Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) of the HERV-W group comprise hundreds of loci in the human genome. Deregulated HERV-W expression and HERV-W locus ERVWE1-encoded Syncytin-1 protein have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the actual transcription of HERV-W loci in the MS context has not been comprehensively analyzed. We investigated transcription of HER...

BACKGROUND In Africa, relapsing fever borreliae are neglected vector-borne pathogens that cause mild to deadly septicemia and miscarriage. Screening vectors for the presence of borreliae currently requires technically demanding, time- and resource-consuming molecular methods. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) has recently emerged as a to...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by multiple areas of inflammation, demyelination and neurodegeneration. Infiltrating Th1 CD4+ T cells secrete proinflammatory cytokines. They stimulate the release of some cytokines, expression of adhesion molecules and these cytokines may cause damage to the myelin sheath and axons. In this study, we analyzed plasma levels and gene expressions of five i...

Abnormalities in alternative splicing (AS) are emerging as recurrent features in autoimmune diseases (AIDs). In particular, a growing body of evidence suggests the existence of a pathogenic association between a generalized defect in splicing regulatory genes and multiple sclerosis (MS). Moreover, several studies have documented an unbalance in alternatively-spliced isoforms in MS patients poss...

BACKGROUND Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations cause a large spectrum of clinically important neurodegenerative, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and endocrine disorders. We describe the novel application of electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR MS) to the rapid and accurate identification of pathogenic mtDNA variants. METHODS In a blinde...

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania (Ross, 1903) and is the focus of considerable attention in human and veterinary medicine. In the city of Campo Grande, MS, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis is Leishmania infantum (= L. chagasi) primary vector, comprising approximately 92.9% of the local sandfly population, is Lutzomyia longipalpis. The a...

We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the Carba NP test with that of a straightforward matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method for detecting carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). Using PCR as the reference method, both tests demonstrated a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 100%. MALDI-TOF MS offers a potential alterna...

the extent to which oral streptococci or lactic acid producing bacteria are able to regulate pH value, especially at low pH values associated with dentinal carious activity using a PCR method. One millimeter-thick sections were sliced from 24 extracted carious human molars. The pH values on the tooth sections were evaluated using a pH-imaging microscope. A dentin sample (1×1×1mm) was prepared f...

OBJECTIVES Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a multiorgan condition manifesting itself in different forms. This study aimed to investigate protein expression profiles and to find the possible biomarker for IgG4-RD by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using tissue sections in IgG4-RD patients. METHODS Protein expression profiles in five IgG4-related pancreatitis and ...

The rapid identification of the potentially toxigenic Corynebacterium species, C. diphtheriae, C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis is essential for diagnosis and treatment of diphtheria and diphtheria-like diseases. We used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDIT-OF MS) in comparison with classical microbiological and molecular methods on 116 Coryn...