Analysis of Derivatized Wall Teichoic Acids Confirms that a Mutation in Phage-Resistant Impacts Rhamnose Decoration.

is a Gram-positive foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, an illness that may result in serious health consequences or death. Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are external cell wall glycopolymers that play many biological roles. Here, the WTA composition was determined for several phage-resistant mutant strains of .

Modulation of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Signaling Pathway by Culinary Sage ( L.).

Culinary sage ( L.) is a common spice plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae) well known for its distinctive culinary and traditional medicinal uses. Sage tea has been used traditionally as a brain-enhancing tonic and extracts from sage have been reported to have both cognitive and memory enhancing effects.

Safety, efficacy, and durability of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in a single surgeon U.S. community practice.

Background: Although laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) has been increasing in popularity, controversy is ongoing in regard to its efficacy, safety and durability. Particular concern exists now that this technique is being adapted in the community setting. We report a single surgeon's experience of LAGB in a community practice serving a medium-size Midwest town in the United States.

Influence of menstrual cycle phase on pulmonary function in asthmatic athletes.

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between menstrual cycle phase and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in female athletes with mild atopic asthma. Seven eumenorrheic subjects with regular 28-day menstrual cycles were exercised to volitional exhaustion on day 5 [mid-follicular (FOL)] and day 21 [mid-luteal (LUT)] of their menstrual cycle. Pulmonary function tests were conducted pre- and post-exercise.

Comparison of the properties of rare variants of alpha1-proteinase inhibitor expressed in COS-1 cells and assessment of their potential as risk factors in human disease.

Among the more than 75 known variants of alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor, a sub-population of rare, point mutations causing single amino acid replacements have been identified and classified as "at risk" alleles for development of pulmonary disease. In most cases, it is not clear how the amino acid replacements typical of these variants change the properties of the inhibitor to increase risk of disease in the affected individuals. To begin to address this question, we mutagenized a wild type alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor cDNA to encode a panel of eight different point mutants reported to be associated with increased risk for development of pulmonary disease.

Dietary salt, airway inflammation, and diffusion capacity in exercise-induced asthma.

Purpose: Recent studies have supported a role for dietary salt as a modifier of the severity of exercise-induced asthma. The main aim of this study was to demarcate a possible mechanism by which dietary salt modification may alter exercise-induced airway narrowing in asthmatic patients.

Methods: Twenty-four patients participated in a randomized, double-blind crossover study.