the kissing disease: epidemiology of bacterial tonsillitis and infectious mononucleosis over a 20-year period.

Science.gov (United States)

Lennon, P; Saunders, J; Fenton, J E

2013-02-01

Anecdotally, infectious mononucleosis is considered a more severe infection than bacterial tonsillitis, requiring a longer hospital stay. However, there is little in the literature comparing the epidemiology of the two conditions. This study aimed to compare the epidemiology of bacterial tonsillitis and infectious mononucleosis, in particular any differences in the length of in-patient stay. The hospital in-patient enquiry system was used to analyse patients admitted with bacterial tonsillitis and infectious mononucleosis between 1990 and 2009 inclusive. There was a total of 3435 cases over the 20 years: 3064 with bacterial tonsillitis and 371 with infectious mononucleosis. The mean length of stay was 3.22 days for bacterial tonsillitis and 4.37 days for infectious mononucleosis. The median length of stay for each condition was compared using the Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test, and a significant difference detected (p mononucleosis have a significantly longer stay in hospital than those with bacterial tonsillitis.

Purification and Fibrillation of Full-Length Recombinant PrP.

Science.gov (United States)

Makarava, Natallia; Savtchenko, Regina; Baskakov, Ilia V

2017-01-01

Misfolding and aggregation of prion protein are related to several neurodegenerative diseases in humans such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease. A growing number of applications in the prion field including assays for detection of PrP Sc and methods for production of PrP Sc de novo require recombinant prion protein (PrP) of high purity and quality. Here, we report an experimental procedure for expression and purification of full-length mammalian prion protein. This protocol has been proved to yield PrP of extremely high purity that lacks PrP adducts, oxidative modifications, or truncation, which is typically generated as a result of spontaneous oxidation or degradation. We also describe methods for preparation of amyloid fibrils from recombinant PrP in vitro. Recombinant PrP fibrils can be used as a noninfectious synthetic surrogate of PrP Sc for development of prion diagnostics including generation of PrP Sc -specific antibody.

Full-length mRNA sequencing uncovers a widespread coupling between transcription initiation and mRNA processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Anvar, Seyed Yahya; Allard, Guy; Tseng, Elizabeth; Sheynkman, Gloria M; de Klerk, Eleonora; Vermaat, Martijn; Yin, Raymund H; Johansson, Hans E; Ariyurek, Yavuz; den Dunnen, Johan T; Turner, Stephen W; 't Hoen, Peter A C

2018-03-29

The multifaceted control of gene expression requires tight coordination of regulatory mechanisms at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Here, we studied the interdependence of transcription initiation, splicing and polyadenylation events on single mRNA molecules by full-length mRNA sequencing. In MCF-7 breast cancer cells, we find 2700 genes with interdependent alternative transcription initiation, splicing and polyadenylation events, both in proximal and distant parts of mRNA molecules, including examples of coupling between transcription start sites and polyadenylation sites. The analysis of three human primary tissues (brain, heart and liver) reveals similar patterns of interdependency between transcription initiation and mRNA processing events. We predict thousands of novel open reading frames from full-length mRNA sequences and obtained evidence for their translation by shotgun proteomics. The mapping database rescues 358 previously unassigned peptides and improves the assignment of others. By recognizing sample-specific amino-acid changes and novel splicing patterns, full-length mRNA sequencing improves proteogenomics analysis of MCF-7 cells. Our findings demonstrate that our understanding of transcriptome complexity is far from complete and provides a basis to reveal largely unresolved mechanisms that coordinate transcription initiation and mRNA processing.

Global Dynamics of Infectious Disease with Arbitrary Distributed Infectious Period on Complex Networks

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Xiaoguang Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Most of the current epidemic models assume that the infectious period follows an exponential distribution. However, due to individual heterogeneity and epidemic diversity, these models fail to describe the distribution of infectious periods precisely. We establish a SIS epidemic model with multistaged progression of infectious periods on complex networks, which can be used to characterize arbitrary distributions of infectious periods of the individuals. By using mathematical analysis, the basic reproduction number R0 for the model is derived. We verify that the R0 depends on the average distributions of infection periods for different types of infective individuals, which extend the general theory obtained from the single infectious period epidemic models. It is proved that if R0<1, then the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable; otherwise the unique endemic equilibrium exists such that it is globally asymptotically attractive. Finally numerical simulations hold for the validity of our theoretical results is given.

Non-destructive testing of full-length bonded rock bolts based on HHT signal analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Z. M.; Liu, L.; Peng, M.; Liu, C. C.; Tao, F. J.; Liu, C. S.

2018-04-01

Full-length bonded rock bolts are commonly used in mining, tunneling and slope engineering because of their simple design and resistance to corrosion. However, the length of a rock bolt and grouting quality do not often meet the required design standards in practice because of the concealment and complexity of bolt construction. Non-destructive testing is preferred when testing a rock bolt's quality because of the convenience, low cost and wide detection range. In this paper, a signal analysis method for the non-destructive sound wave testing of full-length bonded rock bolts is presented, which is based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). First, we introduce the HHT analysis method to calculate the bolt length and identify defect locations based on sound wave reflection test signals, which includes decomposing the test signal via empirical mode decomposition (EMD), selecting the intrinsic mode functions (IMF) using the Pearson Correlation Index (PCI) and calculating the instantaneous phase and frequency via the Hilbert transform (HT). Second, six model tests are conducted using different grouting defects and bolt protruding lengths to verify the effectiveness of the HHT analysis method. Lastly, the influence of the bolt protruding length on the test signal, identification of multiple reflections from defects, bolt end and protruding end, and mode mixing from EMD are discussed. The HHT analysis method can identify the bolt length and grouting defect locations from signals that contain noise at multiple reflected interfaces. The reflection from the long protruding end creates an irregular test signal with many frequency peaks on the spectrum. The reflections from defects barely change the original signal because they are low energy, which cannot be adequately resolved using existing methods. The HHT analysis method can identify reflections from the long protruding end of the bolt and multiple reflections from grouting defects based on mutations in the instantaneous

African Journal of Infectious Diseases: Journal Sponsorship

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Infectious Diseases: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > African Journal of Infectious Diseases: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Cost-effective sequencing of full-length cDNA clones powered by a de novo-reference hybrid assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroshu, Reginaldo M; Watanabe, Junichi; Sugano, Sumio; Morishita, Shinichi; Suzuki, Yutaka; Kasahara, Masahiro

2010-05-07

Sequencing full-length cDNA clones is important to determine gene structures including alternative splice forms, and provides valuable resources for experimental analyses to reveal the biological functions of coded proteins. However, previous approaches for sequencing cDNA clones were expensive or time-consuming, and therefore, a fast and efficient sequencing approach was demanded. We developed a program, MuSICA 2, that assembles millions of short (36-nucleotide) reads collected from a single flow cell lane of Illumina Genome Analyzer to shotgun-sequence approximately 800 human full-length cDNA clones. MuSICA 2 performs a hybrid assembly in which an external de novo assembler is run first and the result is then improved by reference alignment of shotgun reads. We compared the MuSICA 2 assembly with 200 pooled full-length cDNA clones finished independently by the conventional primer-walking using Sanger sequencers. The exon-intron structure of the coding sequence was correct for more than 95% of the clones with coding sequence annotation when we excluded cDNA clones insufficiently represented in the shotgun library due to PCR failure (42 out of 200 clones excluded), and the nucleotide-level accuracy of coding sequences of those correct clones was over 99.99%. We also applied MuSICA 2 to full-length cDNA clones from Toxoplasma gondii, to confirm that its ability was competent even for non-human species. The entire sequencing and shotgun assembly takes less than 1 week and the consumables cost only approximately US$3 per clone, demonstrating a significant advantage over previous approaches.

Sequencing, mapping, and analysis of 27,455 maize full-length cDNAs.

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Carol Soderlund

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Full-length cDNA (FLcDNA sequencing establishes the precise primary structure of individual gene transcripts. From two libraries representing 27 B73 tissues and abiotic stress treatments, 27,455 high-quality FLcDNAs were sequenced. The average transcript length was 1.44 kb including 218 bases and 321 bases of 5' and 3' UTR, respectively, with 8.6% of the FLcDNAs encoding predicted proteins of fewer than 100 amino acids. Approximately 94% of the FLcDNAs were stringently mapped to the maize genome. Although nearly two-thirds of this genome is composed of transposable elements (TEs, only 5.6% of the FLcDNAs contained TE sequences in coding or UTR regions. Approximately 7.2% of the FLcDNAs are putative transcription factors, suggesting that rare transcripts are well-enriched in our FLcDNA set. Protein similarity searching identified 1,737 maize transcripts not present in rice, sorghum, Arabidopsis, or poplar annotated genes. A strict FLcDNA assembly generated 24,467 non-redundant sequences, of which 88% have non-maize protein matches. The FLcDNAs were also assembled with 41,759 FLcDNAs in GenBank from other projects, where semi-strict parameters were used to identify 13,368 potentially unique non-redundant sequences from this project. The libraries, ESTs, and FLcDNA sequences produced from this project are publicly available. The annotated EST and FLcDNA assemblies are available through the maize FLcDNA web resource (www.maizecdna.org.

The ability to form full-length intron RNA circles is a general property of nuclear group I introns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henrik; Fiskaa, Tonje; Birgisdottir, Asa Birna

2003-01-01

at the expense of the host. The circularization pathway has distinct structural requirements that differ from those of splicing and appears to be specifically suppressed in vivo. The ability to form full-length circles is found in all types of nuclear group I introns, including those from the Tetrahymena...... ribosomal DNA. The biological function of the full-length circles is not known, but the fact that the circles contain the entire genetic information of the intron suggests a role in intron mobility....

High yield purification of full-length functional hERG K+ channels produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Molbaek, Karen; Scharff-Poulsen, Peter; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2015-01-01

knowledge this is the first reported high-yield production and purification of full length, tetrameric and functional hERG. This significant breakthrough will be paramount in obtaining hERG crystal structures, and in establishment of new high-throughput hERG drug safety screening assays....

Detection, molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of full-length equine infectious anemia (EIAV) gag genes isolated from Shackleford Banks wild horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Capomaccio, S; Willand, Z A; Cook, S J; Issel, C J; Santos, E M; Reis, J K P; Cook, R F

2012-06-15

The genetically distinct wild horse herds inhabiting Shackleford Banks, North Carolina are probably the direct descendents of Spanish stock abandoned after failed attempts to settle mid-Atlantic coastal regions of North America in the Sixteenth Century. In a 1996 island survey, 41% of the gathered horses were discovered seropositive for Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) with additional cases identified in 1997 and 1998. As a result of their unique genetic heritage, EIAV seropositive individuals identified in the two latter surveys were transferred to a quarantine facility on the mainland. In September 2008 two of the horses SB1 and SB2 after 10 and 11 years in quarantine respectively, developed clinical signs of EIA. In the case of SB2 these were so severe that the only humane option was euthanasia. Although SB1, survived it experienced a second clinical episode one month later. In May 2009, a third horse in quarantine, SB3, developed extremely severe clinical EIA and was euthanized. This demonstrates naturally infected long-term inapparent carriers can experience recrudescence of very severe disease many years after initial exposure to EIAV. Phylogenetic analysis of complete EIAV gag gene sequences obtained from each of three Shackleford horses demonstrated they were infected with very closely related viruses. Although these were distinguishable from all other strains examined, they belong to a monophyletic group comprising almost exclusively of New World isolates that is distinct from a number of recently characterized Central European EIAV strains. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning of a Bangladeshi strain of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus of chickens and its adaptation in tissue culture by site-directed mutagenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, M.R.; Raue, R.; Mueller, H.

2005-01-01

Full-length cDNA of both genome segments of a Bangladeshi strain of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (BD 3/99) were cloned in plasmid vectors along with the T7 promoter tagged to the 5'-ends. Mutations were introduced in the cloned cDNA to bring about two amino acid exchanges (Q253H and A284T) in the capsid protein VP2. Transfection of primary chicken embryo fibroblast cells with RNA transcribed in vitro from the full-length cDNA resulted in the formation of mutant infectious virus particles that grow in tissue culture. The pathogenicity of this molecularly-cloned, tissue-culture- adapted virus (BD-3tc) was tested in commercial chickens. The parental wild-type strain, BD 3/99, was included for comparison. The subclinical course of the disease and delayed bursal atrophy in BD-3tc-inoculated birds suggested that these amino acid substitutions made BD-3tc partially attenuated. (author)

Evidence for a Complex Mosaic Genome Pattern in a Full-length Hepatitis C Virus Sequence

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R.S. Ross

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV exhibits a high genetic variability. This remarkable heterogeneity is mainly attributed to the gradual accumulation of mutational changes, whereas the contribution of recombination events to the evolution of HCV remains controversial so far. While performing phylogenetic analyses including a large number of sequences deposited in the GenBank, we encountered a full-length HCV sequence (AY651061 that showed evidence for inter-subtype recombination and was, therefore, subjected to a detailed analysis of its molecular structure. The obtained results indicated that AY651061 does not represent a “simple” HCV 1c isolate, but a complex 1a/1c mosaic genome, showing five putative breakpoints in the core to NS3 regions. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a mosaic HCV full- length sequence with multiple breakpoints. The molecular structure of AY651061 is reminiscent of complex homologous recombinant variants occurring among other members of the flaviviridae family, e.g. GB virus C, dengue virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus. Our finding of a mosaic HCV sequence may have important implications for many fields of current HCV research which merit careful consideration.

dsRNA binding characterization of full length recombinant wild type and mutants Zaire ebolavirus VP35.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinzula, Luca; Esposito, Francesca; Pala, Daniela; Tramontano, Enzo

2012-03-01

The Ebola viruses (EBOVs) VP35 protein is a multifunctional major virulence factor involved in EBOVs replication and evasion of the host immune system. EBOV VP35 is an essential component of the viral RNA polymerase, it is a key participant of the nucleocapsid assembly and it inhibits the innate immune response by antagonizing RIG-I like receptors through its dsRNA binding function and, hence, by suppressing the host type I interferon (IFN) production. Insights into the VP35 dsRNA recognition have been recently revealed by structural and functional analysis performed on its C-terminus protein. We report the biochemical characterization of the Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) full-length recombinant VP35 (rVP35)-dsRNA binding function. We established a novel in vitro magnetic dsRNA binding pull down assay, determined the rVP35 optimal dsRNA binding parameters, measured the rVP35 equilibrium dissociation constant for heterologous in vitro transcribed dsRNA of different length and short synthetic dsRNA of 8bp, and validated the assay for compound screening by assessing the inhibitory ability of auryntricarboxylic acid (IC(50) value of 50μg/mL). Furthermore, we compared the dsRNA binding properties of full length wt rVP35 with those of R305A, K309A and R312A rVP35 mutants, which were previously reported to be defective in dsRNA binding-mediated IFN inhibition, showing that the latter have measurably increased K(d) values for dsRNA binding and modified migration patterns in mobility shift assays with respect to wt rVP35. Overall, these results provide the first characterization of the full-length wt and mutants VP35-dsRNA binding functions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quench start localization in full-length SSC R ampersand D dipoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devred, A.; Chapman, M.; Cortella, J.; Desportes, A.; Kaugerts, J.; Kirk, T.; Mirk, K.; Schermer, R.; Tompkins, J.C.; Turner, J.; Bleadon, M.; Brown, B.C.; Hanft, R.; Kuchnir, M.; Lamm, M.; Mantsch, P.; Mazur, P.O.; Orris, D.; Peoples, J.; Strait, J.; Tool, G.; Caspi, S.; Gilbert, W.; Meuser, R.; Peters, C.; Rechen, J.; Royet, J.; Scanlan, R.; Taylor, C.; Zbasnik, J.

1989-04-01

Full-length SSC R ampersand D dipole magnets instrumented with four voltage taps on each turn of the inner quarter coils have been tested. These voltage taps enable accurate location of the point at which the quenches start and detailed studies of quench development in the coil. Attention here is focused on localizing the quench source. After recalling the basic mechanism of a quench (why it occurs and how it propagates), the method of quench origin analysis is described: the quench propagation velocity on the turn where the quench occurs is calculated, and the quench location is then verified by reiterating the analysis on the adjacent turns. Last, the velocity value, which appears to be higher than previously measured, is discussed

Characterization of full-length sequenced cDNA inserts (FLIcs from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar

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Lunner Sigbjørn

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sequencing of the Atlantic salmon genome is now being planned by an international research consortium. Full-length sequenced inserts from cDNAs (FLIcs are an important tool for correct annotation and clustering of the genomic sequence in any species. The large amount of highly similar duplicate sequences caused by the relatively recent genome duplication in the salmonid ancestor represents a particular challenge for the genome project. FLIcs will therefore be an extremely useful resource for the Atlantic salmon sequencing project. In addition to be helpful in order to distinguish between duplicate genome regions and in determining correct gene structures, FLIcs are an important resource for functional genomic studies and for investigation of regulatory elements controlling gene expression. In contrast to the large number of ESTs available, including the ESTs from 23 developmental and tissue specific cDNA libraries contributed by the Salmon Genome Project (SGP, the number of sequences where the full-length of the cDNA insert has been determined has been small. Results High quality full-length insert sequences from 560 pre-smolt white muscle tissue specific cDNAs were generated, accession numbers [GenBank: BT043497 - BT044056]. Five hundred and ten (91% of the transcripts were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO terms and 440 of the FLIcs are likely to contain a complete coding sequence (cCDS. The sequence information was used to identify putative paralogs, characterize salmon Kozak motifs, polyadenylation signal variation and to identify motifs likely to be involved in the regulation of particular genes. Finally, conserved 7-mers in the 3'UTRs were identified, of which some were identical to miRNA target sequences. Conclusion This paper describes the first Atlantic salmon FLIcs from a tissue and developmental stage specific cDNA library. We have demonstrated that many FLIcs contained a complete coding sequence (cCDS. This

Construction and biological activities of the first infectious cDNA clones of the genus Foveavirus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Baozhong, E-mail: bmeng@uoguelph.ca [Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1 (Canada); Venkataraman, Srividhya; Li, Caihong; Wang, Weizhou [Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1 (Canada); Dayan-Glick, Cathy; Mawassi, Munir [The Plant Pathology Department-The Virology Unit, Plant Protection Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet-Dagan 50250 (Israel)

2013-01-20

Grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV, genus Foveavirus, family Betaflexiviridae) is one of the most prevalent viruses in grapevines and is associated with three distinct diseases: rupestris stem pitting, vein necrosis and Syrah decline. Little is known about the biology and pathological properties of GRSPaV. In this work, we engineered a full-length infectious cDNA clone for GRSPaV and a GFP-tagged variant, both under the transcriptional control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35 S promoter. We demonstrated that these cDNA clones were infectious in grapevines and Nicotiana benthamiana through fluorescence microscopy, RT-PCR, Western blotting and immuno electron microscopy. Interestingly, GRSPaV does not cause systemic infection in four of the most commonly used herbaceous plants, even in the presence of the movement proteins of two other viruses which are known to complement numerous movement-defective viruses. These infectious clones are the first of members of Foveavirus which would allow further investigations into mechanisms governing different aspects of replication for GRSPaV and perhaps related viruses.

The full-length form of the Drosophila amyloid precursor protein is involved in memory formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourdet, Isabelle; Preat, Thomas; Goguel, Valérie

2015-01-21

The APP plays a central role in AD, a pathology that first manifests as a memory decline. Understanding the role of APP in normal cognition is fundamental in understanding the progression of AD, and mammalian studies have pointed to a role of secreted APPα in memory. In Drosophila, we recently showed that APPL, the fly APP ortholog, is required for associative memory. In the present study, we aimed to characterize which form of APPL is involved in this process. We show that expression of a secreted-APPL form in the mushroom bodies, the center for olfactory memory, is able to rescue the memory deficit caused by APPL partial loss of function. We next assessed the impact on memory of the Drosophila α-secretase kuzbanian (KUZ), the enzyme initiating the nonamyloidogenic pathway that produces secreted APPLα. Strikingly, KUZ overexpression not only failed to rescue the memory deficit caused by APPL loss of function, it exacerbated this deficit. We further show that in addition to an increase in secreted-APPL forms, KUZ overexpression caused a decrease of membrane-bound full-length species that could explain the memory deficit. Indeed, we observed that transient expression of a constitutive membrane-bound mutant APPL form is sufficient to rescue the memory deficit caused by APPL reduction, revealing for the first time a role of full-length APPL in memory formation. Our data demonstrate that, in addition to secreted APPL, the noncleaved form is involved in memory, raising the possibility that secreted and full-length APPL act together in memory processes. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/351043-09$15.00/0.

Near Full-Length Identification of a Novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE/B/C Recombinant in Northern Myanmar.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yan-Heng; Chen, Xin; Liang, Yue-Bo; Pang, Wei; Qin, Wei-Hong; Zhang, Chiyu; Zheng, Yong-Tang

2015-08-01

The Myanmar-China border appears to be the "hot spot" region for the occurrence of HIV-1 recombination. The majority of the previous analyses of HIV-1 recombination were based on partial genomic sequences, which obviously cannot reflect the reality of the genetic diversity of HIV-1 in this area well. Here, we present a near full-length characterization of a novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE/B/C recombinant isolated from a long-distance truck driver in Northern Myanmar. It is the first description of a near full-length genomic sequence in Myanmar since 2003, and might be one of the most complicated HIV-1 chimeras ever detected in Myanmar, containing four CRF01_AE, six B segments, and five C segments separated by 14 breakpoints throughout its genome. The discovery and characterization of this new CRF01_AE/B/C recombinant indicate that intersubtype recombination is ongoing in Myanmar, continuously generating new forms of HIV-1. More work based on near full-length sequence analyses is urgently needed to better understand the genetic diversity of HIV-1 in these regions.

Pharmacological efficacy of anti-IL-1β scFv, Fab and full-length antibodies in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Jianying; Ye, Xianlong; Ren, Guiping; Kan, Fangming; Zhang, Yu; Guo, Mo; Zhang, Zhiyi; Li, Deshan

2014-02-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly causes the synovial joint inflammation and cartilage destruction. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important proinflammatory cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of RA. In this study, we constructed and expressed anti-IL-1β-full-length antibody in CHO-K1-SV, anti-IL-1β-Fab and anti-IL-1β-scFv in Rosetta. We compared the therapeutic efficacy of three anti-IL-1β antibodies for CIA mice. Mice with CIA were subcutaneously injected with humanized anti-IL-1β-scFv, anti-IL-1β-Fab or anti-IL-1β-full-length antibody. The effects of treatment were determined by arthritis severity score, autoreactive humoral, cellular immune responses, histological lesion and cytokines production. Compared with anti-IL-1β-scFv treatments, anti-IL-1β-Fab and anti-IL-1β-full-length antibody therapy resulted in more significant effect in alleviating the severity of arthritis by preventing bone damage and cartilage destruction, reducing humoral and cellular immune responses, and down-regulating the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α and MMP-3 in inflammatory tissue. The therapeutic effects of anti-IL-1β-Fab and anti-IL-1β-full-length antibodies on CIA mice had no significant difference. However, production of anti-IL-1β-full-length antibody in eukaryotic system is, in general, time-consuming and more expensive than that of anti-IL-1β-Fab in prokaryotic systems. In conclusion, as a small molecule antibody, anti-IL-1β-Fab is an ideal candidate for RA therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amplification and pyrosequencing of near-full-length hepatitis C virus for typing and monitoring antiviral resistant strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Trémeaux, P; Caporossi, A; Ramière, C; Santoni, E; Tarbouriech, N; Thélu, M-A; Fusillier, K; Geneletti, L; François, O; Leroy, V; Burmeister, W P; André, P; Morand, P; Larrat, S

2016-05-01

Directly acting antiviral drugs have contributed considerable progress to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, but they show variable activity depending on virus genotypes and subtypes. Therefore, accurate genotyping including recombinant form detection is still of major importance, as is the detection of resistance-associated mutations in case of therapeutic failure. To meet these goals, an approach to amplify the HCV near-complete genome with a single long-range PCR and sequence it with Roche GS Junior was developed. After optimization, the overall amplification success rate was 73% for usual genotypes (i.e. HCV 1a, 1b, 3a and 4a, 16/22) and 45% for recombinant forms RF_2k/1b (5/11). After pyrosequencing and subsequent de novo assembly, a near-full-length genomic consensus sequence was obtained for 19 of 21 samples. The genotype and subtype were confirmed by phylogenetic analysis for every sample, including the suspected recombinant forms. Resistance-associated mutations were detected in seven of 13 samples at baseline, in the NS3 (n = 3) or NS5A (n = 4) region. Of these samples, the treatment of one patient included daclatasvir, and that patient experienced a relapse. Virus sequences from pre- and posttreatment samples of four patients who experienced relapse after sofosbuvir-based therapy were compared: the selected variants seem too far from the NS5B catalytic site to be held responsible. Although tested on a limited set of samples and with technical improvements still necessary, this assay has proven to be successful for both genotyping and resistance-associated variant detection on several HCV types. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cocrystallization studies of full-length recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with cocaine

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Asojo, Oluwatoyin Ajibola; Asojo, Oluyomi Adebola; Ngamelue, Michelle N.; Homma, Kohei; Lockridge, Oksana (Nebraska-Med)

2011-09-16

Human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) is a 340 kDa tetrameric glycoprotein that is present in human serum at about 5 mg l{sup -1} and has well documented therapeutic effects on cocaine toxicity. BChE holds promise as a therapeutic that reduces and finally eliminates the rewarding effects of cocaine, thus weaning an addict from the drug. There have been extensive computational studies of cocaine hydrolysis by BChE. Since there are no reported structures of BChE with cocaine or any of the hydrolysis products, full-length monomeric recombinant wild-type BChE was cocrystallized with cocaine. The refined 3 {angstrom} resolution structure appears to retain the hydrolysis product benzoic acid in sufficient proximity to form a hydrogen bond to the active-site Ser198.

Molecular Characterization of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus in Korea and the Construction of an Infectious Clone

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Bong Choon Lee

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Several tomato production regions in Korea were surveyed for tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD. Tomato leaf samples showing TYLCD-like symptoms were collected from Tongyeong (To, Geoje (Gi, and Gimhae (Gh cities of the southern part of Korea. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV was detected and the full-length genomes of the isolates were sequenced. The TYLCV isolates found in Korea shared high sequence identity (> 99% with TYLCV-IL [JR:Omu:Ng] (AB110217. Phylogenetic relationship analysis revealed that they formed two groups (with little genetic variability, and the To, Gj, and Gh isolates belonged to the TYLCV-IL group. An infectious clone of TYLCV-To (JQ013089 was constructed and agroinoculated into Nicotiana benthamiana, Nicotiana tabacum var. Xanthi, Petunia hybrida, Capsicum annuum, and Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Hausumomotaro. Agroinfection with a dimeric infectious clone of TYLCV-To induced severe leaf curling and stunting symptoms in these plants, excluding C. annuum. Tomato plants then developed typical yellow leaf curl symptoms.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) of the solid state full length rod control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shopsky, W.E.

1977-01-01

The Full Length Rod Control System (FLRCS) controls the power to the rod drive mechanisms for rod movement in response to signals received from the Reactor Control System or from signals generated through Reactor Operator action. Rod movement is used to control reactivity of the reactor during plant operation. The Full Length Rod Control System is designed to perform its reactivity control function in conjunction with the Reactor Control and Protection System, to maintain the reactor core within design safety limits. By the use of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, it is shown that the FLRCS will perform its reactivity control functions considering the loss of single active components. That is, sufficient fault limiting control circuits are provided which blocks control rod movement and/or indicates presence of a fault condition at the Control Board. Reactor operator action or automatic reactor trip will thus mitigate the consequences of potential failure of the FLRCS. The analysis also qualitatively demonstrates the reliability of the FLRCS to perform its intended function

Infectious Disease Prevalence and Factors Associated with Upper Respiratory Infection in Cats Following Relocation

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Mehnaz Aziz

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Feline relocation is used increasingly in animal welfare to decrease shelter euthanasia rates and increase positive outcomes. Concerns about infectious disease introduction and transmission are often expressed; however, little research has been conducted on even the baseline prevalence of infectious disease following relocation. This study, which collected data on 430 cats relocated through an established program over 7 months, evaluated the prevalence of upper respiratory infection (URI, feline panleukopenia virus (FPV and dermatophytosis at one destination agency. The period prevalence was 25.8% for URI, 1.6% for FPV and 0.9% for dermatophytosis. Mixed-effects logistic regression was performed to investigate factors associated with URI. Younger age, increased time in transport, and increased length of stay at the destination agency were associated with increased URI prevalence following relocation. The findings of this study reveal that certain highly contagious and environmentally persistent infectious diseases, such as FPV and dermatophytosis, are uncommon following relocation in an established program; however, URI in relocated cats should be proactively managed. Animal welfare agencies can use this information to guide shelter and relocation operations and mitigate the impact of URI in relocated cats.

A Novel Strategy to Engineer Pre-Vascularized Full-Length Dental Pulp-like Tissue Constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Athirasala, Avathamsa; Lins, Fernanda; Tahayeri, Anthony; Hinds, Monica; Smith, Anthony J; Sedgley, Christine; Ferracane, Jack; Bertassoni, Luiz E

2017-06-12

The requirement for immediate vascularization of engineered dental pulp poses a major hurdle towards successful implementation of pulp regeneration as an effective therapeutic strategy for root canal therapy, especially in adult teeth. Here, we demonstrate a novel strategy to engineer pre-vascularized, cell-laden hydrogel pulp-like tissue constructs in full-length root canals for dental pulp regeneration. We utilized gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels with tunable physical and mechanical properties to determine the microenvironmental conditions (microstructure, degradation, swelling and elastic modulus) that enhanced viability, spreading and proliferation of encapsulated odontoblast-like cells (OD21), and the formation of endothelial monolayers by endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs). GelMA hydrogels with higher polymer concentration (15% w/v) and stiffness enhanced OD21 cell viability, spreading and proliferation, as well as endothelial cell spreading and monolayer formation. We then fabricated pre-vascularized, full-length, dental pulp-like tissue constructs by dispensing OD21 cell-laden GelMA hydrogel prepolymer in root canals of extracted teeth and fabricating 500 µm channels throughout the root canals. ECFCs seeded into the microchannels successfully formed monolayers and underwent angiogenic sprouting within 7 days in culture. In summary, the proposed approach is a simple and effective strategy for engineering of pre-vascularized dental pulp constructs offering potentially beneficial translational outcomes.

Melioidosis: An emerging infectious disease

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Raja N

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases account for a third of all the deaths in the developing world. Achievements in understanding the basic microbiology, pathogenesis, host defenses and expanded epidemiology of infectious diseases have resulted in better management and reduced mortality. However, an emerging infectious disease, melioidosis, is becoming endemic in the tropical regions of the world and is spreading to non-endemic areas. This article highlights the current understanding of melioidosis including advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Better understanding of melioidosis is essential, as it is life-threatening and if untreated, patients can succumb to it. Our sources include a literature review, information from international consensus meetings on melioidosis and ongoing discussions within the medical and scientific community.

Purification and characterization of recombinant full-length and protease domain of murine MMP-9 expressed in Drosophila S2 cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasch, Morten G; Lund, Ida K; Illemann, Martin

2010-01-01

MMP-9. Constructs encoding zymogens of full-length murine MMP-9 and a version lacking the O-glycosylated linker region and hemopexin domains were therefore generated and expressed in stably transfected Drosophila S2 insect cells. After 7 days of induction the expression levels of the full......-length and truncated versions were 5 mg/l and 2 mg/l, respectively. The products were >95% pure after gelatin Sepharose chromatography and possessed proteolytic activity when analyzed by gelatin zymography. Using the purified full-length murine MMP-9 we raised polyclonal antibodies by immunizations of rabbits......Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a 92-kDa soluble pro-enzyme implicated in pathological events including cancer invasion. It is therefore an attractive target for therapeutic intervention studies in mouse models. Development of inhibitors requires sufficient amounts of correctly folded murine...

Integrative annotation of 21,037 human genes validated by full-length cDNA clones.

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Tadashi Imanishi

2004-06-01

Full Text Available The human genome sequence defines our inherent biological potential; the realization of the biology encoded therein requires knowledge of the function of each gene. Currently, our knowledge in this area is still limited. Several lines of investigation have been used to elucidate the structure and function of the genes in the human genome. Even so, gene prediction remains a difficult task, as the varieties of transcripts of a gene may vary to a great extent. We thus performed an exhaustive integrative characterization of 41,118 full-length cDNAs that capture the gene transcripts as complete functional cassettes, providing an unequivocal report of structural and functional diversity at the gene level. Our international collaboration has validated 21,037 human gene candidates by analysis of high-quality full-length cDNA clones through curation using unified criteria. This led to the identification of 5,155 new gene candidates. It also manifested the most reliable way to control the quality of the cDNA clones. We have developed a human gene database, called the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/. It provides the following: integrative annotation of human genes, description of gene structures, details of novel alternative splicing isoforms, non-protein-coding RNAs, functional domains, subcellular localizations, metabolic pathways, predictions of protein three-dimensional structure, mapping of known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, identification of polymorphic microsatellite repeats within human genes, and comparative results with mouse full-length cDNAs. The H-InvDB analysis has shown that up to 4% of the human genome sequence (National Center for Biotechnology Information build 34 assembly may contain misassembled or missing regions. We found that 6.5% of the human gene candidates (1,377 loci did not have a good protein-coding open reading frame, of which 296 loci are strong candidates for non-protein-coding RNA

Assessment and optimization of theileria parva sporozoite full-length p67 antigen expression in mammalian cells

Science.gov (United States)

Delivery of various forms of recombinant Theileria parva sporozoite antigen (p67) has been shown to elicit antibody responses in cattle capable of providing protection against East Coast fever, the clinical disease caused by T. parva. Previous formulations of full-length and shorter recombinant vers...

A comparative phylogenetic analysis of full-length mariner elements ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

recent study showing non-occurance of inter-subfamily excisions because of .... length shown in our figure is greater because of the gaps introduced to maintain an ... to test the feasibility of transforming silkmoths with a foreign gene of ...

Virtually full-length subtype F and F/D recombinant HIV-1 from Africa and South America

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laukkanen, T.; Carr, J. K.; Janssens, W.; Liitsola, K.; Gotte, D.; McCutchan, F. E.; Op de Coul, E.; Cornelissen, M.; Heyndrickx, L.; van der Groen, G.; Salminen, M. O.

2000-01-01

For reliable classification of HIV-1 strains appropriate reference sequences are needed. The HIV-1 genetic subtype F has a wide geographic spread, causing significant epidemics in South America, Africa, and some regions of Europe. Previously only two full-length sequences of each of the HIV-1

Intragenotypic JFH1 based recombinant hepatitis C virus produces high levels of infectious particles but causes increased cell death

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mateu, Guaniri; Donis, Ruben O; Wakita, Takaji

2008-01-01

The full-length hepatitis C virus (HCV) JFH1 genome (genotype 2a) produces moderate titers of infectious particles in cell culture but the optimal determinants required for virion production are unclear. It has been shown that intragenotypic recombinants encoding core to NS2 from J6CF...... in the context of JFH1 are more robust in the release of viral particles. To understand the contributions of structural and nonstructural genes to HCV replication potential and infectivity, we have characterized intragenotypic recombinant genotype 2a viruses with different portions of the J6 isolate engineered...... into the JFH1 infectious clone. All genomes produced high levels of intracellular HCV RNA and NS3 protein in Huh-7.5 transfected cells. However, JFH1 genomes containing J6 sequences from C to E2 (CE2) or C to p7 (Cp7) secreted up to 100-fold more infectious HCV particles than the parental JFH1 clone...

Salmo salar and Esox lucius full-length cDNA sequences reveal changes in evolutionary pressures on a post-tetraploidization genome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holt Robert A

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Salmonids are one of the most intensely studied fish, in part due to their economic and environmental importance, and in part due to a recent whole genome duplication in the common ancestor of salmonids. This duplication greatly impacts species diversification, functional specialization, and adaptation. Extensive new genomic resources have recently become available for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, but documentation of allelic versus duplicate reference genes remains a major uncertainty in the complete characterization of its genome and its evolution. Results From existing expressed sequence tag (EST resources and three new full-length cDNA libraries, 9,057 reference quality full-length gene insert clones were identified for Atlantic salmon. A further 1,365 reference full-length clones were annotated from 29,221 northern pike (Esox lucius ESTs. Pairwise dN/dS comparisons within each of 408 sets of duplicated salmon genes using northern pike as a diploid out-group show asymmetric relaxation of selection on salmon duplicates. Conclusions 9,057 full-length reference genes were characterized in S. salar and can be used to identify alleles and gene family members. Comparisons of duplicated genes show that while purifying selection is the predominant force acting on both duplicates, consistent with retention of functionality in both copies, some relaxation of pressure on gene duplicates can be identified. In addition, there is evidence that evolution has acted asymmetrically on paralogs, allowing one of the pair to diverge at a faster rate.

Characterization of full-length sequenced cDNA inserts (FLIcs) from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Science.gov (United States)

Andreassen, Rune; Lunner, Sigbjørn; Høyheim, Bjørn

2009-01-01

Background Sequencing of the Atlantic salmon genome is now being planned by an international research consortium. Full-length sequenced inserts from cDNAs (FLIcs) are an important tool for correct annotation and clustering of the genomic sequence in any species. The large amount of highly similar duplicate sequences caused by the relatively recent genome duplication in the salmonid ancestor represents a particular challenge for the genome project. FLIcs will therefore be an extremely useful resource for the Atlantic salmon sequencing project. In addition to be helpful in order to distinguish between duplicate genome regions and in determining correct gene structures, FLIcs are an important resource for functional genomic studies and for investigation of regulatory elements controlling gene expression. In contrast to the large number of ESTs available, including the ESTs from 23 developmental and tissue specific cDNA libraries contributed by the Salmon Genome Project (SGP), the number of sequences where the full-length of the cDNA insert has been determined has been small. Results High quality full-length insert sequences from 560 pre-smolt white muscle tissue specific cDNAs were generated, accession numbers [GenBank: BT043497 - BT044056]. Five hundred and ten (91%) of the transcripts were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 440 of the FLIcs are likely to contain a complete coding sequence (cCDS). The sequence information was used to identify putative paralogs, characterize salmon Kozak motifs, polyadenylation signal variation and to identify motifs likely to be involved in the regulation of particular genes. Finally, conserved 7-mers in the 3'UTRs were identified, of which some were identical to miRNA target sequences. Conclusion This paper describes the first Atlantic salmon FLIcs from a tissue and developmental stage specific cDNA library. We have demonstrated that many FLIcs contained a complete coding sequence (cCDS). This suggests that the remaining c

A Full-Length Infectious cDNA Clone of Zika Virus from the 2015 Epidemic in Brazil as a Genetic Platform for Studies of Virus-Host Interactions and Vaccine Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantin A. Tsetsarkin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available An arthropod-borne virus, Zika virus (ZIKV, has recently emerged as a major human pathogen. Associated with complications during perinatal development and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, ZIKV raises new challenges for understanding the molecular determinants of flavivirus pathogenesis. This underscores the necessity for the development of a reverse genetic system based on an epidemic ZIKV strain. Here, we describe the generation and characterization in cell cultures of an infectious cDNA clone of ZIKV isolated from the 2015 epidemic in Brazil. The cDNA-derived ZIKV replicated efficiently in a variety of cell lines, including those of both neuronal and placental origin. We observed that the growth of cDNA-derived virus was attenuated compared to the growth of the parental isolate in most cell lines, which correlates with substantial differences in sequence heterogeneity between these viruses that were determined by deep-sequencing analysis. Our findings support the role of genetic diversity in maintaining the replicative fitness of viral populations under changing conditions. Moreover, these results indicate that caution should be exercised when interpreting the results of reverse-genetics experiments in attempts to accurately predict the biology of natural viruses. Finally, a Vero cell-adapted cDNA clone of ZIKV was generated that can be used as a convenient platform for studies aimed at the development of ZIKV vaccines and therapeutics.

Fiscal 2000 report on result of the full-length cDNA structure analysis; 2000 nendo kanzen cho cDNA kozo kaiseki seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

This paper explains the results of research on full-length cDNA structure analysis for the period from April, 2000 to March, 2001. The outline of human genome sequence was published in June, 2000. In Japan, human gene analysis was such that, as the basic technology of the bio industry, a millennium project was decided in the budget of fiscal 2000. The full-length cDNA structure analysis is the core of the project. The libraries of cDNA were prepared using full-length and more than 4-5kbp-long cDNAs by oligo-capping method. It began from determining partial sequence data at end cDNA, and then, with new clones selected therefrom, full-length human cDNA sequence data were determined. The partial sequence data determined by fiscal 2000 were 1,035,000 clones while the full-length sequence data were 12,144 clones. The sequence data obtained were analyzed by homology search and translated into amino acid coding sequences, with predictions conducted on protein functions. A clustering method was examined that selects new clones from partial sequences. Database was constructed on gene expression profiles and disease-related gene sequence data. (NEDO)

Diversity, distribution and dynamics of full-length Copia and Gypsy LTR retroelements in Solanum lycopersicum.

Science.gov (United States)

Paz, Rosalía Cristina; Kozaczek, Melisa Eliana; Rosli, Hernán Guillermo; Andino, Natalia Pilar; Sanchez-Puerta, Maria Virginia

2017-10-01

Transposable elements are the most abundant components of plant genomes and can dramatically induce genetic changes and impact genome evolution. In the recently sequenced genome of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the estimated fraction of elements corresponding to retrotransposons is nearly 62%. Given that tomato is one of the most important vegetable crop cultivated and consumed worldwide, understanding retrotransposon dynamics can provide insight into its evolution and domestication processes. In this study, we performed a genome-wide in silico search of full-length LTR retroelements in the tomato nuclear genome and annotated 736 full-length Gypsy and Copia retroelements. The dispersion level across the 12 chromosomes, the diversity and tissue-specific expression of those elements were estimated. Phylogenetic analysis based on the retrotranscriptase region revealed the presence of 12 major lineages of LTR retroelements in the tomato genome. We identified 97 families, of which 77 and 20 belong to the superfamilies Copia and Gypsy, respectively. Each retroelement family was characterized according to their element size, relative frequencies and insertion time. These analyses represent a valuable resource for comparative genomics within the Solanaceae, transposon-tagging and for the design of cultivar-specific molecular markers in tomato.

Full-Length High-Temperature Severe Fuel Damage Test No. 5: Final safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanning, D.D.; Lombardo, N.J.; Panisko, F.E.

1993-09-01

This report presents the final safety analysis for the preparation, conduct, and post-test discharge operation for the Full-Length High Temperature Experiment-5 (FLHT-5) to be conducted in the L-24 position of the National Research Universal (NRU) Reactor at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories (CRNL), Ontario, Canada. The test is sponsored by an international group organized by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The test is designed and conducted by staff from Pacific Northwest Laboratory with CRNL staff support. The test will study the consequences of loss-of-coolant and the progression of severe fuel damage

Purification and characterization of recombinant full-length and protease domain of murine MMP-9 expressed in Drosophila S2 cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasch, Morten G; Lund, Ida K.; Illemann, Martin

2010-01-01

-length and truncated versions were 5 mg/l and 2 mg/l, respectively. The products were >95% pure after gelatin Sepharose chromatography and possessed proteolytic activity when analyzed by gelatin zymography. Using the purified full-length murine MMP-9 we raised polyclonal antibodies by immunizations of rabbits...

Functional characterization of a full length pregnane X receptor, expression in vivo, and identification of PXR alleles, in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bainy, Afonso C.D. [Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (United States); Departamento de Bioquímica, CCB, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC 88040-900 (Brazil); Kubota, Akira; Goldstone, Jared V. [Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (United States); Lille-Langøy, Roger [Department of Biology, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen (Norway); Karchner, Sibel I. [Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (United States); Celander, Malin C. [Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE 405 30 Göteborg (Sweden); Hahn, Mark E. [Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (United States); Goksøyr, Anders [Department of Biology, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen (Norway); Stegeman, John J., E-mail: jstegeman@whoi.edu [Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (United States)

2013-10-15

Highlights: •Full-length pxr has been cloned from zebrafish. •Alleles of pxr were identified in zebrafish. •Full length Pxr was activated less strongly than ligand binding domain in cell-based reporter assays. •High levels of pxr expression were found in eye and brain as well as in liver. •TCPOBOP and PB did not significantly alter expression of pxr in liver. -- Abstract: The pregnane X receptor (PXR) (nuclear receptor NR1I2) is a ligand activated transcription factor, mediating responses to diverse xenobiotic and endogenous chemicals. The properties of PXR in fish are not fully understood. Here we report on cloning and characterization of full-length PXR of zebrafish, Danio rerio, and pxr expression in vivo. Initial efforts gave a cDNA encoding a 430 amino acid protein identified as zebrafish pxr by phylogenetic and synteny analysis. The sequence of the cloned Pxr DNA binding domain (DBD) was highly conserved, with 74% identity to human PXR-DBD, while the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of the cloned sequence was only 44% identical to human PXR-LBD. Sequence variation among clones in the initial effort prompted sequencing of multiple clones from a single fish. There were two prominent variants, one sequence with S183, Y218 and H383 and the other with I183, C218 and N383, which we designate as alleles pxr*1 (nr1i2*1) and pxr*2 (nr1i2*2), respectively. In COS-7 cells co-transfected with a PXR-responsive reporter gene, the full-length Pxr*1 (the more common variant) was activated by known PXR agonists clotrimazole and pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile but to a lesser extent than the full-length human PXR. Activation of full-length Pxr*1 was only 10% of that with the Pxr*1 LBD. Quantitative real time PCR analysis showed prominent expression of pxr in liver and eye, as well as brain and intestine of adult zebrafish. The pxr was expressed in heart and kidney at levels similar to that in intestine. The expression of pxr in liver was weakly induced by ligands for

Thousands of primer-free, high-quality, full-length SSU rRNA sequences from all domains of life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karst, Soeren M; Dueholm, Morten S; McIlroy, Simon J

2016-01-01

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are the consensus marker for determination of microbial diversity on the planet, invaluable in studies of evolution and, for the past decade, high-throughput sequencing of variable regions of ribosomal RNA genes has become the backbone of most microbial ecology studies...... (SSU) rRNA genes and synthetic long read sequencing by molecular tagging, to generate primer-free, full-length SSU rRNA gene sequences from all domains of life, with a median raw error rate of 0.17%. We generated thousands of full-length SSU rRNA sequences from five well-studied ecosystems (soil, human...... gut, fresh water, anaerobic digestion, and activated sludge) and obtained sequences covering all domains of life and the majority of all described phyla. Interestingly, 30% of all bacterial operational taxonomic units were novel, compared to the SILVA database (less than 97% similarity...

Children's Infectious Disease in Moscow: Problems and Solutions

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L. N. Mazankova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on statistical data, a comparative analysis of infectious morbidity and mortality in Moscow in 2015 and 2014 revealed a whole, the decline in these indicators. Made significant progress in reducing infectious morbidity in Moscow due to the vaccination of children, including — increased regional calendar of preventive vaccinations. However, analysis of the work of medical institutions indicates the feasibility of the development and introduction of technologies of management of patients with post-infectious syndromes, as well as improving the health care system for children with infectious diseases based on a multidisciplinary approach in close cooperation infectious disease and pediatricians of different specialties. To solve these problems is proposed a plan to improve the effectiveness of children's infectious diseases services relating to the reorganization of hospital beds and outpatient care, ensure the continuity of the different health facilities, implementation of modern methods of etiological diagnosis of infections, the organization of continuous vocational training of paediatricians in Moscow on a specialty «Infectious diseases».

Review of Infectious Disease Report in Great Britain

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V.D. Sorokhan

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The article deals with an analysis of infectious disease report in Great Britain that is a member of the European Union. There are listed the infectious diseases and infectious agents of these diseases. There are described in detail how to fill the notification form and the methods and terms of sending it to Public Health England. Attention is focused on the importance of the analysis of infectious disease report in the European Union in the light of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU after the economic component of the Association Agreement has been signed.

Atypical Pyoderma Gangrenosum Mimicking an Infectious Process

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Derek To

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We present a patient with atypical pyoderma gangrenosum (APG, which involved the patient’s arm and hand. Hemorrhagic bullae and progressive ulcerations were initially thought to be secondary to an infectious process, but a biopsy revealed PG. Awareness of APG by infectious disease services may prevent unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Construction of occluded recombinant baculoviruses containing the full-length cry1Ab and cry1Ac genes from Bacillus thuringiensis

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B.M. Ribeiro

1998-06-01

Full Text Available The administration of baculoviruses to insects for bioassay purposes is carried out, in most cases, by contamination of food surfaces with a known amount of occlusion bodies (OBs. Since per os infection is the natural route of infection, occluded recombinant viruses containing crystal protein genes (cry1Ab and cry1Ac from Bacillus thuringiensis were constructed for comparison with the baculovirus prototype Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcNPV. The transfer vector pAcUW2B was used for construction of occluded recombinant viruses. The transfer vector containing the crystal protein genes was cotransfected with linearized DNA from a non-occluded recombinant virus. The isolation of recombinant viruses was greatly facilitated by the reduction of background "wild type" virus and the increased proportion of recombinant viruses. Since the recombinant viruses containing full-length and truncated forms of the crystal protein genes did not seem to improve the pathogenicity of the recombinant viruses when compared with the wild type AcNPV, and in order to compare expression levels of the full-length crystal proteins produced by non-occluded and occluded recombinant viruses the full-length cry1Ab and cry1Ac genes were chosen for construction of occluded recombinant viruses. The recombinant viruses containing full-length and truncated forms of the crystal protein genes did not seem to improve its pathogenicity but the size of the larvae infected with the recombinant viruses was significantly smaller than that of larvae infected with the wild type virus.

Genetic characterization of human herpesvirus type 1: Full-length genome sequence of strain obtained from an encephalitis case from India

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Vijay P Bondre

2016-01-01

Interpretation & conclusions: Our results showed that the full-length genome sequence generated from an Indian HSV-1 isolate shared close genetic relationship with the American KOS and Chinese CR38 strains which belonged to the Asian genetic lineage. Recombination analysis of Indian isolate demonstrated multiple recombination crossover points throughout the genome. This full-length genome sequence amplified from the Indian isolate would be helpful to study HSV evolution, genetic basis of differential pathogenesis, host-virus interactions and viral factors contributing towards differential clinical outcome in human infections.

Secretory production of tetrameric native full-length streptavidin with thermostability using Streptomyces lividans as a host.

Science.gov (United States)

Noda, Shuhei; Matsumoto, Takuya; Tanaka, Tsutomu; Kondo, Akihiko

2015-01-13

Streptavidin is a tetrameric protein derived from Streptomyces avidinii, and has tight and specific biotin binding affinity. Applications of the streptavidin-biotin system have been widely studied. Streptavidin is generally produced using protein expression in Escherichia coli. In the present study, the secretory production of streptavidin was carried out using Streptomyces lividans as a host. In this study, we used the gene encoding native full-length streptavidin, whereas the core region is generally used for streptavidin production in E. coli. Tetrameric streptavidin composed of native full-length streptavidin monomers was successfully secreted in the culture supernatant of S. lividans transformants, and had specific biotin binding affinity as strong as streptavidin produced by E. coli. The amount of Sav using S. lividans was about 9 times higher than using E. coli. Surprisingly, streptavidin produced by S. lividans exhibited affinity to biotin after boiling, despite the fact that tetrameric streptavidin is known to lose its biotin binding ability after brief boiling. We successfully produced a large amount of tetrameric streptavidin as a secretory-form protein with unique thermotolerance.

PCR-based isolation and identification of full-length low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit genes in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaofei; Liu, Dongcheng; Jiang, Wei; Guo, Xiaoli; Yang, Wenlong; Sun, Jiazhu; Ling, Hongqing; Zhang, Aimin

2011-12-01

Low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GSs) are encoded by a multi-gene family and are essential for determining the quality of wheat flour products, such as bread and noodles. However, the exact role or contribution of individual LMW-GS genes to wheat quality remains unclear. This is, at least in part, due to the difficulty in characterizing complete sequences of all LMW-GS gene family members in bread wheat. To identify full-length LMW-GS genes, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method was established, consisting of newly designed conserved primers and the previously developed LMW-GS gene molecular marker system. Using the PCR-based method, 17 LMW-GS genes were identified and characterized in Xiaoyan 54, of which 12 contained full-length sequences. Sequence alignments showed that 13 LMW-GS genes were identical to those found in Xiaoyan 54 using the genomic DNA library screening, and the other four full-length LMW-GS genes were first isolated from Xiaoyan 54. In Chinese Spring, 16 unique LMW-GS genes were isolated, and 13 of them contained full-length coding sequences. Additionally, 16 and 17 LMW-GS genes in Dongnong 101 and Lvhan 328 (chosen from the micro-core collections of Chinese germplasm), respectively, were also identified. Sequence alignments revealed that at least 15 LMW-GS genes were common in the four wheat varieties, and allelic variants of each gene shared high sequence identities (>95%) but exhibited length polymorphism in repetitive regions. This study provides a PCR-based method for efficiently identifying LMW-GS genes in bread wheat, which will improve the characterization of complex members of the LMW-GS gene family and facilitate the understanding of their contributions to wheat quality.

RT-PCR and sequence analysis of the full-length fusion protein of Canine Distemper Virus from domestic dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Romanutti, Carina; Gallo Calderón, Marina; Keller, Leticia; Mattion, Nora; La Torre, José

2016-02-01

During 2007-2014, 84 out of 236 (35.6%) samples from domestic dogs submitted to our laboratory for diagnostic purposes were positive for Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), as analyzed by RT-PCR amplification of a fragment of the nucleoprotein gene. Fifty-nine of them (70.2%) were from dogs that had been vaccinated against CDV. The full-length gene encoding the Fusion (F) protein of fifteen isolates was sequenced and compared with that of those of other CDVs, including wild-type and vaccine strains. Phylogenetic analysis using the F gene full-length sequences grouped all the Argentinean CDV strains in the SA2 clade. Sequence identity with the Onderstepoort vaccine strain was 89.0-90.6%, and the highest divergence was found in the 135 amino acids corresponding to the F protein signal-peptide, Fsp (64.4-66.7% identity). In contrast, this region was highly conserved among the local strains (94.1-100% identity). One extra putative N-glycosylation site was identified in the F gene of CDV Argentinean strains with respect to the vaccine strain. The present report is the first to analyze full-length F protein sequences of CDV strains circulating in Argentina, and contributes to the knowledge of molecular epidemiology of CDV, which may help in understanding future disease outbreaks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global Climate Change and Infectious Diseases

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EK Shuman

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Climate change is occurring as a result of warming of the earth’s atmosphere due to human activity generating excess amounts of greenhouse gases. Because of its potential impact on the hydrologic cycle and severe weather events, climate change is expected to have an enormous effect on human health, including on the burden and distribution of many infectious diseases. The infectious diseases that will be most affected by climate change include those that are spread by insect vectors and by contaminated water. The burden of adverse health effects due to these infectious diseases will fall primarily on developing countries, while it is the developed countries that are primarily responsible for climate change. It is up to governments and individuals to take the lead in halting climate change, and we must increase our understanding of the ecology of infectious diseases in order to protect vulnerable populations.

African Journal of Infectious Diseases

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The African Journal of Infectious Diseases accepts original research papers on the ... Reports of research related to any aspect of the fields of microbiology, ... Vol 12, No 1S (2018) ... oxygen treatment of HIV-1 infected on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCS) · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Human microcephaly protein RTTN interacts with STIL and is required to build full-length centrioles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsin-Yi; Wu, Chien-Ting; Tang, Chieh-Ju C; Lin, Yi-Nan; Wang, Won-Jing; Tang, Tang K

2017-08-15

Mutations in many centriolar protein-encoding genes cause primary microcephaly. Using super-resolution and electron microscopy, we find that the human microcephaly protein, RTTN, is recruited to the proximal end of the procentriole at early S phase, and is located at the inner luminal walls of centrioles. Further studies demonstrate that RTTN directly interacts with STIL and acts downstream of STIL-mediated centriole assembly. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated RTTN gene knockout in p53-deficient cells induce amplification of primitive procentriole bodies that lack the distal-half centriolar proteins, POC5 and POC1B. Additional analyses show that RTTN serves as an upstream effector of CEP295, which mediates the loading of POC1B and POC5 to the distal-half centrioles. Interestingly, the naturally occurring microcephaly-associated mutant, RTTN (A578P), shows a low affinity for STIL binding and blocks centriole assembly. These findings reveal that RTTN contributes to building full-length centrioles and illuminate the molecular mechanism through which the RTTN (A578P) mutation causes primary microcephaly.Mutations in many centriolar protein-encoding genes cause primary microcephaly. Here the authors show that human microcephaly protein RTTN directly interacts with STIL and acts downstream of STIL-mediated centriole assembly, contributing to building full-length centrioles.

Construction and sequencing of an infectious clone of the human parvovirus B19

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhi Ning; Zadori, Zoltan; Brown, Kevin E.; Tijssen, Peter

2004-01-01

Human parvovirus B19 has a nonenveloped, icosahedral capsid packaging a linear single-stranded DNA genome of 5.6 kb with long inverted terminal repeats (ITR) at both the 5' and 3' end. Previous attempts to construct a full-length B19 clone were unsuccessful due to deletions in the ITR sequences. We cloned the complete parvovirus B19 genome with intact ITRs from an aplastic crisis patient. Sequence analysis of the complete viral genome indicated that both 5' and 3' ITRs have two sequence configurations and several base changes within the ITRs compared to previous published sequences. After transfection of the plasmid into permissive cells, spliced and non-spliced viral transcripts and viral capsid proteins could be detected. Southern blot analysis of the DNA purified from the plasmid-transfected cells confirmed parvovirus B19 DNA replication. Production of infectious virus by the B19 plasmid was shown by inoculation of cell lysate derived from transfected cells into fresh cells. Together, these results indicate the first successful production of an infectious clone for parvovirus B19 virus

Molecular cloning and expression of full-length DNA copies of the genomic RNAs of cowpea mosaic virus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, P.

1987-01-01

The experiments described in this thesis were designed to unravel various aspects of the mechanism of gene expression of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV). For this purpose full-length DNA copies of both genomic RNAs of CPMV were constructed. Using powerful invitro

TypeLoader: A fast and efficient automated workflow for the annotation and submission of novel full-length HLA alleles.

Science.gov (United States)

Surendranath, V; Albrecht, V; Hayhurst, J D; Schöne, B; Robinson, J; Marsh, S G E; Schmidt, A H; Lange, V

2017-07-01

Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the discovery of novel allelic variants of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. Commonly, only the exons encoding the peptide binding domains of novel HLA alleles are submitted. As a result, the IPD-IMGT/HLA Database lacks sequence information outside those regions for the majority of known alleles. This has implications for the application of the new sequencing technologies, which deliver sequence data often covering the complete gene. As these technologies simplify the characterization of the complete gene regions, it is desirable for novel alleles to be submitted as full-length sequences to the database. However, the manual annotation of full-length alleles and the generation of specific formats required by the sequence repositories is prone to error and time consuming. We have developed TypeLoader to address both these facets. With only the full-length sequence as a starting point, Typeloader performs automatic sequence annotation and subsequently handles all steps involved in preparing the specific formats for submission with very little manual intervention. TypeLoader is routinely used at the DKMS Life Science Lab and has aided in the successful submission of more than 900 novel HLA alleles as full-length sequences to the European Nucleotide Archive repository and the IPD-IMGT/HLA Database with a 95% reduction in the time spent on annotation and submission when compared with handling these processes manually. TypeLoader is implemented as a web application and can be easily installed and used on a standalone Linux desktop system or within a Linux client/server architecture. TypeLoader is downloadable from http://www.github.com/DKMS-LSL/typeloader. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Infectious alphavirus production from a simple plasmid transfection+

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olson Ken E

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract We have developed a new method for producing infectious double subgenomic alphaviruses from plasmids transfected into mammalian cells. A double subgenomic Sindbis virus (TE3'2J was transcribed from a cytomegalovirus PolII promoter, which results in the production of infectious virus. Transfection of as little as 125 ng of plasmid is able to produce 1 × 108 plaque forming units/ml (PFU/ml of infectious virus 48 hours post-transfection. This system represents a more efficient method for producing recombinant Sindbis viruses.

Generation and Analysis of Full-length cDNA Sequences from Elephant Shark (Callorhinchus milii)

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas

2009-03-17

Cartilaginous fishes are the oldest living group of jawed vertebrates and therefore is an important group for understanding the evolution of vertebrate genomes including the human genome. Our laboratory has proposed elephant shark (C. milii) as a model cartilaginous fish genome because of its relatively small genome size (910 Mb). The whole genome of C. milii is being sequenced (first cartilaginous fish genome to be sequenced completely). To characterize the transcriptome of C. milii and to assist in annotating exon-intron boundaries, transcriptional start sites and alternatively spliced transcripts, we are generating full-length cDNA sequences from C. milii.

Transformation of Cowpea Vigna unguiculata with a Full-Length DNA Copy of Cowpea Mosaic Virus M-RNA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hille, Jacques; Goldbach, Rob

1987-01-01

A full-length DNA copy of the M-RNA of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), supplied with either the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) or the nopaline synthase promoter from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, was introduced into the T-DNA region of a Ti-plasmid-derived gene vector and transferred to

An analysis of expressed sequence tags of developing castor endosperm using a full-length cDNA library

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Wallis James G

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Castor seeds are a major source for ricinoleate, an important industrial raw material. Genomics studies of castor plant will provide critical information for understanding seed metabolism, for effectively engineering ricinoleate production in transgenic oilseeds, or for genetically improving castor plants by eliminating toxic and allergic proteins in seeds. Results Full-length cDNAs are useful resources in annotating genes and in providing functional analysis of genes and their products. We constructed a full-length cDNA library from developing castor endosperm, and obtained 4,720 ESTs from 5'-ends of the cDNA clones representing 1,908 unique sequences. The most abundant transcripts are genes encoding storage proteins, ricin, agglutinin and oleosins. Several other sequences are also very numerous, including two acidic triacylglycerol lipases, and the oleate hydroxylase (FAH12 gene that is responsible for ricinoleate biosynthesis. The role(s of the lipases in developing castor seeds are not clear, and co-expressing of a lipase and the FAH12 did not result in significant changes in hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. Only one oleate desaturase (FAD2 gene was identified in our cDNA sequences. Sequence and functional analyses of the castor FAD2 were carried out since it had not been characterized previously. Overexpression of castor FAD2 in a FAH12-expressing Arabidopsis line resulted in decreased accumulation of hydroxy fatty acids in transgenic seeds. Conclusion Our results suggest that transcriptional regulation of FAD2 and FAH12 genes maybe one of the mechanisms that contribute to a high level of ricinoleate accumulation in castor endosperm. The full-length cDNA library will be used to search for additional genes that affect ricinoleate accumulation in seed oils. Our EST sequences will also be useful to annotate the castor genome, which whole sequence is being generated by shotgun sequencing at

Peculiarities of infectious diseases course accompanied by quinsy syndrome in children (data from children infectious hospital

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Ovchinnikova T.A.

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The research goal is to study morbidity dynamics for the period of 15 years and to determine clinical signs that accompany quinsy syndrome (diphtheria, infectious mononucleosis, scarlet fever, quinsy. Retrospective study analysis of annual reports and case-histories was carried out. 323 cases of infectious diseases accompanied by quinsy syndrome were examined. Clinical and epidemic signs of diseases were determined during the period of morbidity raise. The current clinical course of diseases was characterized in detail. The significant percentage of renal complications in case of pharyngonasal cavity lesion was shown

Global identification of the full-length transcripts and alternative splicing related to phenolic acid biosynthetic genes in Salvia miltiorrhiza

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Zhichao eXu

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Salvianolic acids are among the main bioactive components in Salvia miltiorrhiza, and their biosynthesis has attracted widespread interest. However, previous studies on the biosynthesis of phenolic acids using next-generation sequencing platforms are limited with regard to the assembly of full-length transcripts. Based on hybrid-seq (next-generation and single molecular real-time sequencing of the S. miltiorrhiza root transcriptome, we experimentally identified 15 full-length transcripts and 4 alternative splicing events of enzyme-coding genes involved in the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid. Moreover, we herein demonstrate that lithospermic acid B accumulates in the phloem and xylem of roots, in agreement with the expression patterns of the identified key genes related to rosmarinic acid biosynthesis. According to co-expression patterns, we predicted that 6 candidate cytochrome P450s and 5 candidate laccases participate in the salvianolic acid pathway. Our results provide a valuable resource for further investigation into the synthetic biology of phenolic acids in S. miltiorrhiza.

The effect of two different renal denervation strategies on blood pressure in resistant hypertension: Comparison of full-length versus proximal renal artery ablation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weijie; Ling, Zhiyu; Du, Huaan; Song, Wenxin; Xu, Yanping; Liu, Zengzhang; Su, Li; Xiao, Peilin; Yuan, Yuelong; Lu, Jiayi; Zhang, Jianhong; Li, Zhifeng; Shao, Jiang; Zhong, Bin; Zhou, Bei; Woo, Kamsang; Yin, Yuehui

2016-11-01

Renal denervation (RDN) is used to manage blood pressure (BP) in patients with resistant hypertension (rHT), but effectiveness is still a concern, and key arterial portion for successful RDN is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of proximal versus full-length renal artery ablation in patients with resistant hypertension (rHT). Forty-seven patients with rHT were randomly assigned to receive full-length ablation (n = 23) or proximal ablation (n = 24) of the renal arteries. All lesions were treated with radiofrequency energy via a saline-irrigated catheter. Office BP was measured during 12 months of follow-up and ambulatory BP at baseline and 6 months (n = 15 in each group). Compared with full-length ablation, proximal ablation reduced the number of ablation points in both the right (6.1 ± 0.7 vs. 3.3 ± 0.6, P renal arteries (6.2 ± 0.7 vs. 3.3 ± 0.8, P  0.5). Similar office BPs was reduced by -39.4 ± 11.5/-20.9 ± 7.1 mm Hg at 6 months and -38.2 ± 10.3/-21.5 ± 5.8 mm Hg at 12 months in the full-length group (P efficacy and safety profile compared with full-length RDN, and propose the proximal artery as the key portion for RDN. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Infectious diseases research].

Science.gov (United States)

Carratalà, Jordi; Alcamí, José; Cordero, Elisa; Miró, José M; Ramos, José Manuel

2008-12-01

There has been a significant increase in research activity into infectious diseases in Spain in the last few years. The Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) currently has ten study groups, with the cooperation of infectious diseases specialists and microbiologists from different centres, with significant research activity. The program of Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (Special Topics Cooperative Health Research Networks) is an appropriate framework for the strategic coordination of research groups from the Spanish autonomous communities. The Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI) and the Network for Research in AIDS (RIS) integrate investigators in Infectious Diseases from multiple groups, which continuously perform important research projects. Research using different experimental models in infectious diseases, in numerous institutions, is an important activity in our country. The analysis of the recent scientific production in Infectious Diseases shows that Spain has a good position in the context of the European Union. The research activity in Infectious Diseases carried out in our country is a great opportunity for the training of specialists in this area of knowledge.

Genetic deletion of muscle RANK or selective inhibition of RANKL is not as effective as full-length OPG-fc in mitigating muscular dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dufresne, Sébastien S; Boulanger-Piette, Antoine; Bossé, Sabrina; Argaw, Anteneh; Hamoudi, Dounia; Marcadet, Laetitia; Gamu, Daniel; Fajardo, Val A; Yagita, Hideo; Penninger, Josef M; Russell Tupling, A; Frenette, Jérôme

2018-04-24

Although there is a strong association between osteoporosis and skeletal muscle atrophy/dysfunction, the functional relevance of a particular biological pathway that regulates synchronously bone and skeletal muscle physiopathology is still elusive. Receptor-activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK), its ligand RANKL and the soluble decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG) are the key regulators of osteoclast differentiation and bone remodelling. We thus hypothesized that RANK/RANKL/OPG, which is a key pathway for bone regulation, is involved in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) physiopathology. Our results show that muscle-specific RANK deletion (mdx-RANK mko ) in dystrophin deficient mdx mice improves significantly specific force [54% gain in force] of EDL muscles with no protective effect against eccentric contraction-induced muscle dysfunction. In contrast, full-length OPG-Fc injections restore the force of dystrophic EDL muscles [162% gain in force], protect against eccentric contraction-induced muscle dysfunction ex vivo and significantly improve functional performance on downhill treadmill and post-exercise physical activity. Since OPG serves a soluble receptor for RANKL and as a decoy receptor for TRAIL, mdx mice were injected with anti-RANKL and anti-TRAIL antibodies to decipher the dual function of OPG. Injections of anti-RANKL and/or anti-TRAIL increase significantly the force of dystrophic EDL muscle [45% and 17% gains in force, respectively]. In agreement, truncated OPG-Fc that contains only RANKL domains produces similar gains, in terms of force production, than anti-RANKL treatments. To corroborate that full-length OPG-Fc also acts independently of RANK/RANKL pathway, dystrophin/RANK double-deficient mice were treated with full-length OPG-Fc for 10 days. Dystrophic EDL muscles exhibited a significant gain in force relative to untreated dystrophin/RANK double-deficient mice, indicating that the effect of full-length OPG-Fc is in part independent of the RANKL

An overview of post infectious coughs

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Samrad Mehrabi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Coughs lasting more than 3 weeks after airway infections are likely regarded as post-infectious coughs. A normal chest radiography unfavors possibility of pulmonary infection. These coughs are selflimited. This study reviews conducted studies in order to identify and define prevalence, pathogenesis, and cure of post-infectious constant coughs. The necessary data and guidelines are gained from English articles in PubMed website. Post-infectious and cough are searched. Post-infectious cough pathogenesis are not known; nevertheless, inflammation, epithelial damages of upper and lower airways, increased mucus secretion, and an increased reactivity of airways can cause these coughs. Despite self-limitedness of these coughs; dextromethorphan, antihistamines, ipratropium bromide, and decongestant are usually prescribed for cure of these coughs. Conversely, antibiotics play no significant role in this regard. These coughs constitutes smaller percentage of chronic coughs and are primarily classified in subacute coughs. Further studies should cover sub-acute and chronic properties of these coughs as well as their prevalence in different age groups and their determinants.

Human uroporphyrinogen III synthase: Molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence, and expression of a full-length cDNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Shihfeng; Bishop, D.F.; Desnick, R.J.

1988-01-01

Uroporphyrinogen III synthase, the fourth enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway, is responsible for conversion of the linear tetrapyrrole, hydroxymethylbilane, to the cyclic tetrapyrrole, uroporphyrinogen III. The deficient activity of URO-synthase is the enzymatic defect in the autosomal recessive disorder congenital erythropoietic porphyria. To facilitate the isolation of a full-length cDNA for human URO-synthase, the human erythrocyte enzyme was purified to homogeneity and 81 nonoverlapping amino acids were determined by microsequencing the N terminus and four tryptic peptides. Two synthetic oligonucleotide mixtures were used to screen 1.2 x 10 6 recombinants from a human adult liver cDNA library. Eight clones were positive with both oligonucleotide mixtures. Of these, dideoxy sequencing of the 1.3 kilobase insert from clone pUROS-2 revealed 5' and 3' untranslated sequences of 196 and 284 base pairs, respectively, and an open reading frame of 798 base pairs encoding a protein of 265 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 28,607 Da. The isolation and expression of this full-length cDNA for human URO-synthase should facilitate studies of the structure, organization, and chromosomal localization of this heme biosynthetic gene as well as the characterization of the molecular lesions causing congenital erythropoietic porphyria

Full splitting of the first zero-field steps in the I-V curve of Josephson junctions of intermediate length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, J.B.; Divin, Y.Y.; Mygind, J.

1986-01-01

We report on the observation of full splitting of the first zero-field steps in the I-V curves of Josephson transmission lines of intermediate length Lroughly-equal(3--5)lambda/sub J/, where lambda/sub J/ is the Josephson penetration length. We study in detail how this splitting of the step into two branches depends on the temperature of the junction and on a weak applied magnetic field. We relate the splitting to excitations in the junctions whose behavior is described by the perturbed Sine-Gordon equation

Potency of full-length MGF to induce maximal activation of the IGF-I R Is similar to recombinant human IGF-I at high equimolar concentrations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.A.M.J.L. Janssen (Joseph); L.J. Hofland (Leo); C.J. Strasburger; E.S.R.D. Van Dungen (Elisabeth S.R. Den); M. Thevis (Mario)

2016-01-01

textabstractAims To compare full-length mechano growth factor (full-length MGF) with human recombinant insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and human recombinant insulin (HI) in their ability to activate the human IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR), the human insulin receptor (IR-A) and the human insulin

Copper Coordination in the Full-Length, Recombinant Prion Protein†

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Colin S.; Aronoff-Spencer, Eliah; Legname, Giuseppe; Prusiner, Stanley B.; Antholine, William E.; Gerfen, Gary J.; Peisach, Jack; Millhauser, Glenn L.

2010-01-01

The prion protein (PrP) binds divalent copper at physiologically relevant conditions and is believed to participate in copper regulation or act as a copper-dependent enzyme. Ongoing studies aim at determining the molecular features of the copper binding sites. The emerging consensus is that most copper binds in the octarepeat domain, which is composed of four or more copies of the fundamental sequence PHGGGWGQ. Previous work from our laboratory using PrP-derived peptides, in conjunction with EPR and X-ray crystallography, demonstrated that the HGGGW segment constitutes the fundamental binding unit in the octarepeat domain [Burns et al. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 3991–4001; Aronoff-Spencer et al. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 13760–13771]. Copper coordination arises from the His imidazole and sequential deprotonated glycine amides. In this present work, recombinant, full-length Syrian hamster PrP is investigated using EPR methodologies. Four copper ions are taken up in the octarepeat domain, which supports previous findings. However, quantification studies reveal a fifth binding site in the flexible region between the octarepeats and the PrP globular C-terminal domain. A series of PrP peptide constructs show that this site involves His96 in the PrP(92–96) segment GGGTH. Further examination by X-band EPR, S-band EPR, and electron spin–echo envelope spectroscopy, demonstrates coordination by the His96 imidazole and the glycine preceding the threonine. The copper affinity for this type of binding site is highly pH dependent, and EPR studies here show that recombinant PrP loses its affinity for copper below pH 6.0. These studies seem to provide a complete profile of the copper binding sites in PrP and support the hypothesis that PrP function is related to its ability to bind copper in a pH-dependent fashion. PMID:12779334

Infectious endocardial intracardiac defibrillator lead, infectious pericarditis, and delayed constrictive pericarditis

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Mohsen Mir Mohammad Sadeghi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The usage of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD since 1980s is becoming more popular these days. The rate of both, endocarditis and constrictive pericarditis are low but it still needs attention. We are reporting a rare case of ICD endocarditis as a result of toe infection in a diabetic patient. This was followed by infectious pericarditis after device removal by open heart surgery and then delayed constrictive pericarditis.

Beam test of a full-length prototype of the BESIII drift chamber with the readout electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Z.H.; Chen, Y.B.; Sheng, H.Y.; Wu, L.H.; Liu, J.B.; Zhuang, B.A.; Jiang, X.S.; Zhao, Y.B.; Zhu, K.J.; Yan, Z.K.; Chen, C.; Xu, M.H.; Wang, L.; Ma, X.Y.; Tang, X.; Liu, R.G.; Jin, Y.; Zhu, Q.M.; Zhang, G.F.; Wu, Z.; Li, R.Y.; Zhao, P.P.; Dai, H.L.; Li, X.P.; Li, J.

2007-01-01

A full-length prototype of the BESIII drift chamber together with its readout electronics was built and a beam test was performed. Two different methods, namely 'single-threshold method' and 'double-threshold method' for timing measurement, were studied. Test results show that the BESIII drift chamber and its readout electronics can reach their design specifications. The 'double-threshold method' results in a better timing accuracy and noise suppression capabilities as compared with the 'single-threshold method'

Infectious uveitis in Virginia

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Engelhard SB

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Stephanie B Engelhard,1 Zeina Haddad,1 Asima Bajwa,1 James Patrie,2 Wenjun Xin,2 Ashvini K Reddy1 1Department of Ophthalmology, 2Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA Purpose: To report the causes, clinical features, and outcomes of infectious uveitis in patients managed in a mid-Atlantic tertiary care center.Methods: Retrospective, observational study of infectious uveitis patients seen at the University of Virginia from 1984 to 2014.Results: Seventy-seven of 491 patients (15.7% were diagnosed with infectious uveitis (mean age 58 years, 71.4% female, 76.6% Caucasian. The mean follow-up was 5 years. Anterior uveitis was the most common anatomic classification (39 patients, 50.6% followed by panuveitis (20 patients, 26.0% and posterior uveitis (18 patients, 23.4%. The most common infectious etiology was herpetic anterior uveitis (37 patients, 48.1% followed by toxoplasma uveitis (14 patients, 18.2%. The most prevalent viral pathogen was varicella-zoster virus (21 patients, 27.3% followed by herpes simplex virus (20 patients, 26.0%. Acute retinal necrosis (ARN was diagnosed in 14 patients (18.2%. Aqueous humor yielded an etiologic diagnosis in seven (50% of ARN patients, four of whom tested positive for cytomegalovirus and three for varicella-zoster virus. On presentation, 43 patients (55.8% had a visual acuity (VA better than 20/40 and 17 (22.1% had a VA worse than 20/200. VA at the final follow-up was better than 20/40 in 39 patients (50.6% and worse than 20/200 in 22 patients (28.6%. In all, 16 (20.8% and 10 (13.0% patients required cataract and vitrectomy surgery, respectively. A total of 14 patients (18.2% were on glaucoma topical treatment and four (5.2% required glaucoma surgery.Conclusion: The most common type of infectious uveitis seen over the study period was herpetic anterior uveitis secondary to varicella-zoster virus or herpes simplex virus, found to be most prevalent in patients

Infectious and non-infectious neurologic complications in heart transplant recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz, Patricia; Valerio, Maricela; Palomo, Jesús; Fernández-Yáñez, Juan; Fernández-Cruz, Ana; Guinea, Jesús; Bouza, Emilio

2010-05-01

Neurologic complications are important causes of morbidity and mortality in heart transplant (HT) recipients. New immunomodulating agents have improved survival rates, although some have been associated with a high rate of neurologic complications (infectious and non-infectious). We conducted this study to analyze the frequency of these complications, before and after the use of daclizumab induction therapy. We reviewed all neurologic complications in our HT cohort, comparing infectious with non-infectious complications over 2 periods of time in which different induction therapies were used (316 patients with OKT3 or antithymocyte globulin from 1988 to 2002, and 68 patients with daclizumab from 2003 to 2006). Neurologic complications were found in 75/384 patients (19.5%) with a total of 78 episodes. Non-infectious complications accounted for 68% of the 78 episodes of neurologic complications. A total of 51 patients and 53 episodes were detailed as follows: 25 episodes of stroke (25 of 78 total episodes, 32%; 19 ischemic, 6 hemorrhagic); 7 neuropathies; 6 seizures; 4 episodes of transient ischemic attack (TIA); 3 anoxic encephalopathy; 2 each brachial plexus palsy and metabolic encephalopathy; and 1 each myoclonia, central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, subdural hematoma, and Cotard syndrome. Mean time to presentation of stroke, TIA, and encephalopathy was 1 day (range, 1-19 d) posttransplant. Mortality rate among non-infectious complications was 12/53 (22.6%). Infectious complications accounted for 32% of the 78 total episodes. We found 25 episodes in 24 patients: 17 herpes zoster (median, 268 d after HT), 3 CNS aspergillosis (median, 90 d after HT), 1 CNS toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis (51 d after HT), 1 pneumococcal meningitis (402 d after HT), and 2 Listeria meningitis (median, 108 d after HT). The 3 patients with CNS aspergillosis died. The mortality rate among patients with infectious neurologic complications was 12% (42.8% if the CNS was involved). When we

Anti-Infectious Agents against MRSA

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Nobuhiro Koyama

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Clinically useful antibiotics, β-lactams and vancomycin, are known to inhibit bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA has a unique cell wall structure consisting of peptidoglycan and wall teichoic acid. In recent years, new anti-infectious agents (spirohexaline, tripropeptin C, DMPI, CDFI, cyslabdan, 1835F03, and BPH-652 targeting MRSA cell wall biosynthesis have been discovered using unique screening methods. These agents were found to inhibit important enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis such as undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (UPP synthase, FemA, flippase, or UPP phosphatase. In this review, the discovery, the mechanism of action, and the future of these anti-infectious agents are described.

Infectious Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

... But some of them can make you sick. Infectious diseases are diseases that are caused by germs. There ... many different ways that you can get an infectious disease: Through direct contact with a person who is ...

Assessment of adaptive evolution between wheat and rice as deduced from full-length common wheat cDNA sequence data and expression patterns

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Hayashizaki Yoshihide

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Wheat is an allopolyploid plant that harbors a huge, complex genome. Therefore, accumulation of expressed sequence tags (ESTs for wheat is becoming particularly important for functional genomics and molecular breeding. We prepared a comprehensive collection of ESTs from the various tissues that develop during the wheat life cycle and from tissues subjected to stress. We also examined their expression profiles in silico. As full-length cDNAs are indispensable to certify the collected ESTs and annotate the genes in the wheat genome, we performed a systematic survey and sequencing of the full-length cDNA clones. This sequence information is a valuable genetic resource for functional genomics and will enable carrying out comparative genomics in cereals. Results As part of the functional genomics and development of genomic wheat resources, we have generated a collection of full-length cDNAs from common wheat. By grouping the ESTs of recombinant clones randomly selected from the full-length cDNA library, we were able to sequence 6,162 independent clones with high accuracy. About 10% of the clones were wheat-unique genes, without any counterparts within the DNA database. Wheat clones that showed high homology to those of rice were selected in order to investigate their expression patterns in various tissues throughout the wheat life cycle and in response to abiotic-stress treatments. To assess the variability of genes that have evolved differently in wheat and rice, we calculated the substitution rate (Ka/Ks of the counterparts in wheat and rice. Genes that were preferentially expressed in certain tissues or treatments had higher Ka/Ks values than those in other tissues and treatments, which suggests that the genes with the higher variability expressed in these tissues is under adaptive selection. Conclusion We have generated a high-quality full-length cDNA resource for common wheat, which is essential for continuation of the

Studies of nontarget-mediated distribution of human full-length IgG1 antibody and its FAb fragment in cardiovascular and metabolic-related tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidsson, Pia; Söderling, Ann-Sofi; Svensson, Lena; Ahnmark, Andrea; Flodin, Christine; Wanag, Ewa; Screpanti-Sundqvist, Valentina; Gennemark, Peter

2015-05-01

Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics (PK) of full-length nontargeted antibody and its antigen-binding fragment (FAb) were evaluated for a range of tissues primarily of interest for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Mice were intravenously injected with a dose of 10 mg/kg of either human IgG1or its FAb fragment; perfused tissues were collected at a range of time points over 3 weeks for the human IgG1 antibody and 1 week for the human FAb antibody. Tissues were homogenized and antibody concentrations were measured by specific immunoassays on the Gyros system. Exposure in terms of maximum concentration (Cmax ) and area under the curve was assessed for all nine tissues. Tissue exposure of full-length antibody relative to plasma exposure was found to be between 1% and 10%, except for brain (0.2%). Relative concentrations of FAb antibody were the same, except for kidney tissue, where the antibody concentration was found to be ten times higher than in plasma. However, the absolute tissue uptake of full-length IgG was significantly higher than the absolute tissue uptake of the FAb antibody. This study provides a reference PK state for full-length whole and FAb antibodies in tissues related to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that do not include antigen or antibody binding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Generation of Infectious Poliovirus with Altered Genetic Information from Cloned cDNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Bujaki, Erika

2016-01-01

The effect of specific genetic alterations on virus biology and phenotype can be studied by a great number of available assays. The following method describes the basic protocol to generate infectious poliovirus with altered genetic information from cloned cDNA in cultured cells.The example explained here involves generation of a recombinant poliovirus genome by simply replacing a portion of the 5' noncoding region with a synthetic gene by restriction cloning. The vector containing the full length poliovirus genome and the insert DNA with the known mutation(s) are cleaved for directional cloning, then ligated and transformed into competent bacteria. The recombinant plasmid DNA is then propagated in bacteria and transcribed to RNA in vitro before RNA transfection of cultured cells is performed. Finally, viral particles are recovered from the cell culture.

Acute tonsillitis at infectious patients

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Y. P. Finogeev

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We examined 1824 patients with diphtheria treated in Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital Botkin (St. Petersburg in 1993 – 1994, and more than 500 patients referred to the clinic with a diagnosis of «angina». Based on published data and our own research observations investigated the etiology of acute tonsillitis. Bacterial tonsillitis should be treated with antibiotics, and this is important aetiological interpretation of these diseases. Streptococcal tonsillitis should always be a sore throat syndrome as a diagnostic sign of support. For other forms of lymphoma lesion of the tonsils should not be defined as «angina», and called «tonsillitis». Аngina as β-hemolytic streptococcus group A infection is recognized as the leader in the development of rheumatic fever. On the basis of a large clinical material briefly analyzed the clinical manifestations of various forms of diphtheria with membranous tonsillitis. Also presented with a syndrome of infectious diseases as tonsillitis, therapeutic and surgical «mask» of infectious diseases.

Conformational change in full-length mouse prion: A site-directed spin-labeling study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inanami, Osamu; Hashida, Shukichi; Iizuka, Daisuke; Horiuchi, Motohiro; Hiraoka, Wakako; Shimoyama, Yuhei; Nakamura, Hideo; Inagaki, Fuyuhiko; Kuwabara, Mikinori

2005-01-01

The structure of the mouse prion (moPrP) was studied using site-directed spin-labeling electron spin resonance (SDSL-ESR). Since a previous NMR study by Hornemanna et al., [Hornemanna, Korthb, Oeschb, Rieka, Widera, Wuethricha, Glockshubera, Recombinant full-length murine prion protein, mPrP (23-231): purification and spectroscopic characterization, FEBS Lett. 413 (1997) 277-281] has indicated that N96, D143, and T189 in moPrP are localized in a Cu 2+ binding region, Helix1 and Helix2, respectively, three recombinant moPrP mutations (N96C, D143C, and T189C) were expressed in an Escherichia coli system, and then refolded by dialysis under low pH and purified by reverse-phase HPLC. By using the preparation, we succeeded in preserving a target cystein residue without alteration of the α-helix structure of moPrP and were able to apply SDSL-ESR with a methane thiosulfonate spin label to the full-length prion protein. The rotational correlation times (τ) of 1.1, 3.3, and 4.8 ns were evaluated from the X-band ESR spectra at pH 7.4 and 20 deg C for N96R1, D143R1, and T189R1, respectively. τ reflects the fact that the Cu 2+ binding region is more flexible than Helix1 or Helix2. ESR spectra recorded at various temperatures revealed two phases together with a transition point at around 20 deg C in D143R1 and T189R1, but not in N96R1. With the variation of pH from 4.0 to 7.8, ESR spectra of T189R1 at 20 deg C showed a gradual increase of τ from 2.9 to 4.8 ns. On the other hand, the pH-dependent conformational changes in N96R1 and D143R1 were negligible. These results indicated that T189 located in Helix2 possessed a structure sensitive to physiological pH changes; simultaneously, N96 in the Cu 2+ binding region and D143 in Helix1 were conserved

Caspase 3 inactivates biologically active full length interleukin-33 as a classical cytokine but does not prohibit nuclear translocation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Shafaqat; Nguyen, Dang Quan; Falk, Werner; Martin, Michael Uwe

2010-01-01

IL-33 is a member of the IL-1 family of cytokines with dual function which either activates cells via the IL-33 receptor in a paracrine fashion or translocates to the nucleus to regulate gene transcription in an intracrine manner. We show that full length murine IL-33 is active as a cytokine and that it is not processed by caspase 1 to mature IL-33 but instead cleaved by caspase 3 at aa175 to yield two products which are both unable to bind to the IL-33 receptor. Full length IL-33 and its N-terminal caspase 3 breakdown product, however, translocate to the nucleus. Finally, bioactive IL-33 is not released by cells constitutively or after activation. This suggests that IL-33 is not a classical cytokine but exerts its function in the nucleus of intact cells and only activates others cells via its receptor as an alarm mediator after destruction of the producing cell.

Construction and characterization of a full-length cDNA library for the wheat stripe rust pathogen (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

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Chen Xianming

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Puccinia striiformis is a plant pathogenic fungus causing stripe rust, one of the most important diseases on cereal crops and grasses worldwide. However, little is know about its genome and genes involved in the biology and pathogenicity of the pathogen. We initiated the functional genomic research of the fungus by constructing a full-length cDNA and determined functions of the first group of genes by sequence comparison of cDNA clones to genes reported in other fungi. Results A full-length cDNA library, consisting of 42,240 clones with an average cDNA insert of 1.9 kb, was constructed using urediniospores of race PST-78 of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. From 196 sequenced cDNA clones, we determined functions of 73 clones (37.2%. In addition, 36 clones (18.4% had significant homology to hypothetical proteins, 37 clones (18.9% had some homology to genes in other fungi, and the remaining 50 clones (25.5% did not produce any hits. From the 73 clones with functions, we identified 51 different genes encoding protein products that are involved in amino acid metabolism, cell defense, cell cycle, cell signaling, cell structure and growth, energy cycle, lipid and nucleotide metabolism, protein modification, ribosomal protein complex, sugar metabolism, transcription factor, transport metabolism, and virulence/infection. Conclusion The full-length cDNA library is useful in identifying functional genes of P. striiformis.

HCV Genotype 6a Escape from and Resistance to Velpatasvir, Pibrentasvir, and Sofosbuvir in Robust Infectious Cell Culture Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pham, Long; Ramirez Almeida, Santseharay; Gottwein, Judith Margarete

was able to propagate and escape in the presence of pibrentasvir with emergence of NS5A-L28S, conferring a high level of resistance to this inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Strains of HCV genotype 6a isolated from patients can be adapted to propagate in cultured cells, permitting studies of the complete life cycle...... infectious cell culture models of HCV genotype 6a infection to study the effects of these inhibitors and the development of resistance. METHODS: The consensus sequences of prototype strains HK2 (MG717925) and HK6a (MG717928), originating from serum of patients with chronic HCV infection, were determined...... by Sanger sequencing of genomes amplified by reverse transcription-PCR. In vitro non-infectious full-length clones of these 6a strains were subsequently adapted in Huh7.5 cells, primarily by using substitutions identified in JFH1-based core-NS5A and core-NS5B genotype 6a recombinants. We studied...

Full-Length Fibronectin Drives Fibroblast Accumulation at the Surface of Collagen Microtissues during Cell-Induced Tissue Morphogenesis.

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Jasper Foolen

Full Text Available Generating and maintaining gradients of cell density and extracellular matrix (ECM components is a prerequisite for the development of functionality of healthy tissue. Therefore, gaining insights into the drivers of spatial organization of cells and the role of ECM during tissue morphogenesis is vital. In a 3D model system of tissue morphogenesis, a fibronectin-FRET sensor recently revealed the existence of two separate fibronectin populations with different conformations in microtissues, i.e. 'compact and adsorbed to collagen' versus 'extended and fibrillar' fibronectin that does not colocalize with the collagen scaffold. Here we asked how the presence of fibronectin might drive this cell-induced tissue morphogenesis, more specifically the formation of gradients in cell density and ECM composition. Microtissues were engineered in a high-throughput model system containing rectangular microarrays of 12 posts, which constrained fibroblast-populated collagen gels, remodeled by the contractile cells into trampoline-shaped microtissues. Fibronectin's contribution during the tissue maturation process was assessed using fibronectin-knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts (Fn-/- MEFs and floxed equivalents (Fnf/f MEFs, in fibronectin-depleted growth medium with and without exogenously added plasma fibronectin (full-length, or various fragments. In the absence of full-length fibronectin, Fn-/- MEFs remained homogenously distributed throughout the cell-contracted collagen gels. In contrast, in the presence of full-length fibronectin, both cell types produced shell-like tissues with a predominantly cell-free compacted collagen core and a peripheral surface layer rich in cells. Single cell assays then revealed that Fn-/- MEFs applied lower total strain energy on nanopillar arrays coated with either fibronectin or vitronectin when compared to Fnf/f MEFs, but that the presence of exogenously added plasma fibronectin rescued their contractility. While collagen

Evolutionary mechanisms involved in the virulence of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), a piscine orthomyxovirus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markussen, Turhan; Jonassen, Christine Monceyron; Numanovic, Sanela; Braaen, Stine; Hjortaas, Monika; Nilsen, Hanne; Mjaaland, Siri

2008-01-01

Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) is an orthomyxovirus causing a multisystemic, emerging disease in Atlantic salmon. Here we present, for the first time, detailed sequence analyses of the full-genome sequence of a presumed avirulent isolate displaying a full-length hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) gene (HPR0), and compare this with full-genome sequences of 11 Norwegian ISAV isolates from clinically diseased fish. These analyses revealed the presence of a virulence marker right upstream of the putative cleavage site R 267 in the fusion (F) protein, suggesting a Q 266 → L 266 substitution to be a prerequisite for virulence. To gain virulence in isolates lacking this substitution, a sequence insertion near the cleavage site seems to be required. This strongly suggests the involvement of a protease recognition pattern at the cleavage site of the fusion protein as a determinant of virulence, as seen in highly pathogenic influenza A virus H5 or H7 and the paramyxovirus Newcastle disease virus

Efficient infectious cell culture systems of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) prototype strains HCV-1 and H77.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi-Ping; Ramirez, Santseharay; Mikkelsen, Lotte; Bukh, Jens

2015-01-01

The first discovered and sequenced hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome and the first in vivo infectious HCV clones originated from the HCV prototype strains HCV-1 and H77, respectively, both widely used in research of this important human pathogen. In the present study, we developed efficient infectious cell culture systems for these genotype 1a strains by using the HCV-1/SF9_A and H77C in vivo infectious clones. We initially adapted a genome with the HCV-1 5'UTR-NS5A (where UTR stands for untranslated region) and the JFH1 NS5B-3'UTR (5-5A recombinant), including the genotype 2a-derived mutations F1464L/A1672S/D2979G (LSG), to grow efficiently in Huh7.5 cells, thus identifying the E2 mutation S399F. The combination of LSG/S399F and reported TNcc(1a)-adaptive mutations A1226G/Q1773H/N1927T/Y2981F/F2994S promoted adaptation of the full-length HCV-1 clone. An HCV-1 recombinant with 17 mutations (HCV1cc) replicated efficiently in Huh7.5 cells and produced supernatant infectivity titers of 10(4.0) focus-forming units (FFU)/ml. Eight of these mutations were identified from passaged HCV-1 viruses, and the A970T/I1312V/C2419R/A2919T mutations were essential for infectious particle production. Using CD81-deficient Huh7 cells, we further demonstrated the importance of A970T/I1312V/A2919T or A970T/C2419R/A2919T for virus assembly and that the I1312V/C2419R combination played a major role in virus release. Using a similar approach, we found that NS5B mutation F2994R, identified here from culture-adapted full-length TN viruses and a common NS3 helicase mutation (S1368P) derived from viable H77C and HCV-1 5-5A recombinants, initiated replication and culture adaptation of H77C containing LSG and TNcc(1a)-adaptive mutations. An H77C recombinant harboring 19 mutations (H77Ccc) replicated and spread efficiently after transfection and subsequent infection of naive Huh7.5 cells, reaching titers of 10(3.5) and 10(4.4) FFU/ml, respectively. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was discovered in 1989 with

Infectious Diseases and Tropical Cyclones in Southeast China

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Jietao Zheng

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Southeast China is frequently hit by tropical cyclones (TCs with significant economic and health burdens each year. However, there is a lack of understanding of what infectious diseases could be affected by tropical cyclones. This study aimed to examine the impacts of tropical cyclones on notifiable infectious diseases in southeast China. Disease data between 2005 and 2011 from four coastal provinces in southeast China, including Guangdong, Hainan, Zhejiang, and Fujian province, were collected. Numbers of cases of 14 infectious diseases were compared between risk periods and reference periods for each tropical cyclone. Risk ratios (RRs were calculated to estimate the risks. TCs were more likely to increase the risk of bacillary dysentery, paratyphoid fever, dengue fever and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (ps < 0.05 than to decrease the risk, more likely to decrease the risk of measles, mumps, varicella and vivax malaria (ps < 0.05 than to increase the risk. In conclusion, TCs have mixed effects on the risk of infectious diseases. TCs are more likely to increase the risk of intestinal and contact transmitted infectious diseases than to decrease the risk, and more likely to decrease the risk of respiratory infectious diseases than to increase the risk. Findings of this study would assist in developing public health strategies and interventions for the reduction of the adverse health impacts from tropical cyclones.

Phylodynamic analysis of avian infectious bronchitis virus in South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Marandino, Ana; Pereda, Ariel; Tomás, Gonzalo; Hernández, Martín; Iraola, Gregorio; Craig, María Isabel; Hernández, Diego; Banda, Alejandro; Villegas, Pedro; Panzera, Yanina; Pérez, Ruben

2015-06-01

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a coronavirus of chickens that causes great economic losses to the global poultry industry. The present study focuses on South American IBVs and their genetic relationships with global strains. We obtained full-length sequences of the S1 coding region and N gene of IBV field isolates from Uruguay and Argentina, and performed Phylodynamic analysis to characterize the strains and estimate the time of the most recent common ancestor. We identified two major South American genotypes, which were here denoted South America I (SAI) and Asia/South America II (A/SAII). The SAI genotype is an exclusive South American lineage that emerged in the 1960s. The A/SAII genotype may have emerged in Asia in approximately 1995 before being introduced into South America. Both SAI and A/SAII genotype strains clearly differ from the Massachusetts strains that are included in the vaccine formulations being used in most South American countries. © 2015 The Authors.

Sequencing and analysis of full-length cDNAs, 5'-ESTs and 3'-ESTs from a cartilaginous fish, the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii).

KAUST Repository

Brenner, Sydney

2012-10-08

Cartilaginous fishes are the most ancient group of living jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) and are, therefore, an important reference group for understanding the evolution of vertebrates. The elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii), a holocephalan cartilaginous fish, has been identified as a model cartilaginous fish genome because of its compact genome (∼910 Mb) and a genome project has been initiated to obtain its whole genome sequence. In this study, we have generated and sequenced full-length enriched cDNA libraries of the elephant shark using the \\'oligo-capping\\' method and Sanger sequencing. A total of 6,778 full-length protein-coding cDNA and 10,701 full-length noncoding cDNA were sequenced from six tissues (gills, intestine, kidney, liver, spleen, and testis) of the elephant shark. Analysis of their polyadenylation signals showed that polyadenylation usage in elephant shark is similar to that in mammals. Furthermore, both coding and noncoding transcripts of the elephant shark use the same proportion of canonical polyadenylation sites. Besides BLASTX searches, protein-coding transcripts were annotated by Gene Ontology, InterPro domain, and KEGG pathway analyses. By comparing elephant shark genes to bony vertebrate genes, we identified several ancient genes present in elephant shark but differentially lost in tetrapods or teleosts. Only ∼6% of elephant shark noncoding cDNA showed similarity to known noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The rest are either highly divergent ncRNAs or novel ncRNAs. In addition to full-length transcripts, 30,375 5\\'-ESTs and 41,317 3\\'-ESTs were sequenced and annotated. The clones and transcripts generated in this study are valuable resources for annotating transcription start sites, exon-intron boundaries, and UTRs of genes in the elephant shark genome, and for the functional characterization of protein sequences. These resources will also be useful for annotating genes in other cartilaginous fishes whose genomes have been targeted for

Sequencing and analysis of full-length cDNAs, 5'-ESTs and 3'-ESTs from a cartilaginous fish, the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii).

KAUST Repository

Brenner, Sydney; Kodzius, Rimantas; Tan, Yue Ying; Tay, Alice; Tay, Boon-Hui; Venkatesh, Byrappa

2012-01-01

Cartilaginous fishes are the most ancient group of living jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) and are, therefore, an important reference group for understanding the evolution of vertebrates. The elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii), a holocephalan cartilaginous fish, has been identified as a model cartilaginous fish genome because of its compact genome (∼910 Mb) and a genome project has been initiated to obtain its whole genome sequence. In this study, we have generated and sequenced full-length enriched cDNA libraries of the elephant shark using the 'oligo-capping' method and Sanger sequencing. A total of 6,778 full-length protein-coding cDNA and 10,701 full-length noncoding cDNA were sequenced from six tissues (gills, intestine, kidney, liver, spleen, and testis) of the elephant shark. Analysis of their polyadenylation signals showed that polyadenylation usage in elephant shark is similar to that in mammals. Furthermore, both coding and noncoding transcripts of the elephant shark use the same proportion of canonical polyadenylation sites. Besides BLASTX searches, protein-coding transcripts were annotated by Gene Ontology, InterPro domain, and KEGG pathway analyses. By comparing elephant shark genes to bony vertebrate genes, we identified several ancient genes present in elephant shark but differentially lost in tetrapods or teleosts. Only ∼6% of elephant shark noncoding cDNA showed similarity to known noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The rest are either highly divergent ncRNAs or novel ncRNAs. In addition to full-length transcripts, 30,375 5'-ESTs and 41,317 3'-ESTs were sequenced and annotated. The clones and transcripts generated in this study are valuable resources for annotating transcription start sites, exon-intron boundaries, and UTRs of genes in the elephant shark genome, and for the functional characterization of protein sequences. These resources will also be useful for annotating genes in other cartilaginous fishes whose genomes have been targeted for whole

Full length articles published in BJOMS during 2010-11--an analysis by sub-specialty and study type.

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Arakeri, Gururaj; Colbert, Serryth; Rosenbaum, Gavin; Brennan, Peter A

2012-12-01

Full length articles such as prospective and retrospective studies, case series, laboratory-based research and reviews form the majority of papers published in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (BJOMS). We were interested to evaluate the breakdown of these types of articles both by sub-specialty and the type of study as well as the proportion that are written by UK colleagues compared to overseas authors over a 2 year period (2010-11). A total of 191 full length articles across all sub-specialties of our discipline were published, with 107 papers (56%) coming from UK authors. There were proportionately more oncology papers arising from the UK than overseas (60 and 30% of total respectively) while the opposite was found for cleft/deformity studies (10% and 22%). There was only one laboratory-based study published from the UK compared with 27 papers from overseas. The number of quality papers being submitted to the Journal continues to increase, and the type of article being published between UK and overseas probably reflects different practices and case-loads amongst colleagues. The relatively few UK laboratory based studies published in BJOMS compared to overseas authors are most likely due to authors seeking the most prestigious journals possible for their work. Copyright © 2012 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inconsistencies of genome annotations in apicomplexan parasites revealed by 5'-end-one-pass and full-length sequences of oligo-capped cDNAs

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Sugano Sumio

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Apicomplexan parasites are causative agents of various diseases including malaria and have been targets of extensive genomic sequencing. We generated 5'-EST collections for six apicomplexa parasites using our full-length oligo-capping cDNA library method. To improve upon the current genome annotations, as well as to validate the importance for physical cDNA clone resources, we generated a large-scale collection of full-length cDNAs for several apicomplexa parasites. Results In this study, we used a total of 61,056 5'-end-single-pass cDNA sequences from Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. yoelii, P. berghei, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Toxoplasma gondii. We compared these partially sequenced cDNA sequences with the currently annotated gene models and observed significant inconsistencies between the two datasets. In particular, we found that on average 14% of the exons in the current gene models were not supported by any cDNA evidence, and that 16% of the current gene models may contain at least one mis-annotation and should be re-evaluated. We also identified a large number of transcripts that had been previously unidentified. For 732 cDNAs in T. gondii, the entire sequences were determined in order to evaluate the annotated gene models at the complete full-length transcript level. We found that 41% of the T. gondii gene models contained at least one inconsistency. We also identified and confirmed by RT-PCR 140 previously unidentified transcripts found in the intergenic regions of the current gene annotations. We show that the majority of these discrepancies are due to questionable predictions of one or two extra exons in the upstream or downstream regions of the genes. Conclusion Our data indicates that the current gene models are likely to still be incomplete and have much room for improvement. Our unique full-length cDNA information is especially useful for further refinement of the annotations for the genomes of

Infectious diseases and chronic care in Africa | Tumwine | African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Infectious diseases and chronic care in Africa. JK Tumwine. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v15i2.2 · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

Aerobiology and Its Role in the Transmission of Infectious Diseases

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Aaron Fernstrom

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aerobiology plays a fundamental role in the transmission of infectious diseases. As infectious disease and infection control practitioners continue employing contemporary techniques (e.g., computational fluid dynamics to study particle flow, polymerase chain reaction methodologies to quantify particle concentrations in various settings, and epidemiology to track the spread of disease, the central variables affecting the airborne transmission of pathogens are becoming better known. This paper reviews many of these aerobiological variables (e.g., particle size, particle type, the duration that particles can remain airborne, the distance that particles can travel, and meteorological and environmental factors, as well as the common origins of these infectious particles. We then review several real-world settings with known difficulties controlling the airborne transmission of infectious particles (e.g., office buildings, healthcare facilities, and commercial airplanes, while detailing the respective measures each of these industries is undertaking in its effort to ameliorate the transmission of airborne infectious diseases.

Patient-Specific Instruments Based on Knee Joint Computed Tomography and Full-Length Lower Extremity Radiography in Total Knee Replacement

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Hua Tian

2018-01-01

Conclusions: The use of PSIs based on knee joint CT and standing full-length lower extremity radiography in TKR resulted in acceptable alignment compared with the use of conventional instruments, although the marginal advantage was not statistically different. Surgical time and clinical results were also similar between the two groups. However, the PSI group had less postoperative drainage.

Molecular and Biological Characterization of an Isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus from Glycine soja by Generating its Infectious Full-genome cDNA Clones

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Mi Sa Vo Phan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Molecular and biological characteristics of an isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV from Glycine soja (wild soybean, named as CMV-209, was examined in this study. Comparison of nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analyses of CMV-209 with the other CMV strains revealed that CMV-209 belonged to CMV subgroup I. However, CMV-209 showed some genetic distance from the CMV strains assigned to subgroup IA or subgroup IB. Infectious full-genome cDNA clones of CMV-209 were generated under the control of the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Infectivity of the CMV-209 clones was evaluated in Nicotiana benthamiana and various legume species. Our assays revealed that CMV-209 could systemically infect Glycine soja (wild soybean and Pisum sativum (pea as well as N. benthamiana, but not the other legume species.

An RNA-Seq strategy to detect the complete coding and non-coding transcriptome including full-length imprinted macro ncRNAs.

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Ru Huang

Full Text Available Imprinted macro non-protein-coding (nc RNAs are cis-repressor transcripts that silence multiple genes in at least three imprinted gene clusters in the mouse genome. Similar macro or long ncRNAs are abundant in the mammalian genome. Here we present the full coding and non-coding transcriptome of two mouse tissues: differentiated ES cells and fetal head using an optimized RNA-Seq strategy. The data produced is highly reproducible in different sequencing locations and is able to detect the full length of imprinted macro ncRNAs such as Airn and Kcnq1ot1, whose length ranges between 80-118 kb. Transcripts show a more uniform read coverage when RNA is fragmented with RNA hydrolysis compared with cDNA fragmentation by shearing. Irrespective of the fragmentation method, all coding and non-coding transcripts longer than 8 kb show a gradual loss of sequencing tags towards the 3' end. Comparisons to published RNA-Seq datasets show that the strategy presented here is more efficient in detecting known functional imprinted macro ncRNAs and also indicate that standardization of RNA preparation protocols would increase the comparability of the transcriptome between different RNA-Seq datasets.

An integrated PCR colony hybridization approach to screen cDNA libraries for full-length coding sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollier, Jacob; González-Guzmán, Miguel; Ardiles-Diaz, Wilson; Geelen, Danny; Goossens, Alain

2011-01-01

cDNA-Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) is a commonly used technique for genome-wide expression analysis that does not require prior sequence knowledge. Typically, quantitative expression data and sequence information are obtained for a large number of differentially expressed gene tags. However, most of the gene tags do not correspond to full-length (FL) coding sequences, which is a prerequisite for subsequent functional analysis. A medium-throughput screening strategy, based on integration of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and colony hybridization, was developed that allows in parallel screening of a cDNA library for FL clones corresponding to incomplete cDNAs. The method was applied to screen for the FL open reading frames of a selection of 163 cDNA-AFLP tags from three different medicinal plants, leading to the identification of 109 (67%) FL clones. Furthermore, the protocol allows for the use of multiple probes in a single hybridization event, thus significantly increasing the throughput when screening for rare transcripts. The presented strategy offers an efficient method for the conversion of incomplete expressed sequence tags (ESTs), such as cDNA-AFLP tags, to FL-coding sequences.

Infectious Agents as Stimuli of Trained Innate Immunity

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Paulina Rusek

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The discoveries made over the past few years have modified the current immunological paradigm. It turns out that innate immunity cells can mount some kind of immunological memory, similar to that observed in the acquired immunity and corresponding to the defense mechanisms of lower organisms, which increases their resistance to reinfection. This phenomenon is termed trained innate immunity. It is based on epigenetic changes in innate immune cells (monocytes/macrophages, NK cells after their stimulation with various infectious or non-infectious agents. Many infectious stimuli, including bacterial or fungal cells and their components (LPS, β-glucan, chitin as well as viruses or even parasites are considered potent inducers of innate immune memory. Epigenetic cell reprogramming occurring at the heart of the phenomenon may provide a useful basis for designing novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to prevent and protect against multiple diseases. In this article, we present the current state of art on trained innate immunity occurring as a result of infectious agent induction. Additionally, we discuss the mechanisms of cell reprogramming and the implications for immune response stimulation/manipulation.

