We conducted population-based surveillance for pneumococcal bacteremia within a 5-county region surrounding Philadelphia from October 2001 through September 2008, the period following introduction of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Erythromycin resistance increased from 14.7% in 2001-2002 to 20.3% in 2007-2008, while the resistance rate to penicillin (MIC, ≥2 μg/ml) decreased f...

Stromal fibroblasts are suggested to be a key determinant in the malignant progression of breast cancer. To find an in vitro culture model that best mimics the in vivo tumor microenvironment so we can study the effects of stromal fibroblasts on breast cancer progression, we evaluated several three-dimensional (3D) co-culture models in order to identify the most suitable culture model for our st...

Of a total of 192 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, 149 (77.6%) were not susceptible to erythromycin. Of these 149 isolates, 117 (79.1%) contained the erm(B) gene, 16 (10.8%) contained the mef(A) gene, and 15 (10.1%) harbored both the erm(B) and mef(A) genes.

In this communication we describe a new approach to the fabrication of fluorescent silver/polymer nanohybrids with thermo-switchable metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF). By manipulating a soft polymer spacer between the silver nanoparticles and the fluorophores a tunable MEF was achieved.

background: embryonic stem (es) cells are pluripotent cells conventionally isolated from early embryos. studies have shown that es cells serve as a practical model for biomedical studies. objective: the aim of the present study was to optimize culture conditions for establishment of es-like colonies from nmri mouse blastocysts as well as 2-cell stage embryos. materials and methods: both expande...

When a replicative DNA polymerase stalls upon encountering a photoproduct on the template strand, it is relieved by other low-processivity polymerase(s), which insert nucleotide(s) opposite the lesion. Using an alkaline sucrose density gradient sedimentation technique, we previously classified this process termed UV-induced translesion replication (UV-TLS) into two types. In human cancer cells ...

AIM This study aims to describe the microbiology of middle ear fluid (MEF) in a cohort of children vaccinated with Streptococcus pneumoniae conjugate vaccine (PCV7) having ventilation tube insertion. Nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage of otopathogens in these children is compared with children without history of otitis media. METHODS Between May and November 2011, MEF and NP samples from 325 childr...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcriptional regulator of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism. Increasingly clear is also the role of the AhR in the control of cell growth and proliferation. By analyzing differential patterns of gene expression between wild-type (AhR+/+) and null (AhR-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF), we have identified latent transforming growth factor-beta b...