Fundamental differences in physiology of dependent on the two-component system Bvg revealed by gene essentiality studies.

The identification of genes essential for a bacterium's growth reveals much about its basic physiology under different conditions. , the causative agent of whooping cough, adopts both virulent and avirulent states through the activity of the two-component system, Bvg. The genes essential for growth were defined using transposon sequencing, for different Bvg-determined growth states.

The evolution of Bordetella pertussis has selected for mutations of acr that lead to sensitivity to hydrophobic molecules and fatty acids.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is resurgent in numerous countries worldwide. This has renewed interest in Bordetella pertussis biology and vaccinology. The in vitro growth of B.

A curated genome-scale metabolic model of Bordetella pertussis metabolism.

The Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough, a serious respiratory infection causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually worldwide. There are effective vaccines, but their production requires growing large quantities of B. pertussis.

Drivers and Barriers for Adopting Accreditation at Local Health Departments for Their Performance Improvement Effort.

Context: A national system of voluntary public health accreditation for state, local, and tribal health departments (local health departments [LHDs]) is part of a movement that aims to improve public health performance with ultimate impact on population health outcomes. Indiana is a good setting for the study of LHD accreditation adoption because several LHDs reported de-adopting accreditation in a recent statewide survey and because 71% of Indiana counties serve populations of 50 000 or less.

Design: A systematic method of analyzing qualitative data based on the Performance Improvement Model framework to expand our understanding of de-adoption of public health accreditation.

It's Not Just a Yes or No Answer: Expressions of Local Health Department Accreditation.

Unlabelled: The identification and exploration of moderators of health department accreditation remain limited by current dichotomous conceptualizations of pursuit.

Methods: A 2015 survey measured Indiana local health department (LHD) accreditation pursuit and progress, classifying respondents by progress evidence. Covariates included attitudes about the future impact of accreditation on funding and performance, health department size, geography, health outcome ranking, and quality improvement (QI) programing.

Bacteriophage-mediated Glucosylation Can Modify Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigens Synthesized by an ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) Transporter-dependent Assembly Mechanism.

Lysogenic bacteriophages may encode enzymes that modify the structures of lipopolysaccharide O-antigen glycans, altering the structure of the bacteriophage receptor and resulting in serotype conversion. This can enhance virulence and has implications for antigenic diversity and vaccine development. Side chain glucosylation is a common modification strategy found in a number of bacterial species.

Measuring Accreditation Activity and Progress: Findings from a Survey of Indiana Local Health Departments, 2013.

A 2013 survey of Indiana local health departments (LHDs) measured accreditation activity and progress. Reported activities were categorized using the Public Health Accreditation Board's (PHAB's) accreditation steps as a guiding framework and matched with selected sociodemographic, organizational, and technical assistance variables. Findings indicated that 42 (59.

Lipopolysaccharide O antigen size distribution is determined by a chain extension complex of variable stoichiometry in Escherichia coli O9a.

The lengths of bacterial polysaccharides can be critical for their biological function. Unlike DNA or protein synthesis, where polymer length is implicit in the nucleic acid template, the molecular mechanisms for regulating polysaccharide length are poorly understood. Two models are commonly cited: a "molecular clock" regulates length by controlling the duration of the polymer extension process, whereas a "molecular ruler" determines length by measurement against a physical structure in the biosynthetic complex.

Modern supercritical fluid technology for food applications.

This review provides an update on the use of supercritical fluid (SCF) technology as applied to food-based materials. It advocates the use of the solubility parameter theory (SPT) for rationalizing the results obtained when employing sub- and supercritical media to food and nutrient-bearing materials and for optimizing processing conditions. Total extraction and fractionation of foodstuffs employing SCFs are compared and are illustrated by using multiple fluids and unit processes to obtain the desired food product.

Five new genes are important for common polysaccharide antigen biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Unlabelled: Common polysaccharide antigen (CPA) is a conserved cell surface polysaccharide produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It contains a rhamnan homopolymer and is one of the two forms of O polysaccharide attached to P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Design and optimization of a semicontinuous hot-cold extraction of polyphenols from grape pomace.

Grape pomace contains appreciable amounts of polyphenolic compounds such as anthocyanins and procyanidins which can be recovered for use as food supplements. The extraction of these polyphenols from the pomace is usually accomplished at slightly elevated temperatures, frequently employing hydroethanolic solvents. Due to governmental regulations and the cost involved in using ethanol as a solvent, as well as the loss in polyphenolics due to thermal degradation, improved extraction techniques are required.

Oligosaccharide conjugates of Bordetella pertussis and bronchiseptica induce bactericidal antibodies, an addition to pertussis vaccine.

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease that is especially dangerous for infants and children. Despite mass vaccination, reported pertussis cases have increased in the United States and other parts of the world, probably because of increased awareness, improved diagnostic means, and waning vaccine-induced immunity among adolescents and adults. Licensed vaccines do not kill the organism directly; the addition of a component inducing bactericidal antibodies would improve vaccine efficacy.

Physicochemical characterization of dilute n-alcohol/biodiesel mixtures by inverse gas chromatography.

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) has been used to determine the physicochemical parameters that characterize solution thermodynamic interactions in biodiesel-n-alcohol solute systems. Such data is of value to chemical engineers and separation scientists in optimizing separation processes to separate alcoholic solutes at low concentrations in soybean oil methyl ester mixtures (biodiesel). The derived activity and Henry's Law coefficient data can be used to rationalize the interaction of four members of an n-alcoholic homologous series and the soya-based methyl ester solvent in terms of such esters as "green" renewable solvents.