Pre-Steady-State Kinetic Analysis of Truncated and Full-Length Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA Polymerase Eta

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Jessica A. Brown

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Understanding polymerase fidelity is an important objective towards ascertaining the overall stability of an organism's genome. Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase η (yPolη, a Y-family DNA polymerase, is known to efficiently bypass DNA lesions (e.g., pyrimidine dimers in vivo. Using pre-steady-state kinetic methods, we examined both full-length and a truncated version of yPolη which contains only the polymerase domain. In the absence of yPolη's C-terminal residues 514–632, the DNA binding affinity was weakened by 2-fold and the base substitution fidelity dropped by 3-fold. Thus, the C-terminus of yPolη may interact with DNA and slightly alter the conformation of the polymerase domain during catalysis. In general, yPolη discriminated between a correct and incorrect nucleotide more during the incorporation step (50-fold on average than the ground-state binding step (18-fold on average. Blunt-end additions of dATP or pyrene nucleotide 5′-triphosphate revealed the importance of base stacking during the binding of incorrect incoming nucleotides.

A new set of ESTs and cDNA clones from full-length and normalized libraries for gene discovery and functional characterization in citrus

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Alamar Santiago

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Interpretation of ever-increasing raw sequence information generated by modern genome sequencing technologies faces multiple challenges, such as gene function analysis and genome annotation. Indeed, nearly 40% of genes in plants encode proteins of unknown function. Functional characterization of these genes is one of the main challenges in modern biology. In this regard, the availability of full-length cDNA clones may fill in the gap created between sequence information and biological knowledge. Full-length cDNA clones facilitate functional analysis of the corresponding genes enabling manipulation of their expression in heterologous systems and the generation of a variety of tagged versions of the native protein. In addition, the development of full-length cDNA sequences has the power to improve the quality of genome annotation. Results We developed an integrated method to generate a new normalized EST collection enriched in full-length and rare transcripts of different citrus species from multiple tissues and developmental stages. We constructed a total of 15 cDNA libraries, from which we isolated 10,898 high-quality ESTs representing 6142 different genes. Percentages of redundancy and proportion of full-length clones range from 8 to 33, and 67 to 85, respectively, indicating good efficiency of the approach employed. The new EST collection adds 2113 new citrus ESTs, representing 1831 unigenes, to the collection of citrus genes available in the public databases. To facilitate functional analysis, cDNAs were introduced in a Gateway-based cloning vector for high-throughput functional analysis of genes in planta. Herein, we describe the technical methods used in the library construction, sequence analysis of clones and the overexpression of CitrSEP, a citrus homolog to the Arabidopsis SEP3 gene, in Arabidopsis as an example of a practical application of the engineered Gateway vector for functional analysis. Conclusion The new

Changes of Global Infectious Disease Governance in 2000s: Rise of Global Health Security and Transformation of Infectious Disease Control System in South Korea

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Eun Kyung CHOI

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper focus upon the changes of global infectious disease governance in 2000s and the transformation of infectious disease control system in South Korea. Traditionally, infectious disease was globally governed by the quarantine regulated by the international conventions. When an infectious disease outbreak occurred in one country, each country prevented transmission of the disease through the standardized quarantine since the installation of international sanitary convention in 1892. Republic of Korea also organized the infectious disease control system with quarantine and disease report procedure after the establishment of government. Additionally, Korea National Health Institute(KNIH was founded as research and training institute for infectious disease. However, traditional international health regulation system faced a serious challenge by the appearance of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease in 1990s. As a result, global infectious disease governance was rapidly changed under the demand to global disease surveillance and response. Moreover, global health security frame became important after 2001 bioterror and 2003 SARS outbreak. Consequently, international health regulation was fully revised in 2005, which included not only infectious disease but also public health emergency. The new international health regime was differently characterized in several aspects; reinforcement of global cooperation and surveillance, enlargement of the role of supranational and international agencies, and reorganization of national capacity. KNIH was reorganized with epidemic control and research since late 1990s. However, in 2004 Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC was established as a disease control institution with combining quarantine and other functions after 2003 SARS outbreak. KCDC unified national function against infectious disease including prevention, protection, response and research, as a national representative in

Factors influencing the seasonal patterns of infectious diseases

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Auda Fares

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The recognition of seasonal patterns in infectious disease occurrence dates back at least as far as the hippocratic era, but the mechanisms underlying these fluctuations remain poorly understood. Many classes of mechanistic hypotheses have been proposed to explain seasonality of various directly transmitted diseases, including at least the following; human activity, seasonal variability in human immune system function, seasonal variations in vitamin D levels, seasonality of melatonin, and pathogen infectivity. In this short paper will briefly discuss the role of these factors in the seasonal patterns of infectious diseases.

Molecular characterization of feline infectious peritonitis virus strain DF-2 and studies of the role of ORF3abc in viral cell tropism.

Science.gov (United States)

Bálint, Ádám; Farsang, Attila; Zádori, Zoltán; Hornyák, Ákos; Dencso, László; Almazán, Fernando; Enjuanes, Luis; Belák, Sándor

2012-06-01

The full-length genome of the highly lethal feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) strain DF-2 was sequenced and cloned into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to study the role of ORF3abc in the FIPV-feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) transition. The reverse genetic system allowed the replacement of the truncated ORF3abc of the original FIPV DF-2 genome with the intact ORF3abc of the canine coronavirus (CCoV) reference strain Elmo/02. The in vitro replication kinetics of these two viruses was studied in CrFK and FCWF-4 cell lines, as well as in feline peripheral blood monocytes. Both viruses showed similar replication kinetics in established cell lines. However, the strain with a full-length ORF3 showed markedly lower replication of more than 2 log(10) titers in feline peripheral blood monocytes. Our results suggest that the truncated ORF3abc plays an important role in the efficient macrophage/monocyte tropism of type II FIPV.

Infectious myocarditis (Clinic, diagnostics, principles of treatment

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Yu. P. Finogeev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Infective myocarditis can be considered as a case of myocardial damage caused by different infectious agents. Traditionally discusses the questions of diagnostics and treatment infectious myocarditis. The paper has repeatedly stressed the difficulty of clinical diagnosis, and the laboriousness and economic costs of laboratory tests and additional researches. Endomyocardial biopsy findings remain the gold standard for unequivocally establishing the diagnosis. However, it is technically extremely invasive test and can be performed only in specialized cardiology centers. The paper analyzes in detail not only own materials, but also results of researches published in numerous domestic and foreign sources of literature. Publication of «Infectious myocarditis» is necessary due to the fact that patients with a diagnosis of «Myocarditis » account for 11% of all cardiovascular disease in the world. Article is timely and necessary for many professionals, senior students of medical universities.

Sex and Reproduction in the Transmission of Infectious Uveitis

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Janet L. Davis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Current data permit only speculations regarding sex differences in the prevalence of infectious uveitis between women and men because uveitis case surveys do not uniformly report gender data. Differences in prevalence that are reported in the literature could relate to simple differences in the number of women and men at risk for infection or to biological differences between men and women. Compared to other types of uveitis, infectious uveitis may be directly related to occupational exposures or sexual behaviors, which differ between women and men, and may mask actual biological differences in susceptibility to ocular manifestations of the infection and its prognosis. In infectious uveitis for which there is no element of sexual transmission and data is available, prevalence of ocular disease is roughly equal between women and men. Women also have a unique relationship with infectious uveitis in their role as mothers. Vertical transmission of infections such as herpes simplex, toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus can produce severe chorioretinitis in neonates.

Characterization of near full-length genomes of HIV type 1 strains in Denmark: Basis for a universal therapeutic vaccine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Betina S.; Vinner, Lasse; Tang, Sheila Tuyet

2007-01-01

We report here the near full-length sequence characterization of 17 Danish clinical HIV-1 strains isolated from HLA-A02 patients not in need of ART, with relatively low viral loads and normal CD4 cell counts. Sequencing was performed directly on DNA extracted from short-term cocultures of PBMCs...... of a universal immunotherapeutic vaccine construct based on these epitopes....

About Infectious Mononucleosis

Science.gov (United States)

... Infectious mononucleosis, also called “mono,” is a contagious disease. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the most common cause of infectious mononucleosis, but other viruses can also cause this disease. It is common among teenagers and young adults, ...

Binding site analysis of full-length α1a adrenergic receptor using homology modeling and molecular docking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedretti, Alessandro; Elena Silva, Maria; Villa, Luigi; Vistoli, Giulio

2004-01-01

The recent availability of crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin offers new opportunities in order to approach the construction of G protein coupled receptors. This study focuses the attention on the modeling of full-length α 1a adrenergic receptor (α 1a -AR) due to its biological role and significant implications in pharmacological treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia. This work could be considered made up by two main steps: (a) the construction of full structure of α 1a -AR, through homology modeling methods; (b) the automated docking of an endogenous agonist, norepinephrine, and of an antagonist, WB-4101, using BioDock program. The obtained results highlight the key residues involved in binding sites of both agonists and antagonists, confirming the mutagenesis data and giving new suggestions for the rational design of selective ligands

Rational Design of High-Number dsDNA Fragments Based on Thermodynamics for the Construction of Full-Length Genes in a Single Reaction.

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Bhagyashree S Birla

Full Text Available Gene synthesis is frequently used in modern molecular biology research either to create novel genes or to obtain natural genes when the synthesis approach is more flexible and reliable than cloning. DNA chemical synthesis has limits on both its length and yield, thus full-length genes have to be hierarchically constructed from synthesized DNA fragments. Gibson Assembly and its derivatives are the simplest methods to assemble multiple double-stranded DNA fragments. Currently, up to 12 dsDNA fragments can be assembled at once with Gibson Assembly according to its vendor. In practice, the number of dsDNA fragments that can be assembled in a single reaction are much lower. We have developed a rational design method for gene construction that allows high-number dsDNA fragments to be assembled into full-length genes in a single reaction. Using this new design method and a modified version of the Gibson Assembly protocol, we have assembled 3 different genes from up to 45 dsDNA fragments at once. Our design method uses the thermodynamic analysis software Picky that identifies all unique junctions in a gene where consecutive DNA fragments are specifically made to connect to each other. Our novel method is generally applicable to most gene sequences, and can improve both the efficiency and cost of gene assembly.

Selective breeding can increase resistance of Atlantic salmon to furunculosis, infectious salmon anaemia and infectious pancreatic necrosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjøglum, Sissel; Henryon, Mark; Aasmundstad, Torunn

2008-01-01

We reasoned that by challenging large numbers of Atlantic salmon families with the causative agents of furunculosis, infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN), we could show unequivocally that resistance to these diseases expresses moderate-to-high levels of additive...... genetic variation, and that the resistances are weakly correlated genetically. We tested this reasoning by challenging Atlantic salmon from 920 (approximately) full-sib families with the causative agents of furunculosis and ISA, and fish from 265 of these families with the causative agent of IPN. Additive...... indicate that it should be relatively easy to improve resistance to the diseases simultaneously. We believe that there is now strong evidence that selectively breeding Atlantic salmon for resistance can be highly successful...

Infectious Diseases, Urbanization and Climate Change: Challenges in Future China

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Michael Xiaoliang Tong

2015-09-01

Full Text Available China is one of the largest countries in the world with nearly 20% of the world’s population. There have been significant improvements in economy, education and technology over the last three decades. Due to substantial investments from all levels of government, the public health system in China has been improved since the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS outbreak. However, infectious diseases still remain a major population health issue and this may be exacerbated by rapid urbanization and unprecedented impacts of climate change. This commentary aims to explore China’s current capacity to manage infectious diseases which impair population health. It discusses the existing disease surveillance system and underscores the critical importance of strengthening the system. It also explores how the growing migrant population, dramatic changes in the natural landscape following rapid urbanization, and changing climatic conditions can contribute to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease. Continuing research on infectious diseases, urbanization and climate change may inform the country’s capacity to deal with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in the future.

Differing Efficacies of Lead Group A Streptococcal Vaccine Candidates and Full-Length M Protein in Cutaneous and Invasive Disease Models

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Tania Rivera-Hernandez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Group A Streptococcus (GAS is an important human pathogen responsible for both superficial infections and invasive diseases. Autoimmune sequelae may occur upon repeated infection. For this reason, development of a vaccine against GAS represents a major challenge, since certain GAS components may trigger autoimmunity. We formulated three combination vaccines containing the following: (i streptolysin O (SLO, interleukin 8 (IL-8 protease (Streptococcus pyogenes cell envelope proteinase [SpyCEP], group A streptococcal C5a peptidase (SCPA, arginine deiminase (ADI, and trigger factor (TF; (ii the conserved M-protein-derived J8 peptide conjugated to ADI; and (iii group A carbohydrate lacking the N-acetylglucosamine side chain conjugated to ADI. We compared these combination vaccines to a “gold standard” for immunogenicity, full-length M1 protein. Vaccines were adjuvanted with alum, and mice were immunized on days 0, 21, and 28. On day 42, mice were challenged via cutaneous or subcutaneous routes. High-titer antigen-specific antibody responses with bactericidal activity were detected in mouse serum samples for all vaccine candidates. In comparison with sham-immunized mice, all vaccines afforded protection against cutaneous challenge. However, only full-length M1 protein provided protection in the subcutaneous invasive disease model.

Thymic function and T cell parameters in a natural human experimental model of seasonal infectious diseases and nutritional burden

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Morgan Gareth

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The study exploits a natural human experimental model of subsistence farmers experiencing chronic and seasonally modified food shortages and infectious burden. Two seasons existed, one of increased deprivation and infections (Jul-Dec, another of abundance and low infections (Jan-Jun; referred to as the hungry/high infection and harvest/low infection seasons respectively. Prior analysis showed a 10-fold excess in infectious disease associated mortality in young adults born in the hungry/high infection versus harvest/low infection season, and reduced thymic output and T cell counts in infancy. Here we report findings on the role of early life stressors as contributors to the onset of T cell immunological defects in later life. Methods We hypothesised that season of birth effects on thymic function and T cell immunity would be detectable in young adults since Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated this to be the time of greatest mortality divergence. T cell subset analyses by flow-cytometry, sjTRECs, TCRVβ repertoire and telomere length by PCR, were performed on samples from 60 males (18-23 y selected to represent births in the hungry/high infection and harvest/low infection Results Total lymphocyte counts were normal and did not differ by birth season. CD3+ and CD4+ but not CD8+ counts were lower for those born during the hungry/high infection season. CD8+ telomere length also tended to be shorter. Overall, CD8+ TCRVβ repertoire skewing was observed with 'public' expressions and deletions seen in TCRVβ12/22 and TCRVβ24, respectively but no apparent effect of birth season. Conclusions We conclude that, although thymic function was unchanged, the CD4+ and CD3+ counts, and CD8+ telomere length results suggested that aspects of adult T cell immunity were under the influence of early life stressors. The endemicity of CMV and HBV suggested that chronic infections may modulate immunity through T cell repertoire development. The

Evaluation of full S1 gene sequencing of classical and variant infectious bronchitis viruses extracted from allantoic fluid and FTA cards.

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Manswr, Basim; Ball, Christopher; Forrester, Anne; Chantrey, Julian; Ganapathy, Kannan

2018-05-01

Sequence variability in the S1 gene determines the genotype of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains. A single RT-PCR assay was developed to amplify and sequence the full S1 gene for six classical and variant IBVs (M41, D274, 793B, IS/885/00, IS/1494/06 and Q1) enriched in allantoic fluid (AF) or the same AF but inoculated onto Flinders Technology Association (FTA) cards. Representative strains from each genotype were grown in SPF eggs and RNA was extracted from AF. Full S1 gene amplification was achieved using primer A and primer 22.51. Products were sequenced using primer A, 1050+, 1380+ and SX3+ to obtain short sequences covering the full gene. Following serial dilutions of AF, detection limits of the partial assay were higher than those of the full S1 gene. Partial S1 sequences exhibited higher than average nucleotide similarity percentages (79%; 352bp) compared to full S1 sequences (77%; 1,756bp), suggesting that full S1 analysis allows greater strain differentiation. For IBV detection from AF inoculated FTA cards, four serotypes were incubated for up to 21 days at three temperatures; 4 o C, 24 o C and 40 o C. RNA was extracted and tested with partial and full S1 protocols. Through partial sequencing, all IBVs were successfully detected at all sampling points and storage temperatures. In contrast, using full S1 sequencing was not possible to amplify the gene beyond 14 days or when stored at 40°C. Data presented shows that for full S1 sequencing, a substantial amount of RNA is needed. Field samples collected onto FTA cards are unlikely to yield such quantity or quality.

A new set of ESTs and cDNA clones from full-length and normalized libraries for gene discovery and functional characterization in citrus

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Marques, M Carmen; Alonso-Cantabrana, Hugo; Forment, Javier; Arribas, Raquel; Alamar, Santiago; Conejero, Vicente; Perez-Amador, Miguel A

2009-01-01

Background Interpretation of ever-increasing raw sequence information generated by modern genome sequencing technologies faces multiple challenges, such as gene function analysis and genome annotation. Indeed, nearly 40% of genes in plants encode proteins of unknown function. Functional characterization of these genes is one of the main challenges in modern biology. In this regard, the availability of full-length cDNA clones may fill in the gap created between sequence information and biological knowledge. Full-length cDNA clones facilitate functional analysis of the corresponding genes enabling manipulation of their expression in heterologous systems and the generation of a variety of tagged versions of the native protein. In addition, the development of full-length cDNA sequences has the power to improve the quality of genome annotation. Results We developed an integrated method to generate a new normalized EST collection enriched in full-length and rare transcripts of different citrus species from multiple tissues and developmental stages. We constructed a total of 15 cDNA libraries, from which we isolated 10,898 high-quality ESTs representing 6142 different genes. Percentages of redundancy and proportion of full-length clones range from 8 to 33, and 67 to 85, respectively, indicating good efficiency of the approach employed. The new EST collection adds 2113 new citrus ESTs, representing 1831 unigenes, to the collection of citrus genes available in the public databases. To facilitate functional analysis, cDNAs were introduced in a Gateway-based cloning vector for high-throughput functional analysis of genes in planta. Herein, we describe the technical methods used in the library construction, sequence analysis of clones and the overexpression of CitrSEP, a citrus homolog to the Arabidopsis SEP3 gene, in Arabidopsis as an example of a practical application of the engineered Gateway vector for functional analysis. Conclusion The new EST collection denotes an

EXPRESSION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FULL-LENGTH HUMAN HEME OXYGENASE-1: PRESENCE OF INTACT MEMBRANE-BINDING REGION LEADS TO INCREASED BINDING AFFINITY FOR NADPH-CYTOCHROME P450 REDUCTASE

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Huber, Warren J.; Backes, Wayne L.

2009-01-01

Heme oxygenase (HO) is the chief regulatory enzyme in the oxidative degradation of heme to biliverdin. In the process of heme degradation, this NADPH and cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR)-dependent oxidation of heme also releases free iron and carbon monoxide. Much of the recent research involving heme oxygenase is done using a 30-kDa soluble form of the enzyme, which lacks the membrane binding region (C-terminal 23 amino acids). The goal of this study was to express and purify a full-length human HO-1 (hHO-1) protein; however, due to the lability of the full-length form, a rapid purification procedure was required. This was accomplished by use of a GST-tagged hHO-1 construct. Although the procedure permitted the generation of a full-length HO-1, this form was contaminated with a 30-kDa degradation product that could not be eliminated. Therefore, we attempted to remove a putative secondary thrombin cleavage site by a conservative mutation of amino acid 254, which replaces lysine with arginine. This mutation allowed the expression and purification of a full length hHO-1 protein. Unlike wild-type HO-1, the K254R mutant could be purified to a single 32-kDa protein capable of degrading heme at the same rate as the wild-type enzyme. The K254R full-length form had a specific activity of ~200–225 nmol bilirubin hr−1nmol−1 HO-1 as compared to ~140–150 nmol bilirubin hr−1nmol−1 for the WT form, which contains the 30-kDa contaminant. This is a 2–3-fold increase from the previously reported soluble 30-kDa HO-1, suggesting that the C-terminal 23 amino acids are essential for maximal catalytic activity. Because the membrane spanning domain is present, the full-length hHO-1 has the potential to incorporate into phospholipid membranes, which can be reconstituted at known concentrations, in combination with other ER-resident enzymes. PMID:17915953

Construction of a normalized full-length cDNA library of cephalopod Amphioctopus fangsiao and development of microsatellite markers

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Feng, Yanwei; Liu, Wenfen; Xu, Xin; Yang, Jianmin; Wang, Weijun; Wei, Xiumei; Liu, Xiangquan; Sun, Guohua

2017-10-01

Amphioctopus fangsiao is one of the most economically important species and has been considered to be a candidate for aquaculture. In order to facilitate its fine-scale genetic analyses, we constructed a normalized full-length library successfully and developed a set of microsatellite markers in this study. The normalized full-length library had a storage capacity of 6.9×105 independent clones. The recombination efficiency was 95% and the average size of inserted fragments was longer than 1000 bp. A total of 3440 high quality ESTs were obtained, which were assembled into 1803 unigenes. Of these unigenes, 450 (25%) were assigned into 33 Gene Ontology terms, 576 (31.9%) into 153 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, and 275 (15.3%) into 22 Clusters of Orthologous Groups. Seventy-six polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 17, and the observed and expected heterozygosities varied between 0.167 and 0.967 and between 0.326 and 0.944, respectively. Twelve loci were significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction and no linkage disequilibrium was found between different loci. This study provided not only a useful resource for the isolation of the functional genes, but also a set of informative microsatellites for the assessment of population structure and conservation genetics of A. fangsiao.

A Novel mouse model of enhanced proteostasis: Full-length human heat shock factor 1 transgenic mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, Anson; Wei, Rochelle; Halade, Dipti; Yoo, Si-Eun; Ran, Qitao; Richardson, Arlan

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Development of mouse overexpressing native human HSF1 in all tissues including CNS. → HSF1 overexpression enhances heat shock response at whole-animal and cellular level. → HSF1 overexpression protects from polyglutamine toxicity and favors aggresomes. → HSF1 overexpression enhances proteostasis at the whole-animal and cellular level. -- Abstract: The heat shock response (HSR) is controlled by the master transcriptional regulator heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1 maintains proteostasis and resistance to stress through production of heat shock proteins (HSPs). No transgenic model exists that overexpresses HSF1 in tissues of the central nervous system (CNS). We generated a transgenic mouse overexpressing full-length non-mutant HSF1 and observed a 2-4-fold increase in HSF1 mRNA and protein expression in all tissues studied of HSF1 transgenic (HSF1 +/0 ) mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates, including several regions of the CNS. Basal expression of HSP70 and 90 showed only mild tissue-specific changes; however, in response to forced exercise, the skeletal muscle HSR was more elevated in HSF1 +/0 mice compared to WT littermates and in fibroblasts following heat shock, as indicated by levels of inducible HSP70 mRNA and protein. HSF1 +/0 cells elicited a significantly more robust HSR in response to expression of the 82 repeat polyglutamine-YFP fusion construct (Q82YFP) and maintained proteasome-dependent processing of Q82YFP compared to WT fibroblasts. Overexpression of HSF1 was associated with fewer, but larger Q82YFP aggregates resembling aggresomes in HSF1 +/0 cells, and increased viability. Therefore, our data demonstrate that tissues and cells from mice overexpressing full-length non-mutant HSF1 exhibit enhanced proteostasis.

Infectious mononucleosis in children: clinical and laboratory rationale and economic efficiency of application of immunocorrectors

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Shvedova N.M.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: to select the optimal, clinically and economacally effective immunocorrector for the treatment of immune-EBV — mononucleosis in children. Materials: 400 patients with primary Epstein — Barr virus infection aged 1 to 14 years. Results. The therapy by cycloferon of primary Epstein — Barr virus infection observed a statistically significant reduction in the length of stay of patients in hospital, on average, 3 bed-days. Inclusion of cycloferon, viferon in the treatment of infectious mononucleosis, reduces the severity and duration of symptoms of intoxication, the temperature reaction, hepatotoxicity, splenomegaly, lymphoproliferative syndrome. Against the background of cycloferon lower incidence of post-infection anemia was observed. Conclusion. The inclusion of immunocorrectors into therapeutic interventions in primary Epstein — Barr virus infection has been clinically and economically proved.

Computational Insight Into the Structural Organization of Full-Length Toll-Like Receptor 4 Dimer in a Model Phospholipid Bilayer

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Mahesh Chandra Patra

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Toll-like receptors (TLRs are a unique category of pattern recognition receptors that recognize distinct pathogenic components, often utilizing the same set of downstream adaptors. Specific molecular features of extracellular, transmembrane (TM, and cytoplasmic domains of TLRs are crucial for coordinating the complex, innate immune signaling pathway. Here, we constructed a full-length structural model of TLR4—a widely studied member of the interleukin-1 receptor/TLR superfamily—using homology modeling, protein–protein docking, and molecular dynamics simulations to understand the differential domain organization of TLR4 in a membrane-aqueous environment. Results showed that each functional domain of the membrane-bound TLR4 displayed several structural transitions that are biophysically essential for plasma membrane integration. Specifically, the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains were partially immersed in the upper and lower leaflets of the membrane bilayer. Meanwhile, TM domains tilted considerably to overcome the hydrophobic mismatch with the bilayer core. Our analysis indicates an alternate dimerization or a potential oligomerization interface of TLR4-TM. Moreover, the helical properties of an isolated TM dimer partly agree with that of the full-length receptor. Furthermore, membrane-absorbed or solvent-exposed surfaces of the toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain are consistent with previous X-ray crystallography and biochemical studies. Collectively, we provided a complete structural model of membrane-bound TLR4 that strengthens our current understanding of the complex mechanism of receptor activation and adaptor recruitment in the innate immune signaling pathway.

Land-Use Change and Emerging Infectious Disease on an Island Continent

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Rosemary A. McFarlane

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A more rigorous and nuanced understanding of land-use change (LUC as a driver of emerging infectious disease (EID is required. Here we examine post hunter-gatherer LUC as a driver of infectious disease in one biogeographical region with a compressed and documented history—continental Australia. We do this by examining land-use and native vegetation change (LUCC associations with infectious disease emergence identified through a systematic (1973–2010 and historical (1788–1973 review of infectious disease literature of humans and animals. We find that 22% (20 of the systematically reviewed EIDs are associated with LUCC, most frequently where natural landscapes have been removed or replaced with agriculture, plantations, livestock or urban development. Historical clustering of vector-borne, zoonotic and environmental disease emergence also follows major periods of extensive land clearing. These advanced stages of LUCC are accompanied by changes in the distribution and density of hosts and vectors, at varying scales and chronology. This review of infectious disease emergence in one continent provides valuable insight into the association between accelerated global LUC and concurrent accelerated infectious disease emergence.

Prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases in cattle population in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Chowdhury, Q M Monzur Kader; Roy, Sawrab; Alam, Shahrul; Ahmed, Juned

2018-01-01

Infectious and non-infectious diseases of cattle cause great economic losses of farmers as well as country every year by reducing growth, production and mortality of cattle population. The objective of this research work was to find out the prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases of cattle at Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bangladesh. A total of 2285 clinical cases were diagnosed at District Veterinary Hospital in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh during January to June, 2016. Disease diagnosis was ...

Infectious diseases in competitive sports.

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Goodman, R A; Thacker, S B; Solomon, S L; Osterholm, M T; Hughes, J M

1994-03-16

Participation in competitive sports is popular and widely encouraged throughout the United States. Reports of infectious disease outbreaks among competitive athletes and recent publicity regarding infectious disease concerns in sports underscore the need to better characterize the occurrence of these problems. To identify reports of infectious diseases in sports, we performed a comprehensive search of the medical literature (MEDLINE) and newspaper databases in two on-line services (NEXIS and DIALOG PAPERS). Articles selected from the literature review included those describing cases or outbreaks of disease in which exposure to an infectious agent was likely to have occurred during training for competitive sports or during actual competition. Articles from the newspaper review included reports of outbreaks, exposures, or preventive measures that directly or indirectly involved teams or spectators. The literature review identified 38 reports of infectious disease outbreaks or other instances of transmission through person-to-person (24 reports), common-source (nine reports), or airborne (five reports) routes; the newspaper search identified 28 reports. Infectious agents included predominantly viruses but also a variety of fungi and gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Our findings indicate that strategies to prevent transmission of infectious diseases in sports must recognize risks at three levels: the individual athlete, the team, and spectators or others who may become exposed to infectious diseases as a result of sports-related activities. Team physicians and others who are responsible for the health of athletes should be especially familiar with the features of infectious diseases that occur in sports and measures for the prevention of these problems.

Infectious agents are associated with psychiatric diseases

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Daniela Lydia Krause

2012-01-01

Full Text Available There are several infectious agents in the environment that can cause persistent infections in the host. They usually cause their symptoms shortly after first infection and later persist as silent viruses and bacteria within the body. However, these chronic infections may play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and Tourette’s syndrome (TS. We investigated the distribution of different neurotrophic infectious agents in TS, schizophrenia and controls. A total of 93 individuals were included (schizophrenic patients, Tourette patients and controls. We evaluated antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV, herpes-simplex virus (HSV, Epstein-Barr virus, Toxoplasma, Mycoplasma and Chlamydia trachomatis/pneumoniae. By comparing schizophrenia and TS, we found a higher prevalence of HSV (P=0.017 and CMV (P=0.017 antibodies in schizophrenic patients. Considering the relationship between schizophrenia, TS and healthy controls, we showed that there are associations for Chlamydia trachomatis (P=0.007, HSV (P=0.027 and CMV (P=0.029. When all measured viruses, bacteria and protozoa were combined, schizophrenic patients had a higher rate of antibodies to infectious agents than TS patients (P=0.049. Tourette and schizophrenic patients show a different vulnerability to infectious agents. Schizophrenic patients were found to have a higher susceptibility to viral infections than individuals with TS. This finding might point to a modification in special immune parameters in these diseases.

High avidity antibodies to full-length VAR2CSA correlate with absence of placental malaria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tutterrow, Yeung Lo; Salanti, Ali; Avril, Marion

2012-01-01

VAR2CSA mediates sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta, increasing the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Naturally acquired antibodies (Ab) to placental parasites at delivery have been associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, but Ab levels and how early...... in pregnancy Ab must be present in order to eliminate placental parasites before delivery remains unknown. Antibodies to individual Duffy-binding like domains of VAR2CSA have been studied, but the domains lack many of the conformational epitopes present in full-length VAR2CSA (FV2). Thus, the purpose...... of this study was to describe the acquisition of Ab to FV2 in women residing in high and low transmission areas and determine how Ab levels during pregnancy correlate with clearance of placental parasites. Plasma samples collected monthly throughout pregnancy from pregnant women living in high and low...

Chinese Social Media Reaction to Information about 42 Notifiable Infectious Diseases.

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Isaac Chun-Hai Fung

Full Text Available This study aimed to identify what information triggered social media users' responses regarding infectious diseases. Chinese microblogs in 2012 regarding 42 infectious diseases were obtained through a keyword search in the Weiboscope database. Qualitative content analysis was performed for the posts pertinent to each keyword of the day of the year with the highest daily count. Similar posts were grouped and coded. We identified five categories of information that increased microblog traffic pertaining to infectious diseases: news of an outbreak or a case; health education/information; alternative health information/Traditional Chinese Medicine; commercial advertisement/entertainment; and social issues. News unrelated to the specified infectious diseases also led to elevated microblog traffic. Our study showcases the diverse contexts from which increased social media traffic occur. Our results will facilitate better health communication as causes underlying increased social media traffic are revealed.

Retrieval of a million high-quality, full-length microbial 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences without primer bias

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karst, Søren Michael; Dueholm, Morten Simonsen; McIlroy, Simon Jon

2018-01-01

Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes, 16S in bacteria and 18S in eukaryotes, have been the standard phylogenetic markers used to characterize microbial diversity and evolution for decades. However, the reference databases of full-length SSU rRNA gene sequences are skewed to well-studied e...

Molecular comparisons of full length metapneumovirus (MPV genomes, including newly determined French AMPV-C and -D isolates, further supports possible subclassification within the MPV Genus.

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Paul A Brown

Full Text Available Four avian metapneumovirus (AMPV subgroups (A-D have been reported previously based on genetic and antigenic differences. However, until now full length sequences of the only known isolates of European subgroup C and subgroup D viruses (duck and turkey origin, respectively have been unavailable. These full length sequences were determined and compared with other full length AMPV and human metapneumoviruses (HMPV sequences reported previously, using phylogenetics, comparisons of nucleic and amino acid sequences and study of codon usage bias. Results confirmed that subgroup C viruses were more closely related to HMPV than they were to the other AMPV subgroups in the study. This was consistent with previous findings using partial genome sequences. Closer relationships between AMPV-A, B and D were also evident throughout the majority of results. Three metapneumovirus "clusters" HMPV, AMPV-C and AMPV-A, B and D were further supported by codon bias and phylogenetics. The data presented here together with those of previous studies describing antigenic relationships also between AMPV-A, B and D and between AMPV-C and HMPV may call for a subclassification of metapneumoviruses similar to that used for avian paramyxoviruses, grouping AMPV-A, B and D as type I metapneumoviruses and AMPV-C and HMPV as type II.

Biobanking and translation of human genetics and genomics for infectious diseases

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Ivan Branković

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Biobanks are invaluable resources in genomic research of both the infectious diseases and their hosts. This article examines the role of biobanks in basic research of infectious disease genomics, as well as the relevance and applicability of biobanks in the translation of impending knowledge and the clinical uptake of knowledge of infectious diseases. Our research identifies potential fields of interaction between infectious disease genomics and biobanks, in line with global trends in the integration of genome-based knowledge into clinical practice. It also examines various networks and biobanks that specialize in infectious diseases (including HIV, HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis, and provides examples of successful research and clinical uptake stemming from these biobanks. Finally, it outlines key issues with respect to data privacy in infectious disease genomics, as well as the utility of adequately designed and maintained electronic health records. We maintain that the public should be able to easily access a clear and detailed outline of regulations and procedures for sample and data utilization by academic or commercial investigators, and also should be able to understand the precise roles of relevant governing bodies. This would ultimately facilitate uptake by researchers and clinics. As a result of the efforts and resources invested by several networks and consortia, there is an increasing awareness of the prospective uses of biobanks in advancing infectious disease genomic research, diagnostics and their clinical management.

Infectious mononucleosis #3 (image)

Science.gov (United States)

Infectious mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is a viral infection causing high temperature, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. Infectious mononucleosis can be contagious if the infected person comes ...

A single center 14 years study of infectious complications leading to hospitalization of patients with primary antibody deficiencies

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Setareh Mamishi

Full Text Available Primary antibody deficiencies (PADs are a heterogeneous group of disorders, characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections, leading to hospitalizations. This study was performed to determine the main infectious causes of hospital admissions in selective Iranian patients with PADs. Forty patients with PADs, who were admitted to the Infectious Ward of Children's Medical Center Hospital during a 14-year period, were reviewed in this study. There were 115 documented episodes of hospital admission during a 14-year period. The average length of hospital stay was 33.30 ± 25.72 days. Pneumonia was the most prominent infection leading to hospitalization among these patients (n = 48, followed by gastroenteritis (n = 23. Other less frequent causes of hospitalization were fever and neutropenia, septic arthritis, encephalitis, orbital cellulitis, sepsis, urinary tract infection, meningitis, oral ulcer, and lung abscess. The most common causative organisms of diarrhea were: Giardia lamblia, followed by Candida albicans, and Salmonella sp. Many patients with PADs suffer from repeated infections leading to hospitalization, in spite of immunoglobulin replacement therapy. Respiratory tract infections were the prominent cause of hospitalization among studied patients, followed by gastrointestinal infections.

[Common pediatric infectious diseases following natural disasters].

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Kai-Hu

2013-06-01

Natural disasters may lead to the outbreaks of infectious diseases because they increase the risk factors for infectious diseases. This paper reviews the risk factors for infectious diseases after natural disasters, especially earthquake, and the infectious diseases following disasters reported in recent years. The infectious diseases after earthquake include diarrhea, cholera, viral hepatitis, upper respiratory tract infection, tuberculosis, measles, leptospirosis, dengue fever, tetanus, and gas gangrene, as well as some rare infections. Children are vulnerable to infectious diseases, so pediatricians should pay more attention to the research on relationship between infectious diseases and natural disasters.

Use of Dried Blood Spots to Elucidate Full-Length Transmitted/Founder HIV-1 Genomes

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Jesus F. Salazar-Gonzalez

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Identification of HIV-1 genomes responsible for establishing clinical infection in newly infected individuals is fundamental to prevention and pathogenesis research. Processing, storage, and transportation of the clinical samples required to perform these virologic assays in resource-limited settings requires challenging venipuncture and cold chain logistics. Here, we validate the use of dried-blood spots (DBS as a simple and convenient alternative to collecting and storing frozen plasma. Methods: We performed parallel nucleic acid extraction, single genome amplification (SGA, next generation sequencing (NGS, and phylogenetic analyses on plasma and DBS. Results: We demonstrated the capacity to extract viral RNA from DBS and perform SGA to infer the complete nucleotide sequence of the transmitted/founder (TF HIV-1 envelope gene and full-length genome in two acutely infected individuals. Using both SGA and NGS methodologies, we showed that sequences generated from DBS and plasma display comparable phylogenetic patterns in both acute and chronic infection. SGA was successful on samples with a range of plasma viremia, including samples as low as 1,700 copies/ml and an estimated ~50 viral copies per blood spot. Further, we demonstrated reproducible efficiency in gp160 env sequencing in DBS stored at ambient temperature for up to three weeks or at -20ºC for up to five months. Conclusions: These findings support the use of DBS as a practical and cost-effective alternative to frozen plasma for clinical trials and translational research conducted in resource-limited settings.

Single-molecule study of full-length NaChBac by planar lipid bilayer recording.

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Andrew Jo

Full Text Available Planar lipid bilayer device, alternatively known as BLM, is a powerful tool to study functional properties of conducting membrane proteins such as ion channels and porins. In this work, we used BLM to study the prokaryotic voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav NaChBac in a well-defined membrane environment. Navs are an essential component for the generation and propagation of electric signals in excitable cells. The successes in the biochemical, biophysical and crystallographic studies on prokaryotic Navs in recent years has greatly promoted the understanding of the molecular mechanism that underlies these proteins and their eukaryotic counterparts. In this work, we investigated the single-molecule conductance and ionic selectivity behavior of NaChBac. Purified NaChBac protein was first reconstituted into lipid vesicles, which is subsequently incorporated into planar lipid bilayer by fusion. At single-molecule level, we were able to observe three distinct long-lived conductance sub-states of NaChBac. Change in the membrane potential switches on the channel mainly by increasing its opening probability. In addition, we found that individual NaChBac has similar permeability for Na+, K+, and Ca2+. The single-molecule behavior of the full-length protein is essentially highly stochastic. Our results show that planar lipid bilayer device can be used to study purified ion channels at single-molecule level in an artificial environment, and such studies can reveal new protein properties that are otherwise not observable in in vivo ensemble studies.

Calculation of evolutionary correlation between individual genes and full-length genome: a method useful for choosing phylogenetic markers for molecular epidemiology.

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Shuai Wang

Full Text Available Individual genes or regions are still commonly used to estimate the phylogenetic relationships among viral isolates. The genomic regions that can faithfully provide assessments consistent with those predicted with full-length genome sequences would be preferable to serve as good candidates of the phylogenetic markers for molecular epidemiological studies of many viruses. Here we employed a statistical method to evaluate the evolutionary relationships between individual viral genes and full-length genomes without tree construction as a way to determine which gene can match the genome well in phylogenetic analyses. This method was performed by calculation of linear correlations between the genetic distance matrices of aligned individual gene sequences and aligned genome sequences. We applied this method to the phylogenetic analyses of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2, measles virus (MV, hepatitis E virus (HEV and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for comparisons and the possible factors affecting the method accuracy were also discussed in the calculations. The results revealed that this method could produce results consistent with those of previous studies about the proper consensus sequences that could be successfully used as phylogenetic markers. And our results also suggested that these evolutionary correlations could provide useful information for identifying genes that could be used effectively to infer the genetic relationships.

Incorporating pathology in the practice of infectious disease: myths and reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Guarner, Jeannette

2014-10-15

The role pathology plays in establishing or excluding infectious diseases has been established. However, as the practice of pathology has become subspecialized, there is not enough infectious disease specimen volume to have a pathologist dedicated full time to this crosscutting subspecialty. So, what are the myths and realities of a practicing infectious disease pathologist in the hospital setting? Infectious disease clinicians tend to consult pathologists when there are questions regarding terminology used in pathology reports; when there is the need to perform additional studies on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues; and when there is an interest in seeing biopsies or resections obtained from patients and in obtaining photographs for presentations. Pathologists consult infectious disease pathologists when there is a need to review diverse inflammatory reactions; for identification of fungi, parasites, or unknown structures; to define the need to use special stains and other techniques in order to identify organisms in tissues that have been formalin fixed; and to help with terminology to be used in reports. This review explores in more detail why and how these consultations occur. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Infectious disease-related laws: prevention and control measures

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Mijeong Park

2017-07-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES This study examines recently revised Korean government legislation addressing global infectious disease control for public health emergency situations, with the aim of proposing more rational, effective and realistic interpretations and applications for improvement of law. METHODS The Korea reported its first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS coronavirus on May 20, 2015. Since the first indexed case, Korean public health authorities enforced many public health measures that were not authorized in the law; the scope of the current law was too limited to cover MERS. Korea has three levels of government: the central government, special self-governing provinces, and si/gun/gu. Unfortunately, the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act does not designate the specific roles of each level of government, and does not state how these governmental branches should be vertically integrated in a state of emergency. RESULTS When thinking about these policy questions, we should be especially concerned about introducing a new act that deals with all matters relevant to emerging infectious diseases. The aim would be to develop a structure that specifies the roles of each level of government, and facilitates the close collaboration among them, then enacting this in law for the prevention and response of infectious disease. CONCLUSIONS To address this problem, after analyzing the national healthcare infrastructure along with the characteristics of emerging infectious diseases, we propose the revision of the relevant law(s in terms of governance aspects, emergency medical countermeasure aspects, and the human rights aspect.

Analysis of Infectious Disease Notification in Germany and Austria

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V.D. Sorokhan

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The article presents an analysis of notifications of infectious disease in Germany and Austria as a European Union member state. All the elements of a notification were analyzed, starting from doctors and bacteriological laboratories, local health departments to regional and national levels. Attention is focused on the importance of the analysis of notification of infectious disease in European Union member states in terms of cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union after the signing of the economic component of the association agreement.

The program for eradication of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis in the Republic of Serbia

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Lazić Sava

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV are diseases that affect cattle population of all breeds, categories and age. Both diseases, especially infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR, poses severe health threat and causes major economic losses and is considered one of the “most costly” disease in cattle industry. The causal agent of the disease is a virus and any detection of IBR/IPV specific antibodies in non-vaccinated cattle, either in blood or milk, indicates that animal is infected and represents the source of infection. Countries with developed and intensive cattle breeding have been developed and implemented their national eradication programs to control IBR/IPV in accordance with international regulations. In this article, we outlined the needs and program for the eradication of IBR/IPV in the Republic of Serbia. The eradication program for IBR/IPV is an extensive process that requires systematic strategy involving different phases and activities. The eradication process from the moment of implementation until obtaining IBR/IPV-free status can last over several years and requires joint work and considerable financial resources that will be compansated with the elimination of IBR/IPV from the herd. This article gives an overview of all stages and activities regarding eradication of the disease and certification and maintaining of IBR/IPV-free herd status.

A lipidomic concept in infectious diseases

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Khaled Mohamed Mohamed Koriem

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases resemble a great threat to the human health according to World Health Organization where about 17% of all deaths (≈9.2 million deaths in 2013 recorded are related to infectious diseases. The pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites are the principle causes of infectious diseases. Ebola, AIDS, dengue, hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis and schistosomiasis are among 216 infectious diseases found where the immunity represents the first line defense in infection. Lipidomic includes examination of different biological lipids in the biological cell. The lipidomic research covers all aspects of individual lipid molecule including its structure, function, connection with other cell constituents such as protein, lipid, and metabolite in both health and disease conditions. Details of cell biology obtained from different pathogens (viruses, bacteria, and parasites provide a great data on molecular structure of host-pathogen relation and consequently on infection process. The lipids here play a very important role in many processes involved in host-pathogen relations. The role of lipid in host-pathogen link includes many processes in (1 structural host constituents, (2 host recognition, (3 intracellular transferring, and (4 energy and resource homeostasis during pathogen duplication. There are many lipid phosphatases, kinases, and lipases molecules that greatly involved in these processes and controlling pathogen expression and infection progress. The cell lipid metabolism depends on an adequate energy stores that push the infection to be accelerated and disease symptoms to be appeared. Consequently, future lipidomics studies are the basic for detecting the lipid role in host-pathogen relations which help in therapy advances and biomarkers development.

Rational Design of High-Number dsDNA Fragments Based on Thermodynamics for the Construction of Full-Length Genes in a Single Reaction.

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Birla, Bhagyashree S; Chou, Hui-Hsien

2015-01-01

Gene synthesis is frequently used in modern molecular biology research either to create novel genes or to obtain natural genes when the synthesis approach is more flexible and reliable than cloning. DNA chemical synthesis has limits on both its length and yield, thus full-length genes have to be hierarchically constructed from synthesized DNA fragments. Gibson Assembly and its derivatives are the simplest methods to assemble multiple double-stranded DNA fragments. Currently, up to 12 dsDNA fragments can be assembled at once with Gibson Assembly according to its vendor. In practice, the number of dsDNA fragments that can be assembled in a single reaction are much lower. We have developed a rational design method for gene construction that allows high-number dsDNA fragments to be assembled into full-length genes in a single reaction. Using this new design method and a modified version of the Gibson Assembly protocol, we have assembled 3 different genes from up to 45 dsDNA fragments at once. Our design method uses the thermodynamic analysis software Picky that identifies all unique junctions in a gene where consecutive DNA fragments are specifically made to connect to each other. Our novel method is generally applicable to most gene sequences, and can improve both the efficiency and cost of gene assembly.

The length-weight and length-length relationships of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766 from Samsun, middle Black Sea region

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Melek Özpiçak

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, length-weight relationship (LWR and length-length relationship (LLR of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix were determined. A total of 125 specimens were sampled from Samsun, the middle Black Sea in 2014 fishing season. Bluefish specimens were monthly collected from commercial fishing boats from October to December 2014. All captured individuals (N=125 were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm for total, fork and standard lengths. The weight of each fish (W was recorded to the nearest 0.01 g. According to results of analyses, there were no statistically significant differences between sexes in term of length and weight (P˃0.05. The minimum and maximum total, fork and standard lengths of bluefish ranged between 13.5-23.6 cm, 12.50-21.80 cm and 10.60-20.10 cm, respectively. The equation of length-weight relationship were calculated as W=0.008TL3.12 (r2>0.962. Positive allometric growth was observed for bluefish (b>3. Length-length relationship was also highly significant (P<0.001 with coefficient of determination (r2 ranging from 0.916 to 0.988.

Modeling rapidly disseminating infectious disease during mass gatherings

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Chowell Gerardo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract We discuss models for rapidly disseminating infectious diseases during mass gatherings (MGs, using influenza as a case study. Recent innovations in modeling and forecasting influenza transmission dynamics at local, regional, and global scales have made influenza a particularly attractive model scenario for MG. We discuss the behavioral, medical, and population factors for modeling MG disease transmission, review existing model formulations, and highlight key data and modeling gaps related to modeling MG disease transmission. We argue that the proposed improvements will help integrate infectious-disease models in MG health contingency plans in the near future, echoing modeling efforts that have helped shape influenza pandemic preparedness plans in recent years.

Chemoprophylaxis of Tropical Infectious Diseases

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William J. H. McBride

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Travelers to tropical countries are at risk for a variety of infectious diseases. In some cases effective vaccinations are available, but for other infections chemoprophylaxis can be offered. Malaria prevention has become increasingly complex as Plasmodium species become resistant to available drugs. In certain high risk settings, antibiotics can be used to prevent leptospirosis, scrub typhus and other infections. Post-exposure prophylaxis is appropriate for selected virulent infections. In this article the evidence for chemoprophylaxis will be reviewed.

Expression and characterization of full-length human heme oxygenase-1: the presence of intact membrane-binding region leads to increased binding affinity for NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase.

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Huber, Warren J; Backes, Wayne L

2007-10-30

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is the chief regulatory enzyme in the oxidative degradation of heme to biliverdin. In the process of heme degradation, HO-1 receives the electrons necessary for catalysis from the flavoprotein NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR), releasing free iron and carbon monoxide. Much of the recent research involving heme oxygenase has been done using a 30 kDa soluble form of the enzyme, which lacks the membrane binding region (C-terminal 23 amino acids). The goal of this study was to express and purify a full-length human HO-1 (hHO-1) protein; however, due to the lability of the full-length form, a rapid purification procedure was required. This was accomplished by use of a glutathione-s-transferase (GST)-tagged hHO-1 construct. Although the procedure permitted the generation of a full-length HO-1, this form was contaminated with a 30 kDa degradation product that could not be eliminated. Therefore, attempts were made to remove a putative secondary thrombin cleavage site by a conservative mutation of amino acid 254, which replaces arginine with lysine. This mutation allowed the expression and purification of a full-length hHO-1 protein. Unlike wild type (WT) HO-1, the R254K mutant could be purified to a single 32 kDa protein capable of degrading heme at the same rate as the WT enzyme. The R254K full-length form had a specific activity of approximately 200-225 nmol of bilirubin h-1 nmol-1 HO-1 as compared to approximately 140-150 nmol of bilirubin h-1 nmol-1 for the WT form, which contains the 30 kDa contaminant. This is a 2-3-fold increase from the previously reported soluble 30 kDa HO-1, suggesting that the C-terminal 23 amino acids are essential for maximal catalytic activity. Because the membrane-spanning domain is present, the full-length hHO-1 has the potential to incorporate into phospholipid membranes, which can be reconstituted at known concentrations, in combination with other endoplasmic reticulum resident enzymes.

NON-INFECTIOUS DISORDERS OF WARMWATER FISHES

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Compared with infectious diseases and disorders, few non-infectious diseases and disorders in cultured fish have severe biologic or economic impact. Culture practices, however, often establish environments that promote infectious disease by weakening the immune response or by pro...

Significance of urinary full-length megalin in patients with IgA nephropathy.

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Takuto Seki

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Megalin is highly expressed at the apical membranes of proximal tubular epithelial cells. A urinary full-length megalin (C-megalin assay is linked to the severity of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes. This study examined the relationship between levels of urinary C-megalin and histological findings in adult patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Urine samples voided in the morning on the day of renal biopsy were obtained from 73 patients with IgAN (29 men and 44 women; mean age, 33 years and 5 patients with membranous nephropathy (MN. Renal pathologic variables were analyzed using the Oxford classification of IgAN, the Shigematsu classification and the Clinical Guidelines of IgAN in Japan. The levels of urinary C-megalin were measured by sandwich ELISA. RESULTS: Histological analysis based on the Oxford classification revealed that the levels of urinary C-megalin were correlated with mesangial hypercellularity in IgAN patients (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04-3.27, P<0.05. There was a significant correlation between the levels of urinary C-megalin and the severity of chronic extracapillary abnormalities according to the Shigematsu classification in IgAN patients (β = 0.33, P = 0.008. The levels of urinary C-megalin were significantly higher in all risk levels of IgAN patients requiring dialysis using the Clinical Guidelines of IgAN in Japan than in the control group. The levels of urinary C-megalin were significantly higher in the high risk and very high risk grades than in the low risk grade (P<0.05. The levels of urinary C-megalin were significantly higher in MN patients compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of urinary C-megalin are associated with histological abnormalities in adult IgAN patients. There is a possibility that urinary C-megalin is an independent predictor of disease progression of IgAN. In addition, our results suggest that

Cloning and sequencing of full-length cDNAs of RNA1 and RNA2 of a Tomato black ring virus isolate from Poland.

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Jończyk, M; Le Gall, O; Pałucha, A; Borodynko, N; Pospieszny, H

2004-04-01

Full-length cDNA clones corresponding to the RNA1 and RNA2 of the Polish isolate MJ of Tomato black ring virus (TBRV, genus Nepovirus) were obtained using a direct recombination strategy in yeast, and their complete nucleotide sequences were established. RNA1 is 7358 nucleotides and RNA2 is 4633 nucleotides in length, excluding the poly(A) tails. Both RNAs contain a single open reading frame encoding polyproteins of 254 kDa and 149 kDa for RNA1 and RNA2 respectively. Putative cleavage sites were identified, and the relationships between TBRV and related nepoviruses were studied by sequence comparison.

A Defective Interfering Influenza RNA Inhibits Infectious Influenza Virus Replication in Human Respiratory Tract Cells: A Potential New Human Antiviral

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Claire M. Smith

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Defective interfering (DI viruses arise during the replication of influenza A virus and contain a non-infective version of the genome that is able to interfere with the production of infectious virus. In this study we hypothesise that a cloned DI influenza A virus RNA may prevent infection of human respiratory epithelial cells with infection by influenza A. The DI RNA (244/PR8 was derived by a natural deletion process from segment 1 of influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1; it comprises 395 nucleotides and is packaged in the DI virion in place of a full-length genome segment 1. Given intranasally, 244/PR8 DI virus protects mice and ferrets from clinical influenza caused by a number of different influenza A subtypes and interferes with production of infectious influenza A virus in cells in culture. However, evidence that DI influenza viruses are active in cells of the human respiratory tract is lacking. Here we show that 244/PR8 DI RNA is replicated by an influenza A challenge virus in human lung diploid fibroblasts, bronchial epithelial cells, and primary nasal basal cells, and that the yield of challenge virus is significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner indicating that DI influenza virus has potential as a human antiviral.

Dynamics of infectious diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rock, Kat; Brand, Sam; Moir, Jo; Keeling, Matt J

2014-01-01

Modern infectious disease epidemiology has a strong history of using mathematics both for prediction and to gain a deeper understanding. However the study of infectious diseases is a highly interdisciplinary subject requiring insights from multiple disciplines, in particular a biological knowledge of the pathogen, a statistical description of the available data and a mathematical framework for prediction. Here we begin with the basic building blocks of infectious disease epidemiology—the SIS and SIR type models—before considering the progress that has been made over the recent decades and the challenges that lie ahead. Throughout we focus on the understanding that can be developed from relatively simple models, although accurate prediction will inevitably require far greater complexity beyond the scope of this review. In particular, we focus on three critical aspects of infectious disease models that we feel fundamentally shape their dynamics: heterogeneously structured populations, stochasticity and spatial structure. Throughout we relate the mathematical models and their results to a variety of real-world problems. (review article)

Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions

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Sandra Pritzkow

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Prions are the protein-based infectious agents responsible for prion diseases. Environmental prion contamination has been implicated in disease transmission. Here, we analyzed the binding and retention of infectious prion protein (PrPSc to plants. Small quantities of PrPSc contained in diluted brain homogenate or in excretory materials (urine and feces can bind to wheat grass roots and leaves. Wild-type hamsters were efficiently infected by ingestion of prion-contaminated plants. The prion-plant interaction occurs with prions from diverse origins, including chronic wasting disease. Furthermore, leaves contaminated by spraying with a prion-containing preparation retained PrPSc for several weeks in the living plant. Finally, plants can uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to aerial parts of the plant (stem and leaves. These findings demonstrate that plants can efficiently bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting a possible role of environmental prion contamination in the horizontal transmission of the disease.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus in Brazil: a highly complex virus meets a highly susceptible host population

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PE Brandão

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Infectious bronchitis (IB is a highly aggressive disease for poultry in terms of symptoms and economic losses, and the control of this disease is difficult if flocks are not protected against type-specific challenges by the Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV. This article summarizes data presented by the author at the Workshop on Infectious Bronchitis 2009 on IB and IBV, including future developments on the field.

