No abstract available.
Amniotic Fluid* ; Arteries* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Rheology*

No abstract available.
Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor*

No abstract available.

Purpose: In this study, we investigated whether the antigenic changes of the virus-like particles (VLPs) are affected by the temperature during storage. Materials and Methods: After exposing the recombinant influenza VLPs to various temperatures for a period, antigenic changes were examined through in vitro hemagglutination receptor binding assay and in vivo mouse experiments. Results: Influenza VLPs were exposed at three different temperatures of low, middle, and high on a thermo-hygrostat. High temperature exposed influenza VLPs were showed significantly reduced HA activity and immunogenicity after mouse single immunization over time compared low and middle. When the VLPs exposed to the high temperature were inoculated once in the mice, it was found that the immunogenicity was significantly reduced compared to the VLPs exposed to the low temperature. However, these differences were almost neglected when mice were inoculated twice even with VLPs exposed to high temperatures. Conclusion This study suggests that similar protective effects can be expected by controlling the number of vaccination and storage conditions, although the antigenic change in the VLP vaccines occurred when exposed to high temperature.

Purpose: In this study, we investigated whether the antigenic changes of the virus-like particles (VLPs) are affected by the temperature during storage. Materials and Methods: After exposing the recombinant influenza VLPs to various temperatures for a period, antigenic changes were examined through in vitro hemagglutination receptor binding assay and in vivo mouse experiments. Results: Influenza VLPs were exposed at three different temperatures of low, middle, and high on a thermo-hygrostat. High temperature exposed influenza VLPs were showed significantly reduced HA activity and immunogenicity after mouse single immunization over time compared low and middle. When the VLPs exposed to the high temperature were inoculated once in the mice, it was found that the immunogenicity was significantly reduced compared to the VLPs exposed to the low temperature. However, these differences were almost neglected when mice were inoculated twice even with VLPs exposed to high temperatures. Conclusion This study suggests that similar protective effects can be expected by controlling the number of vaccination and storage conditions, although the antigenic change in the VLP vaccines occurred when exposed to high temperature.

This study was performed to investigate the biochemical properties of Acanthamoeba proteinase, its role in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba keratitis and the therapeutic effect of the homogenate of amniotic membrane as a proteinase inhibitors. Acanthamoeba castellanii isolated from the keratitis patient was cultured in PYG medium, in which the excretory and secretory products were analysed. The secretory proteinases of A. castellanii wre identified using in vitro azocasein assay, activity-PAGE, and various protein substrate degradation assays, and one of them was purified and characterized. The pruified secretory proteinase was a kind of serine proteinase. Its molecular weight was 105 kDa and optimal pH was 8.5. It was able to degrade the various protein substrates such as fibronectin, IgA, IgG, fibrinogen. The various proteinase ingibitors and the amniotic membrane homogenates were tested in vitro against the purified seirne proteinase. The amniotic membrane homegenates markedly showed the inhibitory effect against the enzyme activity and this inhibitory effect was also revealed in animal study. In vivo study, this purified proteinase was infected into 14 pigmented rabbit corneas, pretreated with steroids. The corneal lesions induced by both of the purified proteinase and A. castellanii, showed similar clinical findings each other, in which the stromal infiltration and opacity with epithelial defect was revealed. These corneal lesions were significantly inhibited without any side effects of the amniotic membrane homogenates. Conclusively, Acanthamoeba proteinase was closely associated with the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba keratitis. This study provides a successful animal model of Acanthamoeba keratitis using pigmented rabbit. And the fact that Acanthamoeba-induced corneal lesions were inhibited by the amniotic membrane homogenate, suggested that the amniotic membrane homogenate have the ability of the serine protinase inhibition further investigative studies are also necessary.
Acanthamoeba castellanii ; Acanthamoeba Keratitis* ; Acanthamoeba* ; Amnion* ; Animals ; Cornea ; Fibrinogen ; Fibronectins ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Keratitis ; Models, Animal ; Molecular Weight ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Serine ; Serine Proteases ; Steroids

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third*

Lawsonia intracellularis is not culturable with a standard bacteriologic culture. One step PCR assay as a clinical diagnostic method was developed for the rapid detection of porcine proliferative enteritis (PPE) caused by L. intracellularis. Primers were designed based on the p78 DNA clone of L. intracellularis. The one step PCR resulted in the formation of a specific 210-bp DNA product derived from L. intracellularis. The nonspecific amplification product was not detected with swine genomic DNA or other bacterial strains causing similar symptoms to L. intracellularis infection. The one step PCR was as sensitive as 100 pg of L. intracellularis genomic DNA. We applied this method to field specimens diagnosed as PPE by macroscopic observation. Of 17 mucosal scraping specimens, 16(94%) were identified as positive to PPE and 15(88%) of 17 feces specimens. These results suggest that the one step PCR can be used as a rapid diagnostic method for L. intracellularis infection.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; DNA Primers ; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections/diagnosis/*veterinary ; Ileum/microbiology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology/pathology ; Lawsonia Bacteria/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*diagnosis/microbiology

No abstract available.

A total of 22 Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) strains isolated from human and chicken were subjected to DNA fingerprinting by repetitive sequence PCR using ERIC and BOX primers, antibiotic resistance and plasmid patterns. Both ERIC and BOX PCR amplification data revealed a highly genetic homogeneity between isolates from human and chicken except one isolate, which originated from chicken and showed a different DNA band pattern from others. Eleven of 22 S. Enteritidis isolates (50%) were resistant to more than one antibiotics and characterized by 5 resistance patterns. The most common pattern was penicillin resistant (63.6%). Only one isolate from chicken showed a multiple drug resistance patterns to 4 antibiotics. All 22 S. Enteritidis isolates harbored more than two plasmids with eight different plasmid profiles including two to six plasmids with approximate molecular size ranging from 1.9 to 21 kb. A band of 15 kb size was detected in all isolates tested, however, the band sizes smaller than 15 kb were found only in isolates from chicken.
Animals ; *Chickens ; China/epidemiology ; DNA Fingerprinting/veterinary ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests/veterinary ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics ; Plasmids/chemistry/genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Poultry Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology ; Salmonella Food Poisoning/epidemiology/*microbiology ; Salmonella enteritidis/drug effects/*genetics/isolation&purification