Antigenic Variation among Bordetella: Bordetella bronchiseptica strain MO149 expresses a novel o chain that is poorly immunogenic.

The O chain polysaccharide (O PS) of Bordetella bronchiseptica and Bordetella parapertussis lipopolysaccharide is a homopolymer of 2,3-diacetamido-2,3-dideoxygalacturonic acid (GalNAc3NAcA) in which some of the sugars are present as uronamides. The terminal residue contains several unusual modifications. To date, two types of modification have been characterized, and a survey of numerous strains demonstrated that each contained one of these two modification types.

Biosynthesis of uronamide sugars in Pseudomonas aeruginosa O6 and Escherichia coli O121 O antigens.

The major component of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The outermost domain of LPS is a polysaccharide called O antigen. Pseudomonas aeruginosa establishes biofilms on wet surfaces in a wide range of habitats and mutations in O-antigen biosynthesis genes affect bacterial adhesion and the structure of these biofilms.

Subcritical solvent extraction of anthocyanins from dried red grape pomace.

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was used to optimize and determine the effectiveness of an alternative, environmentally friendly extraction procedure using subcritical solvents to recover anthocyanins from freeze-dried, ground Sunbelt red grape pomace. Anthocyanins were extracted from pomace using the following ASE variables: pressure (6.8 MPa), one extraction cycle, and temperature (40, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 degrees C).

The role of cytotoxic therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of follicular lymphoma: an evidence-based review.

Clinical research examining the role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in the therapy of follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults is presented and critically evaluated in this systematic evidence-based review. Specific criteria were used for searching the published literature and for grading the quality and strength of the evidence and the strength of the treatment recommendations. Treatment recommendations reached unanimously by a panel of follicular lymphoma experts are: (1) autologous SCT is recommended as salvage therapy based on pre-rituximab data, with a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free (PFS) survival; (2) autologous SCT is not recommended as first-line treatment for most patients because of no significant improvement in OS; (3) autologous SCT is recommended for transformed follicular lymphoma patients; (4) reduced intensity conditioning before allogeneic SCT appears to be an acceptable alternative to myeloablative regimens; (5) an HLA-matched unrelated donor appears to be as effective an HLA-matched related donor for reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic SCT.

Subcritical solvent extraction of procyanidins from dried red grape pomace.

Procyanidins in dried Sunbelt ( Vitis labrusca L.) red grape pomace were extracted using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with pressure (6.8 MPa), one extraction cycle, and temperature (40, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 degrees C).

Review: Lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes serious nosocomial infections, and an important virulence factor produced by this organism is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This review summarizes knowledge about biosynthesis of all three structural domains of LPS - lipid A, core oligosaccharide, and O polysaccharides. In addition, based on similarities with other bacterial species, this review proposes new hypothetical pathways for unstudied steps in the biosynthesis of P.

The structural basis for catalytic function of GMD and RMD, two closely related enzymes from the GDP-D-rhamnose biosynthesis pathway.

The rare 6-deoxysugar D-rhamnose is a component of bacterial cell surface glycans, including the D-rhamnose homopolymer produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, called A-band O polysaccharide. GDP-D-rhamnose synthesis from GDP-D-mannose is catalyzed by two enzymes. The first is a GDP-D-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (GMD).

Post-assembly modification of Bordetella bronchiseptica O polysaccharide by a novel periplasmic enzyme encoded by wbmE.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a pathogen of humans and animals that colonizes the respiratory tract. It produces a lipopolysaccharide O antigen that contains a homopolymer of 2,3-dideoxy-2,3-diacetamido-L-galacturonic acid (L-GalNAc3NAcA). Some of these sugars are found in the uronamide form (L-GalNAc3NAcAN), and there is no discernible pattern in the distribution of amides along the chain.

Extraction conditions affecting supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of lycopene from watermelon.

Lycopene, a carotenoid linked to protection against certain forms of cancer, is found in produce such as papaya, red-fleshed tomatoes, grapefruit and watermelon. The preparation of a supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) watermelon-lycopene extract could serve as a food grade source of this carotenoid. This study established preliminary conditions for enhancing SC-CO2 extraction of lycopene from watermelon.

lfnA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa O12 and wbuX from Escherichia coli O145 encode membrane-associated proteins and are required for expression of 2,6-dideoxy-2-acetamidino-L-galactose in lipopolysaccharide O antigen.

The rare sugar 2,6-dideoxy-2-acetamidino-L-galactose (L-FucNAm) is found only in bacteria and is a component of cell surface glycans in a number of pathogenic species, including the O antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O12 and Escherichia coli O145. P. aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen, and the O12 serotype is associated with multidrug-resistant epidemic outbreaks.

Predicting protein function from structure--the roles of short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase enzymes in Bordetella O-antigen biosynthesis.

The pathogenic bacteria Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica express a lipopolysaccharide O antigen containing a polymer of 2,3-diacetamido-2,3-dideoxy-l-galacturonic acid. The O-antigen cluster contains three neighbouring genes that encode proteins belonging to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family, wbmF, wbmG and wbmH, and we aimed to elucidate their individual functions. Mutation and complementation implicate each gene in O-antigen expression but, as their putative sugar nucleotide substrates are not currently available, biochemical characterisation of WbmF, WbmG and WbmH is impractical at the present time.