Recovery of infectious type Asia1 foot-and-mouth disease virus from suckling mice directly inoculated with an RNA polymerase I/II-driven unidirectional transcription plasmid.

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Lian, Kaiqi; Yang, Fan; Zhu, Zixiang; Cao, Weijun; Jin, Ye; Li, Dan; Zhang, Keshan; Guo, Jianhong; Zheng, Haixue; Liu, Xiangtao

2015-10-02

We developed an RNA polymerase (pol) I- and II-driven plasmid-based reverse genetics system to rescue infectious foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) from cloned cDNA. In this plasmid-based transfection, the full-length viral cDNA was flanked by hammerhead ribozyme (HamRz) and hepatitis delta ribozyme (HdvRz) sequences, which were arranged downstream of the two promoters (cytomegalovirus (CMV) and pol I promoter) and upstream of the terminators and polyadenylation signal, respectively. The utility of this method was demonstrated by the recovery of FMDV Asia1 HN/CHA/06 in BHK-21 cells transfected with cDNA plasmids. Furthermore, infectious FMDV Asia1 HN/CHA/06 could be rescued from suckling mice directly inoculated with cDNA plasmids. Thus, this reverse genetics system can be applied to fundamental research and vaccine studies, most notably to rescue those viruses for which there is currently an absence of a suitable cell culture system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Full-Length Carbon Fiber Insoles on Lower Limb Kinetics in Patients With Midfoot Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study.

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Yi, Taeim; Kim, Jung Hyun; Oh-Park, Mooyeon; Hwang, Ji Hye

2018-03-01

We investigated the effects of full-length carbon fiber (FCF) insoles on gait, muscle activity, kinetics, and pain in patients with midfoot osteoarthritis (OA). We enrolled 13 patients with unilateral midfoot OA (mild: Visual Analog Scale [VAS] range, 1-3; moderate, VAS range, 4-7) and healthy controls. All participants were asked to walk under two conditions: with and without FCF insole. The outcome measures were ground reaction force, quantitative gait parameters, electromyography activities and pain severity (VAS). In the patients with moderate midfoot OA, significantly longer gait cycle and higher muscle activity of lower limb during loading-response phase were observed while walking without FCF insoles. In the mild midfoot OA group, there was no significant difference in VAS score (without, 2.0 ± 1.0 vs. with, 2.0 ± 0.5) with FCF insole use. However, significantly reduced VAS score (without, 5.5 ± 1.4 vs. with, 2.0 ± 0.5) and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior and increased muscle activity of gastrocnemius were observed in the moderate midfoot OA group by using an FCF insole (P < 0.05). Full-length carbon fiber insoles can improve pain in individuals with moderate midfoot OA, which might be associated with changes in the kinetics and muscle activities of the lower limb. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that FCF insoles may be used as a helpful option for midfoot OA.

A full-length Plasmodium falciparum recombinant circumsporozoite protein expressed by Pseudomonas fluorescens platform as a malaria vaccine candidate.

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Amy R Noe

Full Text Available The circumsporozoite protein (CSP of Plasmodium falciparum is a major surface protein, which forms a dense coat on the sporozoite's surface. Preclinical research on CSP and clinical evaluation of a CSP fragment-based RTS, S/AS01 vaccine have demonstrated a modest degree of protection against P. falciparum, mediated in part by humoral immunity and in part by cell-mediated immunity. Given the partial protective efficacy of the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine in a recent Phase 3 trial, further improvement of CSP-based vaccines is crucial. In this report, we describe the preclinical development of a full-length, recombinant CSP (rCSP-based vaccine candidate against P. falciparum malaria suitable for current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP production. Utilizing a novel high-throughput Pseudomonas fluorescens expression platform, we demonstrated greater efficacy of full-length rCSP as compared to N-terminally truncated versions, rapidly down-selected a promising lead vaccine candidate, and developed a high-yield purification process to express immunologically active, intact antigen for clinical trial material production. The rCSP, when formulated with various adjuvants, induced antigen-specific antibody responses as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and immunofluorescence assay (IFA, as well as CD4+ T-cell responses as determined by ELISpot. The adjuvanted rCSP vaccine conferred protection in mice when challenged with transgenic P. berghei sporozoites containing the P. falciparum repeat region of CSP. Furthermore, heterologous prime/boost regimens with adjuvanted rCSP and an adenovirus type 35-vectored CSP (Ad35CS showed modest improvements in eliciting CSP-specific T-cell responses and anti-malarial protection, depending on the order of vaccine delivery. Collectively, these data support the importance of further clinical development of adjuvanted rCSP, either as a stand-alone product or as one of the components in a heterologous prime

[Infectious diseases].

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Chapuis-Taillard, Caroline; de Vallière, Serge; Bochud, Pierre-Yves

2009-01-07

In 2008, several publications have highlighted the role of climate change and globalization on the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Studies have shown the extension towards Europe of diseases such as Crimea-Congo fever (Kosovo, Turkey and Bulgaria), leismaniosis (Cyprus) and chikungunya virus infection (Italy). The article also contains comments on Plasmodium knowlesi, a newly identified cause of severe malaria in humans, as well as an update on human transmission of the H5NI avian influenza virus. It also mentions new data on Bell's palsy as well as two vaccines (varicella-zoster and pneumococcus), and provides a list of recent guidelines for the treatment of common infectious diseases.

Construction of a Full-Length Enriched cDNA Library and Preliminary Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris tigris

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Changqing Liu

2013-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, a full-length enriched cDNA library was successfully constructed from Bengal tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, the most well-known wild Animal. Total RNA was extracted from cultured Bengal tiger fibroblasts in vitro. The titers of primary and amplified libraries were 1.28 × 106 pfu/mL and 1.56 × 109 pfu/mL respectively. The percentage of recombinants from unamplified library was 90.2% and average length of exogenous inserts was 0.98 kb. A total of 212 individual ESTs with sizes ranging from 356 to 1108 bps were then analyzed. The BLASTX score revealed that 48.1% of the sequences were classified as a strong match, 45.3% as nominal and 6.6% as a weak match. Among the ESTs with known putative function, 26.4% ESTs were found to be related to all kinds of metabolisms, 19.3% ESTs to information storage and processing, 11.3% ESTs to posttranslational modification, protein turnover, chaperones, 11.3% ESTs to transport, 9.9% ESTs to signal transducer/cell communication, 9.0% ESTs to structure protein, 3.8% ESTs to cell cycle, and only 6.6% ESTs classified as novel genes. By EST sequencing, a full-length gene coding ferritin was identified and characterized. The recombinant plasmid pET32a-TAT-Ferritin was constructed, coded for the TAT-Ferritin fusion protein with two 6× His-tags in N and C-terminal. After BCA assay, the concentration of soluble Trx-TAT-Ferritin recombinant protein was 2.32 ± 0.12 mg/mL. These results demonstrated that the reliability and representativeness of the cDNA library attained to the requirements of a standard cDNA library. This library provided a useful platform for the functional genome and transcriptome research of Bengal tigers.

The Effect of Casting Ring Liner Length and Prewetting on the Marginal Adaptation and Dimensional Accuracy of Full Crown Castings.

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Haralur, Satheesh B; Hamdi, Osama A; Al-Shahrani, Abdulaziz A; Alhasaniah, Sultan

2017-01-01

To evaluate the effect of varying cellulose casting ring liner length and its prewetting on the marginal adaptation and dimensional accuracy of full veneer metal castings. The master die was milled in stainless steel to fabricate the wax pattern. Sixty wax patterns were fabricated with a uniform thickness of 1.5 mm at an occlusal surface and 1 mm axial surface, cervical width at 13.5 mm, and 10 mm cuspal height. The samples were divided into six groups ( n = 10). Groups I and II samples had the full-length cellulose prewet and dry ring liner, respectively. The groups III and IV had 2 mm short prewet and dry cellulose ring liner, respectively, whereas groups V and VI were invested in 6 mm short ring liner. The wax patterns were immediately invested in phosphate bonded investment, and casting procedure was completed with nickel-chrome alloy. The castings were cleaned and mean score of measurements at four reference points for marginal adaption, casting height, and cervical width was calculated. The marginal adaption was calculated with Imaje J software, whereas the casting height and cervical width was determined using a digital scale. The data was subjected to one-way analysis of varaince and Tukey post hoc statistical analysis with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 software. The group II had the best marginal adaption with a gap of 63.786 μm followed by group I (65.185 μm), group IV (87.740 μm), and group III (101.455 μm). A large marginal gap was observed in group V at 188.871 μm. Cuspal height was more accurate with group V (10.428 mm), group VI (10.421 mm), and group II (10.488 mm). The cervical width was approximately similar in group I, group III, and group V. Statistically significant difference was observed in Tukey post hoc analysis between group V and group VI with all the other groups with regards to marginal adaptation. The dry cellulose ring liners provided better marginal adaptation in comparison to prewet cellulose ring

Strategic alliance between the infectious diseases specialist and intensive care unit physician for change in antibiotic use.

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Curcio, D; Belloni, R

2005-02-01

There is a general consensus that antimicrobial use in intensive care units (ICU) is greater than that in general wards. By implementing a strategy of systematic infectious disease consultations in agreement with the ICU chief, we have modified the antibiotic prescription habits of the ICU physician. A reduction was observed in the use of selected antibiotics (third-generation cephalosporins, vancomycin, carbapenems and piperacillin-tazobactam), with a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay for ICU patients and lower antibiotic costs without negative impact on patient mortality. Leadership by the infectious diseases consultant in combination with commitment by ICU physicians is a simple and effective method to change antibiotic prescription habits in the ICU.

Tula hantavirus isolate with the full-length ORF for nonstructural protein NSs survives for more consequent passages in interferon-competent cells than the isolate having truncated NSs ORF.

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Jääskeläinen, Kirsi M; Plyusnina, Angelina; Lundkvist, Ake; Vaheri, Antti; Plyusnin, Alexander

2008-01-11

The competitiveness of two Tula hantavirus (TULV) isolates, TULV/Lodz and TULV/Moravia, was evaluated in interferon (IFN) -competent and IFN-deficient cells. The two isolates differ in the length of the open reading frame (ORF) encoding the nonstructural protein NSs, which has previously been shown to inhibit IFN response in infected cells. In IFN-deficient Vero E6 cells both TULV isolates survived equally well. In contrast, in IFN-competent MRC5 cells TULV/Lodz isolate, that possesses the NSs ORF for the full-length protein of 90 aa, survived for more consequent passages than TULV/Moravia isolate, which contains the ORF for truncated NSs protein (66-67 aa). Our data show that expression of a full-length NSs protein is beneficial for the virus survival and competitiveness in IFN-competent cells and not essential in IFN-deficient cells. These results suggest that the N-terminal aa residues are important for the full activity of the NSs protein.

Emerging infectious diseases – 1970s

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Robert Ferguson

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Forty years ago is not ancient history in the medical field. However, being an eye witness to the emergence of three new infectious diseases in the northeastern United States in the 1970s left a deep impression on this author. I will relate a small portion of the amazing events that caught the attention of the medical establishment and the general public in a roughly 5-year period of medical discovery.

Full-Length Characterization of Hepatitis C Virus Subtype 3a Reveals Novel Hypervariable Regions under Positive Selection during Acute Infection▿

OpenAIRE

Humphreys, Isla; Fleming, Vicki; Fabris, Paolo; Parker, Joe; Schulenberg, Bodo; Brown, Anthony; Demetriou, Charis; Gaudieri, Silvana; Pfafferott, Katja; Lucas, Michaela; Collier, Jane; Huang, Kuan-Hsiang Gary; Pybus, Oliver G.; Klenerman, Paul; Barnes, Eleanor

2009-01-01

Hepatitis C virus subtype 3a is a highly prevalent and globally distributed strain that is often associated with infection via injection drug use. This subtype exhibits particular phenotypic characteristics. In spite of this, detailed genetic analysis of this subtype has rarely been performed. We performed full-length viral sequence analysis in 18 patients with chronic HCV subtype 3a infection and assessed genomic viral variability in comparison to other HCV subtypes. Two novel regions of int...

Construction and evaluation of normalized cDNA libraries enriched with full-length sequences for rapid discovery of new genes from Sisal (Agave sisalana Perr.) different developmental stages.

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Zhou, Wen-Zhao; Zhang, Yan-Mei; Lu, Jun-Ying; Li, Jun-Feng

2012-10-12

To provide a resource of sisal-specific expressed sequence data and facilitate this powerful approach in new gene research, the preparation of normalized cDNA libraries enriched with full-length sequences is necessary. Four libraries were produced with RNA pooled from Agave sisalana multiple tissues to increase efficiency of normalization and maximize the number of independent genes by SMART™ method and the duplex-specific nuclease (DSN). This procedure kept the proportion of full-length cDNAs in the subtracted/normalized libraries and dramatically enhanced the discovery of new genes. Sequencing of 3875 cDNA clones of libraries revealed 3320 unigenes with an average insert length about 1.2 kb, indicating that the non-redundancy of libraries was about 85.7%. These unigene functions were predicted by comparing their sequences to functional domain databases and extensively annotated with Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Comparative analysis of sisal unigenes and other plant genomes revealed that four putative MADS-box genes and knotted-like homeobox (knox) gene were obtained from a total of 1162 full-length transcripts. Furthermore, real-time PCR showed that the characteristics of their transcripts mainly depended on the tight expression regulation of a number of genes during the leaf and flower development. Analysis of individual library sequence data indicated that the pooled-tissue approach was highly effective in discovering new genes and preparing libraries for efficient deep sequencing.

The full-length E1-circumflexE4 protein of human papillomavirus type 18 modulates differentiation-dependent viral DNA amplification and late gene expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, Regina; Ryan, Gordon B.; Knight, Gillian L.; Laimins, Laimonis A.; Roberts, Sally

2007-01-01

Activation of the productive phase of the human papillomavirus (HPV) life cycle in differentiated keratinocytes is coincident with high-level expression of E1-circumflexE4 protein. To determine the role of E1-circumflexE4 in the HPV replication cycle, we constructed HPV18 mutant genomes in which expression of the full-length E1-circumflexE4 protein was abrogated. Undifferentiated keratinocytes containing mutant genomes showed enhanced proliferation when compared to cells containing wildtype genomes, but there were no differences in maintenance of viral episomes. Following differentiation, cells with mutant genomes exhibited reduced levels of viral DNA amplification and late gene expression, compared to wildtype genome-containing cells. This indicates that HPV18 E1-circumflexE4 plays an important role in regulating HPV late functions, and it may also function in the early phase of the replication cycle. Our finding that full-length HPV18 E1-circumflexE4 protein plays a significant role in promoting viral genome amplification concurs with a similar report with HPV31, but is in contrast to an HPV11 study where viral DNA amplification was not dependent on full-length E1-circumflexE4 expression, and to HPV16 where only C-terminal truncations in E1-circumflexE4 abrogated vegetative genome replication. This suggests that type-specific differences exist between various E1-circumflexE4 proteins

National Infectious Diseases Surveillance data of South Korea.

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Park, Sunhee; Cho, Eunhee

2014-01-01

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) operate infectious disease surveillance systems to monitor national disease incidence. Since 1954, Korea has collected data on various infectious diseases in accordance with the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. All physicians (including those working in Oriental medicine) who diagnose a patient with an infectious disease or conduct a postmortem examination of an infectious disease case are obliged to report the disease to the system. These reported data are incorporated into the database of the National Infectious Disease Surveillance System, which has been providing web-based real-time surveillance data on infectious diseases since 2001. In addition, the KCDC analyzes reported data and publishes the Infectious Disease Surveillance Yearbook annually.

Assessing the genetic diversity of Cu resistance in mine tailings through high-throughput recovery of full-length copA genes

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Li, Xiaofang; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Shaban, Babak; Bruxner, Timothy J. C.; Bond, Philip L.; Huang, Longbin

2015-01-01

Characterizing the genetic diversity of microbial copper (Cu) resistance at the community level remains challenging, mainly due to the polymorphism of the core functional gene copA. In this study, a local BLASTN method using a copA database built in this study was developed to recover full-length putative copA sequences from an assembled tailings metagenome; these sequences were then screened for potentially functioning CopA using conserved metal-binding motifs, inferred by evolutionary trace analysis of CopA sequences from known Cu resistant microorganisms. In total, 99 putative copA sequences were recovered from the tailings metagenome, out of which 70 were found with high potential to be functioning in Cu resistance. Phylogenetic analysis of selected copA sequences detected in the tailings metagenome showed that topology of the copA phylogeny is largely congruent with that of the 16S-based phylogeny of the tailings microbial community obtained in our previous study, indicating that the development of copA diversity in the tailings might be mainly through vertical descent with few lateral gene transfer events. The method established here can be used to explore copA (and potentially other metal resistance genes) diversity in any metagenome and has the potential to exhaust the full-length gene sequences for downstream analyses. PMID:26286020

Spontaneous splenic rupture in infectious mononucleosis: case report and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinderknecht, Andrea S; Pomerantz, Wendy J

2012-12-01

A 15-year-old previously healthy girl presented in full arrest after 1 week of flu-like symptoms, recent diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis, and 1 day of abdominal pain. There was no history of trauma. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma examination showed free fluid in the abdomen. The patient died despite aggressive resuscitative management and emergency laparotomy with splenectomy, which showed grade V splenic laceration. Infectious mononucleosis is a common viral illness of adolescence. Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Anticipatory guidance about the importance of seeking medical care if abdominal pain develops during infectious mononucleosis is crucial to early diagnosis and intervention in the case of rupture. We discuss the current literature surrounding the outpatient follow-up of splenomegaly associated with infectious mononucleosis, as well as current practice and treatment options when rupture occurs.

Construction and characterization of HIV type 1 CRF07_BC infectious molecular clone from men who have sex with men.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yan-Ling; Bai, Wen-Wei; Qu, Fan-Wei; Ma, Hua; Jiang, Run-Sheng; Shen, Bao-Sheng

2016-03-01

This study aimed to investigate the biological characterization of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) CRF07_BC infection among men who have sex with men (MSM). From November 2011 to November 2013, a total of 66 blood samples were collected from MSM with acute HIV-1 infection with CRF07_BC subgroup strains. Deletion in the gag p6 region was detected by sequence alignment and comparative analysis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HNXX1301-1307 samples were separated by density gradient centrifugation. Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) was used to amplify the viral DNA. The near full-length HIV-1 DNA products were ligated to the long terminal repeat (LTR) vector plasmid (07BCLTR) to construct a full-length HIV clone. The molecular clone was transfected into HEK-293T cells, TZM-b1 cells and patients' PBMCs. The pregenome of an infectious molecular clone of HIV-1 (pNL4-3) was amplified, and a subclone with CRF07_BC was developed to construct the full-length chimeric molecular clone pNL4-3/07BCLTR. Detection of p24 antigen and luciferase activity was used to measure the in vitro infectivity of pNL4-3/07BCLTR. Among the 66 MSM patients infected with CRF07_BC strains, deletion mutations of the Gag P6 proteins were found in 7 of 18CRF07_BC strains; deletion mutations of 2-13 amino acids in different regions were discovered in 6 strains; and the remaining 42 strains did not show deletions. Seven strains with amino acids deficiency in the P6 protein accounted for 27% of all strains and 75% of all deletion genotype strains. A total of 186 full-length molecular clones of CRF07_BC were constructed. There were 5, 9, 10 and 11 clones of HNXX1302, HNXX1304, HNXX1305 and HNXX1306 that resulted in p24-positive supernatant when transfected into HEK-293T cells. Full-length clones of HNXX1302, HNXX1304, HNXX1305 and HNXX1306 showed slight infection in the transfected TZM-b1 cells, as judged by the fluorescence values of TZM-b1 cells 48h post-transfection. However, we were unable to

Multiple Sclerosis After Infectious Mononucleosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Trine Rasmussen; Rostgaard, Klaus; Nielsen, Nete Munk

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: Infectious mononucleosis caused by the Epstein-Barr virus has been associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis. However, little is known about the characteristics of this association. OBJECTIVE: To assess the significance of sex, age at and time since infectious mononucleosis......, and attained age to the risk of developing multiple sclerosis after infectious mononucleosis. DESIGN: Cohort study using persons tested serologically for infectious mononucleosis at Statens Serum Institut, the Danish Civil Registration System, the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register, and the Danish...... Multiple Sclerosis Registry. SETTING: Statens Serum Institut. PATIENTS: A cohort of 25 234 Danish patients with mononucleosis was followed up for the occurrence of multiple sclerosis beginning on April 1, 1968, or January 1 of the year after the diagnosis of mononucleosis or after a negative Paul...

Pre-Steady-State Kinetic Analysis of Truncated and Full-Length Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA Polymerase Eta

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Jessica A.; Zhang, Likui; Sherrer, Shanen M.; Taylor, John-Stephen; Burgers, Peter M. J.; Suo, Zucai

2010-01-01

Understanding polymerase fidelity is an important objective towards ascertaining the overall stability of an organism's genome. Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase η (yPolη), a Y-family DNA polymerase, is known to efficiently bypass DNA lesions (e.g., pyrimidine dimers) in vivo. Using pre-steady-state kinetic methods, we examined both full-length and a truncated version of yPolη which contains only the polymerase domain. In the absence of yPolη's C-terminal residues 514–632, the DNA binding affinity was weakened by 2-fold and the base substitution fidelity dropped by 3-fold. Thus, the C-terminus of yPolη may interact with DNA and slightly alter the conformation of the polymerase domain during catalysis. In general, yPolη discriminated between a correct and incorrect nucleotide more during the incorporation step (50-fold on average) than the ground-state binding step (18-fold on average). Blunt-end additions of dATP or pyrene nucleotide 5′-triphosphate revealed the importance of base stacking during the binding of incorrect incoming nucleotides. PMID:20798853

Construction of phosphorylation interaction networks by text mining of full-length articles using the eFIP system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tudor, Catalina O; Ross, Karen E; Li, Gang; Vijay-Shanker, K; Wu, Cathy H; Arighi, Cecilia N

2015-01-01

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification where a protein kinase adds a phosphate group to a protein, potentially regulating its function, localization and/or activity. Phosphorylation can affect protein-protein interactions (PPIs), abolishing interaction with previous binding partners or enabling new interactions. Extracting phosphorylation information coupled with PPI information from the scientific literature will facilitate the creation of phosphorylation interaction networks of kinases, substrates and interacting partners, toward knowledge discovery of functional outcomes of protein phosphorylation. Increasingly, PPI databases are interested in capturing the phosphorylation state of interacting partners. We have previously developed the eFIP (Extracting Functional Impact of Phosphorylation) text mining system, which identifies phosphorylated proteins and phosphorylation-dependent PPIs. In this work, we present several enhancements for the eFIP system: (i) text mining for full-length articles from the PubMed Central open-access collection; (ii) the integration of the RLIMS-P 2.0 system for the extraction of phosphorylation events with kinase, substrate and site information; (iii) the extension of the PPI module with new trigger words/phrases describing interactions and (iv) the addition of the iSimp tool for sentence simplification to aid in the matching of syntactic patterns. We enhance the website functionality to: (i) support searches based on protein roles (kinases, substrates, interacting partners) or using keywords; (ii) link protein entities to their corresponding UniProt identifiers if mapped and (iii) support visual exploration of phosphorylation interaction networks using Cytoscape. The evaluation of eFIP on full-length articles achieved 92.4% precision, 76.5% recall and 83.7% F-measure on 100 article sections. To demonstrate eFIP for knowledge extraction and discovery, we constructed phosphorylation-dependent interaction

Molecular Comparisons of Full Length Metapneumovirus (MPV) Genomes, Including Newly Determined French AMPV-C and –D Isolates, Further Supports Possible Subclassification within the MPV Genus

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Paul A.; Lemaitre, Evelyne; Briand, François-Xavier; Courtillon, Céline; Guionie, Olivier; Allée, Chantal; Toquin, Didier; Bayon-Auboyer, Marie-Hélène; Jestin, Véronique; Eterradossi, Nicolas

2014-01-01

Four avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) subgroups (A–D) have been reported previously based on genetic and antigenic differences. However, until now full length sequences of the only known isolates of European subgroup C and subgroup D viruses (duck and turkey origin, respectively) have been unavailable. These full length sequences were determined and compared with other full length AMPV and human metapneumoviruses (HMPV) sequences reported previously, using phylogenetics, comparisons of nucleic and amino acid sequences and study of codon usage bias. Results confirmed that subgroup C viruses were more closely related to HMPV than they were to the other AMPV subgroups in the study. This was consistent with previous findings using partial genome sequences. Closer relationships between AMPV-A, B and D were also evident throughout the majority of results. Three metapneumovirus “clusters” HMPV, AMPV-C and AMPV-A, B and D were further supported by codon bias and phylogenetics. The data presented here together with those of previous studies describing antigenic relationships also between AMPV-A, B and D and between AMPV-C and HMPV may call for a subclassification of metapneumoviruses similar to that used for avian paramyxoviruses, grouping AMPV-A, B and D as type I metapneumoviruses and AMPV-C and HMPV as type II. PMID:25036224

Comparative Evaluation of Seven Commercial Tests for Detection of Heterophile Antibody in Infectious Mononucleosis

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Martin Skulnick

1992-01-01

Full Text Available Detection of heterophile antibodies in infectious mononucleosis is the most rapid and cost-effective method for confirming the clinical diagnosis of the disease. This study compared seven commercial test kits (the Oxoid Infectious Mononucleosis Kit [Oxoid Ltd], Immunoscan Im-Latex [Baxter Travenol], Mono-Latex [Wampole Laboratories], Monospot and Im Screen Test [Ortho Diagnostics], Immunoscan Im-RBC Test [Baxter Travenol], and Infectious Mononucleosis Test [NCS Diagnostics] to the Davidsohn differential test. All of the kits were shown to be acceptable for use, with specificities and sensitivities greater than 96.5% and 95.5%, respectively.

What Is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist?

Science.gov (United States)

... Text Size Email Print Share What is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist? Page Content Article Body If ... the teen years. What Kind of Training Do Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialists Have? Pediatric infectious diseases specialists ...

Maternal Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Therapy or Immunizations: Very few Contraindications to Breastfeeding

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Noni E Macdonald

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends exclusive breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding for the first six months of life for healthy, term infants (1. There are many benefits associated with breastfeeding, including nutritional, immunological, psychological, developmental, environmental, social, economic and health (eg, decrease in infectious diseases (2-4. To promote, protect and support breastfeeding, every effort must be made to minimize contraindications to breastfeeding, particularly unnecessary ones. The present article summarizes the maternal infectious diseases in which continuing breastfeeding is recommended, the very few infectious diseases in which it is not recommended, the rare instances in which maternal antimicrobial therapy indicates a caution for breastfeeding, and the continuation of breastfeeding when a mother or her infant is receiving a routine recommended immunization.

Novel infectious cDNA clones of hepatitis C virus genotype 3a (strain S52) and 4a (strain ED43): genetic analyses and in vivo pathogenesis studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gottwein, Judith; Scheel, Troels; Callendret, Benoit

2010-01-01

Previously, RNA transcripts of cDNA clones of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1a (strains H77, HCV-1, and HC-TN), 1b (HC-J4, Con1, and HCV-N), and 2a (HC-J6 and JFH1) were found to be infectious in chimpanzees. However, only JFH1 was infectious in human hepatoma Huh7 cells. We performed genetic...... analysis of HCV genotype 3a (strain S52) and 4a (strain ED43) prototype strains and generated full-length consensus cDNA clones (pS52 and pED43). Transfection of Huh7.5 cells with RNA transcripts of these clones did not yield cells expressing HCV Core. However, intrahepatic transfection of chimpanzees...... resulted in robust infection with peak HCV RNA titers of approximately 5.5 log(10) international units (IU)/ml. Genomic consensus sequences recovered from serum at the times of peak viral titers were identical to the sequences of the parental plasmids. Both chimpanzees developed acute hepatitis...

Drug resistance is conferred on the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by expression of full-length melanoma-associated human ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCB5.

Science.gov (United States)

Keniya, Mikhail V; Holmes, Ann R; Niimi, Masakazu; Lamping, Erwin; Gillet, Jean-Pierre; Gottesman, Michael M; Cannon, Richard D

2014-10-06

ABCB5, an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, is highly expressed in melanoma cells, and may contribute to the extreme resistance of melanomas to chemotherapy by efflux of anti-cancer drugs. Our goal was to determine whether we could functionally express human ABCB5 in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in order to demonstrate an efflux function for ABCB5 in the absence of background pump activity from other human transporters. Heterologous expression would also facilitate drug discovery for this important target. DNAs encoding ABCB5 sequences were cloned into the chromosomal PDR5 locus of a S. cerevisiae strain in which seven endogenous ABC transporters have been deleted. Protein expression in the yeast cells was monitored by immunodetection using both a specific anti-ABCB5 antibody and a cross-reactive anti-ABCB1 antibody. ABCB5 function in recombinant yeast cells was measured by determining whether the cells possessed increased resistance to known pump substrates, compared to the host yeast strain, in assays of yeast growth. Three ABCB5 constructs were made in yeast. One was derived from the ABCB5-β mRNA, which is highly expressed in human tissues but is a truncation of a canonical full-size ABC transporter. Two constructs contained full-length ABCB5 sequences: either a native sequence from cDNA or a synthetic sequence codon-harmonized for S. cerevisiae. Expression of all three constructs in yeast was confirmed by immunodetection. Expression of the codon-harmonized full-length ABCB5 DNA conferred increased resistance, relative to the host yeast strain, to the putative substrates rhodamine 123, daunorubicin, tetramethylrhodamine, FK506, or clorgyline. We conclude that full-length ABCB5 can be functionally expressed in S. cerevisiae and confers drug resistance.

Full-length genome sequences of five hepatitis C virus isolates representing subtypes 3g, 3h, 3i and 3k, and a unique genotype 3 variant.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Ling; Li, Chunhua; Yuan, Jie; Lu, Teng; Okamoto, Hiroaki; Murphy, Donald G

2013-03-01

We characterized the full-length genomes of five distinct hepatitis C virus (HCV)-3 isolates. These represent the first complete genomes for subtypes 3g and 3h, the second such genomes for 3k and 3i, and of one novel variant presently not assigned to a subtype. Each genome was determined from 18-25 overlapping fragments. They had lengths of 9579-9660 nt and each contained a single ORF encoding 3020-3025 aa. They were isolated from five patients residing in Canada; four were of Asian origin and one was of Somali origin. Phylogenetic analysis using 64 partial NS5B sequences differentiated 10 assigned subtypes, 3a-3i and 3k, and two additional lineages within genotype 3. From the data of this study, HCV-3 full-length sequences are now available for six of the assigned subtypes and one unassigned. Our findings should add insights to HCV evolutionary studies and clinical applications.

Correlated evolution of sternal keel length and ilium length in birds

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Tao Zhao

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The interplay between the pectoral module (the pectoral girdle and limbs and the pelvic module (the pelvic girdle and limbs plays a key role in shaping avian evolution, but prior empirical studies on trait covariation between the two modules are limited. Here we empirically test whether (size-corrected sternal keel length and ilium length are correlated during avian evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods. Our analyses on extant birds and Mesozoic birds both recover a significantly positive correlation. The results provide new evidence regarding the integration between the pelvic and pectoral modules. The correlated evolution of sternal keel length and ilium length may serve as a mechanism to cope with the effect on performance caused by a tradeoff in muscle mass between the pectoral and pelvic modules, via changing moment arms of muscles that function in flight and in terrestrial locomotion.

Prevalence of the main infectious causes of abortion in dairy cattle in Algeria

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Derdour Salima-Yamina

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Abortion in cattle is a major source of economic losses for the agriculture sector. It can be due to infectious or non-infectious factors. Among infectious factors, parasites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi can be involved. The present work investigated the prevalence of the main infectious agents of abortion in Algerian cattle. Material and Methods: Altogether 278 non-aborting and 82 aborting cows were analysed. Results: The prevalence ranged from 0% for Tritrichomonas foetus to 15% for Neospora caninum. Additionally, a case-control study was performed to find the association between the presence of the pathogens and the occurrence of abortion in cows. The odds ratios were significant for Neospora caninum, bovine herpes virus 4, BVD virus, Brucella abortus, Salmonella Dublin, Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo, and Coxiella burnetii. Conclusions: The pathogens enumerated here could be major causes of abortion among Algerian cattle.

Sustained pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program with consultation to infectious diseases reduced carbapenem resistance and infection-related mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Horikoshi, Yuho; Suwa, Junichi; Higuchi, Hiroshi; Kaneko, Tetsuji; Furuichi, Mihoko; Aizawa, Yuta; Fukuoka, Kahoru; Okazaki, Kaoru; Ito, Kenta; Shoji, Takayo

2017-11-01

The impact of pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the AMR for carbapenem of Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) and carbapenem use with infectious diseases consultation after the implementation of an ASP. This quasi-experimental study was conducted at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center in Japan. The pre- and post-intervention periods were April 2010 to September 2011 and October 2011 to March 2017, respectively. The pre-intervention phase consisted of consultations with the infectious diseases service alone. The ASP was implemented during the post-intervention phase. The carbapenem resistance rates of GNB were calculated. The correlation between carbapenem resistance rates and carbapenem day of therapy (DOT) was examined. The outcome metrics were compared by average length of hospitalization, all-cause mortality, and infection-related mortality. A positive correlation was observed between the carbapenem resistance rate in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and DOT (0.76, p=0.04). The carbapenem resistance rate in P. aeruginosa (pcarbapenem use and resistance in P. aeruginosa, leading to favorable outcomes in terms of length of hospitalization and infection-related mortality. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Contiguous spinal metastasis mimicking infectious spondylodiscitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chul Min; Lee, Seung Hun; Bae, Ji Yoon

2015-01-01

Differential diagnosis between spinal metastasis and infectious spondylodiscitis is one of the occasional challenges in daily clinical practice. We encountered an unusual case of spinal metastasis in a 75-year-old female breast cancer patient that mimicked infectious spondylodiscitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse bone marrow infiltrations with paraspinal soft tissue infiltrative changes in 5 contiguous cervical vertebrae without significant compression fracture or cortical destruction. These MRI findings made it difficult to differentiate between spinal metastasis and infectious spondylodiscitis. Infectious spondylodiscitis such as tuberculous spondylodiscitis was regarded as the more appropriate diagnosis due to the continuous involvement of > 5 cervical vertebrae. The patient's clinical presentation also supported the presumptive diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis rather than spinal metastasis. Intravenous antibiotics were administered, but clinical symptoms worsened despite treatment. After pathologic confirmation by computed tomography-guided biopsy, we were able to confirm a final diagnosis of spinal metastasis

Contiguous spinal metastasis mimicking infectious spondylodiscitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chul Min; Lee, Seung Hun [Dept. of Radiology, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Ji Yoon [Dept. of Pathology, National Police Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

Differential diagnosis between spinal metastasis and infectious spondylodiscitis is one of the occasional challenges in daily clinical practice. We encountered an unusual case of spinal metastasis in a 75-year-old female breast cancer patient that mimicked infectious spondylodiscitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse bone marrow infiltrations with paraspinal soft tissue infiltrative changes in 5 contiguous cervical vertebrae without significant compression fracture or cortical destruction. These MRI findings made it difficult to differentiate between spinal metastasis and infectious spondylodiscitis. Infectious spondylodiscitis such as tuberculous spondylodiscitis was regarded as the more appropriate diagnosis due to the continuous involvement of > 5 cervical vertebrae. The patient's clinical presentation also supported the presumptive diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis rather than spinal metastasis. Intravenous antibiotics were administered, but clinical symptoms worsened despite treatment. After pathologic confirmation by computed tomography-guided biopsy, we were able to confirm a final diagnosis of spinal metastasis.

Full-length model of the human galectin-4 and insights into dynamics of inter-domain communication

Science.gov (United States)

Rustiguel, Joane K.; Soares, Ricardo O. S.; Meisburger, Steve P.; Davis, Katherine M.; Malzbender, Kristina L.; Ando, Nozomi; Dias-Baruffi, Marcelo; Nonato, Maria Cristina

2016-09-01

Galectins are proteins involved in diverse cellular contexts due to their capacity to decipher and respond to the information encoded by β-galactoside sugars. In particular, human galectin-4, normally expressed in the healthy gastrointestinal tract, displays differential expression in cancerous tissues and is considered a potential drug target for liver and lung cancer. Galectin-4 is a tandem-repeat galectin characterized by two carbohydrate recognition domains connected by a linker-peptide. Despite their relevance to cell function and pathogenesis, structural characterization of full-length tandem-repeat galectins has remained elusive. Here, we investigate galectin-4 using X-ray crystallography, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering, molecular modelling, molecular dynamics simulations, and differential scanning fluorimetry assays and describe for the first time a structural model for human galectin-4. Our results provide insight into the structural role of the linker-peptide and shed light on the dynamic characteristics of the mechanism of carbohydrate recognition among tandem-repeat galectins.

First full-length genome sequence of the polerovirus luffa aphid-borne yellows virus (LABYV) reveals the presence of at least two consensus sequences in an isolate from Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Knierim, Dennis; Maiss, Edgar; Kenyon, Lawrence; Winter, Stephan; Menzel, Wulf

2015-10-01

Luffa aphid-borne yellows virus (LABYV) was proposed as the name for a previously undescribed polerovirus based on partial genome sequences obtained from samples of cucurbit plants collected in Thailand between 2008 and 2013. In this study, we determined the first full-length genome sequence of LABYV. Based on phylogenetic analysis and genome properties, it is clear that this virus represents a distinct species in the genus Polerovirus. Analysis of sequences from sample TH24, which was collected in 2010 from a luffa plant in Thailand, reveals the presence of two different full-length genome consensus sequences.

The Structural Architecture of an Infectious Mammalian Prion Using Electron Cryomicroscopy.

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Ester Vázquez-Fernández

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The structure of the infectious prion protein (PrPSc, which is responsible for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, has escaped all attempts at elucidation due to its insolubility and propensity to aggregate. PrPSc replicates by converting the non-infectious, cellular prion protein (PrPC into the misfolded, infectious conformer through an unknown mechanism. PrPSc and its N-terminally truncated variant, PrP 27-30, aggregate into amorphous aggregates, 2D crystals, and amyloid fibrils. The structure of these infectious conformers is essential to understanding prion replication and the development of structure-based therapeutic interventions. Here we used the repetitive organization inherent to GPI-anchorless PrP 27-30 amyloid fibrils to analyze their structure via electron cryomicroscopy. Fourier-transform analyses of averaged fibril segments indicate a repeating unit of 19.1 Å. 3D reconstructions of these fibrils revealed two distinct protofilaments, and, together with a molecular volume of 18,990 Å3, predicted the height of each PrP 27-30 molecule as ~17.7 Å. Together, the data indicate a four-rung β-solenoid structure as a key feature for the architecture of infectious mammalian prions. Furthermore, they allow to formulate a molecular mechanism for the replication of prions. Knowledge of the prion structure will provide important insights into the self-propagation mechanisms of protein misfolding.

Pregnancy and Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases

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Elisabeth Sappenfield

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To summarize the literature regarding susceptibility of pregnant women to infectious diseases and severity of resulting disease, we conducted a review using a PubMed search and other strategies. Studies were included if they reported information on infection risk or disease outcome in pregnant women. In all, 1454 abstracts were reviewed, and a total of 85 studies were included. Data were extracted regarding number of cases in pregnant women, rates of infection, risk factors for disease severity or complications, and maternal outcomes. The evidence indicates that pregnancy is associated with increased severity of some infectious diseases, such as influenza, malaria, hepatitis E, and herpes simplex virus (HSV infection (risk for dissemination/hepatitis; there is also some evidence for increased severity of measles and smallpox. Disease severity seems higher with advanced pregnancy. Pregnant women may be more susceptible to acquisition of malaria, HIV infection, and listeriosis, although the evidence is limited. These results reinforce the importance of infection prevention as well as of early identification and treatment of suspected influenza, malaria, hepatitis E, and HSV disease during pregnancy.

Gene discovery from Jatropha curcas by sequencing of ESTs from normalized and full-length enriched cDNA library from developing seeds

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Sugantham Priyanka Annabel

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Jatropha curcas L. is promoted as an important non-edible biodiesel crop worldwide. Jatropha oil, which is a triacylglycerol, can be directly blended with petro-diesel or transesterified with methanol and used as biodiesel. Genetic improvement in jatropha is needed to increase the seed yield, oil content, drought and pest resistance, and to modify oil composition so that it becomes a technically and economically preferred source for biodiesel production. However, genetic improvement efforts in jatropha could not take advantage of genetic engineering methods due to lack of cloned genes from this species. To overcome this hurdle, the current gene discovery project was initiated with an objective of isolating as many functional genes as possible from J. curcas by large scale sequencing of expressed sequence tags (ESTs. Results A normalized and full-length enriched cDNA library was constructed from developing seeds of J. curcas. The cDNA library contained about 1 × 106 clones and average insert size of the clones was 2.1 kb. Totally 12,084 ESTs were sequenced to average high quality read length of 576 bp. Contig analysis revealed 2258 contigs and 4751 singletons. Contig size ranged from 2-23 and there were 7333 ESTs in the contigs. This resulted in 7009 unigenes which were annotated by BLASTX. It showed 3982 unigenes with significant similarity to known genes and 2836 unigenes with significant similarity to genes of unknown, hypothetical and putative proteins. The remaining 191 unigenes which did not show similarity with any genes in the public database may encode for unique genes. Functional classification revealed unigenes related to broad range of cellular, molecular and biological functions. Among the 7009 unigenes, 6233 unigenes were identified to be potential full-length genes. Conclusions The high quality normalized cDNA library was constructed from developing seeds of J. curcas for the first time and 7009 unigenes coding

DMPD: Infectious non-self recognition in invertebrates: lessons from Drosophila andother insect models. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 15476918 Infectious non-self recognition in invertebrates: lessons from Drosophila ...fectious non-self recognition in invertebrates: lessons from Drosophila andother insect models. PubmedID 154...76918 Title Infectious non-self recognition in invertebrates: lessons from Drosop

Crystal Structure of the Full-Length Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Capsid Protein Shows an N-Terminal β-Hairpin in the Absence of N-Terminal Proline

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Christelle Folio

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV is a member of the Retroviridae family. It is the causative agent of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS in cats and wild felines. Its capsid protein (CA drives the assembly of the viral particle, which is a critical step in the viral replication cycle. Here, the first atomic structure of full-length FIV CA to 1.67 Å resolution is determined. The crystallized protein exhibits an original tetrameric assembly, composed of dimers which are stabilized by an intermolecular disulfide bridge induced by the crystallogenesis conditions. The FIV CA displays a standard α-helical CA topology with two domains, separated by a linker shorter than other retroviral CAs. The β-hairpin motif at its amino terminal end, which interacts with nucleotides in HIV-1, is unusually long in FIV CA. Interestingly, this functional β-motif is formed in this construct in the absence of the conserved N-terminal proline. The FIV CA exhibits a cis Arg–Pro bond in the CypA-binding loop, which is absent in known structures of lentiviral CAs. This structure represents the first tri-dimensional structure of a functional, full-length FIV CA.

Effect of Experience of Internal Medicine Residents during Infectious Disease Elective on Future Infectious Disease Fellowship Application

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-04

Experience of !ntcrnal Medicine Residents during Infectious Disease Elective on Future lntCctious Di~casc Fcllo\\vship Application Sb. GRANT N_UMBER...undefined. Since 2008 at our institution. internal medicine (!!vi) residents have been required to do a four-\\\\’eek inpatient !D rotation as an intern... Medicine Residents during Infectious Disease Elective on Fut ure Infectious Disease Fellowship Application ~ Poeter# 1440 .,...._,: OVfil"S~ ti

Infectious Diseases in the Homeless

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2008-08-26

In this podcast, Ted Pestorius speaks with Dr. Marian McDonald, Associate Director for Minority and Women’s Health at CDC about an article in September 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases on infectious diseases in the homeless. There are an estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide today, and this number is likely to grow. The homeless population is vulnerable to many diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Dr. McDonald discusses why this population is so vulnerable.  Created: 8/26/2008 by Emerging Infectious Diseases.   Date Released: 8/27/2008.

Causes of infectious abortion in the Mediterranean buffalo.

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G. Galiero

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Bacteria and viruses can cause abortion in buffaloes. This review describes the abortigenic infectious agents found in Mediterranean buffalo cows and the microbiological methods used for their diagnosis. The abortigenic agents are: Brucella spp., Arcanobacterium pyogenes, Chlamydophila spp., Coxiella burnetii, Bacillus licheniformis, E.coli, Leptospira spp., Bubaline Herpes Virus-1 (BuHV-1, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus.

Infectious optic neuropathies: a clinical update

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Kahloun, Rim; Abroug, Nesrine; Ksiaa, Imen; Mahmoud, Anis; Zeghidi, Hatem; Zaouali, Sonia; Khairallah, Moncef

2015-01-01

Different forms of optic neuropathy causing visual impairment of varying severity have been reported in association with a wide variety of infectious agents. Proper clinical diagnosis of any of these infectious conditions is based on epidemiological data, history, systemic symptoms and signs, and the pattern of ocular findings. Diagnosis is confirmed by serologic testing and polymerase chain reaction in selected cases. Treatment of infectious optic neuropathies involves the use of specific anti-infectious drugs and corticosteroids to suppress the associated inflammatory reaction. The visual prognosis is generally good, but persistent severe vision loss with optic atrophy can occur. This review presents optic neuropathies caused by specific viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal diseases. PMID:28539795

Infectious Arthritis

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Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Infectious arthritis is an infection in the joint. The infection ...

Infectious Chikungunya Virus in the Saliva of Mice, Monkeys and Humans.

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Joy Gardner

Full Text Available Chikungunya virus (CHIKV is a reemerging, ordinarily mosquito-transmitted, alphavirus that occasionally produces hemorrhagic manifestations, such as nose bleed and bleeding gums, in human patients. Interferon response factor 3 and 7 deficient (IRF3/7-/- mice, which are deficient for interferon α/β responses, reliably develop hemorrhagic manifestations after CHIKV infection. Here we show that infectious virus was present in the oral cavity of CHIKV infected IRF3/7-/- mice, likely due to hemorrhagic lesions in the olfactory epithelium that allow egress of infected blood into the nasal, and subsequently, oral cavities. In addition, IRF3/7-/- mice were more susceptible to infection with CHIKV via intranasal and oral routes, with IRF3/7-/- mice also able to transmit virus mouse-to-mouse without an arthropod vector. Cynomolgus macaques often show bleeding gums after CHIKV infection, and analysis of saliva from several infected monkeys also revealed the presence of viral RNA and infectious virus. Furthermore, saliva samples collected from several acute CHIKV patients with hemorrhagic manifestations were found to contain viral RNA and infectious virus. Oral fluids can therefore be infectious during acute CHIKV infections, likely due to hemorrhagic manifestations in the oral/nasal cavities.

[Infectious complications after surgical splenectomy in children with sickle cell anemia disease].

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Monaco Junior, Cypriano Petrus; Fonseca, Patricia Belintani Blum; Braga, Josefina Aparecida Pellegrini

2015-01-01

To evaluate the frequency of infectious complications in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) after surgical splenectomy for acute splenic sequestration crisis. Retrospective cohort of children with SCD who were born after 2002 and were regularly monitored until July 2013. Patients were divided into two groups: cases (children with SCD who underwent surgical splenectomy after an episode of splenic sequestration) and controls (children with SCD who did not have splenic sequestration and surgical procedures), in order to compare the frequency of invasive infections (sepsis, meningitis, bacteremia with positive blood cultures, acute chest syndrome and/or pneumonia) by data collected from medical records. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis. 44 patients were included in the case group. The mean age at the time of splenectomy was 2.6 years (1-6.9 years) and the mean postoperative length of follow-up was 6.1 years (3.8-9.9 years). The control group consisted of 69 patients with a mean age at the initial follow-up visit of 5.6 months (1-49 months) and a mean length of follow-up of 7.2 years (4-10.3 years). All children received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. No significant difference was observed between groups in relation to infections during the follow-up. Surgical splenectomy in children with sickle cell disease that had splenic sequestration did not affect the frequency of infectious complications during 6 years of clinical follow-up. Copyright © 2015 Associação de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Production of full length and splicing form of chymosin using pETexpression system in E-coli and investigation its enzyme activity and preplasmic secretion

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M. Ahmadi Zeydabadi

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Chymosin (Rennin EC 3.4.23.4 is an aspartyl proteinas (the major proteolyticenzyme in the fourth stomach of the unweaned calf that is formed by proteolytic activation fromzymogene prochymosin. The aim of his study was to produce the full length and splicing form ofchymosin using pETexpression system in E-coli and to assay the activity of expressed enzyme andpreplasmic secretion.Materials and Methods: The sense primer F-prochy(+ (5´-ggggccatgGCTGAGATCACCAGGAincluding NCOI restriction site. The anti sense R-prochy(- (5´-gggcggccgcGATGGCTTTGGCCAGC -3´ hybridizing to the C-terminal end of calf preprocymosincDNA and contains an additional NotI restriction site at its 5´-end . The cells were disrupted bysonication and proteins were purified by using Ni-NTA beads from Qiagen under native conditional.The preprochymosin and AS6 preprochymosin were activated at pH 4.7. The enzyme solutions werediluted 20-fold with 50 mM phosphate buffer .Results: Sequencing data analysis showed that the exon six has been spliced out and, therefore thegene product is 114 bp shorter in length, both chymosin forms were expressed together in E.coli.Under the same expression conditions, at least AS6 preprochymosin was produced 7-fold highexpression in comparison to a full-length recombinant chymosin. Following acid activation andneutralization, the purified fractions were tested in a qualitative milk clotting assay. The clottingactivity of preprochymosin and exon6-less preprochymosin were comparable.Conclusion: High expression of this alternatively expressed transcript in bacteria, and properfolding of the AS6 chymosin protein molecule in the absence of exon six are the two most importantaspects distinguished in this research.

[Infectious diseases - a specialty of internal medicine].

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Fätkenheuer, G; Jung, N; Kern, W V; Fölsch, U R; Salzberger, B

2018-04-01

Infectious diseases have recently gained wide public interest. Emerging infections and rising rates of antibiotic resistance are determining this trend. Both challenges will need to be addressed in international and local collaborations between different specialties in medicine and basic science. Infectious diseases as a clinical specialty in this scenario is directly responsible for the care of patients with infectious diseases. Its involvement in the care of patients with complicated infections has proved to be highly effective. Antibiotic stewardship programmes are effective measures in slowing the development of antibiotic resistance and have been widely implemented. But antibiotic stewardship specialists should not be confused with or taken as an alternative to infectious disease experts. Infectious diseases requires appropriate and specific training. It mainly uses the instrumentarium of internal medicine. With the current challenges in modern medicine, infectious diseases in Germany should thus be upgraded from a subspecialty to a clinical specialty, ideally within Internal Medicine.

Ethical Dilemmas in Protecting Individual Rights versus Public Protection in the Case of Infectious Diseases

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Kai-Lit Phua

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases—including emerging and re-emerging diseases such as Ebola and tuberculosis—continue to be important causes of morbidity and mortality in the globalizing, contemporary world. This article discusses the ethical issues associated with protecting the rights of individuals versus the protection of the health of populations in the case of infectious diseases. The discussion uses the traditional medical ethics approach together with the public health approach presented by Faden and Shebaya. 3 Infectious diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Nipah virus and HIV/AIDS (together with tuberculosis will be used to illustrate particular points in the discussion.

Abstracts to be Delivered at the 2014 Annual Conference of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada, April 3 to 5, Victoria, British Columbia, Alphabetized According to the Surname of the First Author. Full-text Abstracts Can be Accessed at www.pulsus.com

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2014-01-01

Full Text Available This document presents the titles of the abstracts to be presented at the 2014 Annual Conference of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (April 3 to 5, Victoria, British Columbia. The full-text abstracts are available online.

Global biogeography of human infectious diseases.

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Murray, Kris A; Preston, Nicholas; Allen, Toph; Zambrana-Torrelio, Carlos; Hosseini, Parviez R; Daszak, Peter

2015-10-13

The distributions of most infectious agents causing disease in humans are poorly resolved or unknown. However, poorly known and unknown agents contribute to the global burden of disease and will underlie many future disease risks. Existing patterns of infectious disease co-occurrence could thus play a critical role in resolving or anticipating current and future disease threats. We analyzed the global occurrence patterns of 187 human infectious diseases across 225 countries and seven epidemiological classes (human-specific, zoonotic, vector-borne, non-vector-borne, bacterial, viral, and parasitic) to show that human infectious diseases exhibit distinct spatial grouping patterns at a global scale. We demonstrate, using outbreaks of Ebola virus as a test case, that this spatial structuring provides an untapped source of prior information that could be used to tighten the focus of a range of health-related research and management activities at early stages or in data-poor settings, including disease surveillance, outbreak responses, or optimizing pathogen discovery. In examining the correlates of these spatial patterns, among a range of geographic, epidemiological, environmental, and social factors, mammalian biodiversity was the strongest predictor of infectious disease co-occurrence overall and for six of the seven disease classes examined, giving rise to a striking congruence between global pathogeographic and "Wallacean" zoogeographic patterns. This clear biogeographic signal suggests that infectious disease assemblages remain fundamentally constrained in their distributions by ecological barriers to dispersal or establishment, despite the homogenizing forces of globalization. Pathogeography thus provides an overarching context in which other factors promoting infectious disease emergence and spread are set.

Stable preparations of tyrosine hydroxylase provide the solution structure of the full-length enzyme

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Bezem, Maria T.; Baumann, Anne; Skjærven, Lars; Meyer, Romain; Kursula, Petri; Martinez, Aurora; Flydal, Marte I.

2016-01-01

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters. TH is a highly complex enzyme at mechanistic, structural, and regulatory levels, and the preparation of kinetically and conformationally stable enzyme for structural characterization has been challenging. Here, we report on improved protocols for purification of recombinant human TH isoform 1 (TH1), which provide large amounts of pure, stable, active TH1 with an intact N-terminus. TH1 purified through fusion with a His-tagged maltose-binding protein on amylose resin was representative of the iron-bound functional enzyme, showing high activity and stabilization by the natural feedback inhibitor dopamine. TH1 purified through fusion with a His-tagged ZZ domain on TALON is remarkably stable, as it was partially inhibited by resin-derived cobalt. This more stable enzyme preparation provided high-quality small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data and reliable structural models of full-length tetrameric TH1. The SAXS-derived model reveals an elongated conformation (Dmax = 20 nm) for TH1, different arrangement of the catalytic domains compared with the crystal structure of truncated forms, and an N-terminal region with an unstructured tail that hosts the phosphorylation sites and a separated Ala-rich helical motif that may have a role in regulation of TH by interacting with binding partners. PMID:27462005

Preparation of a differentially expressed, full-length cDNA expression library by RecA-mediated triple-strand formation with subtractively enriched cDNA fragments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hakvoort, T. B.; Spijkers, J. A.; Vermeulen, J. L.; Lamers, W. H.

