Invasion of endothelial cells by systemic and nasal strains of Haemophilus parasuis.

Haemophilus parasuis is a respiratory commensal in healthy piglets, but can also produce invasive disease and meningitis, which requires the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. This study determined the capacity of well-characterised virulent and non-virulent strains of H. parasuis, as well as other field strains, to adhere to and invade PBMEC/C1-2 endothelial cells.

Characterization of colonization-deficient mutants of Actinobacillus suis.

Actinobacillus suis is an important opportunistic pathogen of swine that can cause disease in pigs of all ages, especially in high-health status herds. Although A. suis shares many virulence factors in common with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and can cause a haemorrhagic pleuropneumonia similar to that caused by A.

Rapid evolution of virulence and drug resistance in the emerging zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus suis.

Background: Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that infects pigs and can occasionally cause serious infections in humans. S. suis infections occur sporadically in human Europe and North America, but a recent major outbreak has been described in China with high levels of mortality.

Serotype distribution and production of muramidase-released protein, extracellular factor and suilysin by field strains of Streptococcus suis isolated in the United States.

Streptococcus suis is an important swine pathogen and a zoonotic agent. Differences in virulence have been noted among the 33 described serotypes, serotype 2 being considered the most virulent. In this study, we aimed at assessing the serotype distribution and the production of virulence-associated markers by strains recovered from diseased pigs in the United States (U.

Detecting protein-protein interactions in living cells: development of a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assay to evaluate the PSD-95/NMDA receptor interaction.

The PDZ domain mediated interaction between the NMDA receptor and its intracellular scaffolding protein, PSD-95, is a potential target for treatment of ischemic brain diseases. We have recently developed a number of peptide analogues with improved affinity for the PDZ domains of PSD-95 compared to the endogenous C-terminal peptide of the NMDA receptor, as evaluated by a cell-free protein-protein interaction assay. However, it is important to address both membrane permeability and effect in living cells.

Immunization with SsEno fails to protect mice against challenge with Streptococcus suis serotype 2.

In our ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine against Streptococcus suis infection, we tested the potential of S. suis enolase (SsEno), a recently described S. suis adhesin with fibronectin-binding activity, as a vaccine candidate in a mouse model of S.

Pharmacology and tolerability of a single dose of exenatide in adolescent patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus being treated with metformin: a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind, dose-escalation, crossover study.

Objective: This study assessed the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability of single doses of exenatide in adolescent patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: This was a randomized, single-blind, dose-escalation, crossover study in adolescent (age 10-16 years) patients with T2DM who were being treated with diet and exercise or a stable dose of metformin, a sulfonylurea, or a combination of metformin and a sulfonylurea for at least 3 months before screening. Eligible patients were allocated to receive single subcutaneous doses of exenatide 2.

Protective capacities of cell surface-associated proteins of Streptococcus suis mutants deficient in divalent cation-uptake regulators.

Many cell surface-associated, divalent cation-regulated proteins are immunogenic, and some of them confer protection against the bacterial species from which they are derived. In this work, two Streptococcus suis divalent cation uptake regulator genes controlling zinc/manganese and iron uptake (adcR and fur, respectively) were inactivated in order to study the protective capacities of their cell surface-associated proteins. The results obtained showed overexpression of a set of immunogenic proteins (including members of the pneumococcal histidine triad family previously reported to confer protection against streptococcal pathogens) in S.

Genetic organization and preferential distribution of putative pilus gene clusters in Streptococcus suis.

Recent analyses of Streptococcus suis isolates using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) suggested the importance of sequence type (ST) 1 and ST27 complexes for animal hygiene and public health. In this study, to investigate whether pilus-associated genes in S. suis can be used as novel genetic markers for important clonal groups, we examined the correlation between STs and putative pilus-associated gene profiles in S.

Host-pathogen interactions of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae with porcine lung and tracheal epithelial cells.

Host-pathogen interactions are of great importance in understanding the pathogenesis of infectious microorganisms. We developed in vitro models to study the host-pathogen interactions of porcine respiratory tract pathogens using two immortalized epithelial cell lines, namely, the newborn pig trachea (NPTr) and St. Jude porcine lung (SJPL) cell lines.

