Streptococcus pneumoniae is not only a commensal of the nasopharyngeal epithelium, but may also cause life-threatening diseases. Immune-electron microscopy studies revealed that the bacterial glycolytic enzyme, phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), is localised on the pneumococcal surface of both capsulated and non-capsulated strains and colocalises with plasminogen. Since pneumococci may concentrate ...

Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) microparticles were developed as carriers for isoniazid and rifampin in order to improve compliance of tuberculous chemotherapy. Antitubercular drugs encapsulated in PLG polymers and injected in a single dose subcutaneously resulted in a sustained release (up to 6 weeks) of drugs in various organs of mice. Further, Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv-infected ...

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a single gene (plg-1) encodes the dominant protein found in mating plugs - a means of inhibiting multiple matings. Naturally occurring loss of plg-1 function results in males that fail to deposit mating plugs - a manifestation of relaxed sexual selection since the evolution of self-fertilization in this species.

The causative agent of anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, is capable of circumventing the humoral and innate immune defense of the host and modulating the blood chemistry in circulation to initiate a productive infection. It has been shown that the pathogen employs a number of strategies against immune cells using secreted pathogenic factors such as toxins. However, interference of B. anthracis with ...

The role of the plasminogen activation system (PAS) was investigated during the course of infection of a relapsing fever Borrelia species in plasminogen-deficient (plg -/-) and control (plg +/+ and plg +/-) mice. Subcutaneous inoculation of 10(4) spirochetes resulted in a peak spirochetemia five days after infection with 20-23 x 10(6) organisms per milliliter of whole blood in all mice, indicat...

PURPOSE To evaluate the presence and potential involvement of members of the plasminogen/plasminogen activator (Plg/PA) system in the exudative form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS The expression of PA members mRNA was evaluated in human and experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) by RT-PCR. The presence and activity of PA was studied by immunofluorescence and in si...

BACKGROUND High body mass index (BMI) and diabetes have been linked to risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but results are inconsistent and most studies use self-reported information. No study has evaluated the association of NHL with postload plasma glucose (PLG) levels, which are positively associated with BMI. We analyzed data from a cohort study to investigate associations of interviewer-...

It has been proposed that hyperinsulinemia is involved in colon carcinogenesis. An association between post-load plasma glucose (PLG) levels and risk of colorectal cancer mortality would be consistent with this hypothesis. We used data from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry to examine the associations of nonfasting PLG and other variables related to the insulin resista...

Activation of plasminogen, the zymogen of the primary thrombolytic enzyme, plasmin, is markedly promoted when plasminogen is bound to cell surfaces, arming cells with the broad spectrum proteolytic activity of plasmin. In addition to its role in thrombolysis, cell surface plasmin facilitates a wide array of physiologic and pathologic processes. Carboxypeptidase B-sensitive plasminogen binding s...

PURPOSE Excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy creates a nonvascular wound of the cornea. Fibrin deposition and resolution after excimer laser photokeratectomy were investigated in relation to corneal repair and restoration of clarity in mice with a genetic deficiency of plasminogen. METHODS A Summit Apex Laser (Summit, Waltham, MA) was used to perform 2-mm, 175-pulse, transepithelial phot...