Evaluation of Protective Immune Response Induced by a DNA Vaccine Encoding GRA8 against Acute Toxoplasmosis in a Murine Model.

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most species of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The heavy incidence and severe or lethal damage caused by T. gondii infection clearly indicate a need for the development of an effective vaccine.

Bacterial communities in semen from men of infertile couples: metagenomic sequencing reveals relationships of seminal microbiota to semen quality.

Some previous studies have identified bacteria in semen as being a potential factor in male infertility. However, only few types of bacteria were taken into consideration while using PCR-based or culturing methods. Here we present an analysis approach using next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the associations between bacterial communities and semen quality.

Clinical detection of human probiotics and human pathogenic bacteria by using a novel high-throughput platform based on next generation sequencing.

Background: The human body plays host to a vast array of bacteria, found in oral cavities, skin, gastrointestinal tract and the vagina. Some bacteria are harmful while others are beneficial to the host. Despite the availability of many methods to identify bacteria, most of them are only applicable to specific and cultivable bacteria and are also tedious.

A new method for post Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) analysis of colorectal cancer in Taiwan.

Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in specific loci or genes have been identified associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC) in Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). However, in different ethnicities and regions, the genetic variations and the environmental factors can widely vary. Therefore, here we propose a post-GWAS analysis method to investigate the CRC susceptibility SNPs in Taiwan by conducting a replication analysis and bioinformatics analysis.

miRTarBase: a database curates experimentally validated microRNA-target interactions.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), i.e. small non-coding RNA molecules (∼22 nt), can bind to one or more target sites on a gene transcript to negatively regulate protein expression, subsequently controlling many cellular mechanisms.