The 3a accessory protein of SARS coronavirus specifically interacts with the 5'UTR of its genomic RNA, Using a unique 75 amino acid interaction domain.

More than four years have passed since the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, and still very little is known about the molecular biology and pathogenesis of this deadly virus. Among the accessory proteins of the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the 3a protein has been shown to interact with the spike, envelope, and membrane glycoprotein and has recently been established to be a structural component of capsid. Recent studies suggest that the 3a protein may function as an ion channel and may promote virus release.

The SARS coronavirus spike glycoprotein is selectively recognized by lung surfactant protein D and activates macrophages.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infects host cells with its surface glycosylated spike-protein (S-protein). Here we expressed the SARS-CoV S-protein to investigate its interactions with innate immune mechanisms in the lung. The purified S-protein was detected as a 210 kDa glycosylated protein.

Identification of human metapneumovirus and Chlamydophila pneumoniae in children with asthma and wheeze in Singapore.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to determine if human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) could be detected in Singaporean asthmatic children and wheezing infants during an acute asthma attack.

Methods: The study was performed on 30 older children (mean age 9.8 years) and 30 young children (mean age 1.

High-level gentamicin resistance mediated by a Tn4001-like transposon in seven nonclonal hospital isolates of Streptococcus pasteurianus.

We report on the first occurrence of high-level gentamicin resistance (MICs > or = 512 microg/ml) in seven clinical isolates of Streptococcus pasteurianus from Hong Kong. These seven isolates were confirmed to be the species S. pasteurianus on the basis of nucleotide sequencing of the superoxide dismutase (sodA) gene.

Enhanced potency and efficacy of 29-mer shRNAs in inhibition of Enterovirus 71.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the main causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. It has been associated with severe neurological complications and has caused significant mortalities in large-scale outbreaks in Asia. In this study, we demonstrated an enhanced silencing of EV71 through the use of chemically synthesized 29-mer shRNAs.

PCR detection and typing of human papilloma virus DNA in squamous carcinoma of the cervix in a cohort of Sri Lankan women.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in squamous carcinomas of the cervix in Sri Lanka.

Design: Case control study.

Setting: One gynaecological unit at the Cancer Institute, Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

The VP1 structural protein of enterovirus 71 interacts with human ornithine decarboxylase and gene trap ankyrin repeat.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major etiological agent of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Several outbreaks in East Asia were associated with neurological complications and numerous deaths. EV71 possesses four structural proteins VP1-VP4 that are necessary in the formation of the pentameric icosahedral capsid.

Prevalence of hospital infection and antibiotic use at a university medical center in Hong Kong.

Hospital infection prevalence surveys were performed in our 1400-bed University medical centre in Hong Kong from 1985 to 1988. We investigated the rates of four major hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) (pneumonia, symptomatic urinary tract infection, surgical site infection and laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection) in order to identify current distribution and any changes after 15 years. A one-day point prevalence study was performed on 7 September 2005.

Nanostructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and osteoblast response of spark plasma sintered hydroxyapatite.

This study aimed to fabricate bulk nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA) pellets with improved properties using spark plasma sintering (SPS) for orthopedic applications. Spray-dried nanostructured HA (nSD-HA) powders were consolidated using the rapid SPS processing. The SPS processed nSD-HA was characterized using Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis peritonitis: broth inoculation culture versus water lysis method.

Background/aim: In the setting of empiric antibiotic treatment of peritoneal-dialysis-related peritonitis complications, the speed with which a bacteriological diagnosis can be achieved is of importance. We compare the clinical performance of two culture methods to diagnose the causative microorganisms as suggested by the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis and the United Kingdom Health Protection Agency.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated microbiological cultures of peritoneal fluid samples by the direct broth culture versus water lysis.

Identification of neutralizing linear epitopes from the VP1 capsid protein of Enterovirus 71 using synthetic peptides.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the main causative agent of Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and has been associated with severe neurological diseases resulting in high mortalities. Currently, there is no vaccine available and treatment is limited to palliative care. In this study, antisera were raised in mice against 95 overlapping synthetic peptides spanning the VP1 capsid protein of EV71.

Cellular expression, localization and interactions of the product of the human MOST-1 gene associated with breast and prostate cancers.

We previously isolated and characterized the novel human gene MOST-1 (C8orf17) that is ubiquitously expressed in all cancer cell lines tested but differentially expressed in normal adult tissues. MOST-1 maps to chromosome region 8q24.2 whose amplification is frequently associated with breast and prostate cancers.

A prospective clinical study on the use of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for the early diagnosis of Dengue fever.

Laboratory testing for dengue virus is used to confirm the diagnosis of dengue virus infection and to differentiate dengue from other febrile tropical illnesses. There are few data on the clinical use of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for diagnosis of dengue virus infection. We prospectively evaluated 121 consecutive patients with possible dengue who had samples submitted for RT-PCR, IgM serology, and virus culture.

VHL promotes E2 box-dependent E-cadherin transcription by HIF-mediated regulation of SIP1 and snail.