Porcine brain microvascular endothelial cell-derived interleukin-8 is first induced and then degraded by Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis is a major pathogen of swine, causing mainly meningitis, and it also represents an emerging zoonotic agent. We investigated its ability to induce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by porcine brain microvascular endothelial cells (PBMEC). We demonstrated that live S.

Hemoglobin and Streptococcus suis cell wall act in synergy to potentiate the inflammatory response of monocyte-derived macrophages.

Streptococcus suis, a major swine pathogen world-wide, can trigger macrophages to secrete large amounts of proinflammatory cytokines, which increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In this study, we hypothesized that hemoglobin may potentiate the inflammatory response of human macrophages stimulated with a S. suis cell-wall preparation.

Clinical, experimental, and genomic differences between intermediately pathogenic, highly pathogenic, and epidemic Streptococcus suis.

Background: Streptococcus suis emerged to cause an unusual outbreak of streptococcal toxic-shock-like syndrome (STSLS) in 2005. The mechanisms involved are unknown.

Methods: Clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic data on patients infected with culture-confirmed S.

Studies on the interactions of Haemophilus parasuis with porcine epithelial tracheal cells: limited role of LOS in apoptosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine release.

Haemophilus parasuis colonizes the upper respiratory tract of swine and causes Glässer's disease. We recently demonstrated that H. parasuis can adhere to newborn pig tracheal (NPTr) cells.

Significant contribution of the pgdA gene to the virulence of Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis is a major swine pathogen and emerging zoonotic agent. In this study we have determined the muropeptide composition of S. suis peptidoglycan (PG) and found, among other modifications, N-deacetylated compounds.

New putative virulence factors of Streptococcus suis involved in invasion of porcine brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important pathogen causing a wide range of infections in swine, the most important being meningitis. Few virulence factors have been identified and the pathogenesis of infection is not well understood. Recently, we demonstrated the ability of S.

Experimental infection of SPF pigs with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 9 alone or in association with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.

The purpose of this study was to compare in SPF pigs, the pathogenicity of an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 9 strain 21 (isolated from the palatine tonsils of a healthy gilt on a French nucleus pig farm, with no clinical signs or lung lesions but a highly positive reaction to A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 9 antibodies) with a pathogenic A. pleuropneumoniae strain 4915 serotype 9 (isolated in France from an outbreak of porcine pleuropneumonia).

Mitogenic effect contributes to increased virulence of Streptococcus suis sequence type 7 to cause streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 sequence type 7 strains emerged in 1996 and caused a streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome in 1998 and 2005 in China. Evidence indicated that the virulence of S. suis sequence type 7 had increased, but the mechanism was unknown.

Isolation and characterization of alpha-enolase, a novel fibronectin-binding protein from Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis is an important swine pathogen that causes meningitis, endocarditis, arthritis and septicaemia. As a zoonotic agent, S. suis also causes similar diseases in humans.

Effect of dissemination of evidence in reducing injuries from falls.

Background: Falling is a common and morbid condition among elderly persons. Effective strategies to prevent falls have been identified but are underutilized.

Methods: Using a nonrandomized design, we compared rates of injuries from falls in a region of Connecticut where clinicians had been exposed to interventions to change clinical practice (intervention region) and in a region where clinicians had not been exposed to such interventions (usual-care region).

Ricinus communis cyclophilin: functional characterisation of a sieve tube protein involved in protein folding.

The phloem translocation stream of the angiosperms contains a special population of proteins and RNA molecules which appear to be produced in the companion cells prior to being transported into the sieve tube system through the interconnecting plasmodesmata. During this process, these non-cell-autonomous proteins are thought to undergo partial unfolding. Recent mass spectroscopy studies identified peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIases) as potential molecular chaperones functioning in the phloem translocation stream (Giavalisco et al.

Comparison of the susceptibilities of C57BL/6 and A/J mouse strains to Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection.

Streptococcus suis is an important swine and human pathogen. Assessment of susceptibility to S. suis using animal models has been limited to monitoring mortality rates.