Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Hassan MI, McSorley FR, Hotta K, Boddy CN
    J Vis Exp, 2017 06 27.
    PMID: 28715370 DOI: 10.3791/55187
    Co-expression of multiple proteins is increasingly essential for synthetic biology, studying protein-protein complexes, and characterizing and harnessing biosynthetic pathways. In this manuscript, the use of a highly effective system for the construction of multigene synthetic operons under the control of an inducible T7 RNA polymerase is described. This system allows many genes to be expressed simultaneously from one plasmid. Here, a set of four related vectors, pMGX-A, pMGX-hisA, pMGX-K, and pMGX-hisK, with either the ampicillin or kanamycin resistance selectable marker (A and K) and either possessing or lacking an N-terminal hexahistidine tag (his) are disclosed. Detailed protocols for the construction of synthetic operons using this vector system are provided along with the corresponding data, showing that a pMGX-based system containing five genes can be readily constructed and used to produce all five encoded proteins in Escherichia coli. This system and protocol enables researchers to routinely express complex multi-component modules and pathways in E. coli.
    MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/genetics*; Genetic Vectors/genetics*; Plasmids/genetics*; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases/genetics*; Viral Proteins/genetics*
  2. Hong KW, Asmah Hani AW, Nurul Aina Murni CA, Pusparani RR, Chong CK, Verasahib K, et al.
    Infect Genet Evol, 2017 Oct;54:263-270.
    PMID: 28711373 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.07.015
    In this study, we report the comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis of Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain B-D-16-78 that was isolated from a clinical specimen in 2016. The complete genome of C. diphtheriae strain B-D-16-78 was sequenced using PacBio Single Molecule, Real-Time sequencing technology and consists of a 2,474,151-bp circular chromosome with an average GC content of 53.56%. The core genome of C. diphtheriae was also deduced from a total of 74 strains with complete or draft genome sequences and the core genome-based phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic relationship among strains that shared the same MLST allelic profile. In the context of CRISPR-Cas system, which confers adaptive immunity against re-invading DNA, 73 out of 86 spacer sequences were found to be unique to Malaysian strains which harboured only type-II-C and/or type-I-E-a systems. A total of 48 tox genes which code for the diphtheria toxin were retrieved from the 74 genomes and with the exception of one truncated gene, only nucleotide substitutions were detected when compared to the tox gene sequence of PW8. More than half were synonymous substitution and only two were nonsynonymous substitutions whereby H24Y was predicted to have a damaging effect on the protein function whilst T262V was predicted to be tolerated. Both toxigenic and non-toxigenic toxin-gene bearing strains have been isolated in Malaysia but the repeated isolation of toxigenic strains with the same MLST profile suggests the possibility of some of these strains may be circulating in the population. Hence, efforts to increase herd immunity should be continued and supported by an effective monitoring and surveillance system to track, manage and control outbreak of cases.
    MeSH terms: Corynebacterium diphtheriae/classification*; Corynebacterium diphtheriae/genetics*; Corynebacterium diphtheriae/isolation & purification; Diphtheria/microbiology*; Diphtheria/epidemiology; Diphtheria Toxin/genetics; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Phylogeny*; Genome, Bacterial*; Computational Biology/methods; Molecular Sequence Annotation; CRISPR-Cas Systems
  3. Balakumar P, Anand-Srivastava MB, Jagadeesh G
    Pharmacol Res, 2017 11;125(Pt A):1-3.
    PMID: 28711403 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2017.07.003
    MeSH terms: Aldosterone/metabolism*; Angiotensins/metabolism*; Cardiovascular Diseases/metabolism; Humans; Renin/metabolism*; Renin-Angiotensin System/physiology*
  4. Rahman NA, Sharudin A, Diah S, Muharram SH
    Microb Pathog, 2017 Sep;110:352-358.