1996-01-01

We have developed a fast and general method to obtain an enriched, full-length cDNA expression library with subtractively enriched cDNA fragments. The procedure relies on RecA-mediated triple-helix formation of single-stranded cDNA fragments with a double-stranded cDNA plasmid library. The complexes

Infectious Diseases in Day Care.

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Sleator, Esther K.

Discussed in this publication are infectious illnesses for which children attending day care appear to be at special risk. Also covered are the common cold, some infectious disease problems receiving media attention, and some other annoying but not serious diseases, such as head lice, pinworms, and contagious skin conditions. Causes,…

75 FR 24835 - Infectious Diseases

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2010-05-06

... and Docket Office's normal business hours, 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m., EST. Instructions: All submissions... infectious agents, radiation and chemicals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that for 2008, the... infectious diseases to patients and HCWs. This fundamental approach is set forth in the guidelines of the...

Divorce and risk of hospital-diagnosed infectious diseases.

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Nielsen, Nete Munk; Davidsen, Rie B; Hviid, Anders; Wohlfahrt, Jan

2014-11-01

Although, divorce is considered to have a negative impact on morbidity, very little is known concerning exposure to divorce and risk of infectious diseases. We aimed to investigate the association between divorce and subsequent hospital contacts with infectious diseases. We performed a nation-wide cohort study, including all Danish men and women (n≈5.6 million) alive on the 1 January 1982 or later, and followed them for infectious disease diagnosed in hospital settings from 1982 to 2010. The association between divorce and risk of infectious diseases was evaluated through rate ratios (RRs) comparing incidence rates of infectious diseases between divorced and married pesons. Compared with married persons, divorced persons were overall at a 1.48 fold (RR=1.48 (95% CI: 1.47-1.50)) increased risk of hospital-diagnosed infectious diseases (RR adjusted for sex, age, period, income and education). The risk of infectious diseases was slightly more pronounced for divorced women (RR=1.54 (1.52-1.56)) than divorced men ((RR=1.42 (1.41-1.44)). The increased risk remained almost unchanged even more than 15 years after the divorce. Young age at divorce, short duration of marriage and number of divorces further increased the risk of infectious diseases, whereas number of children at time of divorce had no impact on risk of hospital-diagnosed infectious diseases following the divorce. Divorce appears to have a moderate but long lasting impact on the risk of infectious diseases the underlying mechanism is unknown but shared risk factors predicting divorce and infectious diseases could contribute to our findings. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

APITHERAPEUTICAL FUNDS: NEW DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPECTS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN PERSON (REVIEW

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Radchenko EA

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the development, the study of antimicrobialproperties of pharmacological agents that are based onphenolic propolis and hydrophilic drug shows promise forthe use of complex treatment of infectious diseases.

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other areas of business administration. ... mathematics, real estate, insurance, actuarial science and business administration (McCutcheon & Scott, 1989). Most textbooks written in these ..... Mathematics of Finance; Heinemann; Oxford. Murray ...

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ABSTRACT. This paper considered contamination of aquifer resulting from petroleum spillage, which is a common phenomenal in the. Niger Delta area of Nigeria. We used the model given by. Bestman (1987) and assumed that some endogenous variables are built into the system. To achieve a level of desirable state, we ...

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Mbah & Amao (SWJ):11-14. Natural Foods and Feeding Habits Of The African Honey bee ... Keywords: natural food, nectar, pollen, african honeybee, Apis mellifera adansonii ..... Crailsheim, K. (1990). The Protein balance of the honeybee.

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... Solarin (SWJ):1-6. On Existence Of Control For A Class Of Uncertain Dynamical Systems ... .m We apply the Conjugate Gradient Method. (C.G.M) in ...... Numerical Technique .... Some of its Applications; Journal of Mathematical Analysis and.

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providing energy storage and metabolic fuel, acting as functional and structural ... zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases are been imported and exported in and out ..... rabbits infected with T. brucie and Gow et al., (2007) in which dog naturally ...

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In recent years, a new technique was introduced that combines both hydrolysis and ... Cassava Starch Preparation: The cassava starch used for this investigation was prepared ... One normal HCl and one normal NaOH were used to adjust the ...

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chemical oxidation and reduction, electro-chemical treatment and ion-pair extraction were extensively used ... The present study is an effort to develop a fungal-based treatment system for the cleaning of dye industrial ..... Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 178:1056-. 1063. Raju, N. S., Venkataramana ...

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SPECKLED PIGEON (Columba guinea HARTLAUB AND. FINSCH ... area of the Nigerian northern guinea savanna (Fry, 1965). The habit of the .... defined by Margolis et al., (1982). Chi-square ..... Southern Africa, Academic Press, London.. 4 ...

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Marcos

2012-08-21

Aug 21, 2012 ... Cut flowers have a very limited life after they have been cut off from the mother plant, as survival on their own reserves is ... One of the techniques used for the removal ... and vegetables (Pellegrini and Belle, 2008). There are ...

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inorganic, synthetic organic polymer and naturally occurring coagulants .... Flash fast mixing was done for 2 mins at a speed of 100rpm, followed by slow mixing for ..... Moringa leaves from germplasm to plant, to food, to health. Symposium on ...

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The isotope techniques used in hydrology may be classified into three groups: environmental ..... In that case a solution may be found in measurements of 14C content of groundwaters. ... Applied Isotope Hydrogeology. Elsevier, New. York.

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some rural communities of Zaria, Nigeria for microbial index of water quality in relation to ... These factors, together with the inadequate waste treatment facilities and ..... The Need for an Integrated Approach to Water Supply and. Sanitation in ...

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Marcos

2012-08-21

Aug 21, 2012 ... 1Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, CEP: 18601-060, Botucatu, SP, Brasil. 2Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Centro de Ciências Agrárias-CECA, Maceio, AL, Brasil. 3Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Departamento de Ciências Vegetais, Mossoró, RN, Brasil ...

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markovian process could be reduced to a markovian chain with the homogenous .... x and y respectively. n= the value of the strategy i.e. number of dummies/virtual ..... Groove, CA. Feinberg, E. A. & Shwartz, A. (2002), Handbook of Markov.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Full-Length cDNA of Calmodulin Gene from Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas

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Xing-Xia Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The shell of the pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata mainly comprises aragonite whereas that of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas is mainly calcite, thereby suggesting the different mechanisms of shell formation between above two mollusks. Calmodulin (CaM is an important gene for regulating the uptake, transport, and secretion of calcium during the process of shell formation in pearl oyster. It is interesting to characterize the CaM in oysters, which could facilitate the understanding of the different shell formation mechanisms among mollusks. We cloned the full-length cDNA of Pacific oyster CaM (cgCaM and found that the cgCaM ORF encoded a peptide of 113 amino acids containing three EF-hand calcium-binding domains, its expression level was highest in the mantle, hinting that the cgCaM gene is probably involved in shell formation of Pacific oyster, and the common ancestor of Gastropoda and Bivalvia may possess at least three CaM genes. We also found that the numbers of some EF hand family members in highly calcified species were higher than those in lowly calcified species and the numbers of these motifs in oyster genome were the highest among the mollusk species with whole genome sequence, further hinting the correlation between CaM and biomineralization.

Current diagnosis and management of infectious mononucleosis.

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Vouloumanou, Evridiki K; Rafailidis, Petros I; Falagas, Matthew E

2012-01-01

Infectious mononucleosis is a common, usually self-limited disease. However, infectious mononucleosis may present with severe manifestations. Complications may also occur. Consequently, diagnostic and treatment issues regarding infectious mononucleosis are of major importance. In this review, we focus on the evaluation of articles providing diagnosis and treatment data for infectious mononucleosis, published during the past 2 years. Twelve studies, deriving from extended search in PubMed, were included. Nine studies provided diagnosis data. The evaluated diagnostic methods were real-time PCR (RT-PCR), IgM/IgG antibodies measured with different assays [measurement of Epstein-Barr virus viral load (EBV-VL) in peripheral blood, neutrophil/lymphocyte/monocyte counts, C-reactive protein values, and monospot test]. The sensitivities reported for RT-PCR were high. The available treatment data were scarce (three studies). Two of them suggested that antivirals (mainly acyclovir and valacyclovir) may have a role in the treatment of infectious mononucleosis with complications, whereas the remaining study presented novel potential therapeutic patents including 5-substituted uracyle, azacytosine derivatives, and peptides inhibiting EBV-mediated membrane fusion. RT-PCR and measurement of EBV-VL may provide useful tools for the early diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis in cases with inconclusive serological results. Antiviral agents may provide a useful treatment option in patients with severe infectious mononucleosis.

Return to play after infectious mononucleosis.

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Becker, Jonathan A; Smith, Julie Anne

2014-05-01

Infectious mononucleosis is a disease primarily of adolescence and early adulthood. The risk of splenic injury and chronic fatigue make return-to-play decisions a challenge for the clinician caring for athletes with infectious mononucleosis. Data were obtained from the PubMed and MEDLINE databases through December 2012 by searching for epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, management, and the role of the spleen in infectious mononucleosis. Clinical review. Level 4. Infectious mononucleosis is commonly encountered in young athletes. Its disease pattern is variable and can affect multiple organ systems. Supportive care is the cornerstone, with little role for medications such as corticosteroids. Physical examination is unreliable for the spleen, and ultrasound imaging has limitations in its ability to guide return-to-play decisions. Exercise does not appear to place the young athlete at risk for chronic fatigue, but determining who is at risk for persistent symptoms is a challenge. Return-to-play decisions for the athlete with infectious mononucleosis need to be individualized because of the variable disease course and lack of evidence-based guidelines.

Characterization of a Full-Length Endogenous Beta-Retrovirus, EqERV-Beta1, in the Genome of the Horse (Equus caballus

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Antoinette C. van der Kuyl

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Information on endogenous retroviruses fixed in the horse (Equus caballus genome is scarce. The recent availability of a draft sequence of the horse genome enables the detection of such integrated viruses by similarity search. Using translated nucleotide fragments from gamma-, beta-, and delta-retroviral genera for initial searches, a full-length beta-retrovirus genome was retrieved from a horse chromosome 5 contig. The provirus, tentatively named EqERV-beta1 (for the first equine endogenous beta-retrovirus, was 10434 nucleotide (nt in length with the usual retroviral genome structure of 5’LTR-gag-pro-pol-env-3’LTR. The LTRs were 1361 nt long, and differed approximately 1% from each other, suggestive of a relatively recent integration. Coding sequences for gag, pro and pol were present in three different reading-frames, as common for beta-retroviruses, and the reading frames were completely open, except that the env gene was interrupted by a single stopcodon. No reading frame was apparent downstream of the env gene, suggesting that EqERV-beta1 does not encode a superantigen like mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV. A second proviral genome of EqERV-beta1, with no stopcodon in env, is additionally integrated on chromosome 5 downstream of the first virus. Single EqERV-beta1 LTRs were abundantly present on all chromosomes except chromosome 24. Phylogenetically, EqERV-beta1 most closely resembles an unclassified retroviral sequence from cattle (Bos taurus, and the murine beta-retrovirus MMTV.

Study of canine parvovirus evolution: comparative analysis of full-length VP2 gene sequences from Argentina and international field strains.

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Gallo Calderón, Marina; Wilda, Maximiliano; Boado, Lorena; Keller, Leticia; Malirat, Viviana; Iglesias, Marcela; Mattion, Nora; La Torre, Jose

2012-02-01

The continuous emergence of new strains of canine parvovirus (CPV), poorly protected by current vaccination, is a concern among breeders, veterinarians, and dog owners around the world. Therefore, the understanding of the genetic variation in emerging CPV strains is crucial for the design of disease control strategies, including vaccines. In this paper, we obtained the sequences of the full-length gene encoding for the main capsid protein (VP2) of 11 canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) Argentine representative field strains, selected from a total of 75 positive samples studied in our laboratory in the last 9 years. A comparative sequence analysis was performed on 9 CPV-2c, one CPV-2a, and one CPV-2b Argentine strains with respect to international strains reported in the GenBank database. In agreement with previous reports, a high degree of identity was found among CPV-2c Argentine strains (99.6-100% and 99.7-100% at nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively). However, the appearance of a new substitution in the 440 position (T440A) in four CPV-2c Argentine strains obtained after the year 2009 gives support to the variability observed for this position located within the VP2, three-fold spike. This is the first report on the genetic characterization of the full-length VP2 gene of emerging CPV strains in South America and shows that all the Argentine CPV-2c isolates cluster together with European and North American CPV-2c strains.

Temporary unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy secondary to infectious mononucleosis: A case report

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Abbas Al Ramzi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Tongue paralysis due to isolated palsy of XII cranial nerve is uncommon neurological finding. It is a multi-etiological condition, and may occur secondary to infectious mononucleosis. It is presented with characteristic signs e.g. reduced tongue movements with deviation to the affected side on protrusion. The diagnosis is challenging and based on thorough clinical examination and laboratory and imaging findings. A case of 31year old Kuwaiti male, presented to emergency room at Mubarak Alkabeer Hospital-Kuwait, with infectious mononucleosis complicated with temporary unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy is reported, with an emphasis that paralysis of cranial nerve may be due to a less severe systemic condition, and not necessarily associate an underling malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, hypoglossal nerve palsy complicating infectious mononucleosis has never been previously reported in Kuwait.

Non-infectious plasmid engineered to simulate multiple viral threat agents.

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Carrera, Monica; Sagripanti, Jose-Luis

2009-07-01

The aim of this study was to design and construct a non-virulent simulant to replace several pathogenic viruses in the development of detection and identification methods in biodefense. A non-infectious simulant was designed and engineered to include the nucleic acid signature of VEEV (Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus), Influenza virus, Rift Valley Fever virus, Machupo virus, Lassa virus, Yellow Fever virus, Ebola virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, Junin virus, Marburg virus, Dengue virus, and Crimean-Congo virus, all in a single construct. The nucleic acid sequences of all isolates available for each virus species were aligned using ClustalW software in order to obtain conserved regions of the viral genomes. Specific primers were designed to permit the identification and differentiation between viral threat agents. A chimera of 3143 base pairs was engineered to produce 13 PCR amplicons of different sizes. PCR amplification of the simulant with virus-specific primers revealed products of the predicted length, in bands of similar intensity, and without detectable unspecific products by electrophoresis analysis. The simulant described could reduce the need to use infectious viruses in the development of detection and diagnostic methods, and could also be useful as a non-virulent positive control in nucleic acid-based tests against biological threat agents.

Emerging and Neglected Infectious Diseases: Insights, Advances, and Challenges.

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Nii-Trebi, Nicholas Israel

2017-01-01

Infectious diseases are a significant burden on public health and economic stability of societies all over the world. They have for centuries been among the leading causes of death and disability and presented growing challenges to health security and human progress. The threat posed by infectious diseases is further deepened by the continued emergence of new, unrecognized, and old infectious disease epidemics of global impact. Over the past three and half decades at least 30 new infectious agents affecting humans have emerged, most of which are zoonotic and their origins have been shown to correlate significantly with socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological factors. As these factors continue to increase, putting people in increased contact with the disease causing pathogens, there is concern that infectious diseases may continue to present a formidable challenge. Constant awareness and pursuance of effective strategies for controlling infectious diseases and disease emergence thus remain crucial. This review presents current updates on emerging and neglected infectious diseases and highlights the scope, dynamics, and advances in infectious disease management with particular focus on WHO top priority emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and neglected tropical infectious diseases.

Large-scale analysis of full-length cDNAs from the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cultivar Micro-Tom, a reference system for the Solanaceae genomics

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Kikuchi Mari

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Solanaceae family includes several economically important vegetable crops. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum is regarded as a model plant of the Solanaceae family. Recently, a number of tomato resources have been developed in parallel with the ongoing tomato genome sequencing project. In particular, a miniature cultivar, Micro-Tom, is regarded as a model system in tomato genomics, and a number of genomics resources in the Micro-Tom-background, such as ESTs and mutagenized lines, have been established by an international alliance. Results To accelerate the progress in tomato genomics, we developed a collection of fully-sequenced 13,227 Micro-Tom full-length cDNAs. By checking redundant sequences, coding sequences, and chimeric sequences, a set of 11,502 non-redundant full-length cDNAs (nrFLcDNAs was generated. Analysis of untranslated regions demonstrated that tomato has longer 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions than most other plants but rice. Classification of functions of proteins predicted from the coding sequences demonstrated that nrFLcDNAs covered a broad range of functions. A comparison of nrFLcDNAs with genes of sixteen plants facilitated the identification of tomato genes that are not found in other plants, most of which did not have known protein domains. Mapping of the nrFLcDNAs onto currently available tomato genome sequences facilitated prediction of exon-intron structure. Introns of tomato genes were longer than those of Arabidopsis and rice. According to a comparison of exon sequences between the nrFLcDNAs and the tomato genome sequences, the frequency of nucleotide mismatch in exons between Micro-Tom and the genome-sequencing cultivar (Heinz 1706 was estimated to be 0.061%. Conclusion The collection of Micro-Tom nrFLcDNAs generated in this study will serve as a valuable genomic tool for plant biologists to bridge the gap between basic and applied studies. The nrFLcDNA sequences will help annotation of the

Construction of a Full-Length Enriched cDNA Library and Preliminary Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris tigris

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Liu, Changqing; Liu, Dan; Guo, Yu; Lu, Taofeng; Li, Xiangchen; Zhang, Minghai; Ma, Jianzhang; Ma, Yuehui; Guan, Weijun

2013-01-01

In this study, a full-length enriched cDNA library was successfully constructed from Bengal tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, the most well-known wild Animal. Total RNA was extracted from cultured Bengal tiger fibroblasts in vitro. The titers of primary and amplified libraries were 1.28 × 106 pfu/mL and 1.56 × 109 pfu/mL respectively. The percentage of recombinants from unamplified library was 90.2% and average length of exogenous inserts was 0.98 kb. A total of 212 individual ESTs with sizes ranging from 356 to 1108 bps were then analyzed. The BLASTX score revealed that 48.1% of the sequences were classified as a strong match, 45.3% as nominal and 6.6% as a weak match. Among the ESTs with known putative function, 26.4% ESTs were found to be related to all kinds of metabolisms, 19.3% ESTs to information storage and processing, 11.3% ESTs to posttranslational modification, protein turnover, chaperones, 11.3% ESTs to transport, 9.9% ESTs to signal transducer/cell communication, 9.0% ESTs to structure protein, 3.8% ESTs to cell cycle, and only 6.6% ESTs classified as novel genes. By EST sequencing, a full-length gene coding ferritin was identified and characterized. The recombinant plasmid pET32a-TAT-Ferritin was constructed, coded for the TAT-Ferritin fusion protein with two 6× His-tags in N and C-terminal. After BCA assay, the concentration of soluble Trx-TAT-Ferritin recombinant protein was 2.32 ± 0.12 mg/mL. These results demonstrated that the reliability and representativeness of the cDNA library attained to the requirements of a standard cDNA library. This library provided a useful platform for the functional genome and transcriptome research of Bengal tigers. PMID:23708105

Epidemiology and eradication of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV virus in Finland

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Hyytiäinen Mauno

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV is a significant disease among domestic and wild cattle. The BHV-1 infection was first detected in Finland in 1970; presumably it was imported in 1968. The infection reappeared in the large-scale bulk-tank milk surveillances which started in 1990, and was eradicated in 1994. Our aim is to describe the epidemiology of this infection in Finland, and its eradication. Materials and methods The official sources of pertinent information, the legal basis for the disease control and the serological methods for the detection of the infection are described. Results and conclusion Ten AI bulls were found to be seropositive in 1970–1971. The total number of herds with BHV-1 antibody positive animals in the large-scale surveillance in 1990 and subsequent epidemiological investigations in 1991 was five, and the total number of seropositive animals was 90. The five herds formed three epidemiological units; semen of at least one bull seropositive in 1971 had been used in each unit. This remained the only plausible route of infection in each of the three units. Using the 'test and slaughter' approach and total stamping out in one herd the infection was eradicated in 1994.

Histopathology for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

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Gupta E

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Histopathological examination of tissue biopsies for the identification of infectious organisms is a very important diagnostic tool. Conventional culture confirmation of tissue biopsies often fail to identify any pathogen as, first of all, invariably most of the tissue samples that are collected and sent for culture isolation are inappropriately collected in formalin, which prevents pathogen growth in culture media. Inadequate processing like grinding, etc. further hinders isolation. Presence of inhibitors like dead tissue debris, fibers, etc. also delays isolation. Microbiologists often lack expertise in identifying infectious pathogens directly from tissue biopsies by microscopic visualization. This review therefore acquaints microbiologists with the various methods available for detecting infectious agents by using histological stains. On histopathological examination of the tissue biopsy once, it is determined that a disease is likely to be due to an infection and has characterized the inflammatory response and hence associated microorganisms should be thoroughly looked for. Although some microorganisms or their cytopathic effects may be clearly visible on routine haematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections, additional histochemical stains are often needed for their complete characterization. Highly specific molecular techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and nucleic acid amplification, may be needed in certain instances to establish the diagnosis of infection. Through appropriate morphologic diagnoses and interlaboratory communication and collaboration, direct microscopic visualization of tissue samples can thus be very helpful in reaching a correct and rapid diagnosis.

Identification of specific regions in hepatitis C virus core, NS2 and NS5A that genetically interact with p7 and co-ordinate infectious virus production.

Science.gov (United States)

Gouklani, H; Beyer, C; Drummer, H; Gowans, E J; Netter, H J; Haqshenas, G

2013-04-01

The p7 protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small, integral membrane protein that plays a critical role in virus replication. Recently, we reported two intergenotypic JFH1 chimeric viruses encoding the partial or full-length p7 protein of the HCV-A strain of genotype 1b (GT1b; Virology; 2007; 360:134). In this study, we determined the consensus sequences of the entire polyprotein coding regions of the wild-type JFH1 and the revertant chimeric viruses and identified predominant amino acid substitutions in core (K74M), NS2 (T23N, H99P) and NS5A (D251G). Forward genetic analysis demonstrated that all single mutations restored the infectivity of the defective chimeric genomes suggesting that the infectious virus production involves the association of p7 with specific regions in core, NS2 and NS5A. In addition, it was demonstrated that the NS2 T23N facilitated the generation of infectious intergenotypic chimeric virus encoding p7 from GT6 of HCV. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Climate change-related migration and infectious disease.

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McMichael, Celia

2015-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change will have significant impacts on both human migration and population health, including infectious disease. It will amplify and alter migration pathways, and will contribute to the changing ecology and transmission dynamics of infectious disease. However there has been limited consideration of the intersections between migration and health in the context of a changing climate. This article argues that climate-change related migration - in conjunction with other drivers of migration - will contribute to changing profiles of infectious disease. It considers infectious disease risks for different climate-related migration pathways, including: forced displacement, slow-onset migration particularly to urban-poor areas, planned resettlement, and labor migration associated with climate change adaptation initiatives. Migration can reduce vulnerability to climate change, but it is critical to better understand and respond to health impacts - including infectious diseases - for migrant populations and host communities.

On the History of Hospital and Department of Infectious Diseases in Lviv

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A.N. Zinchuk

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Hospital of infectious diseases in Lviv was founded on December 29, 1912 and became a clinical basis of the faculty of medicine at Lviv University. At that time, hospital of infectious diseases was a leading medical establishment with European level. Throughout years, the hospital was headed by corresponding member of Polish Academy of Medical Sciences Wincenty Arnold (1912–1926, professor Witold Lipinski (1926–1941, 1944–1946. In 1939, after union of the Western Ukraine and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lviv state medical institute was founded on the basis of the faculty of medicine of Lviv university, and hospital of infectious diseases in Pekarska street, 54 became its clinical center. In 1940, the department of infectious diseases was founded in Lviv medical institute, in different years it was headed by professor W. Lipinski (1940–1941, 1944–1946, professor H.H. Homenko (1946–1951, associate professor B.M. Kotliarenko (1951–1969, professor M.B. Titov (1951–1997, professor L. Yu. Shevchenko (1997–2005, professor O.M. Zinchuk (since 2005 till present. A number of novel diagnostic and therapeutic techniques have been suggested, 30 theses for candidate degree and 6 theses for doctor degree have been defended at the department of infectious diseases.

Wetlands and infectious diseases

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Robert H. Zimmerman

2001-01-01

Full Text Available There is a historical association between wetlands and infectious disease that has led to the modification of wetlands to prevent disease. At the same time there has been the development of water resources projects that increase the risk of disease. The demand for more water development projects and the increased pressure to make natural wetlands economically beneficial creates the need for an ecological approach to wetland management and health assessment. The environmental and health interactions are many. There is a need to take into account the landscape, spatial boundaries, and cross-boundary interactions in water development projects as well as alternative methods to provide water for human needs. The research challenges that need to be addressed are discussed.

Generation of Length Distribution, Length Diagram, Fibrogram, and Statistical Characteristics by Weight of Cotton Blends

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B. Azzouz

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The textile fibre mixture as a multicomponent blend of variable fibres imposes regarding the proper method to predict the characteristics of the final blend. The length diagram and the fibrogram of cotton are generated. Then the length distribution, the length diagram, and the fibrogram of a blend of different categories of cotton are determined. The length distributions by weight of five different categories of cotton (Egyptian, USA (Pima, Brazilian, USA (Upland, and Uzbekistani are measured by AFIS. From these distributions, the length distribution, the length diagram, and the fibrogram by weight of four binary blends are expressed. The length parameters of these cotton blends are calculated and their variations are plotted against the mass fraction x of one component in the blend .These calculated parameters are compared to those of real blends. Finally, the selection of the optimal blends using the linear programming method, based on the hypothesis that the cotton blend parameters vary linearly in function of the components rations, is proved insufficient.

The effect of global warming on infectious diseases.

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Kurane, Ichiro

2010-12-01

Global warming has various effects on human health. The main indirect effects are on infectious diseases. Although the effects on infectious diseases will be detected worldwide, the degree and types of the effect are different, depending on the location of the respective countries and socioeconomical situations. Among infectious diseases, water- and foodborne infectious diseases and vector-borne infectious diseases are two main categories that are forecasted to be most affected. The effect on vector-borne infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever is mainly because of the expansion of the infested areas of vector mosquitoes and increase in the number and feeding activity of infected mosquitoes. There will be increase in the number of cases with water- and foodborne diarrhoeal diseases. Even with the strongest mitigation procedures, global warming cannot be avoided for decades. Therefore, implementation of adaptation measures to the effect of global warming is the most practical action we can take. It is generally accepted that the impacts of global warming on infectious diseases have not been apparent at this point yet in East Asia. However, these impacts will appear in one form or another if global warming continues to progress in future. Further research on the impacts of global warming on infectious diseases and on future prospects should be conducted.

Emerging Infectious Disease Journal Cover Art

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2012-04-04

Polyxeni Potter discusses the art used on the covers of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.  Created: 4/4/2012 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 4/5/2012.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America emerging infections network: bridging the gap between clinical infectious diseases and public health.

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Pillai, Satish K; Beekmann, Susan E; Santibanez, Scott; Polgreen, Philip M

2014-04-01

In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted a Cooperative Agreement Program award to the Infectious Diseases Society of America to develop a provider-based emerging infections sentinel network, the Emerging Infections Network (EIN). Over the past 17 years, the EIN has evolved into a flexible, nationwide network with membership representing a broad cross-section of infectious disease physicians. The EIN has an active electronic mail conference (listserv) that facilitates communication among infectious disease providers and the public health community, and also sends members periodic queries (short surveys on infectious disease topics) that have addressed numerous topics relevant to both clinical infectious diseases and public health practice. The article reviews how the various functions of EIN contribute to clinical care and public health, identifies opportunities to further link clinical medicine and public health, and describes future directions for the EIN.

Complete Genomes of Classical Swine Fever Virus Cloned into Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun; Reimann, I.; Uttenthal, Åse

Complete genome amplification of viral RNA provides a new tool for the generation of modified pestiviruses. We have used our full-genome amplification strategy for generation of amplicons representing complete genomes of classical swine fever virus. The amplicons were cloned directly into a stabl...... single-copy bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) generating full-length pestivirus DNAs from which infectious RNA transcripts could be also derived. Our strategy allows construction of stable infectious BAC DNAs from a single full-length PCR product....

Splenic Infarction: An Under-recognized Complication of Infectious Mononucleosis?

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Li, Yan; George, Ann; Arnaout, Sami; Wang, Jennifer P; Abraham, George M

2018-03-01

Splenic infarction is a rare complication of infectious mononucleosis. We describe 3 cases of splenic infarction attributed to infectious mononucleosis that we encountered within a 2-month period. We underscore the awareness of this potential complication of infectious mononucleosis and discuss the differential diagnosis of splenic infarction, including infectious etiologies. While symptomatic management is usually sufficient for infectious mononucleosis-associated splenic infarction, close monitoring for other complications, including splenic rupture, is mandated.

The role of S.P. Botkin in the creation and development of Russia’s first Infectious Disease Hospital

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Yu. V. Lobzin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents the role of S.P. Botkin in the creation and development of Russia’s first infectious hospital. The creation of the hospital contributed to unfavorable epidemiological situation in a number of infectious diseases in St. Petersburg in 60–70 years XIX century. For the treatment of infectious diseases were no specialized infections hospital. At the initiative of S.P. Botkin was created Russia’s first hospital for infectious diseases, he also became a trustee on the medical side. Under the guidance of Professor Botkin in the barracks hospital began a systematic study of infectious diseases, there was formed the national school of infectious disease. On his initiative, the hospital created the first ambulance coach, first disinfecting chamber, opened the chemical and physiological laboratory. Sergei Petrovich in the hospital laid the foundation of the hospital medical statistics. He made a great contribution to the reorganization of the ambulance and hospital pharmacies. Opening of the Infectious Diseases Hospital has reduced he mortality rate from infectious diseases in St. Petersburg in three times.

Construction of a full-length prototype of the BESIII drift chamber and on-detector test for the BESIII drift chamber electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Zhonghua; Wu Linghui; Liu Jianbei; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; Yan Zhikang; Hunan Univ., Changsha; Chen Yuanbo; Chen Chang; Xu Meihang; Wang Lan; Ma Xiaoyan; Jin Yan; Liu Rongguang; Tang Xiao; Zhang Guifang; Zhu Qiming; Sheng Huayi; Zhu Kejun

2007-01-01

A full-length prototype of the BESIII drift chamber was built. The experience gained on gas sealing, high voltage supply and front-end electronics installation should be greatly beneficial to the successful construction of the BESIII drift chamber. An on-detector test of the BESIII drift chamber electronics was carried out with the constructed prototype chamber. The noise performance, drift time and charge measurements, and electronics gains were examined specifically. The final test results indicate that the electronics have a good performance and can satisfy their design requirements. (authors)

[Epidemiology of imported infectious diseases in China, 2013-2016].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y L; Wang, X; Ren, R Q; Zhou, L; Tu, W W; Ni, D X; Li, Q; Feng, Z J; Zhang, Y P

2017-11-10

Objective: To describe the epidemic of imported infectious diseases in China between 2013 and 2016, including the kinds of infectious diseases, affected provinces, source countries and the epidemiological characteristics, and provide scientific information for the prevention and control of imported infectious diseases. Methods: Data of cases of imported infectious diseases in China from 2013 to 2016 were collected from national information reporting system of infectious diseases, Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS 18.0 were used to conduct data cleaning and analysis. Results: From 2013 to 2016, a total of 16 206 imported cases of infectious diseases were reported in China. Of all the cases, 83.12% (13 471 cases) were malaria cases, followed by dengue fever (2 628 cases, 16.22%). The majority of the imported cases were males (14 522 cases, 89.61%). Most cases were aged 20-50 years. Except Zika virus disease and yellow fever, which were mainly reported before and after spring festival, other imported infectious diseases mainly occurred in summer and autumn. The epidemic in affected provinces varied with the types of infectious diseases, and Yunnan reported the largest case number of imported infectious diseases, followed by Jiangsu, Guangxi and Guangdong. The imported cases were mainly from Asian countries, such as Burma, and African countries, such as Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana, which also varied with the types of infectious diseases. Conclusions: We should pay more attention to imported infectious diseases and strengthen the prevention and control measures in our country. In order to reduce the incidence of imported infectious diseases, the health education should be enforced for persons who plan to travel abroad and the active surveillance should be strengthened for returned travelers.

Infectious mononucleosis - not always a benign condition: a case report of infectious mononucleosis-associated acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Andrew; Akilan, Kosalan; Carr, David

2018-03-01

Infectious mononucleosis is typically a self-limited viral infection of adolescence and early adulthood that resolves in a period of weeks, causing no major sequelae. We describe a case of a healthy 18-year-old female diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis who also presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain, moderate transaminitis, and cholestatic biochemistry. An ultrasound revealed acute acalculous cholecystitis, generally a condition seen in the context of critical illness. Further investigating emergency department patients with infectious mononucleosis is often not indicated, but may be important for those who present atypically.

Effects of extreme precipitation to the distribution of infectious diseases in Taiwan, 1994-2008.

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Mu-Jean Chen

Full Text Available The incidence of extreme precipitation has increased with the exacerbation of worldwide climate disruption. We hypothesize an association between precipitation and the distribution patterns that would affect the endemic burden of 8 infectious diseases in Taiwan, including water- and vector-borne infectious diseases. A database integrating daily precipitation and temperature, along with the infectious disease case registry for all 352 townships in the main island of Taiwan was analysed for the period from 1994 to 2008. Four precipitation levels, 350 mm, were categorized to represent quantitative differences, and their associations with each specific disease was investigated using the Generalized Additive Mixed Model and afterwards mapped on to the Geographical Information System. Daily precipitation levels were significantly correlated with all 8 mandatory-notified infectious diseases in Taiwan. For water-borne infections, extreme torrential precipitation (>350 mm/day was found to result in the highest relative risk for bacillary dysentery and enterovirus infections when compared to ordinary rain (<130 mm/day. Yet, for vector-borne diseases, the relative risk of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis increased with greater precipitation only up to 350 mm. Differential lag effects following precipitation were statistically associated with increased risk for contracting individual infectious diseases. This study's findings can help health resource sector management better allocate medical resources and be better prepared to deal with infectious disease outbreaks following future extreme precipitation events.

Chronic fatigue syndrome after infectious mononucleosis in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Ben Z; Shiraishi, Yukiko; Mears, Cynthia J; Binns, Helen J; Taylor, Renee

2009-07-01

The goal was to characterize prospectively the course and outcome of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents during a 2-year period after infectious mononucleosis. A total of 301 adolescents (12-18 years of age) with infectious mononucleosis were identified and screened for nonrecovery 6 months after infectious mononucleosis by using a telephone screening interview. Nonrecovered adolescents underwent a medical evaluation, with follow-up screening 12 and 24 months after infectious mononucleosis. After blind review, final diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome at 6, 12, and 24 months were made by using established pediatric criteria. Six, 12, and 24 months after infectious mononucleosis, 13%, 7%, and 4% of adolescents, respectively, met the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. Most individuals recovered with time; only 2 adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome at 24 months seemed to have recovered or had an explanation for chronic fatigue at 12 months but then were reclassified as having chronic fatigue syndrome at 24 months. All 13 adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome 24 months after infectious mononucleosis were female and, on average, they reported greater fatigue severity at 12 months. Reported use of steroid therapy during the acute phase of infectious mononucleosis did not increase the risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome. Infectious mononucleosis may be a risk factor for chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents. Female gender and greater fatigue severity, but not reported steroid use during the acute illness, were associated with the development of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents. Additional research is needed to determine other predictors of persistent fatigue after infectious mononucleosis.

POSTOPERATIVE INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH URINARY DISEASE

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A. Ch. Usupbaev

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The large proportion of postoperative infectious complications in urological hospitals makes extremely urgent the problem of its control. The high level of these complications in the postoperative period in patients with urolithiasis is caused by various endo- and exogenous factors.Purpose. To determine the frequency, structure, and features of postoperative infectious complications in patients with urolithiasis in urological hospitals.Materials and methods. As an object of research we used a medical card 232 of the operated patients with urolithiasis, which were copied out in individual registration card. Of 232 patients with urolithiasis 48.3% were men, their average age was 44.5 ± 9.4 years. Female patients were slightly larger (51.7%, respectively, the average age was 44.9 ± 8.1 years.Results. The most common postoperative infectious complications in urolithiasis was infection in the area of surgical intervention (36,2%, acute urethritis (20,7%, acute pyelonephritis (14.7 per cent, paranephritis (9,5%, acute orhoepididimit (7,8%, acute cystitis (6%, pionephrosis (3,4%, urosepsis (1.7 percent. In the etiological structure of infectious agents associated with medical care with the highest frequency, microorganisms of genera Escherichia coli (43%, Proteus (9.5%, Staphilococcus spp were isolated. (8.3% and Staphilococcus aureus (8.3%, and in 11.9% of cases, the Association of microorganisms. Analysis of the etiological structure of genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae resistant to β-lactam antibiotics showed that 63.2% of the amount to the genus strain of E. coli, 21% Proteus and 15.8% Klebsiella.Conclusion. The data obtained indicate the need for research on the prevalence of resistant strains of microorganisms, the introduction of more specifi c, sensitive methods and monitoring. This will increase the effectiveness of treatment, reduce the risk of the spread of resistant strains and increase nosocomial infections.

The small FOXP1 isoform predominantly expressed in activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and full-length FOXP1 exert similar oncogenic and transcriptional activity in human B cells.

Science.gov (United States)

van Keimpema, Martine; Grüneberg, Leonie J; Schilder-Tol, Esther J M; Oud, Monique E C M; Beuling, Esther A; Hensbergen, Paul J; de Jong, Johann; Pals, Steven T; Spaargaren, Marcel

2017-03-01

The forkhead transcription factor FOXP1 is generally regarded as an oncogene in activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Previous studies have suggested that a small isoform of FOXP1 rather than full-length FOXP1, may possess this oncogenic activity. Corroborating those studies, we herein show that activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines and primary activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells predominantly express a small FOXP1 isoform, and that the 5'-end of the Foxp1 gene is a common insertion site in murine lymphomas in leukemia virus- and transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis screens. By combined mass spectrometry, (quantative) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction/sequencing, and small interfering ribonucleic acid-mediated gene silencing, we determined that the small FOXP1 isoform predominantly expressed in activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma lacks the N-terminal 100 amino acids of full-length FOXP1. Aberrant overexpression of this FOXP1 isoform (ΔN100) in primary human B cells revealed its oncogenic capacity; it repressed apoptosis and plasma cell differentiation. However, no difference in potency was found between this small FOXP1 isoform and full-length FOXP1. Furthermore, overexpression of full-length FOXP1 or this small FOXP1 isoform in primary B cells and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines resulted in similar gene regulation. Taken together, our data indicate that this small FOXP1 isoform and full-length FOXP1 have comparable oncogenic and transcriptional activity in human B cells, suggesting that aberrant expression or overexpression of FOXP1, irrespective of the specific isoform, contributes to lymphomagenesis. These novel insights further enhance the value of FOXP1 for the diagnostics, prognostics, and treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

Оptimization of Treatment EBV Infectious Mononucleosis in Children

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V. B. Kotlova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of observation of 103 children aged from 10 months to 15 years with EBV-associated infectious mononucleosis (IM, determined in 32% by acute primary Epstein-Barr virus infection (AEBVI and in 68% of cases by reactivation of chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection (CEBVI. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the course, depending on the form of infection, were investigated. As a clinical outcome of infectious mononucleosis in patients with primary infection latent infection after a year is formed 5.8 times more often than in patients with chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection (CEBVI. The high efficiency of recombinant interferon monotherapy in patients with primary acute infection was recorded and the expediency of combined etiotropic therapy in the treatment of chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection was found out.

Infectious Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Jonuleit, Helmut; Schmitt, Edgar; Kakirman, Hacer; Stassen, Michael; Knop, Jürgen; Enk, Alexander H.

2002-01-01

Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells (Treg) are mandatory for maintaining immunologic self-tolerance. We demonstrate that the cell-cell contact–mediated suppression of conventional CD4+ T cells by human CD25+ Treg cells is fixation resistant, independent from membrane-bound TGF-β but requires activation and protein synthesis of CD25+ Treg cells. Coactivation of CD25+ Treg cells with Treg cell–depleted CD4+ T cells results in anergized CD4+ T cells that in turn inhibit the activation of conventional, freshly isolated CD4+ T helper (Th) cells. This infectious suppressive activity, transferred from CD25+ Treg cells via cell contact, is cell contact–independent and partially mediated by soluble transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. The induction of suppressive properties in conventional CD4+ Th cells represents a mechanism underlying the phenomenon of infectious tolerance. This explains previously published conflicting data on the role of TGF-β in CD25+ Treg cell–induced immunosuppression. PMID:12119350

Polio eradication initiative in Africa: influence on other infectious disease surveillance development

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Cochi Stephen

2002-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The World Health Organization (WHO and partners are collaborating to eradicate poliomyelitis. To monitor progress, countries perform surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP. The WHO African Regional Office (WHO-AFRO and the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also involved in strengthening infectious disease surveillance and response in Africa. We assessed whether polio-eradication initiative resources are used in the surveillance for and response to other infectious diseases in Africa. Methods During October 1999-March 2000, we developed and administered a survey questionnaire to at least one key informant from the 38 countries that regularly report on polio activities to WHO. The key informants included WHO-AFRO staff assigned to the countries and Ministry of Health personnel. Results We obtained responses from 32 (84% of the 38 countries. Thirty-one (97% of the 32 countries had designated surveillance officers for AFP surveillance, and 25 (78% used the AFP resources for the surveillance and response to other infectious diseases. In 28 (87% countries, AFP program staff combined detection for AFP and other infectious diseases. Fourteen countries (44% had used the AFP laboratory specimen transportation system to transport specimens to confirm other infectious disease outbreaks. The majority of the countries that performed AFP surveillance adequately (i.e., non polio AFP rate = 1/100,000 children aged Conclusions Despite concerns regarding the targeted nature of AFP surveillance, it is partially integrated into existing surveillance and response systems in multiple African countries. Resources provided for polio eradication should be used to improve surveillance for and response to other priority infectious diseases in Africa.

Microbiological and therapeutic challenges in infectious spondylodiscitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Theis; Roed-Petersen, Casper; Dragsted, Casper

2013-01-01

The microbiological diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis is often difficult to establish and the disease requires prolonged antibiotic treatment. We analyzed the medical records of 100 patients admitted for infectious spondylodiscitis from 2006 to 2011 with an emphasis on (1) the diagnostic u...... utility of blood cultures and invasive biopsies in the microbiological diagnosis, (2) clinical features differentiating Staphylococcus aureus infections from those with other aetiologies, and (3) evaluation of the outcome of the antimicrobial therapy.......The microbiological diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis is often difficult to establish and the disease requires prolonged antibiotic treatment. We analyzed the medical records of 100 patients admitted for infectious spondylodiscitis from 2006 to 2011 with an emphasis on (1) the diagnostic...

Generating West Nile Virus from an Infectious Clone.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandergaast, Rianna; Fredericksen, Brenda L

2016-01-01

WNV infectious clones are valuable tools for elucidating WNV biology. Nevertheless, relatively few infectious WNV clones have been generated because their construction is hampered by the instability of flaviviral genomes. More recently, advances in cloning techniques as well as the development of several two-plasmid WNV infectious clone systems have facilitated the generation of WNV infectious clones. Here we described a protocol for recovering WNV from a two-plasmid system. In this approach, large quantities of these constructs are digested with restriction enzymes to produce complementary restriction sites at the 3' end of the upstream fragment and the 5' end of the downstream fragment. These fragments are then annealed to produce linear template for in vitro transcription to synthesize infectious RNA. The resulting RNA is transfected into cells and after several days WNV is recovered in the culture supernatant. This method can be used to generate virus from infectious clones encoding high- and low-pathogenicity strains of WNV, as well as chimeric virues.

Vasculitis and infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Satta, R; Biondi, G

2015-04-01

Vasculitis usually presents without a well-known underline cause (idiopathic vasculitis), nevertheless, it is sometimes possible to find out one or more causative agents (secondary vasculitis). Nowadays, thanks to the increasing amount of precise diagnostic tools, a piece of idiopathic vasculitis is reclassified as associated with probable etiology, which can be set off by several factors, such as infections. Infections are considered to be the most common cause of secondary vasculitis. Virtually, every infectious agent can trigger a vasculitis by different mechanisms which can be divided in two main categories: direct and indirect. In the former, infectious agents destroy directly the vascular wall leading, eventually, to a subsequent inflammatory response. In the latter, indirect form, they stimulate an immune response against blood vessels. Different infectious agents are able to directly damage the vascular wall. Among these, it is possible to recognize Staphylococcus spp, Streptococcus spp, Salmonella spp, Treponema spp, Rickettsia spp, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2, and many others which have a peculiar tropism for endothelial cells. Conversely, another group of microbial agents, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, Hepatits B Virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and others, trigger vasculitis in the indirect way. This is due to the fact that they can share epitopes with the host or modify self-antigens, thus leading to a cross-self reaction of the immune system. These mechanism, in turn, leads to immunological responses classified as type I-IV by Gell-Coombs. Nevertheless, it is difficult to strictly separate the direct and indirect forms, because most infectious agents can cause vasculitis in both ways (mixed forms). This paper will analyze the link between infectious agents and vasculitis, focusing on direct and indirect secondary vasculitis, and on a group of probable infection-related idiopathic vasculitis, and finally

Infectious Disease, Endangerment, and Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

MacPhee, Ross D. E.; Greenwood, Alex D.

2013-01-01

Infectious disease, especially virulent infectious disease, is commonly regarded as a cause of fluctuation or decline in biological populations. However, it is not generally considered as a primary factor in causing the actual endangerment or extinction of species. We review here the known historical examples in which disease has, or has been assumed to have had, a major deleterious impact on animal species, including extinction, and highlight some recent cases in which disease is the chief suspect in causing the outright endangerment of particular species. We conclude that the role of disease in historical extinctions at the population or species level may have been underestimated. Recent methodological breakthroughs may lead to a better understanding of the past and present roles of infectious disease in influencing population fitness and other parameters. PMID:23401844

Impact of Health Education on Knowledge and Behaviors toward Infectious Diseases among Students in Gansu Province, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manli Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Infectious disease knowledge and behaviors are key elements that ensure student health and safety. This study explores the impact of health education on student knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases and determines the factors affecting infectious diseases knowledge and behaviors among students in Gansu, China. Methods. A cross-sectional study and three sampling methods were used in two counties, 12 schools, and 32 classes in Gansu, China, from 2012 to 2013. Collected data included the following: (1 sociodemographic characteristics of 2002 students (1001 participants in the intervention group and 1001 in the control group; (2 accuracy of student knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases based on comparison of intervention and control groups through X2 test; and (3 mean scores on knowledge and behavior of students with different characteristics toward infectious diseases, as analyzed through analysis of variance (ANOVA. Multiple linear regression was conducted to analyze factors affecting student knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases. Results. Statistically significant differences were observed among eight items of infectious disease transmission and treatment knowledge between intervention and control groups (P<0.001. Average accuracies of knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases reached 72.23% and 60.03%. Significant differences were observed in six items on student behavior in rural and urban areas (P<0.001. Health education, household register, and county affected scores of student knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases (P<0.05. Gender and education level also affected scores of student behaviors toward infectious diseases (P<0.001. Conclusions. Health education contributes to student knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases. Students in the control group need intensified health education on infectious diseases. Health education needs to pay particular attention to

The interconnected and cross-border nature of risks posed by infectious diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan E. Suk

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases can constitute public health emergencies of international concern when a pathogen arises, acquires new characteristics, or is deliberately released, leading to the potential for loss of human lives as well as societal disruption. A wide range of risk drivers are now known to lead to and/or exacerbate the emergence and spread of infectious disease, including global trade and travel, the overuse of antibiotics, intensive agriculture, climate change, high population densities, and inadequate infrastructures, such as water treatment facilities. Where multiple risk drivers interact, the potential impact of a disease outbreak is amplified. The varying temporal and geographic frequency with which infectious disease events occur adds yet another layer of complexity to the issue. Mitigating the emergence and spread of infectious disease necessitates mapping and prioritising the interdependencies between public health and other sectors. Conversely, during an international public health emergency, significant disruption occurs not only to healthcare systems but also to a potentially wide range of sectors, including trade, tourism, energy, civil protection, transport, agriculture, and so on. At the same time, dealing with a disease outbreak may require a range of critical sectors for support. There is a need to move beyond narrow models of risk to better account for the interdependencies between health and other sectors so as to be able to better mitigate and respond to the risks posed by emerging infectious disease.

Full-length genome sequences of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus strain CV777; Use of NGS to analyse genomic and sub-genomic RNAs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun; Boniotti, Maria Beatrice; Papetti, Alice

2018-01-01

Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus, strain CV777, was initially characterized in 1978 as the causative agent of a disease first identified in the UK in 1971. This coronavirus has been widely distributed among laboratories and has been passaged both within pigs and in cell culture. To determine...... the variability between different stocks of the PEDV strain CV777, sequencing of the full-length genome (ca. 28kb) has been performed in 6 different laboratories, using different protocols. Not surprisingly, each of the different full genome sequences were distinct from each other and from the reference sequence...... the analysis of sub-genomic mRNAs from infected cells. It is clearly important to know the features of the specific sample of CV777 being used for experimental studies....

Unusual infectious mononucleosis complicated by vasculitis

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Srimanta Kumar Sahu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Infectious mononucleosis (IM is a clinical syndrome caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV. It manifests as fever, pharyngitis, malaise, adenopathy, and atypical lymphocytosis. Cardiovascular complications are thought to be rare in IM. There are very few case reports of EBV-associated vasculitides, like Kawasaki disease and systemic polyarteritis nodosa, however, involvement of the large caliber arteries like the aorta and its branches have been reported only scarcely. Myocarditis also is rare as an early manifestation of EBV infection. We present here a rare case of IM, presented initially with acute myocarditis and later with large-vessels arteritis.

Breeding against infectious diseases in animals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rashidi, H.

2016-01-01

Infectious diseases in farm animals are of major concern because of animal welfare, production costs, and public health. Farms undergo huge economic losses due to infectious disease. The costs of infections in farm animals are mainly due to production losses, treatment of infected animals, and

Impact of the infectious period on epidemics

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Robert R.; Sharkey, Kieran J.

2018-05-01

The duration of the infectious period is a crucial determinant of the ability of an infectious disease to spread. We consider an epidemic model that is network based and non-Markovian, containing classic Kermack-McKendrick, pairwise, message passing, and spatial models as special cases. For this model, we prove a monotonic relationship between the variability of the infectious period (with fixed mean) and the probability that the infection will reach any given subset of the population by any given time. For certain families of distributions, this result implies that epidemic severity is decreasing with respect to the variance of the infectious period. The striking importance of this relationship is demonstrated numerically. We then prove, with a fixed basic reproductive ratio (R0), a monotonic relationship between the variability of the posterior transmission probability (which is a function of the infectious period) and the probability that the infection will reach any given subset of the population by any given time. Thus again, even when R0 is fixed, variability of the infectious period tends to dampen the epidemic. Numerical results illustrate this but indicate the relationship is weaker. We then show how our results apply to message passing, pairwise, and Kermack-McKendrick epidemic models, even when they are not exactly consistent with the stochastic dynamics. For Poissonian contact processes, and arbitrarily distributed infectious periods, we demonstrate how systems of delay differential equations and ordinary differential equations can provide upper and lower bounds, respectively, for the probability that any given individual has been infected by any given time.

Post-infectious sequelae of travelers' diarrhea.

Science.gov (United States)

Connor, Bradley A; Riddle, Mark S

2013-01-01

Travelers' diarrhea (TD) has generally been considered a self-limited disorder which resolves more quickly with expeditious and appropriate antibiotic therapy given bacteria are the most frequently identified cause. However, epidemiological, clinical, and basic science evidence identifying a number of chronic health conditions related to these infections has recently emerged which challenges this current paradigm. These include serious and potentially disabling enteric and extra-intestinal long-term complications. Among these are rheumatologic, neurologic, gastrointestinal, renal, and endocrine disorders. This review aims to examine and summarize the current literature pertaining to three of these post-infectious disorders: reactive arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome and the relationship of these conditions to diarrhea associated with travel as well as to diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis which may not be specifically travel related but relevant by shared microbial pathogens. It is hoped this review will allow clinicians who see travelers to be aware of these post-infectious sequelae thus adding to our body of knowledge in travel medicine. Data for this article were identified by searches of PubMed and MEDLINE, and references from relevant articles using search terms "travelers' diarrhea" "reactive arthritis" "Guillain-Barré syndrome" "Post-Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome." Abstracts were included when related to previously published work. A review of the published literature reveals that potential consequences of travelers' diarrhea may extend beyond the acute illness and these post-infectious complications may be more common than currently recognized. In addition since TD is such a common occurrence it would be helpful to be able to identify those who might be at greater risk of post-infectious sequelae in order to target more aggressive prophylactic or therapeutic approaches to such individuals. It is

How to make epidemiological training infectious.

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Steve E Bellan

Full Text Available Modern infectious disease epidemiology builds on two independently developed fields: classical epidemiology and dynamical epidemiology. Over the past decade, integration of the two fields has increased in research practice, but training options within the fields remain distinct with few opportunities for integration in the classroom. The annual Clinic on the Meaningful Modeling of Epidemiological Data (MMED at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences has begun to address this gap. MMED offers participants exposure to a broad range of concepts and techniques from both epidemiological traditions. During MMED 2010 we developed a pedagogical approach that bridges the traditional distinction between classical and dynamical epidemiology and can be used at multiple educational levels, from high school to graduate level courses. The approach is hands-on, consisting of a real-time simulation of a stochastic outbreak in course participants, including realistic data reporting, followed by a variety of mathematical and statistical analyses, stemming from both epidemiological traditions. During the exercise, dynamical epidemiologists developed empirical skills such as study design and learned concepts of bias while classical epidemiologists were trained in systems thinking and began to understand epidemics as dynamic nonlinear processes. We believe this type of integrated educational tool will prove extremely valuable in the training of future infectious disease epidemiologists. We also believe that such interdisciplinary training will be critical for local capacity building in analytical epidemiology as Africa continues to produce new cohorts of well-trained mathematicians, statisticians, and scientists. And because the lessons draw on skills and concepts from many fields in biology--from pathogen biology, evolutionary dynamics of host--pathogen interactions, and the ecology of infectious disease to bioinformatics, computational biology, and

Art in Science: Selections from Emerging Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-02-12

Polyxeni Potter, retired managing editor of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, discusses the history of the journal and her new book, Art in Science: Selections from Emerging Infectious Diseases.  Created: 2/12/2014 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 2/13/2014.

CISH and susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Khor, Chiea C; Vannberg, Fredrik O; Chapman, Stephen J; Guo, Haiyan; Wong, Sunny H; Walley, Andrew J; Vukcevic, Damjan; Rautanen, Anna; Mills, Tara C; Chang, Kwok-Chiu; Kam, Kai-Man; Crampin, Amelia C; Ngwira, Bagrey; Leung, Chi-Chiu; Tam, Cheuk-Ming; Chan, Chiu-Yeung; Sung, Joseph J Y; Yew, Wing-Wai; Toh, Kai-Yee; Tay, Stacey K H; Kwiatkowski, Dominic; Lienhardt, Christian; Hien, Tran-Tinh; Day, Nicholas P; Peshu, Nobert; Marsh, Kevin; Maitland, Kathryn; Scott, J Anthony; Williams, Thomas N; Berkley, James A; Floyd, Sian; Tang, Nelson L S; Fine, Paul E M; Goh, Denise L M; Hill, Adrian V S

2010-06-03

The interleukin-2-mediated immune response is critical for host defense against infectious pathogens. Cytokine-inducible SRC homology 2 (SH2) domain protein (CISH), a suppressor of cytokine signaling, controls interleukin-2 signaling. Using a case-control design, we tested for an association between CISH polymorphisms and susceptibility to major infectious diseases (bacteremia, tuberculosis, and severe malaria) in blood samples from 8402 persons in Gambia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Malawi, and Vietnam. We had previously tested 20 other immune-related genes in one or more of these sample collections. We observed associations between variant alleles of multiple CISH polymorphisms and increased susceptibility to each infectious disease in each of the study populations. When all five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (at positions -639, -292, -163, +1320, and +3415 [all relative to CISH]) within the CISH-associated locus were considered together in a multiple-SNP score, we found an association between CISH genetic variants and susceptibility to bacteremia, malaria, and tuberculosis (P=3.8x10(-11) for all comparisons), with -292 accounting for most of the association signal (P=4.58x10(-7)). Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells obtained from adult subjects carrying the -292 variant, as compared with wild-type cells, showed a muted response to the stimulation of interleukin-2 production--that is, 25 to 40% less CISH expression. Variants of CISH are associated with susceptibility to diseases caused by diverse infectious pathogens, suggesting that negative regulators of cytokine signaling have a role in immunity against various infectious diseases. The overall risk of one of these infectious diseases was increased by at least 18% among persons carrying the variant CISH alleles. 2010 Massachusetts Medical Society

Сlinical and Sonographic Indices as Diagnostic Criteria of Infectious Mononucleosis in Children

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L.A. Ivanova

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Significant polymorphism of clinical manifestations of infectious mononucleosis, multisystemic lesions, frequent lack of clear clinical and paraclinical criteria and delayed results of available laboratory tests, and sometimes impossibility of their execution complicate the diagnosis of the disease in prehospital stage and on admission to hospital. Objective of the study: to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of infectious mononucleosis in children by examining current features of the course and analyzing the diagnostic value of clinical and instrumental parameters in the verification of the disease. Materials and methods. On the basis of infectious boxed unit of respiratory infections of Municipal Healthcare Institution «Regional Children’s Hospital» (Chernivtsi, there were examined 65 children with infectious mononucleosis, who were hospitalized in the period of 2014–2015. The first clinical group (I consisted of 42 children, the final clinical diagnosis of the disease in them was verified on the basis of comprehensive clinical and hematological criteria, the second (II clinical group included 23 patients with serologically confirmed infectious mononucleosis. In terms of the main clinical signs, the observation groups were not significantly different. Results. It was found that for children with infectious mononucleosis, such clinical features are typical: sudden onset of the disease (in 93.8 % with fever higher than 37.5 °C (80 %, the presence of exudative tonsillitis (81.6 %, submandibular and cervical lymphadenopathy (in 90.7 %, difficulty in nasal breathing (in 78.4 %, and nasal voice (in 73.8 %. In confirmation of Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis, phenomena of exudative tonsillitis and lymphadenopathy were highly sensitive (90 and 95 %, respectively, but with a high proportion of false positive results. Conclusion. Thus, given the lack of diagnostic value of clinical-anamnestic and sonographic

Thymus Atrophy and Double-Positive Escape Are Common Features in Infectious Diseases

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Juliana de Meis

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ in which bone marrow-derived T-cell precursors undergo differentiation, leading to migration of positively selected thymocytes to the T-cell-dependent areas of secondary lymphoid organs. This organ can undergo atrophy, caused by several endogenous and exogenous factors such as ageing, hormone fluctuations, and infectious agents. This paper will focus on emerging data on the thymic atrophy caused by infectious agents. We present data on the dynamics of thymus lymphocytes during acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection, showing that the resulting thymus atrophy comprises the abnormal release of thymic-derived T cells and may have an impact on host immune response.

European monitoring systems and data for assessing environmental and climate impacts on human infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Gordon L; Andersson, Yvonne; Lindgren, Elisabet; Devaux, Isabelle; Semenza, Jan C

2014-04-09

Surveillance is critical to understanding the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases. The growing concern over climate and other drivers that may increase infectious disease threats to future generations has stimulated a review of the surveillance systems and environmental data sources that might be used to assess future health impacts from climate change in Europe. We present an overview of organizations, agencies and institutions that are responsible for infectious disease surveillance in Europe. We describe the surveillance systems, tracking tools, communication channels, information exchange and outputs in light of environmental and climatic drivers of infectious diseases. We discuss environmental and climatic data sets that lend themselves to epidemiological analysis. Many of the environmental data sets have a relatively uniform quality across EU Member States because they are based on satellite measurements or EU funded FP6 or FP7 projects with full EU coverage. Case-reporting systems for surveillance of infectious diseases should include clear and consistent case definitions and reporting formats that are geo-located at an appropriate resolution. This will allow linkage to environmental, social and climatic sources that will enable risk assessments, future threat evaluations, outbreak management and interventions to reduce disease burden.

Recommended Curriculum for Training in Pediatric Transplant Infectious Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Danziger-Isakov, Lara; Allen, Upton; Englund, Janet; Herold, Betsy; Hoffman, Jill; Green, Michael; Gantt, Soren; Kumar, Deepali; Michaels, Marian G

2015-03-01

A working group representing the American Society of Transplantation, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and International Pediatric Transplant Association has developed a collaborative effort to identify and develop core knowledge in pediatric transplant infectious diseases. Guidance for patient care environments for training and core competencies is included to help facilitate training directed at improving the experience for pediatric infectious diseases trainees and practitioners in the area of pediatric transplant infectious diseases. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multiple different defense mechanisms are activated in the young transgenic tobacco plants which express the full length genome of the Tobacco mosaic virus, and are resistant against this virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Jada, Balaji; Soitamo, Arto J; Siddiqui, Shahid Aslam; Murukesan, Gayatri; Aro, Eva-Mari; Salakoski, Tapio; Lehto, Kirsi

2014-01-01

Previously described transgenic tobacco lines express the full length infectious Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) genome under the 35S promoter (Siddiqui et al., 2007. Mol Plant Microbe Interact, 20: 1489-1494). Through their young stages these plants exhibit strong resistance against both the endogenously expressed and exogenously inoculated TMV, but at the age of about 7-8 weeks they break into TMV infection, with typical severe virus symptoms. Infections with some other viruses (Potato viruses Y, A, and X) induce the breaking of the TMV resistance and lead to synergistic proliferation of both viruses. To deduce the gene functions related to this early resistance, we have performed microarray analysis of the transgenic plants during the early resistant stage, and after the resistance break, and also of TMV-infected wild type tobacco plants. Comparison of these transcriptomes to those of corresponding wild type healthy plants indicated that 1362, 1150 and 550 transcripts were up-regulated in the transgenic plants before and after the resistance break, and in the TMV-infected wild type tobacco plants, respectively, and 1422, 1200 and 480 transcripts were down-regulated in these plants, respectively. These transcriptome alterations were distinctly different between the three types of plants, and it appears that several different mechanisms, such as the enhanced expression of the defense, hormone signaling and protein degradation pathways contributed to the TMV-resistance in the young transgenic plants. In addition to these alterations, we also observed a distinct and unique gene expression alteration in these plants, which was the strong suppression of the translational machinery. This may also contribute to the resistance by slowing down the synthesis of viral proteins. Viral replication potential may also be suppressed, to some extent, by the reduction of the translation initiation and elongation factors eIF-3 and eEF1A and B, which are required for the TMV replication

Towards a European Framework to Monitor Infectious Diseases among Migrant Populations: Design and Applicability

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Flavia Riccardo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available There are limitations in our capacity to interpret point estimates and trends of infectious diseases occurring among diverse migrant populations living in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA. The aim of this study was to design a data collection framework that could capture information on factors associated with increased risk to infectious diseases in migrant populations in the EU/EEA. The authors defined factors associated with increased risk according to a multi-dimensional framework and performed a systematic literature review in order to identify whether those factors well reflected the reported risk factors for infectious disease in these populations. Following this, the feasibility of applying this framework to relevant available EU/EEA data sources was assessed. The proposed multidimensional framework is well suited to capture the complexity and concurrence of these risk factors and in principle applicable in the EU/EEA. The authors conclude that adopting a multi-dimensional framework to monitor infectious diseases could favor the disaggregated collection and analysis of migrant health data.

Large-scale analysis of full-length cDNAs from the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivar Micro-Tom, a reference system for the Solanaceae genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Koh; Yano, Kentaro; Suzuki, Ayako; Kawamura, Shingo; Sakurai, Nozomu; Suda, Kunihiro; Kurabayashi, Atsushi; Suzuki, Tatsuya; Tsugane, Taneaki; Watanabe, Manabu; Ooga, Kazuhide; Torii, Maiko; Narita, Takanori; Shin-I, Tadasu; Kohara, Yuji; Yamamoto, Naoki; Takahashi, Hideki; Watanabe, Yuichiro; Egusa, Mayumi; Kodama, Motoichiro; Ichinose, Yuki; Kikuchi, Mari; Fukushima, Sumire; Okabe, Akiko; Arie, Tsutomu; Sato, Yuko; Yazawa, Katsumi; Satoh, Shinobu; Omura, Toshikazu; Ezura, Hiroshi; Shibata, Daisuke

2010-03-30

The Solanaceae family includes several economically important vegetable crops. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is regarded as a model plant of the Solanaceae family. Recently, a number of tomato resources have been developed in parallel with the ongoing tomato genome sequencing project. In particular, a miniature cultivar, Micro-Tom, is regarded as a model system in tomato genomics, and a number of genomics resources in the Micro-Tom-background, such as ESTs and mutagenized lines, have been established by an international alliance. To accelerate the progress in tomato genomics, we developed a collection of fully-sequenced 13,227 Micro-Tom full-length cDNAs. By checking redundant sequences, coding sequences, and chimeric sequences, a set of 11,502 non-redundant full-length cDNAs (nrFLcDNAs) was generated. Analysis of untranslated regions demonstrated that tomato has longer 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions than most other plants but rice. Classification of functions of proteins predicted from the coding sequences demonstrated that nrFLcDNAs covered a broad range of functions. A comparison of nrFLcDNAs with genes of sixteen plants facilitated the identification of tomato genes that are not found in other plants, most of which did not have known protein domains. Mapping of the nrFLcDNAs onto currently available tomato genome sequences facilitated prediction of exon-intron structure. Introns of tomato genes were longer than those of Arabidopsis and rice. According to a comparison of exon sequences between the nrFLcDNAs and the tomato genome sequences, the frequency of nucleotide mismatch in exons between Micro-Tom and the genome-sequencing cultivar (Heinz 1706) was estimated to be 0.061%. The collection of Micro-Tom nrFLcDNAs generated in this study will serve as a valuable genomic tool for plant biologists to bridge the gap between basic and applied studies. The nrFLcDNA sequences will help annotation of the tomato whole-genome sequence and aid in tomato functional

INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS IN CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AnnaMaria Nosari

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Infectious complications have been known to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in CLL patients who are predisposed to infections because of both the humoral immunodepression inherent to hematologic disease, which is related to stage and duration of CLL, and to further immunosuppression related to therapy. The majority of infections in CLL patients treated with alkilating agents is of bacterial origin. The immunodeficiency and natural infectious history of alkylator-resistant, corticosteroid-treated patients appears to have changed with the administration of purine analogs, which has been complicated by very severe and unusual infections and also more viral infections due to sustained reduction of CD4-positive T lymphocytes. The following introduction of monoclonal antibody therapies, in particular alemtuzumab, further increased the immunodepression, increasing also infections which appeared more often in patients with recurrent neutropenia due to chemotherapy cycles. Epidemiological data regarding fungal infections in lymphoproliferative disorders are scarce. Italian SEIFEM group in a retrospective multicentre study regarding CLL patients reported an incidence of mycoses 0.5%; however, chronic lymphoproliferative disorders emerged as second haematological underlying disease after acute leukemia in a French study on aspergillosis; in particular CLL with aspergillosis accounted for a third of these chronic lymphoproliferative diseases presenting mould infection.

25 CFR 140.26 - Infectious plants.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Infectious plants. 140.26 Section 140.26 Indians BUREAU... Infectious plants. Traders shall not introduce into, sell, or spread within Indian reservations any plant, plant product, seed, or any type of vegetation, which is infested, or infected or which might act as a...

28 CFR 549.15 - Infectious disease training and preventive measures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Infectious disease training and... INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Infectious Disease Management § 549.15 Infectious disease training and..., incorporating a question-and-answer session, about infectious diseases to all newly committed inmates, during...

The Utility of Amnioinfusion in the Prophylaxis of Meconium-Stained Amniotic Fluid Infectious Morbidity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. D. Adair

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate the utility of intrapartum amnioinfusion (AI in reducing the infectious morbidity of patients with meconium-stained fluid (MSF. Previous studies have shown increased intraamniotic infection (IAI and postpartum endometritis (PPE rates in patients with MSF. Intraamniotic infection has been reduced with the prophylactic administration of ampicillin–sulbactam in MSF. Intraamniotic infection and PPE have been reduced with the use of AI in patients with clear fluid. No investigators have specifically examined the efficacy of AI in reducing meconium-stained, amniotic-fluid-associated infectious morbidity.

CISH and Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Khor, Chiea C.; Vannberg, Fredrik O.; Chapman, Stephen J.; Guo, Haiyan; Wong, Sunny H.; Walley, Andrew J.; Vukcevic, Damjan; Rautanen, Anna; Mills, Tara C.; Chang, Kwok-Chiu; Kam, Kai-Man; Crampin, Amelia C.; Ngwira, Bagrey; Leung, Chi-Chiu; Tam, Cheuk-Ming; Chan, Chiu-Yeung; Sung, Joseph J.Y.; Yew, Wing-Wai; Toh, Kai-Yee; Tay, Stacey K.H.; Kwiatkowski, Dominic; Lienhardt, Christian; Hien, Tran-Tinh; Day, Nicholas P.; Peshu, Nobert; Marsh, Kevin; Maitland, Kathryn; Scott, J. Anthony; Williams, Thomas N.; Berkley, James A.; Floyd, Sian; Tang, Nelson L.S.; Fine, Paul E.M.; Goh, Denise L.M.; Hill, Adrian V.S.

2013-01-01

Background The interleukin-2 (IL2)-mediated immune response is critical for host defence against infectious pathogens. CISH, a suppressor of cytokine signalling, controls IL2 signalling. Methods We tested for association between CISH polymorphisms and susceptibility to major infectious diseases (bacteremia, tuberculosis and severe malaria) in 8402 persons from the Gambia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Malawi, and Vietnam using a case-control design. We have previously tested twenty other immune-related genes in one or more of these sample collections. Results We observed associations between variant alleles of multiple CISH polymorphisms and increased susceptibility to each infectious disease in each of the study populations. When all five SNPs (CISH −639, −292, −163, +1320 and +3415) within the CISH-associated locus were considered together in a multi-SNP score, we found substantial support for an effect of CISH genetic variants on susceptibility to bacteremia, malaria, and tuberculosis (overall P=3.8 × 10−11) with CISH −292 being “responsible” for the majority of the association signal (P=4.58×10−7). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of adult volunteers carrying the CISH −292 variant showed a muted response to IL2 stimulation — in the form of 25-40% less CISH — when compared with “control” cells lacking the −292 variant. Conclusions Variants of CISH are associated with susceptibility to diseases caused by diverse infectious pathogens, suggesting that negative regulators of cytokine signalling may play a major role in immunity against various infectious diseases. The overall risk of having one of these infectious diseases was found to be increased by at least 18 percent in individuals carrying the variant CISH alleles. PMID:20484391

Tickborne infectious diseases: diagnosis and management

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cunha, Burke A

2000-01-01

... to particular flora and fauna. The purpose of Tickborne Infectious Diseases: Diagnosis and Management is to condense in a single book different approaches and paradigms of tickborne infectious diseases. Three chapters are devoted to background information, including the natural history of ticks, the diagnostic procedures of tickborne diseases, and the new tick-transm...

[Emerging infectious diseases: complex, unpredictable processes].

Science.gov (United States)

Guégan, Jean-François

2016-01-01

In the light of a double approach, at first empirical, later theoretical and comparative, illustrated by the example of the Buruli ulcer and its mycobacterial agent Mycobacterium ulcerans on which I focused my research activity these last ten years by studying determinants and factors of emerging infectious or parasitic diseases, the complexity of events explaining emerging diseases will be presented. The cascade of events occurring at various levels of spatiotemporal scales and organization of life, which lead to the numerous observed emergences, nowadays requires better taking into account the interactions between host(s), pathogen(s) and the environment by including the behavior of both individuals and the population. In numerous research studies on emerging infectious diseases, microbial hazard is described rather than infectious disease risk, the latter resulting from the confrontation between an association of threatening phenomena, or hazards, and a susceptible population. Beyond, the theme of emerging infectious diseases and its links with global environmental and societal changes leads to reconsider some well-established knowledge in infectiology and parasitology. © Société de Biologie, 2017.

Dither Cavity Length Controller with Iodine Locking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawson Marty

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A cavity length controller for a seeded Q-switched frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser is constructed. The cavity length controller uses a piezo-mirror dither voltage to find the optimum length for the seeded cavity. The piezo-mirror dither also dithers the optical frequency of the output pulse. [1]. This dither in optical frequency is then used to lock to an Iodine absorption line.

Systems thinking in combating infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Shang; Zhou, Xiao-Nong; Liu, Jiming

2017-09-11

The transmission of infectious diseases is a dynamic process determined by multiple factors originating from disease pathogens and/or parasites, vector species, and human populations. These factors interact with each other and demonstrate the intrinsic mechanisms of the disease transmission temporally, spatially, and socially. In this article, we provide a comprehensive perspective, named as systems thinking, for investigating disease dynamics and associated impact factors, by means of emphasizing the entirety of a system's components and the complexity of their interrelated behaviors. We further develop the general steps for performing systems approach to tackling infectious diseases in the real-world settings, so as to expand our abilities to understand, predict, and mitigate infectious diseases.

Infectious spondylitis and its differential diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erlemann, Rainer

2012-01-01

Infectious spondylitis can be diagnosed early and reliably by MRI, given that the most important diagnostic criteria are present. These criteria are bone marrow edema adjacent to two contiguous vertebral end plates, disk space of high signal intensity and enhancement of bone adjacent to two contiguous vertebral end plates and of the disk space. If not all of these criteria are present, diagnostic accuracy decreases. Erosive osteochondritis, spondylarthritis, osteoporotic fractures of two contiguous vertebral end plates, active Schmorl's nodes as well as neuropathic spine may mimic an infectious spondylitis. This paper presents typical and atypical morphologic patterns of infectious spondylitis as well as the differentiation criteria from the above mentioned diseases. (orig.)

Imaging procedures in spinal infectious diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodiek, S.O.

2001-01-01

A targeted successful treatment of spinal infectious diseases requires clinical and laboratory data that are completed by the contribution of imaging procedures. Neuroimaging only provides essential informations on the correct topography, localisation, acuity and differential diagnosis of spinal infectious lesions. MRI with its sensitivity concerning soft tissue lesions is a useful tool in detecting infectious alterations of spinal bone marrow, intervertebral disks, leptomeninges and the spinal cord itself. Crucial imaging patterns of typical spinal infections are displayed and illustrated by clinical case studies. We present pyogenic, granulomatous and postoperative variants of spondylodicitis, spinal epidural abscess, spinal meningitis and spinal cord infections. The importance of intravenous contrastmedia application is pointed out. (orig.) [de

Exosomes: A Paradigm in Drug Development against Cancer and Infectious Diseases

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Mohammad Oves

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Extracellular vesicles are small single lipid membrane entity secreted by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and play an important role in intercellular signaling and nutrient transport. The last few decades have witnessed a plethora of research on these vesicles owing to their ability to answer many hidden facts at the supramolecular level. These extracellular vesicles have attracted the researchers because they act as shuttle agents to transfer biomolecules/drugs between cells. Recently, studies have shown the application of exosomes in tumor therapy and infectious disease control. The present review article shows the importance of exosomes in cancer biology and infectious disease diagnoses and therapy and provides comprehensive account of exosomes biogenesis, extraction, molecular profiling, and application in drug delivery.

Recovery of infectious pariacoto virus from cDNA clones and identification of susceptible cell lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, K N; Ball, L A

2001-12-01

Pariacoto virus (PaV) is a nodavirus that was recently isolated in Peru from the Southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania. Virus particles are non enveloped and about 30 nm in diameter and have T=3 icosahedral symmetry. The 3.0-A crystal structure shows that about 35% of the genomic RNA is icosahedrally ordered, with the RNA forming a dodecahedral cage of 25-nucleotide (nt) duplexes that underlie the inner surface of the capsid. The PaV genome comprises two single-stranded, positive-sense RNAs: RNA1 (3,011 nt), which encodes the 108-kDa catalytic subunit of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and RNA2 (1,311 nt), which encodes the 43-kDa capsid protein precursor alpha. In order to apply molecular genetics to the structure and assembly of PaV, we identified susceptible cell lines and developed a reverse genetic system for this virus. Cell lines that were susceptible to infection by PaV included those from Spodoptera exigua, Helicoverpa zea and Aedes albopictus, whereas cells from Drosophila melanogaster and Spodoptera frugiperda were refractory to infection. To recover virus from molecular clones, full-length cDNAs of PaV RNAs 1 and 2 were cotranscribed by T7 RNA polymerase in baby hamster kidney cells that expressed T7 RNA polymerase. Lysates of these cells were infectious both for cultured cells from Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm) and for larvae of Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth). The combination of infectious cDNA clones, cell culture infectivity, and the ability to produce milligram amounts of virus allows the application of DNA-based genetic methods to the study of PaV structure and assembly.

High avidity antibodies to full-length VAR2CSA correlate with absence of placental malaria.

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Yeung Lo Tutterrow

Full Text Available VAR2CSA mediates sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta, increasing the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Naturally acquired antibodies (Ab to placental parasites at delivery have been associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, but Ab levels and how early in pregnancy Ab must be present in order to eliminate placental parasites before delivery remains unknown. Antibodies to individual Duffy-binding like domains of VAR2CSA have been studied, but the domains lack many of the conformational epitopes present in full-length VAR2CSA (FV2. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the acquisition of Ab to FV2 in women residing in high and low transmission areas and determine how Ab levels during pregnancy correlate with clearance of placental parasites. Plasma samples collected monthly throughout pregnancy from pregnant women living in high and low transmission areas in Cameroon were evaluated for Ab to FV2 and the proportion of high avidity Ab (i.e., Ab that remain bound in the presence of 3M NH(4SCN was assessed. Ab levels and proportion of high avidity Ab were compared between women with placental malaria (PM(+ and those without (PM(- at delivery. Results showed that PM(- women had significantly higher Ab levels (p = 0.0047 and proportion of high avidity Ab (p = 0.0009 than PM(+ women throughout pregnancy. Specifically, women with moderate to high Ab levels (>5,000 MFI and those with ≥ 35% high avidity Ab at 5-6 months were found to have 2.3 (95% CI, 1.0-4.9 and 7.6-fold (p = 0.0013, 95% CI: 1.2-50.0 reduced risk of placental malaria, respectively. These data show that high levels of Ab to FV2, particularly those with high avidity for FV2, produced by mid-pregnancy are important in clearing parasites from the placenta. Both high Ab levels and proportion of high avidity Ab to FV2 may serve as correlates of protection for assessing immunity against placental malaria.

Invasive candidosis: contrasting the perceptions of infectious disease physicians and intensive care physicians

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Vanessa Schultz

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction We analyze how infectious disease physicians perceive and manage invasive candidosis in Brazil, in comparison to intensive care unit specialists. Methods A 38-question survey was administered to 56 participants. Questions involved clinicians' perceptions of the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of invasive candidosis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The perception that candidemia not caused by Candida albicans occurs in less than 10% of patients is more commonly held by intensive care unit specialists (p=0.018. Infectious disease physicians almost always use antifungal drugs in the treatment of patients with candidemia, and antifungal drugs are not as frequently prescribed by intensive care unit specialists (p=0.006. Infectious disease physicians often do not use voriconazole when a patient's antifungal treatment has failed with fluconazole, which also differs from the behavior of intensive care unit specialists (p=0.019. Many intensive care unit specialists use fluconazole to treat candidemia in neutropenic patients previously exposed to fluconazole, in contrast to infectious disease physicians (p=0.024. Infectious disease physicians prefer echinocandins as a first choice in the treatment of unstable neutropenic patients more frequently than intensive care unit specialists (p=0.013. When candidemia is diagnosed, most infectious disease physicians perform fundoscopy (p=0.015, whereas intensive care unit specialists usually perform echocardiograms on all patients (p=0.054. Conclusions This study reveals a need to better educate physicians in Brazil regarding invasive candidosis. The appropriate management of this disease depends on more drug options being available in our country in addition to global coverage in private and public hospitals, thereby improving health care.

Microparticles as immune regulators in infectious disease

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Zheng Lung Ling

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Despite their clear relationship to immunology, few existing studies have examined potential role of microparticles (MP in infectious disease. Infection with pathogens usually leads to the expression of a range of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as significant stress in both infected and uninfected cells. It is thus reasonable to infer from studies to date that infection-associated inflammation also leads to MP production. MP are produced by most of the major cell types in the immune system, and appear to be involved at both the innate and adaptive levels, potentially serving different functions at each level. Thus, MP do not appear to have a universal function; instead their functions are source- or stimulus-dependent, although likely to be primarily either pro- or anti-inflammatory. Importantly, in infectious diseases MP may have the ability to deliver antigen to APC via the biological cargo acquired from their cells of origin. Another potential benefit of MP would be to transfer and/or disseminate phenotype and function to target cells. However, MP may also potentially be manipulated, particularly by intracellular pathogens for survival advantage.

Infectious Diseases and Tropical Cyclones in Southeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Jietao; Han, Weixiao; Jiang, Baofa; Ma, Wei; Zhang, Ying

2017-05-07

Southeast China is frequently hit by tropical cyclones (TCs) with significant economic and health burdens each year. However, there is a lack of understanding of what infectious diseases could be affected by tropical cyclones. This study aimed to examine the impacts of tropical cyclones on notifiable infectious diseases in southeast China. Disease data between 2005 and 2011 from four coastal provinces in southeast China, including Guangdong, Hainan, Zhejiang, and Fujian province, were collected. Numbers of cases of 14 infectious diseases were compared between risk periods and reference periods for each tropical cyclone. Risk ratios (RR s ) were calculated to estimate the risks. TCs were more likely to increase the risk of bacillary dysentery, paratyphoid fever, dengue fever and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis ( ps infectious diseases. TCs are more likely to increase the risk of intestinal and contact transmitted infectious diseases than to decrease the risk, and more likely to decrease the risk of respiratory infectious diseases than to increase the risk. Findings of this study would assist in developing public health strategies and interventions for the reduction of the adverse health impacts from tropical cyclones.

Infectious disease risks among refugees from North Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiura, Hiroshi; Lee, Hyojung; Yuan, Baoyin; Endo, Akira; Akhmetzhanov, Andrei R; Chowell, Gerardo

2018-01-01

The characteristics of disease in North Korea, including severe malnutrition and infectious disease risks, have not been openly and widely analyzed. This study was performed to estimate the risks of infectious diseases among refugees from North Korea. A literature review of clinical studies among North Korean defectors was conducted to statistically estimate the risks of infectious diseases among North Korean subjects. A total of six groups of data from five publications covering the years 2004 to 2014 were identified. Tuberculosis and viral hepatitis appeared to be the two most common infectious diseases, especially among adult refugees. When comparing the risks of infectious diseases between North Korean and Syrian refugees, it is critical to remember that Plasmodium vivax malaria has been endemic in North Korea, while cutaneous leishmaniasis has frequently been seen among Syrian migrants. Valuable datasets from health surveys of defectors were reviewed. In addition to tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, which were found to be the two most common infectious diseases, a special characteristic of North Korean defectors was Plasmodium vivax malaria. This needs to be added to the list of differential diagnoses for pyretic patients. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Infectious waste feed system

Science.gov (United States)

Coulthard, E. James

1994-01-01

An infectious waste feed system for comminuting infectious waste and feeding the comminuted waste to a combustor automatically without the need for human intervention. The system includes a receptacle for accepting waste materials. Preferably, the receptacle includes a first and second compartment and a means for sealing the first and second compartments from the atmosphere. A shredder is disposed to comminute waste materials accepted in the receptacle to a predetermined size. A trough is disposed to receive the comminuted waste materials from the shredder. A feeding means is disposed within the trough and is movable in a first and second direction for feeding the comminuted waste materials to a combustor.

Sibship structure and risk of infectious mononucleosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rostgaard, Klaus; Nielsen, Trine Rasmussen; Wohlfahrt, Jan

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Present understanding of increased risk of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related infectious mononucleosis among children of low birth order or small sibships is mainly based on old and indirect evidence. Societal changes and methodological limitations of previous studies call for new data....... METHODS: We used data from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register to study incidence rates of inpatient hospitalizations for infectious mononucleosis before the age of 20 years in a cohort of 2,543,225 Danes born between 1971 and 2008, taking individual...... sibship structure into account. RESULTS: A total of 12,872 cases of infectious mononucleosis were observed during 35.3 million person-years of follow-up. Statistical modelling showed that increasing sibship size was associated with a reduced risk of infectious mononucleosis and that younger siblings...

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious mononucleosis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

Brazilian infectious diseases specialists: who and where are they?

Science.gov (United States)

Cassenote, Alex Jones Flores; Scheffer, Mario César; Segurado, Aluísio Augusto Cotrim

2016-01-01

The infectious diseases specialist is a medical doctor dedicated to the management of infectious diseases in their individual and collective dimensions. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the current profile and distribution of infectious diseases specialists in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data obtained from institutions that register medical specialists in Brazil. Variables of interest included gender, age, type of medical school (public or private) the specialist graduated from, time since finishing residency training in infectious diseases, and the interval between M.D. graduation and residency completion. Maps are used to study the geographical distribution of infectious diseases specialists. A total of 3229 infectious diseases specialist registries were counted, with 94.3% (3045) of individual counts (heads) represented by primary registries. The mean age was 43.3 years (SD 10.5), and a higher proportion of females was observed (57%; 95% CI 55.3-58.8). Most Brazilian infectious diseases specialists (58.5%) practice in the Southeastern region. However, when distribution rates were calculated, several states exhibited high concentration of infectious diseases specialists, when compared to the national rate (16.06). Interestingly, among specialists working in the Northeastern region, those trained locally had completed their residency programs more recently (8.7yrs; 95% CI 7.9-9.5) than physicians trained elsewhere in the country (13.6yrs: 95% CI 11.8-15.5). Our study shows that Brazilian infectious diseases specialists are predominantly young and female doctors. Most have concluded a medical residency training program. The absolute majority practice in the Southeastern region. However, some states from the Northern, Northeastern and Southeastern regions exhibit specialist rates above the national average. In these areas, nonetheless, there is a strong concentration of infectious diseases specialists in state capitals and in

Full-length VP2 gene analysis of canine parvovirus reveals emergence of newer variants in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Nookala, Mangadevi; Mukhopadhyay, Hirak Kumar; Sivaprakasam, Amsaveni; Balasubramanian, Brindhalakshmi; Antony, Prabhakar Xavier; Thanislass, Jacob; Srinivas, Mouttou Vivek; Pillai, Raghavan Madhusoodanan

2016-12-01

The canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is a highly contagious and serious enteric disease of dogs with high fatality rate. The present study was taken up to characterize the full-length viral polypeptide 2 (VP2) gene of CPV of Indian origin along with the commercially available vaccines. The faecal samples from parvovirus suspected dogs were collected from various states of India for screening by PCR assay and 66.29% of samples were found positive. Six CPV-2a, three CPV-2b, and one CPV-2c types were identified by sequence analysis. Several unique and existing mutations have been noticed in CPV types analyzed indicating emergence of newer variants of CPV in India. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the field CPV types were grouped in different subclades within two main clades, but away from the commercial vaccine strains. CPV-2b and CPV-2c types with unique mutations were found to be establishing in India apart from the prevailing CPV-2a type. Mutations and the positive selection of the mutants were found to be the major mechanism of emergence and evolution of parvovirus. Therefore, the incorporation of local strain in the vaccine formulation may be considered for effective control of CPV infections in India.

Infectious Diseases in the Homeless

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

In this podcast, Ted Pestorius speaks with Dr. Marian McDonald, Associate Director for Minority and Women’s Health at CDC about an article in September 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases on infectious diseases in the homeless. There are an estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide today, and this number is likely to grow. The homeless population is vulnerable to many diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Dr. McDonald discusses why this population is so vulnerable.

ASPEK-ASPEK EKOLOGI DAN SOSIAL DALAM PENANGGULANGAN "EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES"

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Sri Soewasti S.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Ecological and social fators play very important roles in the control of emerging infectious diseases, beside case management, surveillance and laboratory examinations. The ecological factors include physical environmental factors such as altitude, latitude, climate, season, temperature, humidity, water, air, food and land; as well as biological environmental factors such as flora, fauna, agent, vector, host and biological agents used for vector control. The social factors include: education, economic status, behaviour, attitude, habit, religion, culture, population migration and density. Intervention to ecological and social factors could be done as preventive measures. We should learn from the failures as well as successes in the control of infectious diseases which gave considerations on ecological and social factors. For new diseases, studies should also be conducted to know what kinds of ecological and social factors have important roles in the control of these diseases.

THE ORGANIZATION OF REABILITATION DEPARTMENTS FOR CHILDREN — CONVALESCENT INFECTIOUS DISEASES

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E. V. Pronina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Recently the actual direction is development of programs of rehabilitation of the second stage of recovering of infectious diseases children. The purpose of this work is justification of need of the organization of offices of rehabilitation in a children's infectious hospital according to Order of the organization of medical rehabilitation. The retrospective analysis of clinical records of the patients who have arrived on treatment in clinical divisions of Federal State Budgetary Institution of Research of Children's Infections of Russia in 2011—2012 is carried out. It is established, that among surveyed 14 363 for 2 years of patients (in a year on the average more than 7000 children — about 40% (2800 patients a year children for whom rehabilitation actions of the second stage in the conditions of a hospital, including carrying out a diet therapy, physiotherapy exercises, physical therapy and pharmacotherapy are necessary. On a profile of infectious patients for rendering the rehabilitation help it is expedient to organize 2 offices on 30 beds: for treatment of children with consequences of neuroinfections and children with somatic pathology. The organization of two offices for carrying out medical rehabilitation of the second stage to recovering infectious diseases children taking into account recommended standards on equipment, according to the Order of the organization of medical rehabilitation, will allow to give high-tech help to patients and to prevent development of complications.

Structure and function of the first full-length murein peptide ligase (Mpl cell wall recycling protein.

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Debanu Das

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Bacterial cell walls contain peptidoglycan, an essential polymer made by enzymes in the Mur pathway. These proteins are specific to bacteria, which make them targets for drug discovery. MurC, MurD, MurE and MurF catalyze the synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelyl-D-alanyl-D-alanine by the sequential addition of amino acids onto UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid (UDP-MurNAc. MurC-F enzymes have been extensively studied by biochemistry and X-ray crystallography. In gram-negative bacteria, ∼30-60% of the bacterial cell wall is recycled during each generation. Part of this recycling process involves the murein peptide ligase (Mpl, which attaches the breakdown product, the tripeptide L-alanyl-γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelate, to UDP-MurNAc. We present the crystal structure at 1.65 Å resolution of a full-length Mpl from the permafrost bacterium Psychrobacter arcticus 273-4 (PaMpl. Although the Mpl structure has similarities to Mur enzymes, it has unique sequence and structure features that are likely related to its role in cell wall recycling, a function that differentiates it from the MurC-F enzymes. We have analyzed the sequence-structure relationships that are unique to Mpl proteins and compared them to MurC-F ligases. We have also characterized the biochemical properties of this enzyme (optimal temperature, pH and magnesium binding profiles and kinetic parameters. Although the structure does not contain any bound substrates, we have identified ∼30 residues that are likely to be important for recognition of the tripeptide and UDP-MurNAc substrates, as well as features that are unique to Psychrobacter Mpl proteins. These results provide the basis for future mutational studies for more extensive function characterization of the Mpl sequence-structure relationships.

Persistent infectious and tropical diseases in immigrant correctional populations

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L. Getaz

Full Text Available A number of infectious diseases amongst travelers and the immigrant populations are a major public health concern. Some have a long incubation period or remain asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic for many years before leading to significant clinical manifestations and/or complications. HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis or latent syphilis are among the most significant persistent diseases in migrants. Schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis, for instance, are persistent helminthic infections that may cause significant morbidity, particularly in patients co-infected with HIV, hepatitis B and C. Chagas disease, which was initially confined to Latin America, must also now be considered in immigrants from endemic countries. Visceral leishmaniasis and malaria are other examples of parasitic diseases that must be taken into account by physicians treating incarcerated migrants. The focus of this review article is on the risk of neglected tropical diseases in particularly vulnerable correctional populations and on the risk of infectious diseases that commonly affect migrants but which are often underestimated.

The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Lafferty, Kevin D.

2009-01-01

The projected global increase in the distribution and prevalence of infectious diseases with climate change suggests a pending societal crisis. The subject is increasingly attracting the attention of health professionals and climate-change scientists, particularly with respect to malaria and other vector-transmitted human diseases. The result has been the emergence of a crisis discipline, reminiscent of the early phases of conservation biology. Latitudinal, altitudinal, seasonal, and interannual associations between climate and disease along with historical and experimental evidence suggest that climate, along with many other factors, can affect infectious diseases in a nonlinear fashion. However, although the globe is significantly warmer than it was a century ago, there is little evidence that climate change has already favored infectious diseases. While initial projections suggested dramatic future increases in the geographic range of infectious diseases, recent models predict range shifts in disease distributions, with little net increase in area. Many factors can affect infectious disease, and some may overshadow the effects of climate.

Revised genomic consensus for the hypermethylated CpG island region of the human L1 transposon and integration sites of full length L1 elements from recombinant clones made using methylation-tolerant host strains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crowther, P J; Doherty, J P; Linsenmeyer, M E

1991-01-01

preferentially from L1 members which have accumulated mutations that have removed sites of methylation. We present a revised consensus from the 5' presumptive control region of these elements. This revised consensus contains a consensus RNA polymerase III promoter which would permit the synthesis of transcripts......Efficient recovery of clones from the 5' end of the human L1 dispersed repetitive elements necessitates the use of deletion mcr- host strains since this region contains a CpG island which is hypermethylated in vivo. Clones recovered with conventional mcr+ hosts seem to have been derived...... from the 5' end of full length L1 elements. Such potential transcripts are likely to exhibit a high degree of secondary structure. In addition, we have determined the flanking sequences for 6 full length L1 elements. The majority of full length L1 clones show no convincing evidence for target site...

Production of Infectious Dengue Virus in Aedes aegypti Is Dependent on the Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway.

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Milly M Choy

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Dengue virus (DENV relies on host factors to complete its life cycle in its mosquito host for subsequent transmission to humans. DENV first establishes infection in the midgut of Aedes aegypti and spreads to various mosquito organs for lifelong infection. Curiously, studies have shown that infectious DENV titers peak and decrease thereafter in the midgut despite relatively stable viral genome levels. However, the mechanisms that regulate this decoupling of infectious virion production from viral RNA replication have never been determined. We show here that the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP plays an important role in regulating infectious DENV production. Using RNA interference studies, we show in vivo that knockdown of selected UPP components reduced infectious virus production without altering viral RNA replication in the midgut. Furthermore, this decoupling effect could also be observed after RNAi knockdown in the head/thorax of the mosquito, which otherwise showed direct correlation between infectious DENV titer and viral RNA levels. The dependence on the UPP for successful DENV production is further reinforced by the observed up-regulation of key UPP molecules upon DENV infection that overcome the relatively low expression of these genes after a blood meal. Collectively, our findings indicate an important role for the UPP in regulating DENV production in the mosquito vector.

Infectious Diseases,

Science.gov (United States)

1980-02-29

of sufficient severity, infectious hepatitis may produce hypoglycemia or hepatic failure. Severe hypoglycemia is also a common danger in neonatal ...emergency situations geoier~3ly involve the correction of severe fluid and electrolyte or acid-base ;atbnormalities. Severe hypoglycemia or anoxia... causes widespread metabolic responses in the host and in addition, leads to nutritional deficiencies. Localized infections may also result in metabolic

HCV Genotype 6a Escape From and Resistance to Velpatasvir, Pibrentasvir, and Sofosbuvir in Robust Infectious Cell Culture Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pham, Long V; Ramirez, Santseharay; Gottwein, Judith M

2018-01-01

V was able to propagate and escape in the presence of pibrentasvir with emergence of NS5A-L28S, conferring a high level of resistance to this inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Strains of HCV genotype 6a isolated from patients can be adapted to propagate in cultured cells, permitting studies of the complete...... infectious cell culture models of HCV genotype 6a infection to study the effects of these inhibitors and the development of resistance. METHODS: The consensus sequences of prototype strains HK2 (MG717925) and HK6a (MG717928), originating from serum of patients with chronic HCV infection, were determined...... by Sanger sequencing of genomes amplified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. In vitro noninfectious full-length clones of these 6a strains were subsequently adapted in Huh7.5 cells, primarily by using substitutions identified in JFH1-based Core-NS5A and Core-NS5B genotype 6a recombinants...

Diagnostic value of newborn foot length to predict gestational age

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Mutia Farah Fawziah

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background  Identification of gestational age, especially within 48 hours of birth, is crucial for newborns, as the earlier preterm status is detected, the earlier the child can receive optimal management. Newborn foot length is an anthropometric measurement which is easy to perform, inexpensive, and potentially efficient for predicting gestational age. Objective  To analyze the diagnostic value of newborn foot length in predicting gestational age. Methods  This diagnostic study was performed between October 2016 and February 2017 in the High Care Unit of Neonates at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta. A total of 152 newborns were consecutively selected and underwent right foot length measurements before 96 hours of age. The correlation between newborn foot length to classify as full term and gestational age was analyzed with Spearman’s correlation test because of non-normal data distribution. The cut-off point of newborn foot length was calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve and diagnostic values of newborn foot length were analyzed by 2 x 2 table with SPSS 21.0 software. Results There were no significant differences between male and female newborns in terms of gestational age, birth weight, choronological age, and newborn foot length (P>0.05. Newborn foot length and gestational age had a significant correlation (r=0.53; P=0.000. The optimal cut-off newborn foot length to predict full term status was 7.1 cm. Newborn foot length below 7.1 cm had sensitivity 75%, specificity 98%, positive predictive value 94.3%, negative predictive value 90.6%, positive likelihood ratio 40.5, negative likelihood ratio 0.25, and post-test probability 94.29%, to predict preterm status in newborns. Conclusion  Newborn foot length can be used to predict gestational age, especially for the purpose of differentiating between preterm and full term newborns.

Biocontained carcass composting for control of infectious disease outbreak in livestock.

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Tim; Xu, Weiping; Alexander, Trevor W; Gilroyed, Brandon H; Inglis, G Douglas; Larney, Francis J; Stanford, Kim; McAllister, Tim A

2010-05-06

Intensive livestock production systems are particularly vulnerable to natural or intentional (bioterrorist) infectious disease outbreaks. Large numbers of animals housed within a confined area enables rapid dissemination of most infectious agents throughout a herd. Rapid containment is key to controlling any infectious disease outbreak, thus depopulation is often undertaken to prevent spread of a pathogen to the larger livestock population. In that circumstance, a large number of livestock carcasses and contaminated manure are generated that require rapid disposal. Composting lends itself as a rapid-response disposal method for infected carcasses as well as manure and soil that may harbor infectious agents. We designed a bio-contained mortality composting procedure and tested its efficacy for bovine tissue degradation and microbial deactivation. We used materials available on-farm or purchasable from local farm supply stores in order that the system can be implemented at the site of a disease outbreak. In this study, temperatures exceeded 55 degrees C for more than one month and infectious agents implanted in beef cattle carcasses and manure were inactivated within 14 days of composting. After 147 days, carcasses were almost completely degraded. The few long bones remaining were further degraded with an additional composting cycle in open windrows and the final mature compost was suitable for land application. Duplicate compost structures (final dimensions 25 m x 5 m x 2.4 m; L x W x H) were constructed using barley straw bales and lined with heavy black silage plastic sheeting. Each was loaded with loose straw, carcasses and manure totaling approximately 95,000 kg. A 40-cm base layer of loose barley straw was placed in each bunker, onto which were placed 16 feedlot cattle mortalities (average weight 343 kg) aligned transversely at a spacing of approximately 0.5 m. For passive aeration, lengths of flexible, perforated plastic drainage tubing (15 cm diameter) were

Analysis Of Clinical, Haematological And Biochemical Parameters In Patients With Infectious Mononucleosis

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Canović Petar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV usually occurs in early childhood and often does not present clinical symptoms. More than 90% of adults are infected with this virus. A primary infection that occurs in adolescence or adulthood is usually clinically presented as infectious mononucleosis with a triad of symptoms: fever, lymphadenopathy and pharyngitis. Our retrospective study included 51 patients with a median age of 17 (9-23 years and serologically confirmed infectious mononucleosis. All patients with infectious mononucleosis were treated at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the Clinical Center in Kragujevac during 2013. We analysed the clinical, haematological and laboratory parameters of patients. The aspartate-aminotransferase levels were increased in 40 patients, with a mean value of 116.24 (±93.22; the alanine-aminotransferase levels were increased in 44 patients, with a mean value of 189.24 (±196.69. Lymphadenopathy was the most common clinical feature upon admission in 49 patients (96%; 38 patients (74.5% had splenomegaly, and 20 (39% had hepatomegaly. Twenty-six patients (51% had leukocytosis with lymphocytosis, while 15 (75% of the 20 who had a normal leukocyte count also had lymphocytosis. In the present study, we updated the clinical, haematological and laboratory parameters, which may lead to the establishment of an accurate diagnosis and promote further treatment of the patients.

DMPD: LPS, TLR4 and infectious disease diversity. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Nat Rev Microbiol. 2005 Jan;3(1):36-46. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show LPS, TLR4 and infectious disease... (.png) SVG File (.svg) HTML File (.html) CSML File (.csml) Open .csml file with CIOPlayer Open .csml file w

Cutting Whole Length or Partial Length of Internal Anal Sphincter in Managementof Fissure in Ano

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Furat Shani Aoda

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A chronic anal fissure is a common painful perianal condition.The main operative procedure to treat this painful condition is a lateral internal sphincteretomy (LIS.The aim of study is to compare the outcome and complications of closed LIS up to the dentate line (whole length of internal sphincter or up to the fissure apex (partial length of internal sphincter in the treatment of anal fissure.It is a prospective comparativestudy including 100 patients with chronic fissure in ano. All patients assigned to undergo closed LIS. Those patients were randomly divided into two groups: 50 patients underwent LIS to the level of dentate line (whole length and other 50 patients underwent LIS to the level of fissure apex (partial length. Patients were followed up weekly in the 1st month, twice monthly in the second month then monthly   for next 2 months and finally after 1 year. There was satisfactory relief of pain in all patients in both groups & complete healing of the fissure occurred. Regarding post operative incontinence no major degree of incontinence occur in both group but minor degree of incontinence persists In 7 patients after whole length LIS after one year. In conclusion, both whole length & partial length LIS associated with improvement of pain, good chance of healing but whole length LIS associated with more chance of long term  flatus incontinence. Hence,we recommend partial length LIS as treatment forchronic anal fissure.

Applications of Molecular Diagnostic Techniques for Infectious ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

That outcome, if accurate, would help the clinician in disease management, or the epidemiologist in identifying trends of diseases or the administrator in policy and decision making. Traditionally, infectious disease diagnosis involves identifying the causative agents of infectious diseases through the direct examination, ...

FULL LENGTH RESEARCH ARTICLE Yoriyo et al.(2008) SWJ:35 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr. Ahmed

poultry industry to its full capacity. These factors include poor management systems and diseases. Poultry diseases are the major cause of financial loss in poultry production (Oluyemi & Rober, 1979). Intestinal parasitism is a common problem in poultry especially those reared under extensive systems. Ajayi & Ajayi (1983) ...

The value of FDG-PET/CT in the diagnostic work-up of extra cardiac infectious manifestations in infectious endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ozcan, C; Asmar, A; Gill, S

2013-01-01

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is a serious condition with a high morbidity and mortality. The optimal management of IE depends not only on correct antibiotic therapy and surgery when needed, but involves identification of the portal of entry and detection of extracardiac infectious manifestations...

Infectious complications after vehicular trauma in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Douglas R; Dombrovskiy, Viktor Y; Vogel, Todd R

2011-08-01

The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate and define the rates of infectious complications (IC) after vehicular trauma. Secondary goals were to identify the injuries associated with the greatest risk of nosocomial infection and to measure the utilization of hospital resources associated with IC and vehicular trauma. A secondary analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2003-2007) was performed to classify major vehicular trauma injuries utilizing International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) Emergency (E) codes. The post-traumatic IC evaluated were pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI), sepsis, and surgical site infection (SSI). All data were analyzed by χ(2) analysis, multivariable logistic regression, and the Cochran-Armitage test for trends. A total of 784,037 vehicular trauma patients were identified (462,543 [59.0%] motor vehicle drivers, 142,283 [18.2%] motor vehicle passengers, 98,767 [12.6%] motorcyclists; 6,568 [colon injuries. After adjustment by age, sex, and co-morbidities, patients with SCI were 4.4 times as likely (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.20-4.63) and those with cranial injuries were 2.1 times as likely (95% CI 2.06-2.19) to develop IC as patients without these injuries. Secondary infection increased significantly the length of stay and hospital charges in all groups. Patients sustaining vehicular trauma in combination with SCI had the highest rate of IC. Infectious complications increased hospital resource utilization significantly after vehicular trauma. Future root-cause analysis of high-risk groups may decrease complications and hospital utilization.

Global health impacts due to infectious diseases and climate change: A narrative review

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Sameera Karnik

2013-01-01

Full Text Available According to the World Health Organization (WHO, environment is explained in terms of human health, such as physical, chemical and biological factors that are external to a person and all the related behavioral changes that affect population health. Quality of life and health is generally affected by people’s interaction with the environment.The purpose of this narrative review was to address various global health impacts such as heat wave impact, impact of floods and droughts, impact of allergens and impact of air pollution. A major emphasis of this review was on climatic impact on a variety of infectious diseases, particularly the interplay between ‘global warming’ and its effects on transmission of infectious diseases across the world. An analysis of vector borne disease transmission, infectious disease transmission modeling, in the backdrop of global warming, the concept of ‘one health’ and the effects of rising sea levels, which are purported to be due to global warming, were some of the highlighted issues addressed in this review. Towards the end, attention was drawn towards the limitations of addressing vector disease transmission related insufficient studies particularly studies which conduct predictive modeling of infectious disease transmission, which were marred by lack of innovation.

Global health impacts due to infectious diseases and climate change: A narrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sameera Karnik

2013-05-01

Full Text Available According to the World Health Organization (WHO, environment is explained in terms of human health, such as physical, chemical and biological factors that are external to a person and all the related behavioral changes that affect population health. Quality of life and health is generally affected by people’s interaction with the environment.The purpose of this narrative review was to address various global health impacts such as heat wave impact, impact of floods and droughts, impact of allergens and impact of air pollution. A major emphasis of this review was on climatic impact on a variety of infectious diseases, particularly the interplay between ‘global warming’ and its effects on transmission of infectious diseases across the world. An analysis of vector borne disease transmission, infectious disease transmission modeling, in the backdrop of global warming, the concept of ‘one health’ and the effects of rising sea levels, which are purported to be due to global warming, were some of the highlighted issues addressed in this review. Towards the end, attention was drawn towards the limitations of addressing vector disease transmission related insufficient studies particularly studies which conduct predictive modeling of infectious disease transmission, which were marred by lack of innovation.

The KIzSS network, a sentinel surveillance system for infectious diseases in day care centers: study protocol

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Enserink Remko

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Day care-associated infectious diseases are widely recognized as a public health problem but rarely studied. Insights into their dynamics and their association with the day care setting are important for effective decision making in management of infectious disease control. This paper describes the purpose, design and potential of our national multi-center, day care-based sentinel surveillance network for infectious diseases (the KIzSS network. The aim of the KIzSS network is to acquire a long-term insight into the syndromic and microbiological aspects of day care-related infectious diseases and associated disease burden and to model these aspects with day care setting characteristics. Methods/design The KIzSS network applies a prospective cohort design, following day care centers rather than individual children or staff members over time. Data on infectious disease symptoms and related morbidity (children and staff, medical consumption, absenteeism and circulating enteric pathogens (children are collected on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Every two years, a survey is performed to assess the characteristics of participating day care centers. Discussion The KIzSS network offers a unique potential to study infectious disease dynamics in the day care setting over a sustained period of time. The created (biodatabases will help us to assess day care-related disease burden of infectious diseases among attending children and staff and their relation with the day care setting. This will support the much needed development of evidence-based and pragmatic guidelines for infectious disease control in day care centers.

Deforestation and avian infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Sehgal, R N M

2010-03-15

In this time of unprecedented global change, infectious diseases will impact humans and wildlife in novel and unknown ways. Climate change, the introduction of invasive species, urbanization, agricultural practices and the loss of biodiversity have all been implicated in increasing the spread of infectious pathogens. In many regards, deforestation supersedes these other global events in terms of its immediate potential global effects in both tropical and temperate regions. The effects of deforestation on the spread of pathogens in birds are largely unknown. Birds harbor many of the same types of pathogens as humans and in addition can spread infectious agents to humans and other wildlife. It is thought that avifauna have gone extinct due to infectious diseases and many are presently threatened, especially endemic island birds. It is clear that habitat degradation can pose a direct threat to many bird species but it is uncertain how these alterations will affect disease transmission and susceptibility to disease. The migration and dispersal of birds can also change with habitat degradation, and thus expose populations to novel pathogens. Some recent work has shown that the results of landscape transformation can have confounding effects on avian malaria, other haemosporidian parasites and viruses. Now with advances in many technologies, including mathematical and computer modeling, genomics and satellite tracking, scientists have tools to further research the disease ecology of deforestation. This research will be imperative to help predict and prevent outbreaks that could affect avifauna, humans and other wildlife worldwide.

Bilateral sixth cranial nerve palsy in infectious mononucleosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuberger, J.; Bone, I.

1979-01-01

A 15-year-old girl who presented with a bilateral sixth nerve palsy caused by infectious mononucleosis is described. The neurological presentation of infectious mononucleosis is discussed. PMID:225738

Art in Science: Selections from Emerging Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

Polyxeni Potter, retired managing editor of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, discusses the history of the journal and her new book, Art in Science: Selections from Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Real time bayesian estimation of the epidemic potential of emerging infectious diseases.

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Luís M A Bettencourt

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Fast changes in human demographics worldwide, coupled with increased mobility, and modified land uses make the threat of emerging infectious diseases increasingly important. Currently there is worldwide alert for H5N1 avian influenza becoming as transmissible in humans as seasonal influenza, and potentially causing a pandemic of unprecedented proportions. Here we show how epidemiological surveillance data for emerging infectious diseases can be interpreted in real time to assess changes in transmissibility with quantified uncertainty, and to perform running time predictions of new cases and guide logistics allocations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We develop an extension of standard epidemiological models, appropriate for emerging infectious diseases, that describes the probabilistic progression of case numbers due to the concurrent effects of (incipient human transmission and multiple introductions from a reservoir. The model is cast in terms of surveillance observables and immediately suggests a simple graphical estimation procedure for the effective reproductive number R (mean number of cases generated by an infectious individual of standard epidemics. For emerging infectious diseases, which typically show large relative case number fluctuations over time, we develop a bayesian scheme for real time estimation of the probability distribution of the effective reproduction number and show how to use such inferences to formulate significance tests on future epidemiological observations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Violations of these significance tests define statistical anomalies that may signal changes in the epidemiology of emerging diseases and should trigger further field investigation. We apply the methodology to case data from World Health Organization reports to place bounds on the current transmissibility of H5N1 influenza in humans and establish a statistical basis for monitoring its evolution in real time.

Identification of the full-length β-actin sequence and expression profiles in the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri).

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yu; Yun, Chenxia; Wang, Qihui; Smith, Wanli W; Leng, Jing

2015-02-01

The tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) diverges from the primate order (Primates) and is classified as a separate taxonomic group of mammals - Scandentia. It has been suggested that the tree shrew can be used as an animal model for studying human diseases; however, the genomic sequence of the tree shrew is largely unidentified. In the present study, we reported the full-length cDNA sequence of the housekeeping gene, β-actin, in the tree shrew. The amino acid sequence of β-actin in the tree shrew was compared to that of humans and other species; a simple phylogenetic relationship was discovered. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis further demonstrated that the expression profiles of β-actin, as a general conservative housekeeping gene, in the tree shrew were similar to those in humans, although the expression levels varied among different types of tissue in the tree shrew. Our data provide evidence that the tree shrew has a close phylogenetic association with humans. These findings further enhance the potential that the tree shrew, as a species, may be used as an animal model for studying human disorders.

Emerging Ranaviral Infectious Diseases and Amphibian Decline

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Jacques Robert

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases caused by ranaviruses (RV, family Iridoviridae not only affect wild amphibian populations but also agriculture and international animal trade. Although, the prevalence of RV infections and die offs has markedly increased over the last decade, it is still unclear whether these viruses are direct causal agents of extinction or rather are the resulting (secondary consequences of weakened health of amphibian populations leading to increased susceptibility to viral pathogens. In either case, it is important to understand the critical role of host immune defense in controlling RV infections, pathogenicity, and transmission; this is the focus of this review.

Immunochemical studies of infectious mononucleosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fletcher, M.A.; Lo, T.M.; Levey, B.A.; Graves, W.R.

1977-01-01

The coated-tube method of solid-phase radioimmunoassay has been adapted to the detection of heterophile antibodies and antigens of infectious mononucleosis. Disposable plastic hemagglutination trays were coated with purified glycoprotein from horse erythrocytes and the subsequent uptake of antibody from test sera was detected by radio-iodinated horse erythrocyte glycoprotein. In a preliminary survey of sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis and sera from controls, the assay proved highly sensitive and specific. The test system was also useful in a competitive binding assay for immunochemical studies of glycoproteins from other heterophile antigen-positive species

Infectious diseases in Greenlanders of Upernavik

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, P

1985-01-01

During one year, 1979-80, all the contacts between the 836 inhabitants of Upernavik town and the local medical officers were recorded. In the 737 native Greenlanders 1006 contacts (41%) were caused by infectious diseases, representing 705 episodes of disease. The number of contacts per episode...... infections during winter was noted. The contact rate for all infectious diseases together was slightly higher than in Danish general practice, and infectious diseases also accounted for a larger proportion of all registered contacts. Contacts due to chronic respiratory infections, skin infections...... of disease was similar in all age groups. Of these contacts 26% were caused by acute upper respiratory tract infections, 8% by other acute respiratory infections, 10% by chronic respiratory infections, 24% by non-traumatic skin infections, 7% by post-traumatic skin infections, 8% by sexually transmitted...

Changes of Global Infectious Disease Governance in 2000s: Rise of Global Health Security and Transformation of Infectious Disease Control System in South Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Eun Kyung; Lee, Jong-Koo

2016-12-01

This paper focus upon the changes of global infectious disease governance in 2000s and the transformation of infectious disease control system in South Korea. Traditionally, infectious disease was globally governed by the quarantine regulated by the international conventions. When an infectious disease outbreak occurred in one country, each country prevented transmission of the disease through the standardized quarantine since the installation of international sanitary convention in 1892. Republic of Korea also organized the infectious disease control system with quarantine and disease report procedure after the establishment of government. Additionally, Korea National Health Institute(KNIH) was founded as research and training institute for infectious disease. However, traditional international health regulation system faced a serious challenge by the appearance of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease in 1990s. As a result, global infectious disease governance was rapidly changed under the demand to global disease surveillance and response. Moreover, global health security frame became important after 2001 bioterror and 2003 SARS outbreak. Consequently, international health regulation was fully revised in 2005, which included not only infectious disease but also public health emergency. The new international health regime was differently characterized in several aspects; reinforcement of global cooperation and surveillance, enlargement of the role of supranational and international agencies, and reorganization of national capacity. KNIH was reorganized with epidemic control and research since late 1990s. However, in 2004 Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC) was established as a disease control institution with combining quarantine and other functions after 2003 SARS outbreak. KCDC unified national function against infectious disease including prevention, protection, response and research, as a national representative in disease control. The

Impedance of finite length resistive cylinder

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S. Krinsky

2004-11-01

Full Text Available We determine the impedance of a cylindrical metal tube (resistor of radius a, length g, and conductivity σ attached at each end to perfect conductors of semi-infinite length. Our main interest is in the asymptotic behavior of the impedance at high frequency (k≫1/a. In the equilibrium regime, ka^{2}≪g, the impedance per unit length is accurately described by the well-known result for an infinite length tube with conductivity σ. In the transient regime, ka^{2}≫g, where the contribution of transition radiation arising from the discontinuity in conductivity is important, we derive an analytic expression for the impedance and compute the short-range wakefield. The analytic results are shown to agree with numerical evaluation of the impedance.

Infectious diseases affect marine fisheries and aquaculture economics

Science.gov (United States)

Lafferty, Kevin D.; Harvell, C. Drew; Conrad, Jonathan M.; Friedman, Carolyn S.; Kent, Michael L.; Kuris, Armand M.; Powell, Eric N.; Rondeau, Daniel; Saksida, Sonja M.

2015-01-01

Seafood is a growing part of the economy, but its economic value is diminished by marine diseases. Infectious diseases are common in the ocean, and here we tabulate 67 examples that can reduce commercial species' growth and survivorship or decrease seafood quality. These impacts seem most problematic in the stressful and crowded conditions of aquaculture, which increasingly dominates seafood production as wild fishery production plateaus. For instance, marine diseases of farmed oysters, shrimp, abalone, and various fishes, particularly Atlantic salmon, cost billions of dollars each year. In comparison, it is often difficult to accurately estimate disease impacts on wild populations, especially those of pelagic and subtidal species. Farmed species often receive infectious diseases from wild species and can, in turn, export infectious agents to wild species. However, the impact of disease export on wild fisheries is controversial because there are few quantitative data demonstrating that wild species near farms suffer more from infectious diseases than those in other areas. The movement of exotic infectious agents to new areas continues to be the greatest concern.

Imaging methods for detection of infectious foci

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Couret, I.; Rossi, M.; Weinemann, P.; Moretti, J.L.

1993-01-01

Several tracers can be used for imaging infection. None is a worthwhile agent for all infectious foci, but each one has preferential applications, depending on its uptake mechanism by the infectious and/or inflammatory focus. Autologous leucocytes labeled in vitro with indium-111 (In-111) or with technetium-99-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (Tc-99m HMPAO) were applied with success in the detection of peripheral bone infection, focal vascular graft infection and inflammatory bowel disease. Labeling with In-111 is of interest in chronic bone infection, while labeling with Tc-99m HMPAO gets the advantage of a better dosimetry and imaging. The interest of in vivo labeled leucocytes with a Tc-99m labeled monoclonal antigranulocyte antibody anti-NCA 95 (BW 250/183) was proved in the same principal type of infectious foci than in vitro labeled leucocytes. Sites of chronic infection in the spine and the pelvis, whether active or healed, appear as photopenic defects on both in vitro labeled leucocytes and Tc-99m monoclonal antigranulocyte antibody (BW 250/183) scintigraphies. With gallium-67 results showed a high sensitivity with a low specificity. This tracer demonstrated good performance to delineate foci of infectious spondylitis. In-111 and Tc-99m labeled polyclonal human immunoglobulin (HIG) was applied with success in the assessment of various infectious foci, particularly in chronic sepsis. As labeled leucocytes, labeled HIG showed cold defects in infectious sepsis of the spine. Research in nuclear medicine is very active in the development of more specific tracers of infection, mainly involved in Tc-99m or In-111 labeled chemotactic peptides, antigranulocyte antibody fragments, antibiotic derivatives and interleukins. (authors). 70 refs

CISH and Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases

OpenAIRE

Khor, CC; Vannberg, FO; Chapman, SJ; Guo, H; Wong, SH; Walley, AJ; Vukcevic, D; Rautanen, A; Mills, TC; Chang, K-C; Kam, K-M; Crampin, AC; Ngwira, B; Leung, C-C; Tam, C-M

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND The interleukin-2-mediated immune response is critical for host defense against infectious pathogens. Cytokine-inducible SRC homology 2 (SH2) domain protein (CISH), a suppressor of cytokine signaling, controls interleukin-2 signaling. METHODS Using a case-control design, we tested for an association between CISH polymorphisms and susceptibility to major infectious diseases (bacteremia, tuberculosis, and severe malaria) in blood samples from 8402 persons in Gambia, Hong Kong, Kenya,...

Infectious Urethritis in Men and Women

Science.gov (United States)

Meares, Edwin M.

1975-01-01

Acute and recurrent infectious urethritis in men and women is commonly seen by physicians. Since specific therapy varies widely with the type of urethritis present, the proper diagnosis must be clearly established if curative drug therapy is to be selected. It is valuable, therefore, to review the diagnosis and therapy of the various forms of infectious urethritis that are recognized today in both men and women. PMID:1199099

Isolation of full-length putative rat lysophospholipase cDNA using improved methods for mRNA isolation and cDNA cloning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, J.H.; Stratowa, C.; Rutter, W.J.

1987-01-01

The authors have cloned a full-length putative rat pancreatic lysophospholipase cDNA by an improved mRNA isolation method and cDNA cloning strategy using [ 32 P]-labelled nucleotides. These new methods allow the construction of a cDNA library from the adult rat pancreas in which the majority of recombinant clones contained complete sequences for the corresponding mRNAs. A previously recognized but unidentified long and relatively rare cDNA clone containing the entire sequence from the cap site at the 5' end to the poly(A) tail at the 3' end of the mRNA was isolated by single-step screening of the library. The size, amino acid composition, and the activity of the protein expressed in heterologous cells strongly suggest this mRNA codes for lysophospholipase

ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF INFECTOLOGY AND VACCINE PROPHYLAXIS. Part 1. Bioethics and social justice in infectious pathology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. I. Kubar

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. The serial materials on the history of establishment and the modern concepts of bioethics in the field of infectious pathology is planned to present in several articles. In the current report problems of forming and compliance of social responsibility are considered. It is demonstrated the universal importance of ethic principles and specificity of their realization in the different stages of combating with infectious diseases. 

Use of probiotics in pediatric infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Caffarelli, Carlo; Cardinale, Fabio; Povesi-Dascola, Carlotta; Dodi, Icilio; Mastrorilli, Violetta; Ricci, Giampaolo

2015-01-01

We summarize current evidence and recommendations for the use of probiotics in childhood infectious diseases. Probiotics may be of benefit in treating acute infectious diarrhea and reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Potential benefits of probiotic on prevention of traveler's diarrhea,Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, side effects of triple therapy in Helicobacter pylori eradication, necrotizing enterocolitis, acute diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and recurrent urinary tract infections remain unclear. More studies are needed to investigate optimal strain, dosage, bioavailability of drops and tablets, duration of treatment and safety. Probiotics and recombinant probiotic strain represent a promising source of molecules for the development of novel anti-infectious therapy.

[Anti-infectious treatments in urology: general remarks].

Science.gov (United States)

Bruyère, F; Karsenty, G; Guy, L; Bastide, C; Bernard, L

2013-11-01

To define the general use of anti-infectious treatments in urology. A review of national guidelines and articles published on the subject in the Medline database, selected by keywords, depending on the scientific relevance was performed. While the epidemiology clearly shows the non-reduction of the anti-infectious treatments use in France, the resistance increases to highlight foo-resistant germs. Urology is not an exception to this observation, and different means are set to improve the prescription made by urologists. The epidemiological observation confirms the urgent need to improve the prescription of anti-infectious treatments particularly in urology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Signal sequence and keyword trap in silico for selection of full-length human cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuki, Tetsuji; Ota, Toshio; Nishikawa, Tetsuo; Hayashi, Koji; Suzuki, Yutaka; Yamamoto, Jun-ichi; Wakamatsu, Ai; Kimura, Kouichi; Sakamoto, Katsuhiko; Hatano, Naoto; Kawai, Yuri; Ishii, Shizuko; Saito, Kaoru; Kojima, Shin-ichi; Sugiyama, Tomoyasu; Ono, Tetsuyoshi; Okano, Kazunori; Yoshikawa, Yoko; Aotsuka, Satoshi; Sasaki, Naokazu; Hattori, Atsushi; Okumura, Koji; Nagai, Keiichi; Sugano, Sumio; Isogai, Takao

2005-01-01

We have developed an in silico method of selection of human full-length cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries. Fullness rates were increased to about 80% by combination of the oligo-capping method and ATGpr, software for prediction of translation start point and the coding potential. Then, using 5'-end single-pass sequences, cDNAs having the signal sequence were selected by PSORT ('signal sequence trap'). We also applied 'secretion or membrane protein-related keyword trap' based on the result of BLAST search against the SWISS-PROT database for the cDNAs which could not be selected by PSORT. Using the above procedures, 789 cDNAs were primarily selected and subjected to full-length sequencing, and 334 of these cDNAs were finally selected as novel. Most of the cDNAs (295 cDNAs: 88.3%) were predicted to encode secretion or membrane proteins. In particular, 165(80.5%) of the 205 cDNAs selected by PSORT were predicted to have signal sequences, while 70 (54.2%) of the 129 cDNAs selected by 'keyword trap' preserved the secretion or membrane protein-related keywords. Many important cDNAs were obtained, including transporters, receptors, and ligands, involved in significant cellular functions. Thus, an efficient method of selecting secretion or membrane protein-encoding cDNAs was developed by combining the above four procedures.

Atypical presentation of post infectious glomerulonephritis as malignant hypertension and thrombotic microangiopathy

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M Vankalakunti

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Infection-related glomerulonephritis presents commonly as acute nephritic illness, hypertension, hypocomplementinemia following an episode of pharyngitis or pyoderma. Atypical features like thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA, produced by neuraminidase antigen targeting endothelium have been described rarely. We report a case of TMA secondary to malignant hypertension, coexisting with post infectious glomerulonephritis.

Atypical pyoderma gangrenosum mimicking an infectious process.

Science.gov (United States)

To, Derek; Wong, Aaron; Montessori, Valentina

2014-01-01

We present a patient with atypical pyoderma gangrenosum (APG), which involved the patient's arm and hand. Hemorrhagic bullae and progressive ulcerations were initially thought to be secondary to an infectious process, but a biopsy revealed PG. Awareness of APG by infectious disease services may prevent unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

The comparison between the length of vertical dimension of occlusion and the length of thumb on undergraduate Mongoloid students

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Goh Li Teng

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The Thumb Rule of Leonardo da Vinci states that many proportions of the face show relationship with the length of thumb which is measured from the proximal tip of the proximal phalanx to the distal tip of the distal phalanx. Previous studies have shown that the length of the vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO is similar to the length of thumb of the Caucasoid race. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the length of VDO have correlations with the length of thumb among those of the Mongoloid race. This study took a survey method with the analytical cross-sectional approach. A total of 80 students of Faculty of Dentistry who have fulfilled all population criteria were randomly chosen to measure the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. Results analyzed with Student's t-test statistic revealed that there was a significant difference between males and females in the length of VDO and the length of the thumb, however, there was no significant difference between the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. There were very strong correlations (P<0.05 between the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. As a conclusion, the length of thumb can be suggested as an objective method to determine the length of VDO in this population.

Employment of Near Full-Length Ribosome Gene TA-Cloning and Primer-Blast to Detect Multiple Species in a Natural Complex Microbial Community Using Species-Specific Primers Designed with Their Genome Sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huimin; He, Hongkui; Yu, Xiujuan; Xu, Zhaohui; Zhang, Zhizhou

2016-11-01

It remains an unsolved problem to quantify a natural microbial community by rapidly and conveniently measuring multiple species with functional significance. Most widely used high throughput next-generation sequencing methods can only generate information mainly for genus-level taxonomic identification and quantification, and detection of multiple species in a complex microbial community is still heavily dependent on approaches based on near full-length ribosome RNA gene or genome sequence information. In this study, we used near full-length rRNA gene library sequencing plus Primer-Blast to design species-specific primers based on whole microbial genome sequences. The primers were intended to be specific at the species level within relevant microbial communities, i.e., a defined genomics background. The primers were tested with samples collected from the Daqu (also called fermentation starters) and pit mud of a traditional Chinese liquor production plant. Sixteen pairs of primers were found to be suitable for identification of individual species. Among them, seven pairs were chosen to measure the abundance of microbial species through quantitative PCR. The combination of near full-length ribosome RNA gene library sequencing and Primer-Blast may represent a broadly useful protocol to quantify multiple species in complex microbial population samples with species-specific primers.

Full-Length Sequence of Mouse Acupuncture-Induced 1-L (Aig1l Gene Including Its Transcriptional Start Site

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Mika Ohta

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We have been investigating the molecular efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA, which is one type of acupuncture therapy. In our previous molecular biological study of acupuncture, we found an EA-induced gene, named acupuncture-induced 1-L (Aig1l, in mouse skeletal muscle. The aims of this study consisted of identification of the full-length cDNA sequence of Aig1l including the transcriptional start site, determination of the tissue distribution of Aig1l and analysis of the effect of EA on Aig1l gene expression. We determined the complete cDNA sequence including the transcriptional start site via cDNA cloning with the cap site hunting method. We then analyzed the tissue distribution of Aig1l by means of northern blot analysis and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We used the semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to examine the effect of EA on Aig1l gene expression. Our results showed that the complete cDNA sequence of Aig1l was 6073 bp long, and the putative protein consisted of 962 amino acids. All seven tissues that we analyzed expressed the Aig1l gene. In skeletal muscle, EA induced expression of the Aig1l gene, with high expression observed after 3 hours of EA. Our findings thus suggest that the Aig1l gene may play a key role in the molecular mechanisms of EA efficacy.

Risk of Hodgkin's disease and other cancers after infectious mononucleosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjalgrim, H; Askling, J; Sørensen, P

2000-01-01

BACKGROUND: Infectious mononucleosis, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, has been associated with an increased risk for Hodgkin's disease. Little is known, however, about how infectious mononucleosis affects long-term risk of Hodgkin's disease, how this risk varies with age at infectious...... mononucleosis diagnosis, or how the risk for Hodgkin's disease varies in different age groups. In addition, the general cancer profile among patients who have had infectious mononucleosis has been sparsely studied. METHODS: Population-based cohorts of infectious mononucleosis patients in Denmark and Sweden were...... statistical tests including the trend tests were two-sided. RESULTS: A total of 1381 cancers were observed during 689 619 person-years of follow-up among 38 562 infectious mononucleosis patients (SIR = 1. 03; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.98-1.09). Apart from Hodgkin's disease (SIR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1...

Therapeutic and lesional aspects of feline infectious peritonitis

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Adrian C. Stancu

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The prevalence of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP can not be assessed on the basis of serological surveys because positive serological reagents rate does not correlate with disease rates. In units with more cats and numerous movements (input - output, the proportion of positive serological reagents is very high, and could reach, in some countries or regions at 50-75-100%, while among cats scattered nearhomes reactants rate positive to VPIF is well below 50%. Research conducted aimed at treating and determining evolutionary form of FIP based on pathological lesions in dead cats.

Publication trends of research articles from infectious diseases specialty in a medical journal from India

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KVS Hari Kumar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Details about research productivity in the infectious diseases specialty from India are lacking. Objective: To analyse publishing trends and research productivity of articles related to infectious diseases in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI. Materials and Methods : We carried out bibliometric analysis of articles related to infectious diseases specialty from JAPI published between 2000 and 2011. Data were derived from the journal′s website and the articles were analysed for type (original article, case reports, etc., microorganism (bacterial, viral, etc. place of the research and timelines for publication. Results : Out of 2977 articles published in JAPI over last 12 years, 256 articles belong to infectious diseases subspecialty. Infectious diseases contributed 11-18% of the published articles per year in JAPI during the last decade. Original articles (31%, case reports (38% and correspondence (22% constitute the majority of article types, while remaining 9% was made up by images. Bacterial (22%, protozoal and helminthic (20%, HIV (15% and mycobacterial (16% diseases lead the type of microorganisms represented in the research articles. Mumbai (16%, Delhi (9% and Kolkata (7% are the top three places contributing to the articles, followed by Chandigarh and Chennai. Original articles and case reports took approximately 14 months for publication, as compared to 6 months for an image (P < 0.0001. Conclusion : Infectious diseases specialty contributes about 15% of articles per annum in JAPI. HIV and tuberculosis together account for 30% of published litearture with fair representation from other organisms. Mumbai and Delhi are the leading contributors towards research productivity in this specialty.

The length of the male urethra

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Tobias. S. Kohler

2008-08-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Catheter-based medical devices are an important component of the urologic armamentarium. To our knowledge, there is no population-based data regarding normal male urethral length. We evaluated the length of the urethra in men with normal genitourinary anatomy undergoing either Foley catheter removal or standard cystoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male urethral length was obtained in 109 men. After study permission was obtained, the subject's penis was placed on a gentle stretch and the catheter was marked at the tip of the penis. The catheter was then removed and the distance from the mark to the beginning of the re-inflated balloon was measured. Alternatively, urethral length was measured at the time of cystoscopy, on removal of the cystoscope. Data on age, weight, and height was obtained in patients when possible. RESULTS: The mean urethral length was 22.3 cm with a standard deviation of 2.4 cm. Urethral length varied between 15 cm and 29 cm. No statistically significant correlation was found between urethral length and height, weight, body mass index (BMI, or age. CONCLUSIONS: Literature documenting the length of the normal male adult urethra is scarce. Our data adds to basic anatomic information of the male urethra and may be used to optimize genitourinary device design.

Infectious complications in chronic renal failure

OpenAIRE

Kielberger, Lukáš

2014-01-01

INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS IN CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE Infections represent a serious problem in chronic kidney disease (cohort and they are) associated with signifficant morbidity and mortality. The thesis originated in the nephrology division of the Department of Internal Medicine I., Charles University Teaching Hospital and Medical Faculty in Pilsen, an institution with a long standing research activity in the field. In the theoretical part of this work, a general summary of infectious complica...

Common questions about infectious mononucleosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Womack, Jason; Jimenez, Marissa

2015-03-15

Epstein-Barr is a ubiquitous virus that infects 95% of the world population at some point in life. Although Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections are often asymptomatic, some patients present with the clinical syndrome of infectious mononucleosis (IM). The syndrome most commonly occurs between 15 and 24 years of age. It should be suspected in patients presenting with sore throat, fever, tonsillar enlargement, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, pharyngeal inflammation, and palatal petechiae. A heterophile antibody test is the best initial test for diagnosis of EBV infection, with 71% to 90% accuracy for diagnosing IM. However, the test has a 25% false-negative rate in the first week of illness. IM is unlikely if the lymphocyte count is less than 4,000 mm3. The presence of EBV-specific immunoglobulin M antibodies confirms infection, but the test is more costly and results take longer than the heterophile antibody test. Symptomatic relief is the mainstay of treatment. Glucocorticoids and antivirals do not reduce the length or severity of illness. Splenic rupture is an uncommon complication of IM. Because physical activity within the first three weeks of illness may increase the risk of splenic rupture, athletic participation is not recommended during this time. Children are at the highest risk of airway obstruction, which is the most common cause of hospitalization from IM. Patients with immunosuppression are more likely to have fulminant EBV infection.

Clinical and cerebrospinal fluid findings contribute to the early differentiation between infectious and noninfectious encephalitis

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Miguel Wilken

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Early recognition and prompt specific treatment are crucial factors influencing the outcome of patients with acute encephalitis. The aim of this study was to determine the main causes of acute encephalitis in our population and to find predictors that may lead to specific diagnosis. Adult patients admitted to our hospital with suspected diagnosis of encephalitis in the period 2006-2013 were included. One hundred and five medical records were analyzed. Eighty-two patients with infectious encephalitis were identified (78% of total cases, 53 (65% men and 29 (35% women, mean age 47.8 years. The most common microorganisms identified were: HSV-1 (11%, VZV (10%, HSV-2 (5% and EBV (5%. Twenty-three patients (22% of the series had non-infectious encephalitis. Headache (p < 0.0001 and fever (p = 0.008 were more frequent in encephalitis of infectious origin. Protein levels and white blood cell counts in the cerebrospinal fluid were significantly higher in patients affected by infectious encephalitis than in those affected by noninfectious encephalitis (OR 95% CI 12.3 [2.9-51.7] and OR 95% CI 7.4 [2-27], respectively. Identifying specific causal agents of acute encephalitis remains a major challenge. Cerebrospinal fluid markers, as well as specific clinical findings, may however contribute to initial differentiation between infectious and noninfectious causes.

Diarrhea, pneumonia, and infectious disease mortality in children aged 5 to 14 years in India.

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Shaun K Morris

Full Text Available Little is known about the causes of death in children in India after age five years. The objective of this study is to provide the first ever direct national and sub-national estimates of infectious disease mortality in Indian children aged 5 to 14 years.A verbal autopsy based assessment of 3 855 deaths is children aged 5 to 14 years from a nationally representative survey of deaths occurring in 2001-03 in 1.1 million homes in India.Infectious diseases accounted for 58% of all deaths among children aged 5 to 14 years. About 18% of deaths were due to diarrheal diseases, 10% due to pneumonia, 8% due to central nervous system infections, 4% due to measles, and 12% due to other infectious diseases. Nationally, in 2005 about 59 000 and 34 000 children aged 5 to 14 years died from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, corresponding to mortality of 24.1 and 13.9 per 100 000 respectively. Mortality was nearly 50% higher in girls than in boys for both diarrheal diseases and pneumonia.Approximately 60% of all deaths in this age group are due to infectious diseases and nearly half of these deaths are due to diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. Mortality in this age group from infectious diseases, and diarrhea in particular, is much higher than previously estimated.

FULL LENGTH RESEARCH ARTICLE Gnut

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Ahmed

. Peanuts, Groundnuts microflora and pathogenesis of peanut pod. Root Phytopathology, 55(4):359-367. Halima, A. S. 2000. Isolation and preliminary Identification of fungi in stored groundnut. HND project. Department of Science Laboratory.

Assessment of Infectious Waste Management Practices at Hospital with Excellent Accreditation Level in Bandung, Cimahi and East Jakarta, Indonesia

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Fitria Novi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study includes the procedures available and methods of handling and disposing of infectious waste at Military hospital with Excellent Accreditation level in Bandung, Cimahi and East Jakarta, Indonesia. A total three (3 military hospitals with equal type of hospital and level accreditation were surveyed during the course of this research. The methods consisted of survey and interview with the authorities of the hospital and the personal involved in the management of the generated waste. The information was collected using forms specially developed for this purpose. Site visits were conducted to support and supplement information gathered in the survey. Assessment of infectious waste handling divided into six parameters: Hospital policy at organizational structure, status of cleaning services worker, classification/segregation process, collect and transport the infectious waste, condition of temporary storage of infectious waste and disposal phase of infectious waste. The result showed that the hospital with highest level of accreditation have less appropriate practices when it comes to segregation, collecting, storage and disposal of waste generated in comparison to developed country. It appears that hospital authorities should pay better attention to educational planning, organizational resources and supervision at infectious waste management.

A Systems Biology Approach to Infectious Disease Research: Innovating the Pathogen-Host Research Paradigm

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Aderem, Alan; Adkins, Joshua N.; Ansong, Charles; Galagan, James; Kaiser, Shari; Korth, Marcus J.; Law, G. L.; McDermott, Jason E.; Proll, Sean; Rosenberger, Carrie; Schoolnik, Gary; Katze, Michael G.

2011-02-01

The 20th century was marked by extraordinary advances in our understanding of microbes and infectious disease, but pandemics remain, food and water borne illnesses are frequent, multi-drug resistant microbes are on the rise, and the needed drugs and vaccines have not been developed. The scientific approaches of the past—including the intense focus on individual genes and proteins typical of molecular biology—have not been sufficient to address these challenges. The first decade of the 21st century has seen remarkable innovations in technology and computational methods. These new tools provide nearly comprehensive views of complex biological systems and can provide a correspondingly deeper understanding of pathogen-host interactions. To take full advantage of these innovations, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently initiated the Systems Biology Program for Infectious Disease Research. As participants of the Systems Biology Program we think that the time is at hand to redefine the pathogen-host research paradigm.

Using biological networks to improve our understanding of infectious diseases

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Nicola J. Mulder

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death, particularly in developing countries. Although many drugs are available for treating the most common infectious diseases, in many cases the mechanism of action of these drugs or even their targets in the pathogen remain unknown. In addition, the key factors or processes in pathogens that facilitate infection and disease progression are often not well understood. Since proteins do not work in isolation, understanding biological systems requires a better understanding of the interconnectivity between proteins in different pathways and processes, which includes both physical and other functional interactions. Such biological networks can be generated within organisms or between organisms sharing a common environment using experimental data and computational predictions. Though different data sources provide different levels of accuracy, confidence in interactions can be measured using interaction scores. Connections between interacting proteins in biological networks can be represented as graphs and edges, and thus studied using existing algorithms and tools from graph theory. There are many different applications of biological networks, and here we discuss three such applications, specifically applied to the infectious disease tuberculosis, with its causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host, Homo sapiens. The applications include the use of the networks for function prediction, comparison of networks for evolutionary studies, and the generation and use of host–pathogen interaction networks.

Infectious Disease Risk Associated with Space Flight

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Pierson, Duane L.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation opens with views of the shuttle in various stages of preparation for launch, a few moments after launch prior to external fuel tank separation, a few pictures of the earth,and several pictures of astronomical interest. The presentation reviews the factors effecting the risks of infectious disease during space flight, such as the crew, water, food, air, surfaces and payloads and the factors that increase disease risk, the factors affecting the risk of infectious disease during spaceflight, and the environmental factors affecting immunity, such as stress. One factor in space infectious disease is latent viral reactivation, such as herpes. There are comparisons of the incidence of viral reactivation in space, and in other analogous situations (such as bed rest, or isolation). There is discussion of shingles, and the pain and results of treatment. There is a further discussion of the changes in microbial pathogen characteristics, using salmonella as an example of the increased virulence of microbes during spaceflight. A factor involved in the risk of infectious disease is stress.

JST Thesaurus Headwords and Synonyms: equine infectious anemia virus [MeCab user dictionary for science technology term[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available MeCab user dictionary for science technology term equine infectious anemia virus 名詞 一般 * * * * ウマ伝染性貧血...ウイルス ウマデンセンセイヒンケツウイルス ウマデンセンセイヒンケツーイルス Thesaurus2015 200906033816260428 C LS07 UNKNOWN_2 equine infectious anemia virus

A surveillance sector review applied to infectious diseases at a country level

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Easther Sally

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The new International Health Regulations (IHR require World Health Organization (WHO member states to assess their core capacity for surveillance. Such reviews also have the potential to identify important surveillance gaps, improve the organisation of disparate surveillance systems and to focus attention on upstream hazards, determinants and interventions. Methods We developed a surveillance sector review method for evaluating all of the surveillance systems and related activities across a sector, in this case those concerned with infectious diseases in New Zealand. The first stage was a systematic description of these surveillance systems using a newly developed framework and classification system. Key informant interviews were conducted to validate the available information on the systems identified. Results We identified 91 surveillance systems and related activities in the 12 coherent categories of infectious diseases examined. The majority (n = 40 or 44% of these were disease surveillance systems. They covered all categories, particularly for more severe outcomes including those resulting in death or hospitalisations. Except for some notifiable diseases and influenza, surveillance of less severe, but important infectious diseases occurring in the community was largely absent. There were 31 systems (34% for surveillance of upstream infectious disease hazards, including risk and protective factors. This area tended to have many potential gaps and lack integration, partly because such systems were operated by a range of different agencies, often outside the health sector. There were fewer surveillance systems for determinants, including population size and characteristics (n = 9, and interventions (n = 11. Conclusions It was possible to create and populate a workable framework for describing all the infectious diseases surveillance systems and related activities in a single developed country and to identify potential

New journal selection for quantitative survey of infectious disease research: application for Asian trend analysis

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Okabe Nobuhiko

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative survey of research articles, as an application of bibliometrics, is an effective tool for grasping overall trends in various medical research fields. This type of survey has been also applied to infectious disease research; however, previous studies were insufficient as they underestimated articles published in non-English or regional journals. Methods Using a combination of Scopus™ and PubMed, the databases of scientific literature, and English and non-English keywords directly linked to infectious disease control, we identified international and regional infectious disease journals. In order to ascertain whether the newly selected journals were appropriate to survey a wide range of research articles, we compared the number of original articles and reviews registered in the selected journals to those in the 'Infectious Disease Category' of the Science Citation Index Expanded™ (SCI Infectious Disease Category during 1998-2006. Subsequently, we applied the newly selected journals to survey the number of original articles and reviews originating from 11 Asian countries during the same period. Results One hundred journals, written in English or 7 non-English languages, were newly selected as infectious disease journals. The journals published 14,156 original articles and reviews of Asian origin and 118,158 throughout the world, more than those registered in the SCI Infectious Disease Category (4,621 of Asian origin and 66,518 of the world in the category. In Asian trend analysis of the 100 journals, Japan had the highest percentage of original articles and reviews in the area, and no noticeable increase in articles was revealed during the study period. China, India and Taiwan had relatively large numbers and a high increase rate of original articles among Asian countries. When adjusting the publication of original articles according to the country population and the gross domestic product (GDP, Singapore and

Urinary tract infection in full-term newborn infants: risk factor analysis

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Falcão Mário Cícero

2000-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation of risk factors to the occurrence of urinary tract infection in full-term newborn infants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study (1997 including full-term infants having a positive urine culture by bag specimen. Urine collection was based on: fever, weight loss > 10% of birth weight, nonspecific symptoms (feeding intolerance, failure to thrive, hypoactivity, debilitate suction, irritability, or renal and urinary tract malformations. In these cases, another urine culture by suprapubic bladder aspiration was collected to confirm the diagnosis. To compare and validate the risk factors in each group, the selected cases were divided into two groups: Group I - positive urine culture by bag specimen collection and negative urine culture by suprapubic aspiration, and Group II - positive urine culture by bag specimen collection and positive urine culture by suprapubic aspiration . RESULTS: Sixty one infants were studied, Group I, n = 42 (68.9% and Group II, n = 19 (31.1%. The selected risk factors (associated infectious diseases, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, renal and urinary tract malformations, mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and intravascular catheter were more frequent in Group II (p<0.05. Through relative risk analysis, risk factors were, in decreasing importance: parenteral nutrition, intravascular catheter, associated infectious diseases, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, mechanical ventilation, and renal and urinary tract malformations. CONCLUSION: The results showed that parenteral nutrition, intravascular catheter, and associated infectious diseases contributed to increase the frequency of neonatal urinary tract infection, and in the presence of more than one risk factor, the occurrence of urinary tract infection rose up to 11 times.

Human genetics of infectious diseases: between proof of principle and paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaïs, Alexandre; Abel, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent

2009-09-01

The observation that only a fraction of individuals infected by infectious agents develop clinical disease raises fundamental questions about the actual pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Epidemiological and experimental evidence is accumulating to suggest that human genetics plays a major role in this process. As we discuss here, human predisposition to infectious diseases seems to cover a continuous spectrum from monogenic to polygenic inheritance. Although many studies have provided proof of principle that infectious diseases may result from various types of inborn errors of immunity, the genetic determinism of most infectious diseases in most patients remains unclear. However, in the future, studies in human genetics are likely to establish a new paradigm for infectious diseases.

Structural Genomics and Drug Discovery for Infectious Diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, W.F.

2009-01-01

The application of structural genomics methods and approaches to proteins from organisms causing infectious diseases is making available the three dimensional structures of many proteins that are potential drug targets and laying the groundwork for structure aided drug discovery efforts. There are a number of structural genomics projects with a focus on pathogens that have been initiated worldwide. The Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases (CSGID) was recently established to apply state-of-the-art high throughput structural biology technologies to the characterization of proteins from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) category A-C pathogens and organisms causing emerging, or re-emerging infectious diseases. The target selection process emphasizes potential biomedical benefits. Selected proteins include known drug targets and their homologs, essential enzymes, virulence factors and vaccine candidates. The Center also provides a structure determination service for the infectious disease scientific community. The ultimate goal is to generate a library of structures that are available to the scientific community and can serve as a starting point for further research and structure aided drug discovery for infectious diseases. To achieve this goal, the CSGID will determine protein crystal structures of 400 proteins and protein-ligand complexes using proven, rapid, highly integrated, and cost-effective methods for such determination, primarily by X-ray crystallography. High throughput crystallographic structure determination is greatly aided by frequent, convenient access to high-performance beamlines at third-generation synchrotron X-ray sources.

Economic issues of broiler production length

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Szőllősi László

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The length of broiler production cycle is also an important factor when profitability is measured. This paper is to determine the effects of different market ages and down-time period, overall broiler production cycle length on performance and economic parameters based on Hungarian production and financial circumstances. A deterministic model was constructed to manage the function-like correlations of age-related daily weight gain, daily feed intake and daily mortality data. The results show that broiler production cycle length has a significant effect on production and economic performance. Cycle length is determined by the length of down-time and grow-out periods. If down-time period is reduced by one day, an average net income of EUR 0.55 per m2 is realizable. However, the production period is not directly proportional either with emerging costs or obtainable revenues. Profit maximization is attainable if the production period is 41-42 days.

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Parhizgari, Najmeh; Gouya, Mohammad Mehdi; Mostafavi, Ehsan

2017-01-01

Despite development of preventive and controlling strategies regarding infectious diseases, they are still considered as one of the most significant leading causes of morbidity and mortality, worldwide. Changes in humans’ demographics and behaviors, microbial and ecological alterations, agricultural development, international travels and susceptibility to infectious diseases have resulted in increased reports of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and reemerging infectious diseases (RIDs) in various geographical areas. Because of the various types of geographic properties in Iran, substantial climatic variability, as well as unstable political situations and poor public health conditions in some of neighboring countries, EIDs and RIDs are serious public health problems; among them, zoonotic and drug resistant diseases are the most significant. Hence, this review provides an overview of the significant bacterial, viral and fungal EIDs and RIDs in Iran regarding their epidemiological aspects. PMID:29225752

Relativistic length agony continued

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Redžić D.V.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We made an attempt to remedy recent confusing treatments of some basic relativistic concepts and results. Following the argument presented in an earlier paper (Redžić 2008b, we discussed the misconceptions that are recurrent points in the literature devoted to teaching relativity such as: there is no change in the object in Special Relativity, illusory character of relativistic length contraction, stresses and strains induced by Lorentz contraction, and related issues. We gave several examples of the traps of everyday language that lurk in Special Relativity. To remove a possible conceptual and terminological muddle, we made a distinction between the relativistic length reduction and relativistic FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction, corresponding to a passive and an active aspect of length contraction, respectively; we pointed out that both aspects have fundamental dynamical contents. As an illustration of our considerations, we discussed briefly the Dewan-Beran-Bell spaceship paradox and the ‘pole in a barn’ paradox. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 171028

Structural genomics of infectious disease drug targets: the SSGCID

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stacy, Robin; Begley, Darren W.; Phan, Isabelle; Staker, Bart L.; Van Voorhis, Wesley C.; Varani, Gabriele; Buchko, Garry W.; Stewart, Lance J.; Myler, Peter J.

2011-01-01

An introduction and overview of the focus, goals and overall mission of the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) is given. The Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) is a consortium of researchers at Seattle BioMed, Emerald BioStructures, the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that was established to apply structural genomics approaches to drug targets from infectious disease organisms. The SSGCID is currently funded over a five-year period by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to determine the three-dimensional structures of 400 proteins from a variety of Category A, B and C pathogens. Target selection engages the infectious disease research and drug-therapy communities to identify drug targets, essential enzymes, virulence factors and vaccine candidates of biomedical relevance to combat infectious diseases. The protein-expression systems, purified proteins, ligand screens and three-dimensional structures produced by SSGCID constitute a valuable resource for drug-discovery research, all of which is made freely available to the greater scientific community. This issue of Acta Crystallographica Section F, entirely devoted to the work of the SSGCID, covers the details of the high-throughput pipeline and presents a series of structures from a broad array of pathogenic organisms. Here, a background is provided on the structural genomics of infectious disease, the essential components of the SSGCID pipeline are discussed and a survey of progress to date is presented

Chronic multifocal osteomyelitis: Is infectious causation a moot point?

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Nevio Cimolai

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Summary: Chronic multifocal osteomyelitis (CMO is an uncommon disease entity with descriptions possibly emanating from the medical literature over one century ago, and there are numerous disease entities which have been historically detailed and which are probably synonymous. The illness is one of chronicity with exacerbating and remitting focal bony lesions. The differential diagnosis for a bony lesion which ultimately proves to be CMO is initially quite broad. There is no absolute pathognomonic clinical finding, and the diagnosis is highly dependent on clinical course, histopathology, and an absence of microbial infection. Recent studies have focused on immune dysfunction or dysregulation, and there are now many other diseases which are inflammatory in nature and which have been diagnosed among patients with CMO. Despite the aforementioned, the potential for direct infectious causation or indirect causation by infectious stimulation of immunity cannot be entirely excluded. Infection as a mechanism for pathogenesis must continue to be entertained. Multi-centre studies are key to future research. Key words: Osteomyelitis, Infection, SAPHO, Immunity

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Full-Length cDNA of Calmodulin Gene from Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xing-Xia; Yu, Wen-Chao; Cai, Zhong-Qiang; He, Cheng; Wei, Na; Wang, Xiao-Tong; Yue, Xi-Qing

2016-01-01

The shell of the pearl oyster ( Pinctada fucata ) mainly comprises aragonite whereas that of the Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) is mainly calcite, thereby suggesting the different mechanisms of shell formation between above two mollusks. Calmodulin (CaM) is an important gene for regulating the uptake, transport, and secretion of calcium during the process of shell formation in pearl oyster. It is interesting to characterize the CaM in oysters, which could facilitate the understanding of the different shell formation mechanisms among mollusks. We cloned the full-length cDNA of Pacific oyster CaM (cgCaM) and found that the cgCaM ORF encoded a peptide of 113 amino acids containing three EF-hand calcium-binding domains, its expression level was highest in the mantle, hinting that the cgCaM gene is probably involved in shell formation of Pacific oyster, and the common ancestor of Gastropoda and Bivalvia may possess at least three CaM genes. We also found that the numbers of some EF hand family members in highly calcified species were higher than those in lowly calcified species and the numbers of these motifs in oyster genome were the highest among the mollusk species with whole genome sequence, further hinting the correlation between CaM and biomineralization.

Fundamental length and relativistic length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strel'tsov, V.N.

1988-01-01

It si noted that the introduction of fundamental length contradicts the conventional representations concerning the contraction of the longitudinal size of fast-moving objects. The use of the concept of relativistic length and the following ''elongation formula'' permits one to solve this problem

The Contribution of Cytomegalovirus Infection to Immune Senescence Is Set by the Infectious Dose

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Anke Redeker

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The relationship between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV infections and accelerated immune senescence is controversial. Whereas some studies reported a CMV-associated impaired capacity to control heterologous infections at old age, other studies could not confirm this. We hypothesized that these discrepancies might relate to the variability in the infectious dose of CMV occurring in real life. Here, we investigated the influence of persistent CMV infection on immune perturbations and specifically addressed the role of the infectious dose on the contribution of CMV to accelerated immune senescence. We show in experimental mouse models that the degree of mouse CMV (MCMV-specific memory CD8+ T cell accumulation and the phenotypic T cell profile are directly influenced by the infectious dose, and data on HCMV-specific T cells indicate a similar connection. Detailed cluster analysis of the memory CD8+ T cell development showed that high-dose infection causes a differentiation pathway that progresses faster throughout the life span of the host, suggesting a virus–host balance that is influenced by aging and infectious dose. Importantly, short-term MCMV infection in adult mice is not disadvantageous for heterologous superinfection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV. However, following long-term CMV infection the strength of the CD8+ T cell immunity to LCMV superinfection was affected by the initial CMV infectious dose, wherein a high infectious dose was found to be a prerequisite for impaired heterologous immunity. Altogether our results underscore the importance of stratification based on the size and differentiation of the CMV-specific memory T cell pools for the impact on immune senescence, and indicate that reduction of the latent/lytic viral load can be beneficial to diminish CMV-associated immune senescence.

A Case Of Infectious Mononucleosis With Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy

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Somani S K

2003-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculo neuropathy (AIDP, following infectious mononucleosis. A 12 year old girl presented with acute flaccid quadriplegia with bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy and enlarged tonsils six weeks after a febrile illness. Cerebrospinal fluid revealed albuminocytological dissociation and electrophysiology showed evidence of axonal-demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Heterophile antibody test was positive and lymph node biopsy showed non -specific reactive hyperplasia. She was managed conservatively with good outcome.

Possible impact of rising sea levels on vector-borne infectious diseases

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Surendran Sinnathamby N

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vector-borne infectious diseases are a significant cause of human and animal mortality and morbidity. Modeling studies predict that changes in climate that accompany global warming will alter the transmission risk of many vector-borne infectious diseases in different parts of the world. Global warming will also raise sea levels, which will lead to an increase in saline and brackish water bodies in coastal areas. The potential impact of rising sea levels, as opposed to climate change, on the prevalence of vector-borne infectious diseases has hitherto been unrecognised. Presentation of the hypothesis Mosquito species possessing salinity-tolerant larvae and pupae, and capable of transmitting arboviruses and parasites are found in many parts of the world. An expansion of brackish and saline water bodies in coastal areas, associated with rising sea levels, can increase densities of salinity-tolerant vector mosquitoes and lead to the adaptation of freshwater vectors to breed in brackish and saline waters. The breeding of non-mosquito vectors may also be influenced by salinity changes in coastal habitats. Higher vector densities can increase transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases in coastal localities, which can then spread to other areas. Testing the hypothesis The demonstration of increases in vector populations and disease prevalence that is related to an expansion of brackish/saline water bodies in coastal areas will provide the necessary supportive evidence. However the implementation of specific vector and disease control measures to counter the threat will confound the expected findings. Implications of the hypothesis Rising sea levels can act synergistically with climate change and then interact in a complex manner with other environmental and socio-economic factors to generate a greater potential for the transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases. The resulting health impacts are likely to be particularly

Infectious component of the pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS in terms of evidence-based medicine principles (review of literature

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L.O. Bezrukov

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The first clinical cases of obsessive-compulsive di­sorder and/or tic disorder in children with acute sudden onset associated with infectious diseases have been named pediatric infection-triggered autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders (PITANDS. The relationship of such neuropsychiatric manifestations with preceding infectious diseases caused by group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus was the most important, and it has been called paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS. Due to the low level of evidence of the research on the relationship of infectious agents with neurological and behavioral symptoms with an acute onset, since 2014 another syndrome is diagnosed in children — pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS. Currently, the question about infectious etiology, pathogenesis and autoimmune mechanisms of these paediatric neuropsychiatric syndromes are still debatable.

Addressing the growing burden of non–communicable disease by leveraging lessons from infectious disease management

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Peter Piot 1

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Despite advances in decreasing morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases and poor maternal– and child–health low– and middle–income countries now face an additional burden with the inexorable rise of non–communicable diseases.

Profile of nursing diagnoses of hospitalized patients in an infectious disease unit

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Vinicius Lino de Souza Neto

Full Text Available Objective: To define the profile of nursing diagnoses of hospitalized patients at an infectious diseases unit.Methods: This is a descriptive study based on the quantitative approach conducted at an infectious diseases unit in Paraiba, Brazil, from January to February 2014. The data collection instrument was based on the Theory of Basic Human Needs by Wanda de Aguiar Horta, followed by the classification system CIPE(r version 2.0 to construct the diagnoses.Results: Data analysis resulted in 36 nursing diagnoses statements, with a higher prevalence of impaired food intake, cachexia, impaired spontaneous bladder elimination, impaired oral cavity hygiene, exposure to contamination, rapid heart rate, insomnia, drug abuse, alcohol and tobacco abuse, social isolation, acceptance and fear.Conclusions: The identification of a diagnostics profile is critical to guide nursing interventions.

Effect of heated length on the Critical Heat Flux of subcooled flow boiling. 2. Effective heated length under axially nonuniform heating condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Hidetaka; Yoshida, Takuya; Nariai, Hideki; Inasaka, Fujio

1998-01-01

Effect of heated length on the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of subcooled flow boiling with water was experimentally investigated by using direct current heated tube made of stainless steel a part of whose wall thickness was axially cut for realizing nonuniform heat flux condition. The higher enhancement of the CHF was derived for shorter tube length. The effective heated length was determined for the tube under axially nonuniform heat flux condition. When the lower heat flux part below the Net Vapor Generation (NVG) heat flux exists at the middle of tube length, then the effective heated length becomes the tube length downstream the lower heat flux parts. However, when the lower heat flux part is above the NVG, then the effective heated length is full tube length. (author)

Pathogenicity of a Very Virulent Strain of Marek's Disease Herpesvirus Cloned as Infectious Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes

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Lorraine P. Smith

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC vectors containing the full-length genomes of several herpesviruses have been used widely as tools to enable functional studies of viral genes. Marek's disease viruses (MDVs are highly oncogenic alphaherpesviruses that induce rapid-onset T-cell lymphomas in chickens. Oncogenic strains of MDV reconstituted from BAC clones have been used to examine the role of viral genes in inducing tumours. Past studies have demonstrated continuous increase in virulence of MDV strains. We have previously reported on the UK isolate C12/130 that showed increased virulence features including lymphoid organ atrophy and enhanced tropism for the central nervous system. Here we report the construction of the BAC clones (pC12/130 of this strain. Chickens were infected with viruses reconstituted from the pC12/130 clones along with the wild-type virus for the comparison of the pathogenic properties. Our studies show that BAC-derived viruses induced disease similar to the wild-type virus, though there were differences in the levels of pathogenicity between individual viruses. Generation of BAC clones that differ in the potential to induce cytolytic disease provide the opportunity to identify the molecular determinants of increased virulence by direct sequence analysis as well as by using reverse genetics approaches on the infectious BAC clones.

MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS APPLICATION EXPERIENCE IN THE SEVERE INJURIES INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS

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S. A. Svistunov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Modern clinical medicine and surgery problems are associated with infections complications after medical care. In recent years, surgery has made substantial progress related to the new organizational approaches and medical technology specialized medical care to the wounded and injured. However, these gains are offset by a high rate of infectious complications that require finding effective measures emerging infectious complications timely diagnosis and their prevention. Clinical manifestations are often nosocomial in patients with severe injuries and are largely determined by the influence of clinical and pathogenetic risk factors. Such infectious complications require a comprehensive assessment, including microbiological testing. The main causative agents of infectious complications in surgical hospitals are S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp., which can cause bloodstream infections, soft tissue, respiratory and urinary tract infections, especially in debilitated and immunocompromised patients and patients in intensive care units. These micro organisms are dangerous to patients and medical staff, as they can survive for a long time in the hospital environment, as well as to spread from patient to patient in violation of isolation restrictive measures and requirements for hygiene of medical workers hands. Clinical patterns of infection associated with medical care for severe injuries are to the possibility of serial and parallel development, both in different and in the same time frame of local, visceral and generalized infection with prevalence of combined forms of patients surgical hospital with a high risk of nosocomial infection against the background of factors, diagnostic and treatment process and hospital environment, introduction of the agent. Early etiological diagnosis allows timely assign empirical causal treatment and arrange for infection control to prevent the spread of microorganisms in the hospital. The

Gene organization in rice revealed by full-length cDNA mapping and gene expression analysis through microarray.

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Kouji Satoh

Full Text Available Rice (Oryza sativa L. is a model organism for the functional genomics of monocotyledonous plants since the genome size is considerably smaller than those of other monocotyledonous plants. Although highly accurate genome sequences of indica and japonica rice are available, additional resources such as full-length complementary DNA (FL-cDNA sequences are also indispensable for comprehensive analyses of gene structure and function. We cross-referenced 28.5K individual loci in the rice genome defined by mapping of 578K FL-cDNA clones with the 56K loci predicted in the TIGR genome assembly. Based on the annotation status and the presence of corresponding cDNA clones, genes were classified into 23K annotated expressed (AE genes, 33K annotated non-expressed (ANE genes, and 5.5K non-annotated expressed (NAE genes. We developed a 60mer oligo-array for analysis of gene expression from each locus. Analysis of gene structures and expression levels revealed that the general features of gene structure and expression of NAE and ANE genes were considerably different from those of AE genes. The results also suggested that the cloning efficiency of rice FL-cDNA is associated with the transcription activity of the corresponding genetic locus, although other factors may also have an effect. Comparison of the coverage of FL-cDNA among gene families suggested that FL-cDNA from genes encoding rice- or eukaryote-specific domains, and those involved in regulatory functions were difficult to produce in bacterial cells. Collectively, these results indicate that rice genes can be divided into distinct groups based on transcription activity and gene structure, and that the coverage bias of FL-cDNA clones exists due to the incompatibility of certain eukaryotic genes in bacteria.

