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Hydroxide ion conducting poly(terphenyl alkylene)s functionalized with piperidine-based quaternary ammonium cations were synthesized via superacid-catalyzed polyhydroxyalkylations. By employing different synthetic strategies, we have systematically varied the structures of the cation and the backbone polymer to study the effects on morphology, stability and hydroxide conductivity. Two monomers wer

Spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species are inoculated into the mammalian bloodstream by hematophagous arthropods. Once in the bloodstream and during dissemination, the survival of these pathogens is dependent upon the ability of these bacteria to evade serum-borne host defenses until a proper cellular host is reached. Rickettsia conorii expresses an outer membrane protein, Adr1, which binds

Moraxella catarrhalis is part of the normal bacterial flora in the nasopharynx of children, although over the past two decades, it has emerged as a significant bacterial pathogen and not simply a commensal colonizer. Moraxella catarrhalis is a common bacterial species cultured from the nasopharynx of children during otitis media episodes, with the patterns of nasopharyngeal colonization by microor

Objective: Hereditary autoinflammatory syndromes are characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation. Seven subtypes have been described, caused by mutations in four different genes. Apart from a common phenotype of lifelong recurrent inflammatory attacks, all subtypes have distinct features and specific therapeutic options, which emphasizes the need for a specific diagnosis in each

Previous reports showed that nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) reside in macrophage-like cells in human adenoid tissue. This study investigated the ability of nonopsonized NTHi and encapsulated H. influenzae type b (Hib) to enter human monocytic and epithelial cells. The number of intracellular bacteria was determined by a viability assay and flow cytometry. To characterize the mechanisms

Aside from their critical role in thrombosis, activated coagulation factors also have inflammatory properties and these may be important during delayed xenograft rejection (DXR). This study assessed whether porcine EC could be activated by factor Xa (FXa) and thrombin (FIIa) and whether expression of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI)-CD4 and hirudin-CD4 fusion proteins could prevent such acti

A duster of a Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strain causing invasive disease was investigated. Five out of seven cases were associated with a particular discotheque. The strains were indistinguishable, as revealed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and sequencing of variable regions of the porA gene, but caused strikingly different clinical presentations during 5 months.

Background. Thrombotic vascular occlusion resulting in infarction occurs during hyperacute rejection of allografts transplanted into sensitized patients and remains a major problem in experimental xenotransplantation. A similar process is also found in disorders of diverse etiology including atherosclerosis, vasculitis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Methods. We have previously constr

Cytotoxic drugs influence the expression of certain genes in cancer cells. Cisplatin has recently been shown to modulate interleukin (IL)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production in macrophages. In this study, we wanted to investigate whether cisplatin interferes with the IL-2, IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), interferon (IFN)-γ, and TNF-α expression in phytohemagglutin-stimulated human peripheral blo

Background. Thrombotic vascular occlusion occurs in disorders of diverse etiology, including atherosclerosis, vasculitis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. The same process results in hyperacute rejection of renal allografts transplanted into sensitized patients and remains a major problem in experimental xenotransplantation. Methods. We have previously described the design and expressio

The bacterial superantigen (SAg) staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) is a potent inducer of CTL activity and cytokine production in vivo. To engineer SAg for cancer immunotherapy, we genetically fused SEA to a Fab fragment of the C215 tumor-reactive antibody. Strong reduction of lung metastasis was seen in mice carrying established lung metastases of the poorly immunogenic B16-C215 melanoma after F

Peptostreptococcus micros is a commensal of the oral cavity and the genitourinary tract that rarely causes serious infections. A case of a destructive knee joint infection with rapid progress caused by P. micros is presented. The significance of the microbiological findings was initially not acknowledged, which contributed to a nonsuccessful clinical outcome.

Background - Intravascular thrombosis occurs in disorders of diverse pathogeneses, including allograft and xenograft rejection. In this in vitro study, we describe an approach for tethering the specific thrombin inhibitor hirudin to plasma membranes as part of a genetic strategy for regulating intravascular coagulation. Methods and Results - An HLA class I leader sequence was fused with hirudin li

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), which binds to HLA class II and T-cell receptor Vβ chains, can direct cytotoxic T cells to lyse cytokine-stimulated endothelial cells (EC). In addition, we wanted to determine whether SEA- primed cytotoxic T cells could be targeted to EC surface molecules as a means of a novel cancer immunot

The bacterial superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) is a potent inducer of cytokine production and cytotoxic T cell responses. To target a T cell attack against tumor cells we have genetically engineered a fusion protein of SEA and the Fab part of the tumor-reactive mAb C215. Injection of this Fab-SEA fusion protein to mice carrying lung metastases of the poorly immunogenic B16 melanoma