Visualization of intracellular transport of vesicular stomatitis virus nucleocapsids in living cells.

The phosphoprotein (P) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a subunit of the viral RNA polymerase. In previous studies, we demonstrated that insertion of 19 amino acids in the hinge region of the protein had no significant effect on P protein function. In the present study, we inserted full-length enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in frame into the hinge region of P and show that the fusion protein (PeGFP) is functional in viral genome transcription and replication, albeit with reduced activity.

Clinical and genetic uniqueness in an individual with MELAS.

Mitochondrial encephalopathy lactic acidosis stroke like episodes (MELAS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with varying age of onset. It is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disease. Molecular etiology of MELAS is not known in several cases.

Mutations in influenza virus M1 CCHH, the putative zinc finger motif, cause attenuation in mice and protect mice against lethal influenza virus infection.

Mutations in CCHH, the putative zinc finger motif, apparently do not play an important role in virus replication in MDCK cells in culture (E. K.-W.

Time-level relationship between indicators of oxidative stress and Glasgow Coma Scale scores of severe head injury patients.

Background: Oxidative stress is said to strongly influence the neurological recovery of patients following a severe head injury. Estimation of the markers of oxidative stress in the blood of such patients can hence aid in predicting the prognosis of head injury.

Methods: Erythrocyte thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and plasma ceruloplasmin (CP) levels were estimated in 24 severe head-injury patients on days 1, 7 and 21 of the post-traumatic period and compared with levels in 25 healthy age- and sex-matched controls.

A clinical evaluation of anorganic bovine bone graft plus 10% collagen with or without a barrier in the treatment of class II furcation defects.

Unlabelled: The use of bone replacement grafts with barrier membranes in class II furcation defects are aimed at improving the outcome of the regenerative technique. In this regard, however, there is a paucity of studies comparing the results obtained with bone grafts alone or in combination with barrier membranes. The aim of this study was to clinically compare an anorganic bovine bone graft plus 10% collagen (BO) with or without a bioresorbable collagen barrier (BG) in human mandibular molar class II furcation defects.

YRKL sequence of influenza virus M1 functions as the L domain motif and interacts with VPS28 and Cdc42.

Earlier studies have shown that the C-terminal half of helix 6 (H6) of the influenza A virus matrix protein (M1) containing the YRKL sequence is involved in virus budding (E. K.-W.

Retention of maxillary molars with Class III furcation involvement utilizing glass-ionomer: two case reports.

Advanced furcation invasion has long been a treatment dilemma for the clinician. The present two case reports used a glass ionomer restorative material as a barrier in the treatment of maxillary Class III furcation defects. One year follow-up results showed a reduction in tooth mobility and probing depths and no bleeding on probing with the use of the glass ionomer.

Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy vs KTP 532 laser-assisted endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

Objectives: Advances in endoscopy and lasers have improved surgical management of chronic nasolacrimal duct obstruction. This is a preliminary comparison between standard and laser assisted endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).

Study Design: Combined retrospective and prospective study.

Major conformational changes during T7RNAP transcription initiation coincide with, and are required for, promoter release.

During transcription initiation conformational changes in the transcriptional machinery are required to accommodate the growing RNA, to allow the polymerase to release the promoter, and to endow the elongation complex with high processivity. In T7 RNA polymerase these changes involve refolding and reorientation of elements of the N-terminal domain, as well as changes in how the DNA is bound within the complex. However, when and where these conformational changes occur is unknown, and the role of these changes in allowing the polymerase to disengage the promoter is poorly understood.

Downstream processing of MDCK cell-derived equine influenza virus.

A microcarrier-based process was used to produce equine influenza virus (A/Equi 2 (H3N8), Newmarket 1/93) in Madin Darby Canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The virus was purified in a sequence of downstream processing steps comprising of depth filtration, inactivation, ultrafiltration (UF) and gel filtration. In the ultrafiltration step, the hemagglutinin (HA) was recovered to 100%.

Use of reperfusion therapy and cardiovascular drugs in the treatment of 146 men and 54 women with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction at a University Medical Center.

We investigated the treatment of 146 men, mean age 62 years, and 54 women, mean age 69 years, with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a university medical center. Coronary revascularization or thrombolytic therapy was given to 143 men (98%) and 52 women (96%) [P = not significant (NS)]. Antiplatelet therapy and antithrombotic therapy were given to 146 men (100%) and 54 women (100%) (P = NS).

Increased fasting plasma insulin concentrations are associated with the severity of angiographic coronary artery disease.

Fasting plasma insulin concentrations were obtained in 82 patients (51 men and 31 women), mean age 60 +/- 11 years, with a body mass index >25 kg/m(2) who had coronary angiography because of suspected symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). Obstructive CAD was diagnosed if there was >50% obstruction of > or =1 vessel. Of 82 patients, 37 (45%) had left main or 3-vessel CAD, 22 (27%) had 2-vessel CAD, 9 (11%) had 1-vessel CAD, and 14 (17%) had no obstructive CAD.

Effect of an ongoing educational program on the use of antiplatelet drugs, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and lipid-lowering drugs in patients with coronary artery disease seen in an academic cardiology clinic.

The effect of an ongoing educational program on the use of cardiovascular drugs in patients with coronary artery disease without contraindications to these drugs seen in an academic cardiology clinic was assessed in 100 patients seen during the 6-month period prior to the educational program and in 200 patients seen 9 to 20 months after the onset of the educational program. Following the educational program, the use of aspirin, clopidogrel, or warfarin increased from 69 to 99%, the use of beta- blockers increased from 57 to 98%, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers increased from 41 to 97%, and the use of lipid-lowering drugs in patients with dyslipidemia increased from 54 to 98% in patients without contraindications to these drugs.

Assembly and budding of influenza virus.

Influenza viruses are causative agents of an acute febrile respiratory disease called influenza (commonly known as "flu") and belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family. These viruses possess segmented, negative stranded RNA genomes (vRNA) and are enveloped, usually spherical and bud from the plasma membrane (more specifically, the apical plasma membrane of polarized epithelial cells). Complete virus particles, therefore, are not found inside infected cells.

D-4F, an apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide, inhibits the inflammatory response induced by influenza A infection of human type II pneumocytes.

Background: Evidence suggests that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and HDL play important roles in modulating inflammation. We previously reported that an apoA-I mimetic peptide, D-4F, reduced inflammatory responses to influenza virus in mice. To further define the antiinflammatory activity of D-4F, a human alveolar type II cell line, A549, was used.

Antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy of toothpastes containing Triclosan and fluoride.

Objective: To compare the reduction of plaque and gingivitis from the following three toothpaste formulations containing: 0.3% Triclosan, 1,000ppm fluoride and 0.13% calcium glycerophosphate in a natural calcium carbonate base (a new paste); 0.

Neuraminidase activity assays for monitoring MDCK cell culture derived influenza virus.

Three assay methods were investigated for monitoring the time-course of neuraminidase (NA) activity of tissue culture derived equine influenza A virus from large-scale microcarrier cultivation and several steps of downstream processing required for the production of inactivated vaccines. Measurements of neuraminidase activity by a thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and a fluorometric method using Amplex Red as a fluorogen (FL-AR) did not correlate with the increase of hemagglutinin (HA) during virus replication. Samples analysed by the TBA method showed unspecific interference from low molecular weight compounds (< 3 kDa) of cell growth medium and virus maintenance medium.

Butachlor inhibits production and oxidation of methane in tropical rice soils under flooded condition.

In laboratory incubation experiments, application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl acetanilide) to three tropical rice soils, widely differing in their physicochemical characteristics, under flooded condition inhibited methane (CH4) production. The inhibitory effect was concentration dependent and most remarkable in the alluvial soil. Thus, following application of butachlor at 5, 10, 50 and 100 microg g(-1) soil, respectively, cumulative CH4 production in the alluvial soil was inhibited by 15%, 31%, 91% and 98% over unamended control.

The role of lipid microdomains in virus biology.

Many of the highly pathogenic viruses including influenza virus, HIV and others of world wide epidemiological importance are enveloped and possess a membrane around the nucleocapsid containing the viral genome. Viral membrane is required to protect the viral genome and provide important functions for attachment, morphogenesis and transmission. Viral membrane is essentially composed of lipids and proteins.

Rhinofacial zygomycosis caused by conidiobolus coronatus.

Fungal infections are common in a tropical country like India. Among the Zygomycosis infections, those caused by Mucorales are more prevalent. However, there exists another order of zygomycetes, the Entomophthorales, which rarely cause clinical disease.

Inhibition of influenza virus matrix (M1) protein expression and virus replication by U6 promoter-driven and lentivirus-mediated delivery of siRNA.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-induced RNA degradation has been used recently as an antivirus agent to inhibit specific virus replication. This report shows that 21 nt duplexes of siRNA of the influenza virus M gene can cause specific inhibition of influenza virus matrix (M1) protein expression in transfected 293T cells. Furthermore, it is shown that a lentivirus vector can be used to effectively deliver M gene siRNAs into Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and can cause specific inhibition of M1 protein expression and influenza virus replication.

Comparison of frequency of left ventricular thrombi in patients with anterior wall versus non-anterior wall acute myocardial infarction treated with antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapy with or without coronary revascularization.

Of 200 patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI), all received antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy, and 186 patients (93%) underwent coronary revascularization. Left ventricular thrombi were diagnosed by 2-dimensional echocardiography View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Characteristics of scalp electrical fields associated with deep medial temporal epileptiform discharges.

Objective: To determine scalp characteristics of epileptiform discharges arising from medial temporal structures (MT).

Methods: Signal-to-noise ratio was increased by averaging simultaneous recordings from intracranial and scalp electrodes synchronised on discharges recorded by foramen ovale (FO) electrodes. The topography, amplitude and distribution of averaged scalp signals were analysed.

Antigen expression in biofilm cells of Aeromonas hydrophila employed in oral vaccination of fish.

Total protein, S-layer protein and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of biofilm cells of Aeromonas hydrophila were analysed by SDS-PAGE and compared with that of planktonic cells. In the whole cell lysate of biofilm cells, about 15 proteins were repressed while three new proteins were expressed compared to that in planktonic cells. Interestingly, in biofilm cells the S-layer proteins were lost and LPS showed an additional high molecular weight band compared to that in planktonic cells.