BACKGROUND This study compared the pharmacodynamics of ceftobiprole and vancomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) using an in vitro model. METHODS Two methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), two community-associated (CA)-MRSA, one healthcare-associated (HA)-MRSA, three VISA and tw...

Cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) applications are focused towards the use of implantable biohybrids consisting of biodegradable scaffolds combined with in vitro cultured cells. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) were identified as the most potent prochondrogenic factors used to design new biomaterials for CTE, while human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were proved to display...

BACKGROUND Harmane (1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) (HA) is a potent neurotoxin that has been linked to two neurological diseases, essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. Blood harmane concentrations [HA] are elevated in patients with both diseases. An important question is whether HA is specifically linked with these diseases or alternatively, is a non-specific marker of neurological illnes...

We evaluated the biomass and contents of five major macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in 10-year-old poplar trees (Populus deltoids Bartr. cv. "Lux"), and determined their nutrient use efficiencies (NUEs) at Zhoushan Forestry Farm (32°20' N, 119°40' E), Jiangsu province, in eastern China. The above- and below-ground biomass of poplar trees was 161.7 t ha(-1), of which 53.3% was stemwood. The ...

Background: The application of biochar as a soil amendment has achieved popularity and has been found to improve considerably soil nutrient status and plant productivity in low fertile soils. Methods: This study used two different methods to apply sewage sludge and sewage sludge biochar with three replicates in a completely randomized block design. The experiment included (1) control, (2) mulc...

Hyaluronan (HA) is a linear non-sulfated polysaccharide mainly found in the extracellular matrix. The size of HA can vary from a few disaccharides up to at least 25,000 units, reaching molecular weights of 10 10(3) kDa. HA has many biological functions, and both its size and tissue concentration play an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. It is relatively easy to de...

TG.AC transgenic mice harbor a v-Ha-ras transgene and retain two normal c-Ha-ras alÃ-elesand are susceptible to skin tumor formation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). To determine whether nor mal c-Ha-ras antagonizes the oncogenic potential of the v-Ha-ras transgene and/or whether additional non-Ha-ra.v 7,12-dimethylhenz(a (anthra cene (DMBA) initiation target genes exist in mouse ...

An experiment was carried out during two subsequent years, i.e., 2009-10 and 2010-11 to study the influence of Azotobacter, vermicompost on growth, flowering, yield and quality of strawberry cv. Chandler. There were nine treatments comprising two levels each of Azotobacter (6 and 7 kg/ha) and vermicompost (20 and 30 t/ ha) and their combinations along with one control, replicated thrice in rand...

Agroindustrial wastes such as spent grain, cocoa husk, rice bran and sawdust, unamended and amended with cattle, poultry and goat droppings were studied as to their effect on growth, fruit yield and nutrient composition of tomato (Lycopersicum escutentum Mill) in two experiments. Analysis of the wastes showed varying nutrient composition with C:N values of 11.1, 12.5, 23.3 and 18.2 respectively...

We describe a role for ECM as a biosensor for inflammatory microenvironments that plays a critical role in peripheral immune tolerance. We show that hyaluronan (HA) promotes induction of Foxp3- IL-10-producing regulatory T cells (TR1) from conventional T-cell precursors in both murine and human systems. This is, to our knowledge, the first description of an ECM component inducing regulatory T c...