The inhibiting effect of the transcription factor p53 on dengue virus infection by activating the type I interferon.

To investigate the role of the transcription factor p53 in the course of the dengue virus (DV) infection. The human hepatocellular carcinoma cell strain HepG2 with a low expression level of p53 was built by using the retroviral-mediated RNA interference technology, and was detected by Western blot. The wild group and the interference group were respectively infected by the type 2 DV.

Application of the SCCmec element in the molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Acquisition of the staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) is one of the key reasons for the resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). SCCmec is composed of a mec gene complex encoding the PBP2a determinant that is responsible for the β-lactam resistance of MRSA, and a ccr gene complex encoding recombinases that mediate the integration of SCCmec into and its excision from the recipient chromosome, and so-called three junkyard (J) regions of different sizes. The SCCmec elements carried by MRSA from different geographic locations are diverse, and each type contains characteristic DNA fragments in size.

ROCK is involved in vimentin phosphorylation and rearrangement induced by dengue virus.

Our previous study showed that dengue virus 2 (DENV2) infection induces rearrangement of vimentin into dense structures at the perinuclear area. However, the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is poorly characterized. In the present work, we found that vimentin and Ser71 phosphorylated vimentin display similar distributions in DENV2-infected cells.

Synthesis and biological activities of novel amine-derived bis-azoles as potential antibacterial and antifungal agents.

A series of novel amine-derived bis-azole compounds were designed by the systematical structural modification of Fluconazole and synthesized by a convenient and efficient method, and the antimicrobial activities for all prepared compounds were evaluated in vitro against six representative bacterial strains and two fungal strains. Bioactive results indicated that some synthesized compounds exhibited moderate or even better activities in comparison with the reference drugs. Especially, bis-imidazole 5b and its salts gave significant antibacterial efficacy against all tested bacteria strains including MRSA, while bis-triazoles 4b-c and their corresponding salts exhibited better activities against Candida albicans, Bacillus proteus than standard drugs Fluconazole and Norfloxacin respectively.

Identification of in vivo induced protein antigens of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi during human infection.

During infectious disease episodes, pathogens express distinct subsets of virulence factors which allow them to adapt to different environments. Hence, genes that are expressed or upregulated in vivo are implicated in pathogenesis. We used in vivo induced antigen technology (IVIAT) to identify antigens which are expressed during infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi.