[Reflections on the pathobiology of candidemia].

The basic pathobiological situation in the patient suffering from candidemia is discussed. The number of yeast cells present in the blood circulation was estimated and the concentrations of Candida mannoprotein as well as of Candida mannan antigen were calculated. The resulting data were correlated with observations in laboratory diagnostics and with triggering of candidemic fever.

Helicobacter pylori polyclonally activates murine CD4(+) T cells in the absence of antigen-presenting cells.

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, such as duodenal ulcer and gastric carcinoma. The T cell response against H. pylori is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases.

[Not Available].

Extracts of spores of eight different mould strains were examined regarding their toxic potential. So three cytotoxicity tests were utilized. On one hand there are the MB-assay and the MTT-assay.

Influenza A virus infection of mice induces nuclear accumulation of the tumorsuppressor protein p53 in the lung.

To investigate whether the tumor suppressor p53 protein, an indicator of DNA damage and cell stress, accumulates in the course of influenza-virus-induced murine pneumonia at the site of inflammation, female BALB/c mice were infected each with 5 x 10(4) infectious units of influenza virus A, strain Puerto Rico (PR) 8, by instillation into the nose and the pharynx. Two days later the mice became sick. Three and 6 days after infection the lungs of sacrificed infected and uninfected mice were examined.

p53 in SV40-transformed DNA-damaged human cells binds to its cognate sequence but fails to transactivate target genes.

Human SV40-transformed cells contain high levels of stabilized p53 of which only a fraction is complexed with the SV40 large tumor antigen (T-antigen). This raises the question whether the p53 which is not complexed with T-antigen retains some biological activity. Two human SV40-transformed cell lines, BEAS and SV80, were investigated.

Cell cycle arrest in ovarian cancer cell lines does not depend on p53 status upon treatment with cytostatic drugs.

Human ovarian cancer cell lines with different p53 status were investigated for p53-dependency of cell cycle arrest upon treatment with cytostatic drugs. For this purpose commonly used anti-cancer drugs and a novel anti-cancer drug, gemcitabine, were applied. Cell cycle arrest was dependent on the drug dose used, as observed for all anti-cancer drugs applied, but not related to functional p53.

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the mig gene of Mycobacterium avium, which codes for a secreted macrophage-induced protein.

Mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen that has evolved to be a frequent cause of disseminated infection in immunocompromised patients. Although these bacilli are readily phagocytized, they are able to survive and even multiply within human macrophages. The process whereby mycobacteria circumvent the lytic functions of the macrophages is currently not well understood, but this is a key aspect in the pathogenicity of all pathogenic mycobacteria.

Lymphoproliferative responses after infection with human parvovirus B19.

Immunity after infection with the parvovirus B19 is assumed to be conferred by a humoral immune response with development of neutralizing antibody. In contrast, little is known about the nature of T-cell-mediated responses to parvovirus B19 infection in humans. We used recombinant proteins VP1, VP2, and NS1, as well as a recombinant VP1-specific amino-terminal sequence, to test the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells after infection of otherwise healthy individuals with parvovirus B19.

Inhibition of HIV-1 in cell culture by synthetic humate analogues derived from hydroquinone: mechanism of inhibition.

Humic acids are natural constituents of soil and ground water and mainly consist of mixtures of polycyclic phenolic compounds. A similar complex of compounds with a mean size of about 1000 Da, designated HS-1500, was synthesized by oxidation of hydroquinone. HS-1500 inhibited HIV-1 infection of MT-2 cells with an IC50 of 50-300 ng/ml and showed a mean cell toxicity of about 600 micrograms/ml.

Polymer materials for the prevention of catheter-related infections.

Catheter-related infections are major problems in medicine because of severe consequences for the patient, prolongation of hospitalization, and increasing therapy costs. Beside progress in hygienic measures, development of catheters with antiinfective properties seems to be a promising approach to the prevention of such infections. Two approaches for infection-resistant catheter materials have been developed: materials with antiadhesive properties and materials with antimicrobial properties.

Acinetobacter species as a cause of catheter-related infections.

In recent years, Acinetobacter species have emerged as clinically important pathogens. Though these organisms are widely prevalent in nature, most human infections are hospital-acquired. Acinetobacter baumannii is the predominant species.

Structural and immunological reactivity of the principal neutralizing determinant V3 of glycoprotein gp120 of HIV-1.

The variable domain V3 in the outer glycoprotein gp120 of HIV-1 is a highly important region with respect to immune response during the course of viral infection. Neutralizing antibodies are produced against this domain: in addition, it has been shown to be a functionally active epitope for T helper and cytotoxic T cells. The high degree of amino acid variability in individual HIV-isolates, however, limits the use of the V3-domain in approaches to vaccine development.

[Immunoactive action of mistletoe lectin-1 in relation to dose].

Galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin-1 (ML-1) was isolated by affinity chromatography from proprietary mistletoe extract and checked in BALB/c-mice for its immunoactive potency. To investigate the optimal immunomodulating dosage, ML-1 (0.5, 1.

[Hepatitis B--significance for transfusion medicine].

Objective: To describe the present risk for transfusion-associated hepatitis B in Germany or in countries with low hepatitis B incidence, respectively.

Data Sources: Selected relevant publications since 1978, own data.

Results: Despite donor selection and HBsAg screening hepatitis B infections after transfusion are reported to occur with a frequency of 0.

Comparison of four different methods for epidemiologic typing of Acinetobacter baumannii.

A set of 103 epidemiologically well-defined Acinetobacter baumannii isolates obtained from nine hospital outbreaks and 21 unrelated strains were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of total genomic DNA digested with ApaI. Among outbreak strains, eight different patterns and five possible variants were identified by PFGE. Results were compared with those from traditional typing methods such as plasmid profile analysis, antimicrobial susceptibility, and biotyping.

Nuclear accumulation of p53 in response to treatment with DNA-damaging agents.

A number of agents which damage DNA also trigger the nuclear accumulation of the tumor suppressor protein p53. Here we show the correlation with different p53 detection methods. As an example we investigated the effects of the cancer therapy drug mitomycin C on different mammalian cell lines.

Congenital rubella syndrome despite repeated vaccination of the mother: a coincidence of vaccine failure with failure to vaccinate.

Congenital rubella syndrome occurred in a boy born to a mother who had been properly vaccinated three times before conception, but developed only low titers of rubella antibody. The non-vaccinated father most likely infected the mother on a home visit during the third to fifth weeks of gestation. He served in the army and fell ill during an outbreak of a rubella-like disease in his military unit.

The distribution of Acinetobacter species in clinical culture materials.

A total of 584 Acinetobacter strains were isolated from 420 patients from 12 different hospitals over a period of twelve months. Identification of strains at the species level was done according to the new taxonomy proposed by Bouvet and Grimont. A.

[Effect of mistletoe lectin therapy on serum level of defined serum proteins (acute phase proteins) in tumor patients].

The influence of galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin (ML-1) administration on defined acute phase reactants in the serum of cancer patients (mammary carcinoma, n = 4; larynx carcinoma, n = 11; TNM-stages II to IV; after appropriate surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) was studied. Regular subcutaneous injections of the optimal doses of ML-1 (1 mg/kg body weight, twice a week) yielded statistically significant increases of certain acute phase reactants (C-reactive protein, haptoglobin, coeruloplasmin, C3-complement, albumin, immunoglobulin IgM) after four weeks of treatment. However, serum concentrations of transferrin, C4-complement and the immunoglobulins IgG and IgA were found within the biological range (means +/- 2 s).

Induction of nuclear accumulation of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 by DNA-damaging agents.

Cancer therapy drugs, such as diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin), mitomycin C, etoposide and a number of other compounds, as well as energy-rich radiation, are known to act on cellular DNA. These agents are shown to induce nuclear accumulation of the so-called tumor-suppressor protein p53 in fibroblastoid cells, as well as in epithelioid normal and immortalized cells of murine, simian, and human origin. p53 accumulation starts a few hours after treatment and can remain detectable in surviving cells for at least 20 days.

Antibacterial in vitro-activity of meropenem against 200 clinical isolates in comparison to 11 selected antibiotics.

The antimicrobial activity of meropenem, a new parenteral carbapenem, was tested in vitro by an agar dilution method against 200 clinical isolates (gram-negative/positive aerobes and anaerobes). Meropenem was compared with imipenem, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, piperacillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin; and metronidazole, cefoxitin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, vancomycin when appropriate. Meropenem and imipenem exhibited an extended spectrum of activity with low minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs).