The neisserial opacity (Opa) proteins are a family of antigenically distinct outer membrane proteins that undergo phase-variable expression. Opa(+) variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain FA1090 are selected in a cyclical pattern from the lower genital tract of estradiol-treated mice. Here we show that cyclical recovery of Opa(+) gonococci does not occur in ovariectomized mice; therefore, the ...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to compare the ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in patients with different types of glaucoma, and also to evaluate the usefulness of OPA for the elucidation of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). OPA is thought to reflect choroidal circulation. SUBJECTS Sixty-six patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), 52 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), 42 with ...

Condensed octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) dimers, i.e., two OPA molecules combined with the loss of a water molecule, were detected by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) on OPA self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) that are only weakly bonded on the native oxide layer of a silicon wafer. In contrast, these condensed dimers were absent on OPA SAMs formed on the oxide layer of an...

OBJECTIVE Physical inactivity is a major health risk for working adults, yet the interplay between physical activity levels in work and non-work settings is not well understood. The association between occupational physical activity (OPA) and non-occupational physical activity (non-OPA), and associations by sex, were examined in a group of 233 working adults in the Minneapolis, MN metro area be...

We describe a simple experimental approach for delivering self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) on many oxide surfaces using a nonpolar medium with a dielectric constant around 4 (e.g., trichloroethylene). This approach readily results in the formation of full-coverage OPA SAMs on a wide variety of oxide surfaces including cleaved mica, Si wafer, quartz, and aluminu...

Control and preventive measures for gonococcal infections are based on precise epidemiological characteristics of N. gonorrhoeae isolates. In the present study the potential utility of opa-typing and ribotyping for molecular epidemiological study of consecutive gonococcal strains was determined. Sixty gonococcal isolates were subjected to ribotyping with two restriction enzymes, AvaII and HincI...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) establishes infection at the mucosal surface of the human genital tract, most of which is lined with polarized epithelial cells. GC can cause localized as well as disseminated infections, leading to various complications. GC constantly change their surface structures via phase and antigenic variation, which has been implicated as a means for GC to establish infection ...

The immunoglobulin-like family of CD66 antigens, present on human neutrophils and epithelial cells, are used as receptors for adhesins expressed by the pathogenic Neisseriae. N. gonorrhoeae strain MS11 can express 11 isoforms of these adhesins, called opacity-related (Opa) proteins. Each MS11 Opa protein recognizes a distinct spectrum of CD66 receptors. CD66-Opa binding is mediated by the NH(2)...

Background: Occupational physical activity (OPA) is prevalent in the general population. However, its influence on the health status of manual workers is unclear. This study examined the impact of OPA on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of vocational-skilled workers (VSWs) in Nigeria.  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 354 male VSWs from six cities in...

The opacity (Opa) proteins mediate a variety of interactions between the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis and its human host. These interactions are thought to be of central importance in both the asymptomatic colonization of the nasopharynx and the sporadic occurrence of meningococcal disease. The receptor specificities of a limited number of Opa protein variants have been explored, but the hi...