    PMID: 28711510 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.07.021
    INTRODUCTION: Pneumococcal infections have caused morbidity and mortality globally. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci) are commensal bacteria that colonize the nasopharynx, asymptomatically. From there, pneumococci can spread in the lungs causing pneumonia and disseminate in the bloodstream causing bacteremia (sepsis) and reach the brain leading to meningitis. Endothelial cells are one of the most important components of the blood-brain barrier that separates the blood from the brain and plays the first protective role against pneumococcal entry. Thus this study aimed to investigate on the ability of non-meningitis pneumococcal clinical strains to adhere and invade a brain endothelium model.

    METHODS: Two pneumococcal Brunei clinical strains were serotyped by multiplex PCR method using oligonucleotide sequences derived from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A validated immortalised mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEnd.3) was used as a brain endothelium model for the study of the pneumococcal breach of the blood-brain barrier using an adherence and invasion assay.

    RESULTS: Both of the pneumococcal clinical strains were found to be serotype 19F, a common circulating serotype in Southeast Asia and globally and possess the ability to adhere and invade the brain endothelial cells.

    CONCLUSION: In addition, this is the first report on the serotype identification of pneumococci in Brunei Darussalam and their application on a brain endothelium model. Further studies are required to understand the virulence capabilities of the clinical strains.

    MeSH terms: Animals; Asia, Southeastern; Blood-Brain Barrier/metabolism; Blood-Brain Barrier/microbiology*; Brunei; Cell Line; DNA, Bacterial; Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular/microbiology*; Humans; Models, Biological; Pneumococcal Infections/microbiology*; Serotyping*; Streptococcus pneumoniae/genetics*; Streptococcus pneumoniae/metabolism; Streptococcus pneumoniae/pathogenicity; Virulence; von Willebrand Factor/metabolism; Meningitis, Bacterial/metabolism; Meningitis, Bacterial/microbiology; Adhesins, Bacterial*; Endothelial Cells/metabolism; Endothelial Cells/microbiology*; Mice; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Tight Junction Proteins/metabolism; Serogroup
  5. Choudhury H, Gorain B, Pandey M, Kumbhar SA, Tekade RK, Iyer AK, et al.
    Int J Pharm, 2017 Aug 30;529(1-2):506-522.
    PMID: 28711640 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.07.018
    Docetaxel (DTX) is one of the important antitumor drugs, being used in several common chemotherapies to control leading cancer types. Severe toxicities of the DTX are prominent due to sudden parenteral exposure of desired loading dose to maintain the therapeutic concentration. Field of nanotechnology is leading to resist sudden systemic exposure of DTX with more specific delivery to the site of cancer. Further nanometric size range of the formulation aid for prolonged circulation, thereby extensive exposure results better efficacy. In this article, we extensively reviewed the therapeutic benefit of incorporating d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (vitamin E TPGS, or simply TPGS) in the nanoparticle (NP) formulation of DTX for improved delivery, tumor control and tolerability. TPGS is well accepted nonionic-ampiphilic polymer which has been identified in the role of emulsifier, stabilizer, penetration enhancer, solubilizer and in protection in micelle. Simultaneously, P-glycoprotein inhibitory activity of TPGS in the multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cells along with its apoptotic potential are the added advantage of TPGS to be incorporated in nano-chemotherapeutics. Thus, it could be concluded that TPGS based nanoparticulate application is an advanced approach to improve therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents by better internalization and sustained retention of the NPs.
    MeSH terms: Drug Carriers/chemistry*; Humans; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry; Vitamin E/chemistry*; Taxoids/administration & dosage*; Cell Line, Tumor; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  6. Zanudin A, Mercer TH, Jagadamma KC, van der Linden ML
    Gait Posture, 2017 10;58:30-40.
    PMID: 28711651 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.07.005
    Availability of outcome measures (OMs) with robust psychometric properties is an essential prerequisite for the evaluation of interventions designed to address gait deterioration in young people with Cerebral Palsy (CP). This review evaluates evidence for the reliability, validity and responsiveness of outcome measures of gait quality and walking performance in young people with CP. A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus. Articles that met the eligibility criteria were selected. Methodological quality of studies was independently rated by two raters using the modified COnsensus-based Standard for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments checklist. Strength of evidence was rated using standardised guidelines. Best evidence synthesis was scored according to Cochrane criteria. Fifty-one articles reporting on 18 distinct OMs were included for review. Best evidence synthesis indicated a moderate to strong evidence for the reliability for OMs of walking performance but conflicting evidence for the reliability of OMs of gait quality. The evidence for responsiveness for all OMs included in this review was rated as 'unknown'. The limitations of using the modified COSMIN scoring for small sample sizes are acknowledged. Future studies of high methodological quality are needed to explore the responsiveness of OMs assessing gait quality and walking performance in young people with CP.
