Variation of chemosensory receptor content of Campylobacter jejuni strains and modulation of receptor gene expression under different in vivo and in vitro growth conditions.

Background: Chemotaxis is crucial for the colonisation/infection of hosts with Campylobacter jejuni. Central to chemotaxis are the group A chemotaxis genes that are responsible for sensing the external environment. The distribution of group A chemoreceptor genes, as found in the C.

Genital herpes zoster as a consequence of cancer chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression: report of a case.

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a clinical manifestation of the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV). HZ of the male genital area is a rarely reported condition. The exact mechanism of latency and reactivation of VZV in these patients is unknown.

Innate transcriptional networks activated in bladder in response to uropathogenic Escherichia coli drive diverse biological pathways and rapid synthesis of IL-10 for defense against bacterial urinary tract infection.

Early transcriptional activation events that occur in bladder immediately following bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) are not well defined. In this study, we describe the whole bladder transcriptome of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) cystitis in mice using genome-wide expression profiling to define the transcriptome of innate immune activation stemming from UPEC colonization of the bladder. Bladder RNA from female C57BL/6 mice, analyzed using 1.

Synthesis of a novel pentasaccharide core component from the lipooligosaccharide of Moraxella catarrhalis.

The novel pentasaccharide [p-(trifluoroacetamido)phenyl]ethyl 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-6-O-[2-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-α-D-glucopyranoside (1), which includes a linker moiety to enable facile coupling to an antigenic protein, was synthesised as a component of a potential vaccine candidate against the Gram-negative bacterium Moraxella catarrhalis. This microorganism is one of three principal causative agents of otitis media in children. The pentasaccharide represents a common cross-serotype (A, B and C) structure from the lipooligosaccharides of Moraxella catarrhalis.

K-Ras and mitochondria: dangerous liaisons.

It is well documented that the oncogene efficiently transforms non-malignant cells, and there is some evidence for the role of mitochondria in this process. Now Peng Huang and colleagues show that K-Ras induction results early on in mitochondria assuming the phenotype consistent with the so-called Warburg effect, i.e.

UafB is a serine-rich repeat adhesin of Staphylococcus saprophyticus that mediates binding to fibronectin, fibrinogen and human uroepithelial cells.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is an important cause of urinary tract infection (UTI), particularly among young women, and is second only to uropathogenic Escherichia coli as the most frequent cause of UTI. The molecular mechanisms of urinary tract colonization by S. saprophyticus remain poorly understood.

Work-related injury in the nursing profession: an investigation of modifiable factors.

Aim: This paper is a report of a correlational study of the relationships between work-related injury-risk events and modifiable risk factors in a nursing population after controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Background: Nurses are at high risk for work-related injury. Work-related injury is strongly influenced by psychosocial factors and physical job-related exposures, but the magnitude of effect from modifiable factors remains unclear.

Aspartate chemosensory receptor signalling in Campylobacter jejuni.

The human bacterial pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is able to respond to environmental stimuli utilising chemotactic motility. The bacterial senses external molecules via transmembrane sensory proteins called Transducer Like Proteins, TLPs. The specificity of the Tlp1 chemoreceptor (Cj1506c) of C.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of zebrafish prototype galectin Drgal1-L2.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are an important developmental and embryological model given the optical clarity of the embryos and larvae, which permits real-time viewing of developing pathologies. More recently, a broader scope for these vertebrates to model a range of human diseases, including some cancers, has been indicated. Zebrafish Drgal1-L2 has been identified as an orthologue of mammalian galectin-1, which is is a carbohydrate-binding protein that exhibits β-galactoside-binding specificity and which is overexpressed by many aggressive human cancers.

Exposure to a novel context after extinction causes a renewal of extinguished conditioned responses: implications for the treatment of fear.

Renewal gives an experimental model for the relapse of fear symptoms following exposure therapy. While renewal of extinguished fear in humans has been observed following a return to the original context in which fear was acquired (ABA design), it has been more difficult to show upon presentation of a novel context (ABC design). The present experiment used a particularly strong context manipulation in a fear conditioning procedure.

Ecophysiology of neuronal metabolism in transiently oxygen-depleted environments: evidence that GABA is accumulated pre-synaptically in the cerebellum.

Interactions between coral reef topography, tide cycles, and photoperiod provided selection pressure for adaptive physiological changes in sheltered hypoxic niches to be exploited by specialized tropical reef fish. The epaulette shark Hemiscyllium ocellatum withstands cyclic hypoxia in its natural environment, many hours of experimental hypoxia, and anoxia for up to 5h. It shows neuronal hypometabolism in response to 5% oxygen saturation.

Influence of bone and dental implant parameters on stress distribution in the mandible: a finite element study.

Purpose: The complicated relationships between mandibular bone components and dental implants have attracted the attention of structural mechanics researchers as well as dental practitioners. Using the finite element method, the present study evaluated various bone and implant parameters for their influence on the distribution of von Mises stresses within the mandible.

Materials And Methods: Various parameters were considered, including Young's modulus of cancellous bone, which varies from 1 to 4 GPa, and that of cortical bone, which is between 7 and 20 GPa.

