Mutation in crrB encoding a sensor kinase increases expression of the RND-type multidrug efflux pump KexD in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Background: RND-type multidrug efflux systems in Gram-negative bacteria protect them against antimicrobial agents. Gram-negative bacteria generally possess several genes which encode such efflux pumps, but these pumps sometimes fail to show expression. Generally, some multidrug efflux pumps are silent or expressed only at low levels.

Production and Functional Evaluation of Anti- Sera Raised by Immunizations of Rabbits with Mutated Recombinant Phospholipases-D.

Loxoscelism is the clinical condition triggered after the bite of spiders of the genus . The main species involved in accidents in South America are , and . The only specific treatment is the anti- serum produced with crude venoms.

A protective vaccine against the toxic activities following Brown spider accidents based on recombinant mutated phospholipases D as antigens.

Accidents involving Brown spiders are reported throughout the world. In the venom, the major toxins involved in the deleterious effects are phospholipases D (PLDs). In this work, recombinant mutated phospholipases D from three endemic species medically relevant in South America (Loxosceles intermedia, L.

Brown spider venom toxins: what are the functions of astacins, serine proteases, hyaluronidases, allergens, TCTP, serpins and knottins?

Accidents caused by the bites of brown spiders () generate a clinical condition that often includes a threatening necrotic skin lesion near the bite site along with a remarkable inflammatory response. Systemic disorders such as hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure may occur, but are much less frequent than the local damage. It is already known that phospholipases D, highly expressed toxins in venom, can induce most of these injuries.

Prospective Use of Brown Spider Venom Toxins as Therapeutic and Biotechnological Inputs.

Brown spider (genus ) venoms are mainly composed of protein toxins used for predation and defense. Bites of these spiders most commonly produce a local dermonecrotic lesion with gravitational spread, edema and hemorrhage, which together are defined as cutaneous loxoscelism. Systemic loxoscelism, such as hematological abnormalities and renal injury, are less frequent but more lethal.

Description of a serpin toxin in Loxosceles (Brown spider) venoms: Cloning, expression in baculovirus-infected insect cells and functional characterization.

Several classes of toxins are present in the venom of Brown spiders (Loxosceles genus), some of them are highly expressed and others are less expressed. In this work, we aimed to clone the sequence of a little expressed novel toxin from Loxosceles venom identified as a serine protease inhibitor (serpin), as well as to express and characterize its biochemical and biological properties. It was named LSPILT, derived from Loxoscelesserine protease inhibitor-like toxin.

Production of a novel recombinant brown spider hyaluronidase in baculovirus-infected insect cells.

Hyaluronidases are low expressed toxins of brown spider venoms, but, as highly active molecules, they present an important role as spreading factors. By degrading extracellular matrix components, these enzymes favor the diffusion of toxins in the affected tissue and at systemic level. Here, a novel isoform of hyaluronidase of Loxosceles intermedia Mello-Leitão (1934) venom was cloned, expressed in a baculovirus-insect cell expression system and fully active purified.

Brown Spiders' Phospholipases-D with Potential Therapeutic Applications: Functional Assessment of Mutant Isoforms.

Phospholipases-D (PLDs) found in spiders' venoms are responsible for the dermonecrosis triggered by envenomation. PLDs can also induce other local and systemic effects, such as massive inflammatory response, edema, and hemolysis. Recombinant PLDs reproduce all of the deleterious effects induced by whole venoms.

LALLT (Loxosceles Allergen-Like Toxin) from the venom of Loxosceles intermedia: Recombinant expression in insect cells and characterization as a molecule with allergenic properties.

Bites evoked by Brown spiders (Loxosceles genus) are associated with skin injuries (cutaneous rash, itching, swelling, erythema and dermonecrosis) and systemic manifestations. Transcriptome analyses of Loxosceles venom glands showed that the venom has a complex composition containing toxins such as phospholipases-D, metalloproteases and hyaluronidases. Here, by screening the RNA from L.

The role of RND-type efflux pumps in multidrug-resistant mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a worldwide problem. K. pneumoniae possesses numerous resistant genes in its genome.

Brown Spider () Venom Toxins as Potential Biotools for the Development of Novel Therapeutics.

Brown spider envenomation results in dermonecrosis with gravitational spreading characterized by a marked inflammatory reaction and with lower prevalence of systemic manifestations such as renal failure and hematological disturbances. Several toxins make up the venom of these species, and they are mainly peptides and proteins ranging from 5-40 kDa. The venoms have three major families of toxins: phospholipases-D, astacin-like metalloproteases, and the inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides.

The optimal mechanical condition in stem cell-to-tenocyte differentiation determined with the homogeneous strain distributions and the cellular orientation control.

In tendon tissue engineering, mechanical stimulus-induced differentiation is one of the most attractive techniques for stem cell-to-tenocyte differentiation in terms of cost, safety and simplicity. However, the most effective strain amplitude for differentiation using cyclic stretching remains unknown. Existing studies have not constrained cell reorientation behavior during cyclic stretching, resulting in uncertainty regarding the loads experienced by cells.

[States and predictors of postpartum smoking relapse: a population based longitudinal study].

Objectives　Although more than half of women who smoke attempt to stop smoking after conception, many relapse after delivery. We conducted a population-based longitudinal study to identify the predictors of postpartum smoking relapse.Methods　Participants were expectant mothers living in Nagoya city, Japan, who notified Health Centers of their pregnancy from April 2014 to March 2015.

TCTP as a therapeutic target in melanoma treatment.

Background: Translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP) is an antiapoptotic protein highly conserved through phylogeny. Translationally controlled tumour protein overexpression was detected in several tumour types. Silencing TCTP was shown to induce tumour reversion.

Efficacy and safety of thrice-weekly insulin degludec in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes assessed by continuous glucose monitoring.

As life expectancy becomes longer in Japan, there has been an increase of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes who need insulin therapy but cannot perform self-injection due to dementia or other conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of thrice-weekly insulin degludec therapy in elderly patients with poorly controlled diabetes. The subjects were 22 hospitalized elderly Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who had difficulty with self-injection.

Proposed cut-off value of the intrahepatic lipid content for metabolically normal persons assessed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a Japanese population.

Aims: To determine the threshold intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content separating metabolically normal from abnormal in a Japanese population based on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS).

Methods: A total of 305 Japanese subjects aged 20-69years were investigated. The subjects underwent general examination, blood tests, and (1)H-MRS of the liver after an overnight fast.

Molecular cloning and in silico characterization of knottin peptide, U2-SCRTX-Lit2, from brown spider (Loxosceles intermedia) venom glands.

Inhibitor cystine knots (ICKs) are a family of structural peptides with a large number of cysteine residues that form intramolecular disulfide bonds, resulting in a knot. These peptides are involved in a variety of biological functions including predation and defense, and are found in various species, such as spiders, scorpions, sea anemones, and plants. The Loxosceles intermedia venom gland transcriptome identified five groups of ICK peptides that represent more than 50 % of toxin-coding transcripts.

Active site mapping of Loxosceles phospholipases D: Biochemical and biological features.

Brown spider phospholipases D from Loxosceles venoms are among the most widely studied toxins since they induce dermonecrosis, triggering inflammatory responses, increase vascular permeability, cause hemolysis, and renal failure. The catalytic (H12 and H47) and metal-ion binding (E32 and D34) residues in Loxosceles intermedia phospholipase D (LiRecDT1) were mutated to understand their roles in the observed activities. All mutants were identified using whole venom serum antibodies and a specific antibody to wild-type LiRecDT1, they were also analyzed by circular dichroism (CD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Proposed cut-off values of the waist circumference for metabolic syndrome based on visceral fat volume in a Japanese population.

Aim/introduction: Waist circumference (WC) is the most important parameter for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. The present study was carried out to obtain optimal WC cut-off values for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in a Japanese population based on the measurement of total intra-abdominal visceral fat volume (VFV), which could be expected to reflect visceral obesity more precisely than visceral fat area.

Materials And Methods: A total of 405 Japanese persons undergoing health screening were investigated.

Immunohistochemical analysis of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its receptor in sporadic schwannoma/peripheral nerve sheath tumour.

Objective: To investigate the immunohistochemical localization of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) in archival specimens of sporadic schwannoma.

Method: This study retrospectively analysed the immunolocalization of IGF-1 and IGF-1R in schwannoma specimens collected from all patients with sporadic schwannoma that were treated by two institutions in Japan. The study also evaluated the association between the extent of the IGF-1 and IGF-1R immunoreactivity and several clinicopathological characteristics (age, sex and maximum tumour dimension).

Brown spider (Loxosceles genus) venom toxins: Evaluation of biological conservation by immune cross-reactivity.

Loxosceles spiders are responsible for serious human envenomations worldwide. The collection of symptoms found in victims after accidents is called loxoscelism and is characterized by two clinical conditions: cutaneous loxoscelism and systemic loxocelism. The only specific treatment is serum therapy, in which an antiserum produced with Loxosceles venom is administered to the victims after spider accidents.

Characterization of Brown spider (Loxosceles intermedia) hemolymph: cellular and biochemical analyses.

This is the first study on the hemolymph from a spider of the Loxosceles genus. These animals are responsible for a great number of envenomation cases worldwide. Several studies on Loxosceles venoms have been published, and the knowledge about the venom and its toxins is considerable, not only regarding the biological and biochemical characterization, but also regarding structural, genetic and phylogenetic approaches.