The product of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL) acts as the substrate-recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that ubiquitylates the catalytic alpha subunit of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) for oxygen-dependent destruction. Although emerging evidence supports the notion that deregulated accumulation of HIF upon the loss of VHL is crucial for the development of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC), the molecular events downstream of HIF governing renal oncogenesis remain unclear. Here, we show that the expression of a homophilic adhesion molecule, E-cadherin, a major constituent of epithelial cell junctions whose loss is associated with the progression of epithelial cancers, is significantly down-regulated in primary CC-RCC and CC-RCC cell lines devoid of VHL.

Strategies for genome reduction in microbial genomes.

Niche dependent differential gene loss and overlapping genes have been proposed as means of achieving genome reduction by retaining indispensable genes and compressing maximum amount of information in available sequence space. Herein, we analyzed the differential gene loss and overlapping genes in bacterial genomes with different lifestyles. Our results clearly suggest that gene loss and overlapping genes could be a result of evolutionary pressure to minimize genome size.

Persistent Staphylococcus capitis septicemia in a preterm infant.

A preterm infant had persistent Staphylococcus capitis septicemia with 11 consecutive positive blood cultures over a period of 33 days. The clinical evidence suggested that the source of infection probably originated from the gastrointestinal tract. The combination of rifampin and linezolid treatment, together with prolonged stoppage of enteral feeding, successfully terminated the infection.

Human monoclonal antibody combination against SARS coronavirus: synergy and coverage of escape mutants.

Background: Experimental animal data show that protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection with human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is feasible. For an effective immune prophylaxis in humans, broad coverage of different strains of SARS-CoV and control of potential neutralization escape variants will be required. Combinations of virus-neutralizing, noncompeting mAbs may have these properties.

Male infertility.

With infertile couples, one third of cases can be due to a male factor. It is important to have a comprehensive yet efficient approach to identifying potential causes for appropriate counseling and treatment. We combined the experience of a urologist and a gynecologist, both fertility subspecialists, and reviewed current literature on the investigation of male infertility.

Reexamining personal, social, and cultural influences on compliance behavior in the United States, Poland, and Hong Kong.

Researchers have extended the literature on strategies of gaining compliance with a request to incorporate cultural variations into the analytic framework. In the present investigation, the authors sought to go beyond previous studies of the factors increasing compliance rates by reexamining how researchers conceptualize and measure personal, social, and cultural influences on compliance behavior in the United States, Poland, and Hong Kong. The authors found that different levels of compliance were affected by culture, principles of influence, and the individual's personal orientation of idiocentrism/allocentrism (I/A).

u-Genome: a database on genome design in unicellular genomes.

Unicellular eukaryotes were among the first ones to be selected for complete genome sequencing because of the small size of their genomes and their interactions with humans and a broad range of animals and plants. Currently, ten completely sequenced unicellular genome sequences have been publicly released and as the number of available unicellular genomes increases, comparative genomics analysis within this group of organisms becomes more and more instructive. However, such an analysis is difficult to carry out without a suitable platform gathering not only the original annotations but also relevant information available in public databases or obtained by applying common bioinformatics methods.

Technical modification of microsurgical varicocelectomy can reduce operating time.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a technical modification of the microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy on surgical operating time.

Methods: We introduced a technical modification to the standard microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (division of the spermatic cord package before microsurgical dissection) in January 1999, to simplify the procedure and reduce surgical operating time. We performed a retrospective review of surgical outcomes in 89 men who underwent microsurgical varicocelectomy before modification of the procedure and 76 men who underwent microsurgical varicocelectomy after modification of the procedure.

The VP1 protein of human enterovirus 71 self-associates via an interaction domain spanning amino acids 66-297.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major etiological agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Several recent outbreaks of HFMD in East Asia were associated with neurological complications and numerous deaths. In 2000, an outbreak in Singapore afflicted thousands of children, resulting in four fatal cases from whom EV71 was isolated.

Differential dengue cross-reactive and neutralizing antibody responses in BALB/c and Swiss albino mice induced by immunization with flaviviral vaccines and by infection with homotypic dengue-2 virus strains.

We investigated whether cross-reactive and/or cross-protective antibodies against dengue virus could be generated in 6-week-old BALB/c mice by immunization with currently approved flaviviral vaccines, i.e., Japanese encephalitis (JE) BIKEN and yellow fever (YF) 17D.

Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of rhabdomyosarcoma cells reveal differential cellular gene expression in response to enterovirus 71 infection.

Insights into the host antiviral strategies as well as viral disease manifestations can be achieved through the elucidation of host- and virus-mediated transcriptional responses. An oligo-based microarray was employed to analyse mRNAs from rhabdomyosarcoma cells infected with the MS/7423/87 strain of enterovirus 71 (EV71) at 20 h post infection. Using Acuity software and LOWESS normalization, 152 genes were found to be downregulated while 39 were upregulated by greater than twofold.