Muscle forces or gravity--what predominates mechanical loading on bone? Introduction.

This article describes the background, rationale, significance, and objective of the recent American College of Sports Medicine symposium entitled "Muscle Forces or Gravity-What Predominates Mechanical Loading on Bone?" (55th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, May 28, 2008) and introduces a series of papers representing the positions taken by three of the speakers at that symposium. Our goal was to reinvigorate discussion on a topic that will inform many, provoke some, and, most importantly, stimulate ideas that will encourage progress in the field of exercise prescription for bone.

Depression as a longitudinal outcome and antecedent of preadolescents' peer relationships and peer-relevant cognition.

Using longitudinal data and structural modeling, we investigated bidirectional associations among preadolescents' peer relationships, peer-relevant cognition, and depressive symptoms. Depression was expected to be an outcome and precursor of peer-relevant cognition, and cognition was expected to be an outcome and precursor of being more or less liked by classmates (peer likeability). We also examined whether cognition mediated the association between peer likeability and depression.

Differential carbohydrate recognition by Campylobacter jejuni strain 11168: influences of temperature and growth conditions.

The pathogenic clinical strain NCTC11168 was the first Campylobacter jejuni strain to be sequenced and has been a widely used laboratory model for studying C. jejuni pathogenesis. However, continuous passaging of C.

The museum of unnatural form: a visual and tactile experience of fractals.

A remarkable computer technology is revolutionizing the world of design, allowing intricate patterns to be created with mathematical precision and then 'printed' as physical objects. Contour crafting is a fabrication process capable of assembling physical structures the sizes of houses, firing the imagination of a new generation of architects and artists (Khoshnevisat, 2008). Daniel Della-Bosca has jumped at this opportunity to create the 'Museum of Unnatural Form' at Griffith University.

Embedding evidence-based practice in a nursing curriculum: a benchmarking project.

The development of a new nursing curriculum in one Australian university provided the opportunity for academic staff to consider the best ways to integrate the requirements of evidence-based practice (EBP) into nursing education and culminated in the development and conduct of a specific benchmarking project. Data collection for the project included the use of university documents, observations and informal discussions with staff. An analysis of this information resulted in the emergence of five categories that were grouped into two major categories, namely infrastructure and processes.

Selenium status of the Australian population: effect of age, gender and cardiovascular disease.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element and the clinical consequences of Se deficiency have been well-documented. Se is primarily obtained through the diet and recent studies have suggested that the level of Se in Australian foods is declining. Currently there is limited data on the Se status of the Australian population so the aim of this study was to determine the plasma concentration of Se and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), a well-established biomarker of Se status.

Evaluation of recombinant antigens for diagnosis of melioidosis.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is endemic to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Clinical manifestations of the disease are diverse, ranging from chronic localized infection to acute septicaemia, with death occurring within 24-48 h after the onset of symptoms. Definitive diagnosis of melioidosis involves bacterial culture and identification, with results obtained within 3-4 days.

CD133-positive cells are resistant to TRAIL due to up-regulation of FLIP.

Recent research shows that Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are relatively resistant to apoptosis induction. We studied the effect of the immunological apoptogen TRAIL on Jurkat cells enriched in the CD133-positive population. CD133(high) Jurkat cells were more resistant to apoptosis than their CD133(low) counterparts, and showed higher level of expression of FLIP, an inhibitor of death receptor-mediated apoptosis.

Predictors of adverse events in patients after discharge from the intensive care unit.

Background: Patients discharged from the intensive care unit may be at risk of adverse events because of complex care needs.

Objective: To identify the types, frequency, and predictors of adverse events that occur in the 72 hours after discharge from an intensive care unit when no evidence of adverse events was apparent before discharge.

Methods: A predictive cohort study of 300 patients from an adult intensive care unit was undertaken.

Aurora kinase expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma: correlations with clinicopathological features, p16 expression, and telomerase activity.

The clinicopathological roles of aurora kinase protein have not been studied in depth in colorectal cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological roles of aurora kinase protein expression in a large cohort of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with tight methodology and close follow-up. Aurora kinase protein expression was investigated in 200 patients (110 men, 90 women) with colorectal adenocarcinomas by immunohistochemistry.

Empathy-related responses to moving film stimuli depicting human and non-human animal targets in negative circumstances.

Research supports an "ingroup empathy hypothesis" of higher empathy-related psychophysiological responses towards individuals of the same ethnicity. However, little research has investigated empathy-related responses to non-human targets graded for phylogenetic relatedness. Participants (N=73) were presented with film stimuli depicting humans, primates, quadruped mammals and birds in victimized circumstances.

Threat interpretation bias as a vulnerability factor in childhood anxiety disorders.

The present study examined threat interpretation biases in children 7-12 years of age with separation, social and generalised anxiety disorders (N=15), non-anxious offspring at risk due to parental anxiety (N=16) and non-anxious controls of non-anxious parents (N=14). Children provided interpretations of ambiguous situations to assess cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses. In comparison with non-anxious control children and at-risk children who did not differ from each other, anxious children reported stronger negative emotion and less ability to influence ambiguous situations.