Effects of Conjugate Gradient Methods and Step-Length Formulas on the Multiscale Full Waveform Inversion in Time Domain: Numerical Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Youshan; Teng, Jiwen; Xu, Tao; Badal, José; Liu, Qinya; Zhou, Bing

2017-05-01

We carry out full waveform inversion (FWI) in time domain based on an alternative frequency-band selection strategy that allows us to implement the method with success. This strategy aims at decomposing the seismic data within partially overlapped frequency intervals by carrying out a concatenated treatment of the wavelet to largely avoid redundant frequency information to adapt to wavelength or wavenumber coverage. A pertinent numerical test proves the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on this strategy, we comparatively analyze the effects of update parameters for the nonlinear conjugate gradient (CG) method and step-length formulas on the multiscale FWI through several numerical tests. The investigations of up to eight versions of the nonlinear CG method with and without Gaussian white noise make clear that the HS (Hestenes and Stiefel in J Res Natl Bur Stand Sect 5:409-436, 1952), CD (Fletcher in Practical methods of optimization vol. 1: unconstrained optimization, Wiley, New York, 1987), and PRP (Polak and Ribière in Revue Francaise Informat Recherche Opertionelle, 3e Année 16:35-43, 1969; Polyak in USSR Comput Math Math Phys 9:94-112, 1969) versions are more efficient among the eight versions, while the DY (Dai and Yuan in SIAM J Optim 10:177-182, 1999) version always yields inaccurate result, because it overestimates the deeper parts of the model. The application of FWI algorithms using distinct step-length formulas, such as the direct method ( Direct), the parabolic search method ( Search), and the two-point quadratic interpolation method ( Interp), proves that the Interp is more efficient for noise-free data, while the Direct is more efficient for Gaussian white noise data. In contrast, the Search is less efficient because of its slow convergence. In general, the three step-length formulas are robust or partly insensitive to Gaussian white noise and the complexity of the model. When the initial velocity model deviates far from the real model or the

76 FR 27070 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-10

... Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, NIAID Peer Review Meeting 1. Date: June 1, 2011. Time: 8 a.m. to... Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, NIAID Peer Review Meeting 2. Date: June...

Differential outcomes of Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti orally challenged with infectious blood meals and infectious protein meals.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yan-Jang S; Lyons, Amy C; Hsu, Wei-Wen; Park, So Lee; Higgs, Stephen; Vanlandingham, Dana L

2017-01-01

Infection of mosquitoes is an essential step for the transmission of mosquito-borne arboviruses in nature. Engorgement of infectious blood meals from viremic infected vertebrate hosts allows the entry of viruses and initiates infection of midgut epithelial cells. Historically, the infection process of arboviruses in mosquitoes has been studied through the engorgement of mosquitoes from viremic laboratory animals or from artificial feeders containing blood mixed with viruses harvested from cell cultures. The latter approach using so-called artificial blood meals is more frequently used since it is readily optimized to maximize viral titer, negates the use of animals and can be used with viruses for which there are no small animal models. Use of artificial blood meals has enabled numerous studies on mosquito infections with a wide variety of viruses; however, as described here, with suitable modification it can also be used to study the interplay between infection, specific blood components, and physiological consequences associated with blood engorgement. For hematophagous female mosquitoes, blood is the primary nutritional source supporting all physiological process including egg development, and also influences neurological processes and behaviors such as host-seeking. Interactions between these blood-driven vector biological processes and arbovirus infection that is mediated via blood engorgement have not yet been specifically studied. This is in part because presentation of virus in whole blood inevitably induces enzymatic digestion processes, hormone driven oogenesis, and other biological changes. In this study, the infection process of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Aedes aegypti was characterized by oral exposure via viral suspension meals within minimally bovine serum albumin complemented medium or within whole blood. The use of bovine serum albumin in infectious meals provides an opportunity to evaluate the role of serum albumin during the process of flavivirus

A novel copper(II) coordination at His186 in full-length murine prion protein

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Watanabe, Yasuko [Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818 (Japan); Hiraoka, Wakako [Laboratory of Biophysics, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571 (Japan); Igarashi, Manabu; Ito, Kimihito [Department of Global Epidemiology, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo 001-0020 (Japan); Shimoyama, Yuhei [Soft-Matter Physics Laboratory, Graduate School of Emergent Science, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran 050-8585 (Japan); Horiuchi, Motohiro [Laboratory of Prion Diseases, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818 (Japan); Yamamori, Tohru; Yasui, Hironobu; Kuwabara, Mikinori [Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818 (Japan); Inagaki, Fuyuhiko [Laboratory of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812 (Japan); Inanami, Osamu, E-mail: inanami@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp [Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818 (Japan)

2010-04-09

To explore Cu(II) ion coordination by His{sup 186} in the C-terminal domain of full-length prion protein (moPrP), we utilized the magnetic dipolar interaction between a paramagnetic metal, Cu(II) ion, and a spin probe introduced in the neighborhood of the postulated binding site by the spin labeling technique (SDSL technique). Six moPrP mutants, moPrP(D143C), moPrP(Y148C), moPrP(E151C), moPrP(Y156C), moPrP(T189C), and moPrP(Y156C,H186A), were reacted with a methane thiosulfonate spin probe and a nitroxide residue (R1) was created in the binding site of each one. Line broadening of the ESR spectra was induced in the presence of Cu(II) ions in moPrP(Y148R1), moPrP(Y151R1), moPrP(Y156R1), and moPrP(T189R1) but not moPrP(D143R1). This line broadening indicated the presence of electron-electron dipolar interaction between Cu(II) and the nitroxide spin probe, suggesting that each interspin distance was within 20 A. The interspin distance ranges between Cu(II) and the spin probes of moPrP(Y148R1), moPrP(Y151R1), moPrP(Y156R1), and moPrP(T189R1) were estimated to be 12.1 A, 18.1 A, 10.7 A, and 8.4 A, respectively. In moPrP(Y156R1,H186A), line broadening between Cu(II) and the spin probe was not observed. These results suggest that a novel Cu(II) binding site is involved in His186 in the Helix2 region of the C-terminal domain of moPrP{sup C}.

A novel copper(II) coordination at His186 in full-length murine prion protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Yasuko; Hiraoka, Wakako; Igarashi, Manabu; Ito, Kimihito; Shimoyama, Yuhei; Horiuchi, Motohiro; Yamamori, Tohru; Yasui, Hironobu; Kuwabara, Mikinori; Inagaki, Fuyuhiko; Inanami, Osamu

2010-01-01

To explore Cu(II) ion coordination by His 186 in the C-terminal domain of full-length prion protein (moPrP), we utilized the magnetic dipolar interaction between a paramagnetic metal, Cu(II) ion, and a spin probe introduced in the neighborhood of the postulated binding site by the spin labeling technique (SDSL technique). Six moPrP mutants, moPrP(D143C), moPrP(Y148C), moPrP(E151C), moPrP(Y156C), moPrP(T189C), and moPrP(Y156C,H186A), were reacted with a methane thiosulfonate spin probe and a nitroxide residue (R1) was created in the binding site of each one. Line broadening of the ESR spectra was induced in the presence of Cu(II) ions in moPrP(Y148R1), moPrP(Y151R1), moPrP(Y156R1), and moPrP(T189R1) but not moPrP(D143R1). This line broadening indicated the presence of electron-electron dipolar interaction between Cu(II) and the nitroxide spin probe, suggesting that each interspin distance was within 20 A. The interspin distance ranges between Cu(II) and the spin probes of moPrP(Y148R1), moPrP(Y151R1), moPrP(Y156R1), and moPrP(T189R1) were estimated to be 12.1 A, 18.1 A, 10.7 A, and 8.4 A, respectively. In moPrP(Y156R1,H186A), line broadening between Cu(II) and the spin probe was not observed. These results suggest that a novel Cu(II) binding site is involved in His186 in the Helix2 region of the C-terminal domain of moPrP C .

Infectious diseases in atomic bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, Tadao; Ishida, Sadamu; Matsushita, Hiroshi.

1976-01-01

Incidences of various infectious diseases in 986 autopsy cases at Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital and Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital from 1965 to 1975 were compared according to the distance from the explosion place, and the following results were obtained. There was not a significant difference at incidences of most infectious diseases between each exposured group and not-exposured group. Incidence of old tuberculosis focus was a little higher in exposured groups, but incidences of main lesions such as tuberculosis, active tuberculosis, and miliary tuberculosis were lower in exposured groups and effect of exposure was negative. Out of urinary tract infections, the nearer the distance to the explosion place was, the higher incidence of cistitis in female was. Incidence of cystitis of female was higher than that of male in the group exposured near to the explosion place. With respect to stomach cancer, leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and cerebrovascular disorder, the nearer the distance to the explosion place was, the higher incidences of various infectious diseases were. (Tsunoda, M.)

A History of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-03-17

EID Editor-in-Chief, Dr. D. Peter Drotman and Dr. James Hughes discuss the history of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.  Created: 3/17/2015 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 3/17/2015.

Web-based infectious disease surveillance systems and public health perspectives: a systematic review

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Jihye Choi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are a significant public health concern, and early detection and immediate response is crucial for disease control. These challenges have led to the need for new approaches and technologies to reinforce the capacity of traditional surveillance systems for detecting emerging infectious diseases. In the last few years, the availability of novel web-based data sources has contributed substantially to infectious disease surveillance. This study explores the burgeoning field of web-based infectious disease surveillance systems by examining their current status, importance, and potential challenges. Methods A systematic review framework was applied to the search, screening, and analysis of web-based infectious disease surveillance systems. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases to extensively review the English literature published between 2000 and 2015. Eleven surveillance systems were chosen for evaluation according to their high frequency of application. Relevant terms, including newly coined terms, development and classification of the surveillance systems, and various characteristics associated with the systems were studied. Results Based on a detailed and informative review of the 11 web-based infectious disease surveillance systems, it was evident that these systems exhibited clear strengths, as compared to traditional surveillance systems, but with some limitations yet to be overcome. The major strengths of the newly emerging surveillance systems are that they are intuitive, adaptable, low-cost, and operated in real-time, all of which are necessary features of an effective public health tool. The most apparent potential challenges of the web-based systems are those of inaccurate interpretation and prediction of health status, and privacy issues, based on an individual’s internet activity. Conclusion Despite being in a nascent stage with further modification

Relationship satisfaction reduces the risk of maternal infectious diseases in pregnancy: the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.

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Roger Ekeberg Henriksen

Full Text Available The aims of this study were to explore the degree to which relationship satisfaction predicts the risk of infectious diseases during pregnancy and to examine whether relationship satisfaction moderates the association between stressful life events and the risk of infections.This was a prospective study based on data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Pregnant women (n = 67,244 completed questionnaires concerning relationship satisfaction and nine different categories of infectious diseases as well as socioeconomic characteristics and stressful life events. Associations between the predictor variables and the infectious diseases were assessed by logistic regression analyses. A multiple regression analysis was performed to assess a possible interaction of relationship satisfaction with stressful life events on the risk for infectious diseases.After controlling for marital status, age, education, income, and stressful life events, high levels of relationship satisfaction at week 15 of gestation were found to predict a significantly lower risk for eight categories of infectious diseases at gestational weeks 17-30. No significant interaction effect was found between relationship satisfaction and stressful life events on the risk for infections.

Blind sequence-length estimation of low-SNR cyclostationary sequences

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Vlok, JD

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Several existing direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) detection and estimation algorithms assume prior knowledge of the symbol period or sequence length, although very few sequence-length estimation techniques are available in the literature...

Genetics of infectious diseases: hidden etiologies and common pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Orlova, Marianna; Di Pietrantonio, Tania; Schurr, Erwin

2011-09-01

Since the completion of the human genome sequence, the study of common genetic polymorphisms in complex human diseases has become a main activity of human genetics. Employing genome-wide association studies, hundreds of modest genetic risk factors have been identified. In infectious diseases the identification of common risk factors has been varied and as in other common diseases it seems likely that important genetic risk factors remain to be discovered. Nevertheless, the identification of disease-specific genetic risk factors revealed an unexpected overlap in susceptibility genes of diverse inflammatory and infectious diseases. Analysis of the multi-disease susceptibility genes has allowed the definition of shared key pathways of inflammatory dysregulation and suggested unexpected infectious etiologies for other "non-infectious" common diseases.

Stochastic Simulation of a Full-Chain Reptation Model with Constraint Release, Chain-Length Fluctuations and Chain Stretching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neergaard, Jesper; Schieber, Jay D.

1999-01-01

A self-consistent reptation model that includes chain stretching, chain-length fluctuations, segment connectivity and constraint release is used to predict transient and steady flows. Quantitative comparisons are made with entangledsolution data. The model is able to capture quantitatively all...

Infectious uveitis. New developments in etiology and pathogenesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Visser, L.

2009-01-01

Uveitis is an inflammation of the inner-eye and is initiated by various infectious and noninfectious causes. In a large portion of patients the etiology is unknown and might be associated with until now undiagnosed infections.The identification of infectious uveitis is of crucial importance since

WebPrInSeS: automated full-length clone sequence identification and verification using high-throughput sequencing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Massouras, Andreas; Decouttere, Frederik; Hens, Korneel; Deplancke, Bart

2010-07-01

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is revolutionizing our ability to obtain cheap, fast and reliable sequence information. Many experimental approaches are expected to benefit from the incorporation of such sequencing features in their pipeline. Consequently, software tools that facilitate such an incorporation should be of great interest. In this context, we developed WebPrInSeS, a web server tool allowing automated full-length clone sequence identification and verification using HTS data. WebPrInSeS encompasses two separate software applications. The first is WebPrInSeS-C which performs automated sequence verification of user-defined open-reading frame (ORF) clone libraries. The second is WebPrInSeS-E, which identifies positive hits in cDNA or ORF-based library screening experiments such as yeast one- or two-hybrid assays. Both tools perform de novo assembly using HTS data from any of the three major sequencing platforms. Thus, WebPrInSeS provides a highly integrated, cost-effective and efficient way to sequence-verify or identify clones of interest. WebPrInSeS is available at http://webprinses.epfl.ch/ and is open to all users.

The Effects of Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Infectious and Noninfectious Uveitic Macular Edema

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Hassan Al-Dhibi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims. To assess the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVBI for the treatment of macular edema due to infectious and noninfectious uveitides. Design. Retrospective interventional case series. Methods. A chart review was performed on all the patients who were diagnosed with uveitic macular edema (UME and received 1.25 mg of IVBI at two referral centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All included patients had their visual acuity and macular thickness analyzed at baseline and at 1 and 3 months following IVBI and any sign of reactivation was noted. Results. The mean age of patients was 41±16 years with a mean followup of 4±1 months. Ten patients had idiopathic intermediate uveitis, 9 patients had Behcet’s disease, 10 had idiopathic panuveitis, and twelve patients had presumed ocular tuberculosis uveitis. Following IVBI, the mean LogMAR visual acuity improved from 0.8±0.8 at baseline to 0.4±0.5 at 1 month and 0.3±0.5 at 3 months (P<0.002, at 3 months. The mean macular thickness was 430±132 μm at baseline. Following IVBI macular thickness improved to 286±93 μm at 1 month and to 265±88 μm at 3 months of followup (P<0.001, at 3 months. Conclusion. Bevacizumab was effective in the management of UME associated with both infectious and noninfectious uveitides. Intravitreal bevacizumab induced remission of UME with infectious uveitis and had no immunosuppressive effect against infectious agents.

Smectite for acute infectious diarrhoea in children.

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Pérez-Gaxiola, Giordano; Cuello-García, Carlos A; Florez, Ivan D; Pérez-Pico, Víctor M

2018-04-25

As mortality secondary to acute infectious diarrhoea has decreased worldwide, the focus shifts to adjuvant therapies to lessen the burden of disease. Smectite, a medicinal clay, could offer a complementary intervention to reduce the duration of diarrhoea. To assess the effects of smectite for treating acute infectious diarrhoea in children. We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Pubmed), Embase (Ovid), LILACS, reference lists from studies and previous reviews, and conference abstracts, up to 27 June 2017. Randomized and quasi-randomized trials comparing smectite to a control group in children aged one month to 18 years old with acute infectious diarrhoea. Two review authors independently screened abstracts and the full texts for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Our primary outcomes were duration of diarrhoea and clinical resolution at day 3. We summarized continuous outcomes using mean differences (MD) and dichotomous outcomes using risk ratios (RR), with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Where appropriate, we pooled data in meta-analyses and assessed heterogeneity. We explored publication bias using a funnel plot. Eighteen trials with 2616 children met our inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in both ambulatory and in-hospital settings, and in both high-income and low- or middle-income countries. Most studies included children with rotavirus infections, and half included breastfed children.Smectite may reduce the duration of diarrhoea by approximately a day (MD -24.38 hours, 95% CI -30.91 to -17.85; 14 studies; 2209 children; low-certainty evidence); may increase clinical resolution at day 3 (risk ratio (RR) 2.10, 95% CI 1.30 to 3.39; 5 trials; 312 children; low-certainty evidence); and may reduce stool output (MD -11.37, 95% CI -21.94 to -0.79; 3 studies; 634 children; low-certainty evidence).We are uncertain whether smectite reduces

Effect of non-stationary climate on infectious gastroenteritis transmission in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Onozuka, Daisuke

2014-06-01

Local weather factors are widely considered to influence the transmission of infectious gastroenteritis. Few studies, however, have examined the non-stationary relationships between global climatic factors and transmission of infectious gastroenteritis. We analyzed monthly data for cases of infectious gastroenteritis in Fukuoka, Japan from 2000 to 2012 using cross-wavelet coherency analysis to assess the pattern of associations between indices for the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Infectious gastroenteritis cases were non-stationary and significantly associated with the IOD and ENSO (Multivariate ENSO Index [MEI], Niño 1 + 2, Niño 3, Niño 4, and Niño 3.4) for a period of approximately 1 to 2 years. This association was non-stationary and appeared to have a major influence on the synchrony of infectious gastroenteritis transmission. Our results suggest that non-stationary patterns of association between global climate factors and incidence of infectious gastroenteritis should be considered when developing early warning systems for epidemics of infectious gastroenteritis.

“Alice in Wonderland” Syndrome: A Manifestation of Infectious Mononucleosis in Children

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Eliezer Lahat

1991-01-01

Full Text Available The association between “Alice in Wonderland” Syndrome (AWS and infectious mononucleosis (IM has been previously described in three patients. We describe two additional cases in children, where in one case, the visual symptoms of AWS appeared during the course of active IM and in the second, 2 weeks following a clinically mild, but serologically proven attack.

Onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in a patient with infectious mononucleosis

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Elena Alexandrovna Kharlashina

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Diabetes mellitus (DM is a polygenous multifactor disease that may be triggered by a viral infection that causes death of beta-cells by at least two mechanisms,virus-mediated autoimmunity and direct cell injury. A case of DM1 following infectious mononucleosis is described to illustrate the necessityof a combined approach to the examination of patients and prescription of treatment.

Emerging Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Beigi, Richard H

2017-05-01

It has been recognized for centuries that pregnant women have unique susceptibilities to many infectious diseases that predispose them to untoward outcomes compared with the general adult population. It is thought a combination of adaptive alterations in immunity to allow for the fetal allograft combined with changes in anatomy and physiology accompanying pregnancy underlie these susceptibilities. Emerging infectious diseases are defined as those whose incidence in humans has increased in the past two decades or threaten to increase in the near future. The past decade alone has witnessed many such outbreaks, each with its own unique implications for pregnant women and their unborn fetuses as well as lessons for the health care community regarding response and mitigation. Examples of such outbreaks include, but are not limited to, severe acute respiratory syndrome, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza, Ebola virus, and, most recently, the Zika virus. Although each emerging pathogen has unique features requiring specific considerations, there are many underlying principles that are shared in the recognition, communication, and mitigation of such infectious outbreaks. Some of these key principles include disease-specific delineation of transmission dynamics, understanding of pathogen-specific effects on both mothers and fetuses, and advance planning and contemporaneous management that prioritize communication among public health experts, clinicians, and patients. The productive and effective working collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine has been a key partnership in the successful communication and management of such outbreaks for women's health care providers and patients alike. Going forward, the knowledge gained over the past decade will undoubtedly continue to inform future responses and will serve to optimize the education and care given

Generation and analysis of large-scale expressed sequence tags (ESTs from a full-length enriched cDNA library of porcine backfat tissue

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Lee Hae-Young

2006-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genome research in farm animals will expand our basic knowledge of the genetic control of complex traits, and the results will be applied in the livestock industry to improve meat quality and productivity, as well as to reduce the incidence of disease. A combination of quantitative trait locus mapping and microarray analysis is a useful approach to reduce the overall effort needed to identify genes associated with quantitative traits of interest. Results We constructed a full-length enriched cDNA library from porcine backfat tissue. The estimated average size of the cDNA inserts was 1.7 kb, and the cDNA fullness ratio was 70%. In total, we deposited 16,110 high-quality sequences in the dbEST division of GenBank (accession numbers: DT319652-DT335761. For all the expressed sequence tags (ESTs, approximately 10.9 Mb of porcine sequence were generated with an average length of 674 bp per EST (range: 200–952 bp. Clustering and assembly of these ESTs resulted in a total of 5,008 unique sequences with 1,776 contigs (35.46% and 3,232 singleton (65.54% ESTs. From a total of 5,008 unique sequences, 3,154 (62.98% were similar to other sequences, and 1,854 (37.02% were identified as having no hit or low identity (Sus scrofa. Gene ontology (GO annotation of unique sequences showed that approximately 31.7, 32.3, and 30.8% were assigned molecular function, biological process, and cellular component GO terms, respectively. A total of 1,854 putative novel transcripts resulted after comparison and filtering with the TIGR SsGI; these included a large percentage of singletons (80.64% and a small proportion of contigs (13.36%. Conclusion The sequence data generated in this study will provide valuable information for studying expression profiles using EST-based microarrays and assist in the condensation of current pig TCs into clusters representing longer stretches of cDNA sequences. The isolation of genes expressed in backfat tissue is the

Biobanking and translation of human genetics and genomics for infectious diseases

OpenAIRE

Ivan Branković; Jelena Malogajski; Servaas A. Morré

2014-01-01

Biobanks are invaluable resources in genomic research of both the infectious diseases and their hosts. This article examines the role of biobanks in basic research of infectious disease genomics, as well as the relevance and applicability of biobanks in the translation of impending knowledge and the clinical uptake of knowledge of infectious diseases. Our research identifies potential fields of interaction between infectious disease genomics and biobanks, in line with global trends in the int...

Radiological Diagnoses in the Context of Emigration: Infectious diseases.

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Stojkovic, Marija; Müller, Jan; Junghanss, Thomas; Weber, Tim Frederik

2018-02-01

 Globalization and emigration impact on the spectrum of diseases challenging health care systems. Medical practitioners have to particularly prepare for infectious diseases.  The database of a health care center specialized on tropical medicine was screened for patients with history of migration and one of the following diagnoses: Cystic echinococcosis, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, visceral leishmaniosis, and neurocysticercosis. Representative casuistics were prepared from select case histories. Radiological pertinent knowledge was compiled based on literature search.  A small selection of frequently imported infectious diseases covers a considerable fraction of health care problems associated with migration. For cystic echinococcosis, schistosomiasis, and neurocysticercosis imaging is the most relevant diagnostic procedure defining also disease stages. Tuberculosis and visceral leishmaniosis are important differentials for malignant diseases.  Imaging plays a meaningful role in diagnosis, treatment stratification, and follow-up of imported infectious diseases. Radiological skills concerning these diseases are important for providing health care for patients in context of migration.   · Imaging plays a meaningful role in multidisciplinary care for imported infectious diseases.. · A small selection covers a considerable fraction of infectious diseases expected in context of migration.. · Stojkovic M, Müller J, Junghanss T et al. Radiological Diagnoses in the Context of Emigration: Infectious diseases. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2018; 190: 121 - 133. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Functional PAK-2 knockout and replacement with a caspase cleavage-deficient mutant in mice reveals differential requirements of full-length PAK-2 and caspase-activated PAK-2p34.

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Marlin, Jerry W; Chang, Yu-Wen E; Ober, Margaret; Handy, Amy; Xu, Wenhao; Jakobi, Rolf

2011-06-01

p21-Activated protein kinase 2 (PAK-2) has both anti- and pro-apoptotic functions depending on its mechanism of activation. Activation of full-length PAK-2 by the monomeric GTPases Cdc42 or Rac stimulates cell survival, whereas caspase activation of PAK-2 to the PAK-2p34 fragment is involved in the apoptotic response. In this study we use functional knockout of PAK-2 and gene replacement with the caspase cleavage-deficient PAK-2D212N mutant to differentiate the biological functions of full-length PAK-2 and caspase-activated PAK-2p34. Knockout of PAK-2 results in embryonic lethality at early stages before organ development, whereas replacement with the caspase cleavage-deficient PAK-2D212N results in viable and healthy mice, indicating that early embryonic lethality is caused by deficiency of full-length PAK-2 rather than lack of caspase activation to the PAK-2p34 fragment. However, deficiency of caspase activation of PAK-2 decreased spontaneous cell death of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and increased cell growth at high cell density. In contrast, stress-induced cell death by treatment with the anti-cancer drug cisplatin was not reduced by deficiency of caspase activation of PAK-2, but switched from an apoptotic to a nonapoptotic, caspase-independent mechanism. Homozygous PAK-2D212N primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts that lack the ability to generate the proapoptotic PAK-2p34 show less activation of the effector caspase 3, 6, and 7, indicating that caspase activation of PAK-2 amplifies the apoptotic response through a positive feedback loop resulting in more activation of effector caspases.

Characteristics and management of infectious industrial waste in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, M.-C.; Lin, Jim Juimin

2008-01-01

Infectious industrial waste management in Taiwan is based on the specific waste production unit. In other countries, management is based simply on whether the producer may lead to infectious disease. Thus, Taiwan has a more detailed classification of infectious waste. The advantage of this classification is that it is easy to identify the sources, while the disadvantage lies in the fact that it is not flexible and hence increases cost. This study presents an overview of current management practices for handling infectious industrial waste in Taiwan, and addresses the current waste disposal methods. The number of small clinics in Taiwan increased from 18,183 to 18,877 between 2003 and 2005. Analysis of the data between 2003 and 2005 showed that the majority of medical waste was general industrial waste, which accounted for 76.9%-79.4% of total medical waste. Infectious industrial waste accounted for 19.3%-21.9% of total medical waste. After the SARS event in Taiwan, the amount of infectious waste reached 19,350 tons in 2004, an increase over the previous year of 4000 tons. Waste minimization was a common consideration for all types of waste treatment. In this study, we summarize the percentage of plastic waste in flammable infectious industrial waste generated by medical units, which, in Taiwan was about 30%. The EPA and Taiwan Department of Health have actively promoted different recycling and waste reduction measures. However, the wide adoption of disposable materials made recycling and waste reduction difficult for some hospitals. It has been suggested that enhancing the education of and promoting communication between medical units and recycling industries must be implemented to prevent recyclable waste from entering the incinerator

Geography, ecology and emerging infectious diseases.

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Mayer, J D

2000-04-01

Emerging infectious diseases are the focus of increased attention and even alarm in the scholarly and popular literature. The emergence of new diseases and the resurgence of older and previously recognized infectious diseases both in developing and developed country poses challenges for understanding the ecological web of causation, including social, economic, environmental and biological components. This paper is a synthesis of the major characteristics of emerging diseases, in an interdisciplinary context. Political ecology is one framework for analysis that is promising in developing a modified ecology of disease.

Construction of an infectious cDNA clone of genotype 1 avian hepatitis E virus: characterization of its pathogenicity in broiler breeders and demonstration of its utility in studying the role of the hypervariable region in virus replication.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Byung-Woo; Moon, Hyun-Woo; Sung, Haan Woo; Yoon, Byung-Il; Meng, Xiang-Jin; Kwon, Hyuk Moo

2015-05-01

A full-length infectious cDNA clone of the genotype 1 Korean avian hepatitis E virus (avian HEV) (pT11-aHEV-K) was constructed and its infectivity and pathogenicity were investigated in leghorn male hepatoma (LMH) chicken cells and broiler breeders. We demonstrated that capped RNA transcripts from the pT11-aHEV-K clone were translation competent when transfected into LMH cells and infectious when injected intrahepatically into the livers of chickens. Gross and microscopic pathological lesions underpinned the avian HEV infection and helped characterize its pathogenicity in broiler breeder chickens. The avian HEV genome contains a hypervariable region (HVR) in ORF1. To demonstrate the utility of the avian HEV infectious clone, several mutants with various deletions in and beyond the known HVR were derived from the pT11-aHEV-K clone. The HVR-deletion mutants were replication competent in LMH cells, although the deletion mutants extending beyond the known HVR were non-viable. By using the pT11-aHEV-K infectious clone as the backbone, an avian HEV luciferase reporter replicon and HVR-deletion mutant replicons were also generated. The luciferase assay results of the reporter replicon and its mutants support the data obtained from the infectious clone and its derived mutants. To further determine the effect of HVR deletion on virus replication, the capped RNA transcripts from the wild-type pT11-aHEV-K clone and its mutants were injected intrahepatically into chickens. The HVR-deletion mutants that were translation competent in LMH cells displayed in chickens an attenuation phenotype of avian HEV infectivity, suggesting that the avian HEV HVR is important in modulating the virus infectivity and pathogenicity. © 2015 The Authors.

Ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans: a pilot study.

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Bo-Qia Xie

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Childhood post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO is an infrequent lung disease leading to narrowing and/or complete obliteration of small airways. Ventilation and perfusion (V/Q scan can provide both regional and global pulmonary information. However, only few retrospective researches investigating post-infectious BO involved V/Q scan, the clinical value of this method is unknown. This preliminary prospective study was aimed to evaluate the correlation of V/Q scan with disease severity, pulmonary function test results, and prognosis in children with post-infectious BO. METHODS: Twenty-five post-infectious BO children (18 boys and 7 girls; mean age, 41 months underwent V/Q scan and pulmonary function tests. Patients were followed after their inclusion. Ventilation index and perfusion index obtained from V/Q scan were used to measure pulmonary abnormalities. Spearman's rank correlation test of ventilation index and perfusion index on disease severity, lung function tests indices, and follow-up results were performed. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 4.6 years (range, 2.2 to 5.0 years. Ventilation index and perfusion index were both correlated with disease severity (r = 0.72, p<0.01 and r = 0.73, p<0.01, but only ventilation index was related to pulmonary function tests results (all p<0.05. In addition, Spearman test yielded significant correlations between perfusion index and prognosis (r = 0.77, p<0.01, and ventilation index and prognosis (r = 0.63, p = 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: For children with post-infectious BO, the present study preliminarily indicated that the degree of ventilation and perfusion abnormalities evaluated by V/Q scan may be used to assess disease severity, and may be predictive of patient's outcome.

Infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Cladosporium sp. after penetrating keratoplasty: a case report

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Stock RA

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Ricardo Alexandre Stock,1 Elcio Luiz Bonamigo,2 Emeline Cadore,3 Rafael Allan Oechsler4 1Corneal Transplant Section, Santa Terezinha University Hospital, 2Department of Ophthalmology and Bioethics, 3University of Western Santa Catarina, Joaçaba, 4Cornea Department, Oftalmo Center Blumenau, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil Background: Infectious crystalline keratopathy is a rare, progressive infection characterized by the insidious progression of branches and crystalline corneal opacities with minimal or no inflammation. This case report describes the evolution of an infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Cladosporium sp., which developed after tectonic keratoplasty in a patient with a history of ocular trauma.Case presentation: A 40-year-old Brazilian male was the victim of firework-induced trauma to the left eye, which resulted in a corneal laceration that could not be sutured as well as a severe traumatic cataract. The patient underwent penetrating keratoplasty and phacoemulsification. During postoperative follow-up, another therapeutic keratoplasty was required because unresponsive infectious keratitis was observed. The infiltrate’s characteristics were suggestive of infectious crystalline keratopathy; in particular, the infiltrate was insidious and progressive, and grayish-white branches appeared in the anterior corneal stroma. As different therapies were administered, inflammatory reactions ranging from mild to severe were observed. The infection was unresponsive to typical antifungal drugs. This lack of response most likely occurred due to steroid treatment and the diffuse corneal spread of an atypical microorganism, which was subsequently identified in culture as Cladosporium sp. After the second therapeutic keratoplasty, the patient’s eye integrity was successfully reestablished.Conclusion: This study likely provides the first report describing a case of infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Cladosporium sp. This case

Label-Free Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Harmless and Pathogenic Strains of Infectious Microalgae, Prototheca spp.

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Jayaseelan Murugaiyan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Microalgae of the genus Prototheca (P. spp are associated with rare algal infections of invertebrates termed protothecosis. Among the seven generally accepted species, P. zopfii genotype 2 (GT2 is associated with a severe form of bovine mastitis while P. blaschkeae causes the mild and sub-clinical form of mastitis. The reason behind the infectious nature of P. zopfii GT2, while genotype 1 (GT1 remains non-infectious, is not known. Therefore, in the present study we investigated the protein expression level difference between the genotypes of P. zopfii and P. blaschkeae. Cells were cultured to the mid-exponential phase, harvested, and processed for LC-MS analysis. Peptide data was acquired on an LTQ Orbitrap Velos, raw spectra were quantitatively analyzed with MaxQuant software and matching with the reference database of Chlorella variabilis and Auxenochlorella protothecoides resulted in the identification of 226 proteins. Comparison of an environmental strain with infectious strains resulted in the identification of 51 differentially expressed proteins related to carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and protein translation. The expression level of Hsp70 proteins and their role in the infectious process is worth further investigation. All mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005305.

Infectious mononucleosis hepatitis in young adults: two case reports.

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Kang, Min-Jung; Kim, Tae-Hun; Shim, Ki-Nam; Jung, Sung-Ae; Cho, Min-Sun; Yoo, Kwon; Chung, Kyu Won

2009-12-01

Infectious mononucleosis due to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection sometimes causes acute hepatitis, which is usually self-limiting with mildly elevated transaminases, but rarely with jaundice. Primary EBV infection in children is usually asymptomatic, but in a small number of healthy individuals, typically young adults, EBV infection results in a clinical syndrome of infectious mononucleosis with hepatitis, with typical symptoms of fever, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. EBV is rather uncommonly confirmed as an etiologic agent of acute hepatitis in adults. Here, we report two cases: the first case with acute hepatitis secondary to infectious mononucleosis and a second case, with acute hepatitis secondary to infectious mononucleosis concomitantly infected with hepatitis A. Both cases involved young adults presenting with fever, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and atypical lymphocytosis confirmed by serologic tests, liver biopsy and electron microscopic study.

Zero-point length from string fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontanini, Michele; Spallucci, Euro; Padmanabhan, T.

2006-01-01

One of the leading candidates for quantum gravity, viz. string theory, has the following features incorporated in it. (i) The full spacetime is higher-dimensional, with (possibly) compact extra-dimensions; (ii) there is a natural minimal length below which the concept of continuum spacetime needs to be modified by some deeper concept. On the other hand, the existence of a minimal length (zero-point length) in four-dimensional spacetime, with obvious implications as UV regulator, has been often conjectured as a natural aftermath of any correct quantum theory of gravity. We show that one can incorporate the apparently unrelated pieces of information-zero-point length, extra-dimensions, string T-duality-in a consistent framework. This is done in terms of a modified Kaluza-Klein theory that interpolates between (high-energy) string theory and (low-energy) quantum field theory. In this model, the zero-point length in four dimensions is a 'virtual memory' of the length scale of compact extra-dimensions. Such a scale turns out to be determined by T-duality inherited from the underlying fundamental string theory. From a low energy perspective short distance infinities are cutoff by a minimal length which is proportional to the square root of the string slope, i.e., α ' . Thus, we bridge the gap between the string theory domain and the low energy arena of point-particle quantum field theory

[Ultrasonographic Findings of Cervical Lymphadenopathy with Infectious Mononucleosis].

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Fu, Xian-Shui; Ren, Liu-Qiong; Yang, Li-Juan; Lü, Ke; Chen, Yuan-Yuan; Li, Zhen-Cai

2015-12-01

To evaluate the high-resolution and color Doppler ultrasonographic (US) characteristics of cervical lymphadenopathy in patients with infectious mononucleosis. High-resolution and color Doppler US were performed in 30 patients aged 2 to 30 years with a total of 59 palpable enlarged cervical lymph nodes due to infectious mononucleosis. The US characteristics of the nodes including shape,echotexture,hilum,border,matting,cystic necrosis,calcification and vascular pattern were assessed. Three patients received cervical lymph nodes biopsies. The common US findings of cervical lymphadenopathy due to infectious mononucleosis were round shape (69.5%),bilateral distribution (96.7%),matting (83.3%) [even bilateral matting (66.6%)],indistinct margin (79.7%),absence of hilum (66.1%),heterogeneous echotecture (61.0%),and central hilar vascular pattern(89.8%). In 2 patients with absence of the echoic hilum,lymph nodes biopsies showed histological features including marked effacement of the normal architecture in the medullary region accompanied by a mixed proliferation of lymphocytes and histiocytes. In all infectious mononucleosis nodes with a hilum,85.0% had heterogeneously hypo/iso-echoic hila and indistinct demarcation to the cortex. One of them underwent lymph node biopsy and histological findings showed obvious dilation of the sinus oidal lumen and proliferation of histiocytes. Although several ultrasonographic characteristics frequently present in the nodes of infectious mononucleosis are not specific,the combination of ultrasound findings may be valuable in differential diagnosis.

Full length SSC R and D dipole magnet test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strait, J.; Bleadon, M.; Brown, B.C.

1989-03-01

Four full scale SSC development dipole magnets have been tested for mechanical and quench behavior. Two are of a design similar to previous magnets but contain a number of improvements, including more uniform coil size, higher pre-stress and a redesigned inner-outer coil splice. One exceeds the SSC operating current on the second quench but the other appears to be limited by damaged superconductor to a lower current. The other two magnets are of alternate designs. One trains erratically and fails to reach a plateau and the other reaches plateau after four quenches. 12 refs., 4 figs

[Evaluation of chemokines in tears of patients with infectious keratitis].

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Hori, Shinsuke; Shoji, Jun; Inada, Noriko; Sawa, Mitsuru

2013-02-01

To investigate the chemokine profile in tears of patients with infectious keratitis. Subjects were 32 eyes of 16 patients with infectious keratitis and 5 eyes of 5 healthy volunteers as a control. The patients with infectious keratitis were classified into two groups of eyes: 10 with bacterial keratitis and 6 with Acanthamoeba keratitis. Tear fluid was obtained from both eyes of the patients with infectious keratitis and from the right eyes of the control subjects using filter paper. Chemokine concentration (unit: Odu/mm2) and its profile in tears was analyzed using an antibody-array. In terms of chemokine profile in the bacterial keratitis group, the expression volume of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in the diseased eyes was significantly higher than in the healthy eyes (p tears of the Acanthamoeba keratitis group. Regarding the chemokine ratio, the IL-8/MEC ratio in the diseased eyes of the Pseudomonas keratitis group and the MCP-1/IL-8 in the diseased eyes of the Acanthamoeba keratitis group showed a significantly high level (p tears of infectious keratitis patients is useful as a clinical tear laboratory test to interpret the pathologic condition of infectious keratitis

76 FR 30373 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-25

... Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Meeting Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIAID Investigator Initiated Program Project Applications (P01... Research; 93.856, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated...

A complete categorization of multiscale models of infectious disease systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Garira, Winston

2017-12-01

Modelling of infectious disease systems has entered a new era in which disease modellers are increasingly turning to multiscale modelling to extend traditional modelling frameworks into new application areas and to achieve higher levels of detail and accuracy in characterizing infectious disease systems. In this paper we present a categorization framework for categorizing multiscale models of infectious disease systems. The categorization framework consists of five integration frameworks and five criteria. We use the categorization framework to give a complete categorization of host-level immuno-epidemiological models (HL-IEMs). This categorization framework is also shown to be applicable in categorizing other types of multiscale models of infectious diseases beyond HL-IEMs through modifying the initial categorization framework presented in this study. Categorization of multiscale models of infectious disease systems in this way is useful in bringing some order to the discussion on the structure of these multiscale models.

Lyso-myristoyl phosphatidylcholine micelles sustain the activity of Dengue non-structural (NS) protein 3 protease domain fused with the full-length NS2B.

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Huang, Qiwei; Li, Qingxin; Joy, Joma; Chen, Angela Shuyi; Ruiz-Carrillo, David; Hill, Jeffrey; Lescar, Julien; Kang, Congbao

2013-12-01

Dengue virus (DENV), a member of the flavivirus genus, affects 50-100 million people in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The DENV protease domain is located at the N-terminus of the NS3 protease and requires for its enzymatic activity a hydrophilic segment of the NS2B that acts as a cofactor. The protease is an important antiviral drug target because it plays a crucial role in virus replication by cleaving the genome-coded polypeptide into mature functional proteins. Currently, there are no drugs to inhibit DENV protease activity. Most structural and functional studies have been conducted using protein constructs containing the NS3 protease domain connected to a soluble segment of the NS2B membrane protein via a nine-residue linker. For in vitro structural and functional studies, it would be useful to produce a natural form of the DENV protease containing the NS3 protease domain and the full-length NS2B protein. Herein, we describe the expression and purification of a natural form of DENV protease (NS2BFL-NS3pro) containing the full-length NS2B protein and the protease domain of NS3 (NS3pro). The protease was expressed and purified in detergent micelles necessary for its folding. Our results show that this purified protein was active in detergent micelles such as lyso-myristoyl phosphatidylcholine (LMPC). These findings should facilitate further structural and functional studies of the protease and will facilitate drug discovery targeting DENV. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extreme weather events and infectious disease outbreaks.

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McMichael, Anthony J

2015-01-01

Human-driven climatic changes will fundamentally influence patterns of human health, including infectious disease clusters and epidemics following extreme weather events. Extreme weather events are projected to increase further with the advance of human-driven climate change. Both recent and historical experiences indicate that infectious disease outbreaks very often follow extreme weather events, as microbes, vectors and reservoir animal hosts exploit the disrupted social and environmental conditions of extreme weather events. This review article examines infectious disease risks associated with extreme weather events; it draws on recent experiences including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Pakistan mega-floods, and historical examples from previous centuries of epidemics and 'pestilence' associated with extreme weather disasters and climatic changes. A fuller understanding of climatic change, the precursors and triggers of extreme weather events and health consequences is needed in order to anticipate and respond to the infectious disease risks associated with human-driven climate change. Post-event risks to human health can be constrained, nonetheless, by reducing background rates of persistent infection, preparatory action such as coordinated disease surveillance and vaccination coverage, and strengthened disaster response. In the face of changing climate and weather conditions, it is critically important to think in ecological terms about the determinants of health, disease and death in human populations.

USING OF MOUSE MODEL TO ANALYZE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO INFECTIOUS PATHOGENS BY THE METHODS OF CLASSICAL GENETICS

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A. Poltorak

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Identification and studying of numerous functions of all genes of the human beings is one of the main objects of modern biological science. Due to high level of homology between mouse and human genomes the important role to reach above mentioned goal belongs to the mouse model which using in the classical genetics increase in connection with appearance of different inbred mouse lines. For instance, the differences in immune response to infectious pathogens in various mouse lines were used many times to determine immunologically competent genes. That is why the contribution of mouse model in understanding of the mechanisms of immune response to infectious pathogens is difficult to overestimate. In the current review some of the most successful and well known examples of mouse using in studies of anti-infectious response are described.

Analysis of ureteral length in adult cadavers

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Hugo F. F. Novaes

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction In some occasions, correlations between human structures can help planning surgical intra-abdominal interventions. The previous determination of ureteral length helps pre-operatory planning of surgeries, reduces costs of auxiliary exams, the correct choice of double-J catheter with low morbidity and fewer symptoms, and an adequate adhesion to treatment. Objective To evaluate ureteral length in adult cadavers and to analyze its correlation with anthropometric measures. Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to January 2012 we determined ureteral length of adult cadavers submitted to necropsy and obtained the following measures: height, distance from shoulder to wrist, elbow-wrist, xiphoid appendix-umbilicus, umbilicus-pubis, xiphoid appendix-pubis and between iliac spines. We analyzed the correlations between ureteral length and those anthropometric measures. Results We dissected 115 ureters from 115 adult corpses from April 2009 to January 2012. Median ureteral length didn't vary between sexes or according to height. It was observed no correlation among ureteral length and all considered anthropometric measures in all analyzed subgroups and in general population. There were no significant differences between right and left ureteral measures. Conclusions There is no difference of ureteral length in relation to height or gender (male or female. There is no significant correlation among ureteral length and the considered anthropometric measures.

Causal inference regarding infectious aetiology of chronic conditions: a systematic review.

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Sofia Orrskog

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The global burden of disease has shifted from communicable diseases in children to chronic diseases in adults. This epidemiologic shift varies greatly by region, but in Europe, chronic conditions account for 86% of all deaths, 77% of the disease burden, and up to 80% of health care expenditures. A number of risk factors have been implicated in chronic diseases, such as exposure to infectious agents. A number of associations have been well established while others remain uncertain. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We assessed the body of evidence regarding the infectious aetiology of chronic diseases in the peer-reviewed literature over the last decade. Causality was assessed with three different criteria: First, the total number of associations documented in the literature between each infectious agent and chronic condition; second, the epidemiologic study design (quality of the study; third, evidence for the number of Hill's criteria and Koch's postulates that linked the pathogen with the chronic condition. We identified 3136 publications, of which 148 were included in the analysis. There were a total of 75 different infectious agents and 122 chronic conditions. The evidence was strong for five pathogens, based on study type, strength and number of associations; they accounted for 60% of the associations documented in the literature. They were human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B virus, and Chlamydia pneumoniae and were collectively implicated in the aetiology of 37 different chronic conditions. Other pathogens examined were only associated with very few chronic conditions (≤ 3 and when applying the three different criteria of evidence the strength of the causality was weak. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention and treatment of these five pathogens lend themselves as effective public health intervention entry points. By concentrating research efforts on these promising areas, the human, economic, and societal

Nucleic acid toolkit: Potential diagnosis and treatment of major infectious diseases endemic in developing countries

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Millroy, L

2011-09-01

Full Text Available HIV/AIDS and TB are among the major infectious diseases and defining public health problems in developing countries. This book aims to give an overview of the epidemiology and also provide an understanding of the pathology of these diseases. It also...

Sibship structure and risk of infectious mononucleosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rostgaard, Klaus; Nielsen, Trine Rasmussen; Wohlfahrt, Jan

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Present understanding of increased risk of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related infectious mononucleosis among children of low birth order or small sibships is mainly based on old and indirect evidence. Societal changes and methodological limitations of previous studies call for new data....... METHODS: We used data from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register to study incidence rates of inpatient hospitalizations for infectious mononucleosis before the age of 20 years in a cohort of 2,543,225 Danes born between 1971 and 2008, taking individual...... of blood donors followed up retrospectively for self-reported infectious mononucleosis. CONCLUSIONS: Younger siblings, and to a lesser degree older siblings, seem to be important in the transmission of EBV within families. Apparently the dogma of low birth order in a sibship as being at the highest risk...

Iron Deficiency Anemia: Focus on Infectious Diseases in Lesser Developed Countries

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Julia G. Shaw

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Iron deficiency anemia is thought to affect the health of more than one billion people worldwide, with the greatest burden of disease experienced in lesser developed countries, particularly women of reproductive age and children. This greater disease burden is due to both nutritional and infectious etiologies. Individuals in lesser developed countries have diets that are much lower in iron, less access to multivitamins for young children and pregnant women, and increased rates of fertility which increase demands for iron through the life course. Infectious diseases, particularly parasitic diseases, also lead to both extracorporeal iron loss and anemia of inflammation, which decreases bioavailability of iron to host tissues. This paper will address the unique etiologies and consequences of both iron deficiency anemia and the alterations in iron absorption and distribution seen in the context of anemia of inflammation. Implications for diagnosis and treatment in this unique context will also be discussed.

How to select a proper early warning threshold to detect infectious disease outbreaks based on the China infectious disease automated alert and response system (CIDARS).

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Wang, Ruiping; Jiang, Yonggen; Michael, Engelgau; Zhao, Genming

2017-06-12

China Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the China Infectious Disease Automated Alert and Response System (CIDARS) in 2005. The CIDARS was used to strengthen infectious disease surveillance and aid in the early warning of outbreak. The CIDARS has been integrated into the routine outbreak monitoring efforts of the CDC at all levels in China. Early warning threshold is crucial for outbreak detection in the CIDARS, but CDCs at all level are currently using thresholds recommended by the China CDC, and these recommended thresholds have recognized limitations. Our study therefore seeks to explore an operational method to select the proper early warning threshold according to the epidemic features of local infectious diseases. The data used in this study were extracted from the web-based Nationwide Notifiable Infectious Diseases Reporting Information System (NIDRIS), and data for infectious disease cases were organized by calendar week (1-52) and year (2009-2015) in Excel format; Px was calculated using a percentile-based moving window (moving window [5 week*5 year], x), where x represents one of 12 centiles (0.40, 0.45, 0.50….0.95). Outbreak signals for the 12 Px were calculated using the moving percentile method (MPM) based on data from the CIDARS. When the outbreak signals generated by the 'mean + 2SD' gold standard were in line with a Px generated outbreak signal for each week during the year of 2014, this Px was then defined as the proper threshold for the infectious disease. Finally, the performance of new selected thresholds for each infectious disease was evaluated by simulated outbreak signals based on 2015 data. Six infectious diseases were selected in this study (chickenpox, mumps, hand foot and mouth diseases (HFMD), scarlet fever, influenza and rubella). Proper thresholds for chickenpox (P75), mumps (P80), influenza (P75), rubella (P45), HFMD (P75), and scarlet fever (P80) were identified. The selected proper thresholds for these

Prion remains infectious after passage through digestive system of American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos.

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Kurt C VerCauteren

Full Text Available Avian scavengers, such as American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos, have potential to translocate infectious agents (prions of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE diseases including chronic wasting disease, scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. We inoculated mice with fecal extracts obtained from 20 American crows that were force-fed material infected with RML-strain scrapie prions. These mice all evinced severe neurological dysfunction 196-231 d postinoculation (x =198; 95% CI: 210-216 and tested positive for prion disease. Our results suggest a large proportion of crows that consume prion-positive tissue are capable of passing infectious prions in their feces (ˆp=1.0; 95% CI: 0.8-1.0. Therefore, this common, migratory North American scavenger could play a role in the geographic spread of TSE diseases.

Natural Disasters, Corpses and the Risk of Infectious Diseases

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JM Conly

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The recent occurrence of the category 4 Hurricane Katrina devastated the United States? Gulf Coast. The hurricane caused widespread destruction and flooding, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. The mounting death toll was reported at almost 300 deaths as of September 8, 2005 (1,2. The unfolding events and high death toll have left an unusual situation in which there are many decomposing corpses either lying on the streets or floating in the flood waters. The presence of these corpses in open settings, such as in public places and in the water that has inundated much of the city of New Orleans, naturally raises concerns about the occurrence of infectious disease epidemics (3. In the aftermath of large natural disasters, instinctive uncertainties arise among workers and the general population with respect to the appropriate handling and disposal of dead bodies and human remains. Given the recent occurrence of Hurricane Katrina as a large natural disaster and the unprecedented setting of the numerous corpses requiring disposal, it was considered timely to review the infectious disease risks associated with the handling of dead bodies.

Peracute Infectious Canine Hepatitis

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A. H. Cheema*, I. Ahmed, G. Mustafa and A. Aslam

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Peracute infectious canine hepatitis (ICH was diagnosed in two young male dogs out of 56 dead canines presented for necropsy examination during the period of April 2009 to June 2010. These dogs were purebred, one- month old Alsatian and 5-month old Labrador. None of the dogs had received any vaccination or deworming treatment; both had died after illness lasting for six hours and twenty four hours respectively. The dogs had shown signs of depression, anorexia and fever. At necropsy, lymph nodes were swollen, edematous and congested; livers were enlarged, bright red and mottled with numerous small white foci. Petechial hemorrhages were seen in the mucosa. Excessive serosanguinous fluid was present in the abdominal cavities. Histologically, the most significant lesion was necrohemorrhagic hepatitis with single cell necrosis of hepatocytes, lacunose dilation of sinusoids filled with blood and numerous large, solid intranuclear inclusion bodies (IIBs in the hepatocytes and macrophages. Both eosinophilic and basophilic (amphophilic inclusions were seen. It has been observed that ICH is re-emerging in some endemic countries. Pet dogs should be regularly protected by effective vaccination.

Extreme telomere length dimorphism in the Tasmanian devil and related marsupials suggests parental control of telomere length.

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Hannah S Bender

Full Text Available Telomeres, specialised structures that protect chromosome ends, play a critical role in preserving chromosome integrity. Telomere dynamics in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii are of particular interest in light of the emergence of devil facial tumour disease (DFTD, a transmissible malignancy that causes rapid mortality and threatens the species with extinction. We used fluorescent in situ hybridisation to investigate telomere length in DFTD cells, in healthy Tasmanian devils and in four closely related marsupial species. Here we report that animals in the Order Dasyuromorphia have chromosomes characterised by striking telomere length dimorphism between homologues. Findings in sex chromosomes suggest that telomere length dimorphism may be regulated by events in the parental germlines. Long telomeres on the Y chromosome imply that telomere lengthening occurs during spermatogenesis, whereas telomere diminution occurs during oogenesis. Although found in several somatic cell tissue types, telomere length dimorphism was not found in DFTD cancer cells, which are characterised by uniformly short telomeres. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of naturally occurring telomere length dimorphism in any species and suggests a novel strategy of telomere length control. Comparative studies in five distantly related marsupials and a monotreme indicate that telomere dimorphism evolved at least 50 million years ago.

Pseudo-polyprotein translated from the full-length ORF1 of capillovirus is important for pathogenicity, but a truncated ORF1 protein without variable and CP regions is sufficient for replication.

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Hirata, Hisae; Yamaji, Yasuyuki; Komatsu, Ken; Kagiwada, Satoshi; Oshima, Kenro; Okano, Yukari; Takahashi, Shuichiro; Ugaki, Masashi; Namba, Shigetou

2010-09-01

The first open-reading frame (ORF) of the genus Capillovirus encodes an apparently chimeric polyprotein containing conserved regions for replicase (Rep) and coat protein (CP), while other viruses in the family Flexiviridae have separate ORFs encoding these proteins. To investigate the role of the full-length ORF1 polyprotein of capillovirus, we generated truncation mutants of ORF1 of apple stem grooving virus by inserting a termination codon into the variable region located between the putative Rep- and CP-coding regions. These mutants were capable of systemic infection, although their pathogenicity was attenuated. In vitro translation of ORF1 produced both the full-length polyprotein and the smaller Rep protein. The results of in vivo reporter assays suggested that the mechanism of this early termination is a ribosomal -1 frame-shift occurring downstream from the conserved Rep domains. The mechanism of capillovirus gene expression and the very close evolutionary relationship between the genera Capillovirus and Trichovirus are discussed. Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.