OBJECTIVES To determine factors associated with CTX-M-producing ST131 Escherichia coli which is the worldwide predominant lineage among CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates. METHODS Consecutive inpatients with a clinical sample positive for CTX-M-producing E. coli and considered as cases in a previous 8-month (2008-2009) case-control study performed in ten university hospitals in the Paris area w...

We examined the benefits of the combination of anti-EGFR targeted treatment, cetuximab (CTX) or nimotuzumab (NTZ) and concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) compared with CCRT alone in patients with stage II - IVb nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 1,628 eligible patients with stage II - IVb NPC, who received CCRT (three cycles of 100 mg/m2 cisplatin every 3 weeks with inten...

Skeletal muscle is one of the most sensitive tissues to mechanical loading, and unloading inhibits the regeneration potential of skeletal muscle after injury. This study was designed to elucidate the specific effects of unloading stress on the function of immunocytes during muscle regeneration after injury. We examined immunocyte infiltration and muscle regeneration in cardiotoxin (CTX)-injecte...

Chlorotoxin (CTX) is a 36-amino acid peptide derived from Leiurus quinquestriatus (scorpion) venom, which inhibits low-conductance chloride channels in colonic epithelial cells. It has been reported that CTX also binds to matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), membrane type-1 MMP, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2, as well as CLC-3 chloride ion channels and other proteins. Pancreatic can...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the extent, distribution and sequence analysis of bla(CTX-M) genes carried by Escherichia coli isolated from patients admitted to all government hospitals in Kuwait. METHODS Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli isolates were collected from the 8 major hospitals in Kuwait. CTX-M ESBLs were analyzed by PCR and sequenced. Clonality of the positive isola...

Cardiotoxin (CTX) from Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) reportedly had analgesic effect in animal models but its role in inflammation and arthritis was unknown. In this study, we investigated the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antiarthritic actions of orally administered CTX-IV isolated from NNAV on rodent models of inflammation and adjuvant arthritis. CTX had significant anti-inflammatory effect...

We sought to explore the effect of blueberry anthocyanins-enriched extracts (BAE) on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced cardiac injury. The rats were divided randomly into five groups including normal control, CTX 100 mg/kg, BAE 80mg/kg, CTX+BAE 20mg/kg and CTX+BAE 80mg/kg groups. The rats in the three BAE-treated groups were administered BAE for four weeks. Seven days after BAE administration, rat...

The mechanism of charybdotoxin (CTX) block of single Ca2+-activated K+ channels from rat muscle was studied in planar lipid bilayers. CTX blocks the channel from the external solution, and K+ in the internal solution specifically relieves toxin block. The effect of K+ is due solely to an enhancement of the CTX dissociation rate. As internal K+ is raised, the CTX dissociation rate increases in a...

Charybdotoxin (CTX), a small, basic protein from scorpion venom, strongly inhibits the conduction of K ions through high-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels. The interaction of CTX with Ca2+-activated K+ channels from rat skeletal muscle plasma membranes was studied by inserting single channels into uncharged planar phospholipid bilayers. CTX blocks K+ conduction by binding to the external ...

Current knowledge on extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in animals is based largely on cross-sectional studies and qualitative data. The aim of this longitudinal study was to elucidate carriage proportions and fecal counts of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in pigs during the production cycle. At each of three ESBL-positive single-sited farrow-to-finisher pig farms (farms A, B, and C) in...