1 Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 2 School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 3 Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. 4 Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Leba...

A putative virulence factor, SabA, a sialic acid-binding adhesin, has recently been characterized in Helicobacter pylori from European isolates. However, little genetic information is available for sabA genes in strains isolated from Japanese patients. Here, we investigated the presence of the sabA gene in 23 H. pylori clinical isolates using polymerase chain reaction detection. It was found th...

The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of acute chronic gastritis and the development of stomach and duodenal ulcers. Chronic infection furthermore pre-disposes to the development of gastric cancer. Crucial to H. pylori survival within the hostile environment of the digestive system are the adhesins SabA and BabA; these molecules belong to the same protein family and permit t...

Adaptation to the acidic microenvironment, and adherence to mucosal epithelium, are essential for persistent colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori. The expression of SabA, an adhesin implicated in the ability of H. pylori to adhere to the host gastric epithelium, can be modulated by phase variation via slipped-strand mispairing in repetitive nucleotide tracts located in both ...

1 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 2 Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 4 Department of Experimental Patholo...

The purpose of this study was to clarify the additive efficacy of short-acting β(2)-agonists (SABA) or muscarinic antagonists (SAMA) on dynamic hyperinflation and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators. Thirty-two patients with stable COPD who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators, includ...

BACKGROUND The importance of sialic acid binding adhesin (sabA) as a new outer membrane protein in gastroduodenal diseases has been recognized. The prevalence rate of sabA gene varies in different geographic areas. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of sabA gene in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains isolated from different clinical outcomes in Tehran, Iran. ...

Saba banana, Musa ‘saba’(Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana) peel is an underutilized waste from processed banana manufacturing in the Philippines. The feasibility of saba banana peel pectin for use in food processing was assessed. Pectin from saba banana peel was extracted under two different extraction conditions. Pectin extraction was carried out using hydrochloric acid (0.5N, pH 1.5) and citr...

BACKGROUND Overuse of short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) is described in asthma, but little is known about overuse of SABA in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS Prospective 3-month cohort study of patients with moderate-to-severe COPD who were provided a portable electronic inhaler sensor to monitor daily SABA use. Subjects wore a pedometer for 3 seven-day periods and were a...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A number of Helicobacter pylori outer membrane proteins (OMPs) undergo phase variations. This study examined the relation between OMP phase variations and clinical outcome. METHODS Expression of H pylori BabA, BabB, SabA, and OipA proteins was determined by immunoblot. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the relation among OMP expression, clinical outco...