Altered phosphorylation status of the C-terminal Thr residues of Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin (ERM) is often linked to cell shape change. To determine the role of phophorylated ERM, we modified phosphorylation status of ERM and investigated changes in cell adhesion and morphology. Treatment with Calyculin-A (Cal-A), a protein phosphatase inhibitor, dramatically augmented phosphorylated ERM (phospho-ERM...

PURPOSE To identify preoperative markers on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for residual inner limiting membrane (ILM) in epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling. METHODS In this retrospective case series the preoperative SD-OCTs from 119 eyes of 119 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for idiopathic ERM by a single surgeon were evaluated for markers predisposing for IL...

Sir, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can cause a wide variety of infections in animals with bovine mastitis being the predominant staphylococcal infection in dairy cattle. MRSA isolates—mainly of multilocus sequence type (ST) 398—have recently been shown to be also involved in bovine mastitis. Although a variety of antimicrobial resistance genes have been identified in MRSA i...

BACKGROUND We sought to characterize the temporal trends in nasopharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant pneumococci during a period with increased heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) coverage in Central Greece. METHODS Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were recovered from 2649 nasopharyngeal samples obtained from day-care center attendees in Central Greece during 2005-2009. A...

Ketolides, which represent the newest macrolide antibiotics, are generally perceived to be noninducers of inducible erm genes. In the study described in this paper we investigated the effects of several macrolide and ketolide compounds on the expression of the inducible erm(C) gene by Escherichia coli cells. Exposure to 14-member-ring macrolide drugs and to azithromycin led to a rapid and prono...

Human Hertwig's epithelial root sheath/epithelial rests of Malassez (HERS/ERM) cells are epithelial remnants of teeth residing in the periodontium. Although the functional roles of HERS/ERM cells have yet to be elucidated, they are a unique epithelial cell population in adult teeth and are reported to have stem cell characteristics. Therefore, HERS/ERM cells might play a role as an epithelial c...

AIM To determine if the internal limiting membrane (ILM) was present in the epiretinal membrane (ERM) when we deliberately tried to perform a "double peel" for macular pucker. METHODS Pars-plana vitrectomy and a "double peel" were carried out. The ERM and ILM were stained with Trypan Blue and peeled separately over the same area. The amount of ERM present in ILM specimens and the amount of IL...

A screening assay to test the inducing capacity of macrolides by fusing the attenuator of the inducible erm(B) gene from Streptococcus pneumoniae HM28 with the gfpmut1 gene has been designed. Fluorescence was detected under UV light around disks impregnated with inducer macrolides (erythromycin or azithromycin) but not with noninducer ketolides. Induction could be quantified by fluorometry.