    MeSH terms: Cerebral Palsy/physiopathology; Cerebral Palsy/psychology*; Gait/physiology*; Humans; Psychometrics/methods; Reproducibility of Results; Walking/psychology*; Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
  7. Nanthini J, Ong SY, Sudesh K
    Gene, 2017 Sep 10;628:146-155.
    PMID: 28711667 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2017.07.039
    Rubber materials have greatly contributed to human civilization. However, being a polymeric material does not decompose easily, it has caused huge environmental problems. On the other hand, only few bacteria are known to degrade rubber, with studies pertaining them being intensively focusing on the mechanism involved in microbial rubber degradation. The Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7, which was previously confirmed to possess rubber-degrading ability, was subjected to whole genome sequencing using the single molecule sequencing technology of the PacBio® RS II system. The genome was further analyzed and compared with previously reported rubber-degrading bacteria in order to identify the potential genes involved in rubber degradation. This led to the interesting discovery of three homologues of latex-clearing protein (Lcp) on the chromosome of this strain, which are probably responsible for rubber degrading activities. Genes encoding oxidoreductase α-subunit (oxiA) and oxidoreductase β-subunit (oxiB) were also found downstream of two lcp genes which are located adjacent to each other. In silico analysis reveals genes that have been identified to be involved in the microbial degradation of rubber in the Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7. This is the first whole genome sequence of a clear-zone-forming natural rubber- degrading Streptomyces sp., which harbours three Lcp homologous genes with the presence of oxiA and oxiB genes compared to the previously reported Gordonia polyisoprenivorans strain VH2 (with two Lcp homologous genes) and Nocardia nova SH22a (with only one Lcp gene).
    MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; Latex; Oxidoreductases/genetics; Rubber/metabolism; Streptomyces/genetics*; Streptomyces/metabolism; Streptomyces/ultrastructure; Genome, Bacterial
  8. Gandhamal A, Talbar S, Gajre S, Razak R, Hani AFM, Kumar D
    Comput Biol Med, 2017 Sep 01;88:110-125.
    PMID: 28711767 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2017.07.008
    Knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression can be monitored by measuring changes in the subchondral bone structure such as area and shape from MR images as an imaging biomarker. However, measurements of these minute changes are highly dependent on the accurate segmentation of bone tissue from MR images and it is challenging task due to the complex tissue structure and inadequate image contrast/brightness. In this paper, a fully automated method for segmenting subchondral bone from knee MR images is proposed. Here, the contrast of knee MR images is enhanced using a gray-level S-curve transformation followed by automatic seed point detection using a three-dimensional multi-edge overlapping technique. Successively, bone regions are initially extracted using distance-regularized level-set evolution followed by identification and correction of leakages along the bone boundary regions using a boundary displacement technique. The performance of the developed technique is evaluated against ground truths by measuring sensitivity, specificity, dice similarity coefficient (DSC), average surface distance (AvgD) and root mean square surface distance (RMSD). An average sensitivity (91.14%), specificity (99.12%) and DSC (90.28%) with 95% confidence interval (CI) in the range 89.74-92.54%, 98.93-99.31% and 88.68-91.88% respectively is achieved for the femur bone segmentation in 8 datasets. For tibia bone, average sensitivity (90.69%), specificity (99.65%) and DSC (91.35%) with 95% CI in the range 88.59-92.79%, 99.50-99.80% and 88.68-91.88% respectively is achieved. AvgD and RMSD values for femur are 1.43 ± 0.23 (mm) and 2.10 ± 0.35 (mm) respectively while for tibia, the values are 0.95 ± 0.28 (mm) and 1.30 ± 0.42 (mm) respectively that demonstrates acceptable error between proposed method and ground truths. In conclusion, results obtained in this work demonstrate substantially significant performance with consistency and robustness that led the proposed method to be applicable for large scale and longitudinal knee OA studies in clinical settings.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods*
  9. Ahmed MJ, Islam MA, Asif M, Hameed BH
    Bioresour Technol, 2017 Nov;243:778-784.
