Egg sphingomyelin vesicles were used to assay aggregation/fusion activities of proteins from Taiwan (Naja naja atra) venom to avoid the problem of phospholipase A2 contamination during protein purification. It led to the identification of a new cardiotoxin (CTX) analogue protein (CTX V) with major aggregation/fusion, but few hemolysis, activities. On the contrary, cardiotoxin (CTX III) induced ...

OBJECTIVES To assess the frequency and diversity of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in the Champagne-Ardenne region France, and to identify genetic elements associated with the bla(CTX-M) genes. METHODS During 2004, all the non-duplicate isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii resistant to ceftazidime and of Enterobacteriaceae intermediate or resistant to ceft...

Brain tumors are fast proliferating and destructive within the brain microenvironment. Effective chemotherapeutic strategies are currently lacking which combat this deadly disease curatively. The glioma-specific chloride ion channel represents a specific target for therapy. Chlorotoxin (CTX), a peptide derived from scorpion venom, has been shown to be specific and efficacious in blocking glioma...

CONTEXT The CTX-M family consists of more than 50 β-lactamases, which are grouped on the basis of sequences into five subtypes including CTX-M-1, CTX-M-2, CTX-M-8, CTX-M-9 and CTX-M-25. OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to detect subtypes of CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) among ESBL positive Klebsiella isolates from patients in Kashan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 1...

Chemotherapy can precondition for immunotherapy by creating an environment for homeostatic lymphoproliferation and eliminating some of the suppressive immune networks. We found that combination therapy with anti-4-1BB and cyclophosphamide (CTX) produced synergistic anticancer effects in the poorly immunogenic B16 melanoma model in mice. The antitumor effect of the combination therapy depended m...

Background: There is still uncertainty regarding the role of perioperative chemotherapy (CTx) in context resectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The aim this study was to assess differences long-term oncologic outcomes patients with CRLM who had neoadjuvant CTx only versus those received combined adjuvant therapy (perioperative CTx). Methods: International multicentre retrospective analy...

Over the last decade, CTX-M enzymes have become the most prevalent extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) worldwide, mostly in Escherichia coli, causing a major health problem. An epidemiological relationship has been established between a rare genotype of E. coli, the D(2) genotype, and the presence of CTX-M genes. We investigated this striking association by exploring the genetic backgroun...

This study was performed to assess the prevalence and genotypes of plasmid-borne extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases in Escherichia coli in Korea. A total of 576 isolates of E. coli was collected from 12 Korean hospitals during May and July 2007. A phenotypic confirmatory test detected ESBLs in 82 (14.2 %) of the 576 E. coli isolates. The most common types of ESBL...

OBJECTIVE The present study was undertaken to characterize CTX-M ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from hospitals in different cities of Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-five K. pneumoniae strains isolated from hospitalized patients in six different hospitals of three cities of Brazil were analyzed. ESBL production was confirmed by the standard double-disk synergy test and the...

OBJECTIVES Knowledge about the regulatory mechanisms of CTX-M β-lactamase-encoding genes in Escherichia coli is limited. The objectives of this study were to determine the growth response of CTX-M-1-producing E. coli exposed to cefotaxime and to investigate how blaCTX-M-1 expression at mRNA and protein levels is influenced by cefotaxime concentration, growth phase and gene location (chromosome ...