Inflammatory bone destruction triggered by oral bacteria is a hallmark of chronic and apical periodontitis. Receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) activates bone resorption, whereas osteoprotegerin (OPG) blocks its action. These are members of the tumor necrosis factor ligand and receptor families, respectively. Although individual oral pathogens are known to regulate RANKL and OPG expressi...

The attractiveness of both ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to various actors throughout the world represents a serious threat to U.S. security. These weapons and delivery systems are popular in part because they are highly visible symbols of military prowess. As such, they provide significant influence on regional balances of power, even among friends and allies. Furthe...

Having personally witnessed the destruction at the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, this paper presents my personal feelings and observations as an observer of both disaster and terror. Aside from the unimaginable horror as a result of the carnage, a feeling of helplessness was particularly prominent due to the inability to be able to care for casualties since most victims were fataliti...

The tragic events of 9/11 and the concerns about the potential for a terrorist or hostile state attack with weapons of mass destruction have led to an increased emphasis on risk analysis for homeland security. Uncertain hazards (natural and engineering) have been successfully analyzed using probabilistic risk analysis (PRA). Unlike uncertain hazards, terrorists and hostile states are intelligen...

Objective(s):Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive pathogen, well known for its resistance andversatile lifestyle. Under unfavourable conditions, it adapts biofilm mode of growth. For staphylococcal biofilm formation, production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is a pre-requisite, which is regulated by ica operon-encoded enzymes. This study was designed to know the impact of ascor...

background: the aim of this study was to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern as well as the phenotypic and genotypic biofilm formation ability of staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with urinary tract infection (uti). methods: a total of 39 isolates of s. aureus were collected from patients with uti. the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were determined b...

objectives we investigated the potential relationships between biofilm formation and prevalence of virulence genes (asa1, esp, cyla, and gele/spre), and antimicrobial resistance genes (aac (6’)/aph (2”) in enterococcus faecalis isolated from patients with urinary tract infection. patients and methods in this survey 95 e. faecalis isolates from patients with urinary tract infections staying at s...