    PMID: 28711807 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.174
    In this work, a human hair-derived high surface area porous carbon material (HHC) was prepared using potassium hydroxide activation. The morphology and textural properties of the HHC structure, along with its adsorption performance for tetracycline (TC) antibiotics, were evaluated. HHC showed a high surface area of 1505.11m(2)/g and 68.34% microporosity. The effects of most important variables, such as initial concentration (25-355mg/L), solution pH (3-13), and temperatures (30-50°C), on the HHC adsorption performance were investigated. Isotherm data analysis revealed the favorable application of the Langmuir model, with maximum TC uptakes of 128.52, 162.62, and 210.18mg/g at 30, 40, and 50°C, respectively. The experimental data of TC uptakes versus time were analyzed efficiently using a pseudo-first order model. Porous HHC could be an efficient adsorbent for eliminating antibiotic pollutants in wastewater.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Anti-Bacterial Agents*; Carbon; Hair/chemistry*; Kinetics; Tetracycline*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry*; Water Purification
  10. Sulaiman RNR, Othman N
    J Hazard Mater, 2017 Oct 15;340:77-84.
    PMID: 28711835 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.06.060
    The discharge of electroplating waste containing nickel ions has led to environmental issues owing to the toxicity problem mainly to the aquatic organisms and humans. Liquid-liquid extraction offers a great potential treatment for nickel removal with several advantages of simple, high efficiency and high separation factor. In this study, a green synergistic liquid-liquid extraction of nickel ions from electroplating waste solution using chelating oxime (LIX63) and organophosphorus (D2EHPA) carriers individually as well as their synergistic mixture has been studied. The result demonstrated that about 83% of nickel ions have been successfully extracted via the mixture system of 0.08M LIX63 +0.02M D2EHPA with the maximum synergistic enhancement factor, Rmax of 29.56. Meanwhile, the back extraction study also revealed that HNO3 was the most suitable stripping agent while the diluent screening also showed that palm oil has high potential to be incorporated as a diluent in the green synergistic liquid-liquid extraction of nickel.
    MeSH terms: Body Fluids; Chelating Agents; Electroplating; Ions; Nickel; Oximes; Aquatic Organisms; Liquid-Liquid Extraction
  11. Tee HS, Lee CY
    J Econ Entomol, 2017 02 01;110(1):213-220.
    PMID: 28028170 DOI: 10.1093/jee/tow287
    The influences of ootheca age and temperature on the life history of Aprostocetus hagenowii (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a gregarious ootheca parasitoid of the American cockroach Periplaneta americana (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattidae), were evaluated. Oothecae were incubated at 20, 25, and 30 °C to produce oothecae aged 1-60, 1-40, and 1-30 d old, respectively. Fitness traits (development time, percentage emergence, number of progeny, percentage female progeny, and female body size) of A. hagenowii developing in these different-aged oothecae were determined. For oothecae incubated at 20, 25, and 30 °C, parasitoids successfully developed in oothecae aged up to 50, 30, and 20 d old, which represent 72.9%, 65.9%, and 61.9% of the total embryonic development time of P. americana, respectively, without any changes in their fitness traits. When A. hagenowii from oothecae kept at constant temperatures (20, 25, 30, 32, and 35 °C) were compared, the immature development time (71.0-34.0 d) and adult life span decreased with increasing temperature. No parasitoid emerged at 35 °C. The lower, upper, and optimal temperature-dependent developmental thresholds were 9.5, 34.2, and 31.1 °C, respectively. Thermal constant for total immature development was 666.7 degree-days. Temperature did not affect lifetime realized fecundity and number of oothecae parasitized by females but did influence parasitism activities over time. Sugar-fed females sustained longer periods of high parasitism rates (≥70%) at 20-30 °C (15-30 d) than at 32-35 °C (1-5 d). These results are useful for determining the ootheca age and temperature range optimal for parasitoid rearing and for estimating the effectiveness of biological control by the wasps.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Fertility; Host-Parasite Interactions*; Male; Ovum/growth & development; Ovum/parasitology; Periplaneta/parasitology*; Periplaneta/physiology*; Temperature; Wasps/physiology*; Life History Traits*
  12. Kim G, Chen E, Tay AY, Lee JS, Phua JN, Shabbir A, et al.
    Jpn J Clin Oncol, 2017 02 26;47(2):179-184.
    PMID: 28173154 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyw153
    Peritoneal recurrence after gastrectomy for gastric cancer is common and the prognosis is dismal. Recent evidence suggests that extensive peritoneal lavage with large volume of normal saline after surgery before abdominal closure can reduce the risk of peritoneal recurrence and improve overall survival. This study aims to evaluate the benefit of extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage. This is a prospective, open-label, multicentre randomised controlled trial involving 15 international centres in China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Patients with cT3/4 stomach cancer undergoing curative resection are randomised to either extensive peritoneal lavage (10 l of saline) or standard lavage (≤2 l of saline). The primary outcome is overall survival and secondary outcomes include disease-free survival and peritoneal recurrence. The minimum sample size is 600 subjects with 300 per arm completing 3 years follow-up. The data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis, assuming a two-sided test with a 5% level of significance.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Gastrectomy/methods*; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Peritoneal Lavage/methods*; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery*; Disease-Free Survival; Young Adult
  13. Thoa NP, Hamzah A, Nguyen NH
    Anim. Reprod. Sci., 2017 Sep;184:94-101.
    PMID: 28709735 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.07.003
    The present study examines genetic variation and correlated changes in reproductive performance traits in a red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) population selected over three generations for improved growth. A total of 328 breeding females (offspring of 111 sires and 118 dams) had measurements of body weight prior to spawning (WBS), number of fry at hatching (NFH), total fry weight (TFW) and number of dead fry (NDF) or mortality of fry including unhatched eggs at hatching (MFH). Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis in a multi-trait model showed that there are heritable genetic components for all traits studied. The heritability for WBS was very high (0.80). The estimates for traits related to fecundity (NFH, TFW) and survival (NDF) were low and they were associated with high standard errors. Genetic correlations of WBS with other reproductive performance traits (NFH, TFW and NDF) were generally positive. However, NFH was negatively correlated genetically with TFW. As expected, body measurements during growth stage exhibited strong positive genetic correlations with WBS. The genetic correlations between body traits and reproductive performance (NFH, TFW, NDF) were not significant. Correlated responses in reproductive traits were measured as changes in least squares means between generations or spawning years. Except for WBS that increased with the selection programs, the phenotypic changes in other reproductive traits observed were not statistically significant (P>0.05). It is concluded that the selection program for red tilapia has resulted in very little changes in reproductive performance of the animals after three generations. However, periodic monitoring of genetic changes in fecundity and fitness related traits such as NDF or MFH should be made in selective breeding programs for red tilapia.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Breeding; Reproduction/genetics; Reproduction/physiology*; Selection, Genetic*; Genetic Variation*; Tilapia/genetics*; Tilapia/growth & development; Aquaculture
  14. Ahmad B, Md Zain AZ, Fatt QK
    Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2017 Dec;11 Suppl 2:S901-S906.
    PMID: 28709852 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2017.07.013
    The aim of the study is to determine the impact of diabetes education on patients' glycaemic control. A prospective 18-month intervention study was conducted at four ambulatory diabetes centres. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes patients attended an hour of structured diabetes education at their respective diabetes centres. A month post-intervention patients were contacted through telephone and followed up for 18 months. Anthropometric measurements and socio-demographic details were collected during the first visit. HbA1C blood test for each patient was taken at beginning and end of study. Patients' diabetes knowledge showed 80% obtained Excellent or Very Good score. The Telephone Contact (TC) retention rate was 75.52% at 18 months. There was a significant improvement (p=0.001) in patients' glycaemic control with a reduction in HbA1C of ≥1% from baseline. Diabetes education intervention contributed positively to significant glycaemic improvement and should be embedded within a structured diabetes care delivery system.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Ambulatory Care; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy*; Female; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated/analysis; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Education as Topic*; Prospective Studies
  15. Nawaz MS, Shah KU, Khan TM, Rehman AU, Rashid HU, Mahmood S, et al.
    Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2017 Dec;11 Suppl 2:S833-S839.
    PMID: 28709853 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2017.07.003
    OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem in developing countries. There are various insulin therapies to manage diabetes mellitus. This systematic review evaluates various insulin therapies for management of diabetes mellitus worldwide. This review also focuses on recent developments being explored for better management of diabetes mellitus.

    RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD: We reviewed a number of published articles from 2002 to 2016 to find out the appropriate management of diabetes mellitus. The paramount parameters of the selected studies include the insulin type & its dose, type of diabetes, duration and comparison of different insulin protocols. In addition, various newly developed approaches for insulin delivery with potential output have also been evaluated.

    RESULTS: A great variability was observed in managing diabetes mellitus through insulin therapy and the important controlling factors found for this therapy include; dose titration, duration of insulin use, type of insulin used and combination therapy of different insulin.

    CONCLUSION: A range of research articles on current trends and recent advances in insulin has been summarized, which led us to the conclusion that multiple daily insulin injections or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (insulin pump) is the best method to manage diabetes mellitus. In future perspectives, development of the oral and inhalant insulin would be a tremendous breakthrough in Insulin therapy.

    MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy*; Humans; Insulin/administration & dosage; Insulin/therapeutic use*
  16. Mallhi TH, Khan YH, Tanveer N, Khan AH, Bukhsh A
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2017 Jul-Aug;18:75-76.
    PMID: 28709958 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2017.07.005
    MeSH terms: Zika Virus Infection*; Zika Virus*; Humans; India
  17. Osman AY, Saharee AA, Jesse FF, Kadir AA
    Microb Pathog, 2017 Sep;110:365-374.
    PMID: 28710016 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.07.014
    In this study, we developed a mouse model and characterized the effects of intranasal inoculation of virulent Brucella melitensis strain 16M and its lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The effects of the exposure were compared with respective control groups. Both Brucella melitensis-infected and LPS-infected groups showed no significant clinical presentation with minor relevance in the mortality associated with the infection. In Brucella melitensis-infected group, significant histopathological changes in comparison to the LPS infected group with increase bacterial burden in the lungs, reproductive and reticuloendothelial organs were observed. However, both infected groups showed elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (IL-1β and IL6) and antibody production (IgM an IgG) as early as 3 days post-infection with predominance in LPS infected group. In contrast, low levels of sex related hormonal changes was recorded in both infected groups throughout the experimental period. This is the first detailed investigation comparing the infection progression and host responses in relation to the immunopathophysiological aspects in mouse model after intranasal inoculation with B. melitensis and its lipopolysaccharide. The study revealed a significant difference between infected and control groups with overlap in clinical, pathological, and immunological responses as well as sex related hormonal changes resulting from the infections.
    MeSH terms: Administration, Intranasal/methods*; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial/immunology; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/immunology; Brucellosis/immunology*; Brucellosis/microbiology*; Brucellosis/pathology*; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Heart/drug effects; Heart/microbiology; Immunoglobulin G/blood; Immunoglobulin M/blood; Kidney/drug effects; Kidney/microbiology; Kidney/pathology; Lipopolysaccharides/immunology; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology*; Liver/drug effects; Liver/microbiology; Liver/pathology; Lung/drug effects; Lung/microbiology; Lung/pathology; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mortality; Progesterone/blood; Mononuclear Phagocyte System/drug effects; Mononuclear Phagocyte System/pathology; Gonadal Steroid Hormones/blood; Gonadal Steroid Hormones/metabolism; Time Factors; Uterus/drug effects; Uterus/microbiology; Uterus/pathology; Interleukin-6/metabolism; Cytokines/blood; Cytokines/metabolism; Brucella melitensis/metabolism*; Brucella melitensis/pathogenicity*; Mice; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism; Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology
  18. Pauly M, Pir JB, Loesch C, Sausy A, Snoeck CJ, Hübschen JM, et al.
    Appl Environ Microbiol, 2017 09 15;83(18).
    PMID: 28710271 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01326-17
    Several infectious disease outbreaks with high mortality in humans have been attributed to viruses that are thought to have evolved from bat viruses. In this study from Luxembourg, the genetic diversity and epidemiology of paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses shed by the bat species Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Myotis emarginatus were evaluated. Feces collection (n = 624) was performed longitudinally in a mixed-species colony in 2015 and 2016. In addition, feces (n = 254) were collected cross-sectionally from six Myotis emarginatus colonies in 2016. By use of degenerate primers in a nested format, overall prevalences of 1.1% (10/878) and 4.9% (43/878) were determined for paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses. Sequences of the partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and spike glycoprotein genes of coronaviruses, as well as sequences of the partial L gene of paramyxoviruses, were obtained. Novel paramyxovirus and Alphacoronavirus strains were identified in different Myotis emarginatus colonies, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related Betacoronavirus strains were shed by Rhinolophus ferrumequinum Logistic regression revealed that the level of Alphacoronavirus shedding was highest in July (odds ratio, 2.8; P < 0.01), probably due to periparturient stress. Phylogenetic analyses point to close virus-host coevolution, and the high genetic similarity of the study strains suggests that the Myotis emarginatus colonies in Luxembourg are socially connected. Most interestingly, we show that bats also host Betacoronavirus1 strains. The high similarity of the spike gene sequences of these viruses with mammalian Betacoronavirus 1 strains may be of concern. Both the SARS-related and Betacoronavirus 1 strains detected in bats in Luxembourg may cross the species barrier after a host adaptation process.IMPORTANCE Bats are a natural reservoir of a number of zoonotic pathogens. Several severe outbreaks in humans (e.g., a Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia in 1998, and the almost global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003) have been caused by bat-borne viruses that were transmitted to humans mostly after virus adaptation (e.g., in intermediate animal hosts). Despite the indigenousness of bat species that host viruses with suspected zoonotic potential and despite the zoonotic transmission of European bat 1 lyssavirus in Luxembourg, knowledge about the diversity and epidemiology of bat viruses remains limited in this country. Moreover, in contrast to other European countries, bat viruses are currently not included in the national surveillance activities of this land-locked country. We suggest that this gap in disease surveillance should be addressed, since we show here that synanthropic bats host viruses that may be able to cross the species barrier.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Chiroptera/classification; Chiroptera/virology*; Humans; Luxembourg; Phylogeny; Genetic Variation; Genome, Viral; Paramyxovirinae/classification; Paramyxovirinae/genetics; Paramyxovirinae/isolation & purification*; Evolution, Molecular; SARS Virus/classification; SARS Virus/genetics; SARS Virus/isolation & purification*
  19. Karami A, Golieskardi A, Ho YB, Larat V, Salamatinia B
    Sci Rep, 2017 07 14;7(1):5473.
    PMID: 28710445 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05828-6
    There is a paucity of information about the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in edible fish tissues. Here, we investigated the potential presence of MPs in the excised organs (viscera and gills) and eviscerated flesh (whole fish excluding the viscera and gills) of four commonly consumed dried fish species (n = 30 per species). The MP chemical composition was then determined using micro-Raman spectroscopy and elemental analysis with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Out of 61 isolated particles, 59.0% were plastic polymers, 21.3% were pigment particles, 6.55% were non-plastic items (i.e. cellulose or actinolite), while 13.1% remained unidentified. The level of heavy metals on MPs or pigment particles were below the detection limit. Surprisingly, in two species, the eviscerated flesh contained higher MP loads than the excised organs, which highlights that evisceration does not necessarily eliminate the risk of MP intake by consumers. Future studies are encouraged to quantify anthropogenic particle loads in edible fish tissues.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Environmental Monitoring*; Fishes/metabolism*; Organ Specificity*; Particle Size; Plastics/analysis*; Spectrum Analysis, Raman
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