Yes / Negotiations to find a legally binding way to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) of 1972 [1]are in danger of failing. The crisis was precipitated during the current round of talks, now in its final week in Geneva, when the US, alone amongst the negotiating States, rejected the text of a protocol that has taken six and a half years to negotiate.

Bordetella pertussis is a strictly human pathogen colonizing the upper respiratory tract, causing a respiratory disease known as whooping cough or pertussis. The introduction of whole-cell vaccines and acellular vaccines, resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of disease and reduce the fatalities associated with infection. However, epidemiological data show a significant increase in the incidence of the disease in recent decades. The increasing incidence is mainly attributed to the transition from the whole- cell vaccine to an acellular vaccine. Based on research from recent years has shown that acellular vaccines have many drawbacks, and it is therefore necessary to change the vaccination strategy. One possible solution to the situation is the development of a new generation of whole-cell vaccines with reduced reactogenicity. The new whole-cell vaccine was prepared by a genetically modified B. pertussis strain. B. pertussis was modified using allelic exchange to develop strain encoding enzymatically inactive pertussis toxin, modified lipid A and lacking dermonecrotic toxin. This combination of genetic modifications in mice led to a decrease in reactogenicity test vaccine in vivo. In case of intranasal infection whole-cell vaccine containing genetically modified strain is providing...

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-39)

Thesis (Ph.D. in Microbiology) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-207). Free to UCD affiliates. Online version available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations;

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2008. / Title from screen (viewed on June 2, 2009). Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Stephen D. Allen. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-215).

Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2002.

Resumo: Escherichia coli produtoras de toxina Shiga (STEC) são reconhecidas como agentes causadores de infecções em humanos em todo o mundo. O principal reservatório é o bovino. Neste trabalho, cepas de STEC previamente isoladas de fezes bovinas foram caracterizadas usando PCR multiplex para determinar os genes de virulência (stx1, stx2, ehxA, eaeA e saa), soroaglutinação passiva reversa em látex (RPLA-VTEC screen) para avaliar a expressão da toxina Shiga, PCR-RFLP e sequenciamento para obter os subtipos e a variabilidade dos genes stx2, respectivamente. Foram determinados também os sorotipos, o perfil de sensibilidade e a viabilidade das cepas de STEC em queijo minas frescal. A freqüência de STEC nas amostras de fezes bovinas foi de 37%. Foram encontrados trinta e quatro sorotipos de STEC sendo os mais freqüentes o ONT:H7 (10%), O22:H8, O22:H16 e ONT:H21 (7% cada). Onze sorotipos encontrados não tinham sido associados com STEC até o momento. A maioria das STEC (96%) foi susceptível a todos os antimicrobianos testados. A produção de toxina Shiga determinada pelo ensaio RPLA foi de 89%. Os marcadores de virulência foram encontrados em 11 diferentes combinações, a mais freqüente foi stx2 (27%), stx1 stx2 e stx1 stx2 ehxA saa (16% cada). Foram detectados 8 subtipos de stx2: stx2OX3a/O111; stx2; stx2c; stx2(vha); stx2(vhb); stx2OX3b; stx2vnb/vhc e stx2O48. Os genes que apresentaram maior freqüência foram: stx2 e stx2c. As seqüências parciais obtidas sugerem a presença de elevada variabilidade nos genes do tipo stx2 nas STEC analisadas. A viabilidade de STEC não-O157 em queijo minas revelou que diferentes cepas de STEC podem ser detectadas nos queijos após 10 dias de armazenamento sob refrigeração. Os dados encontrados neste trabalho sugerem isolados com alto potencial de patogenicidade oferecendo risco de desencadear graves infecções à população. / Abstract: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is recognize worldwide as an organism capable to cause human diseases. Cattle are the main source of STEC. In this research, STEC strains previously isolated were analyzed using multiplex-PCR for virulence genes, the RPLA assay to detect the Shiga toxin production and serotyping. PCR-RFLP and nucleotide sequence were analyzed to detect stx2 genes subtypes and their variability. Moreover tests for antimicrobial susceptibility and the vialbility of STEC in Minas Frescal cheese were done. The frequency of cattle shedding STEC was 37%. Thirty-four serotypes of STEC were found, the most frequent being ONT:H7 (10%), O22:H8, O22:H16 and ONT:H21 (7% each). Eleven serotypes had not been associate with STEC until the moment. Most of the strains (96%) were susceptible to all antimicrobial agents tested. Production of Shiga toxin by the RPLA assay was detected in most (89%) of the STEC strains. The frequency of virulence markers were found in 11 diferent combinations: stx2 (27%), stx1 stx2 e stx1 stx2 ehxA saa (16% each). Eigth stx2 subtypes were detect (stx2OX3a/O111; stx2; stx2c; stx2(vha); stx2(vhb); stx2OX3b; stx2vnb/vhc; stx2O48) and the most frequent were: stx2; stx2c. The partial sequences of stx2 genes suggested a high variability of stx2 types in the STEC analyzed. The STEC viability in cheese could be detected after 10 days of storage under refrigeration. The results found in this work suggest strains with high potential of pathogenicity offering risk to lead serious infections to the population. / Orientador: Ruben Pablo Schocken-Iturrino / Coorientador: José Moacir Marin / Coorientadora: Cyntia Maria Telles Fadel-Pichetch / Banca: Luiz Augusto do Amaral / Banca: Hélio José Montassier / Banca: Alessandra Aparecida Medeiros / Banca: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martins / Doutor

M.Tech. / The development of wrinkles is an aspect of ageing that causes people to become dissatisfied with their appearance. The most obvious or noticeable wrinkles on a person's face are those around and between the eyes. Treatment of, for example the wrinkles between the eyes, such as the most prominent frown lines, leads to a visible improvement of appearance ...

Cnidarians are the largest phylum of generally toxic animals, yet their toxins and venoms have not received as much scientific attention as those of many terrestrial (snakes, scorpions, spiders, etc.) and even some marine animals (i.e. cone snails). Approximately 13,000 living cnidarian species have been described by systematists. A major rationale for their study in the past, besides scientific curiousity, was to better treat victims of their envenomation. While that goal remains a high priority, it is now appreciated that the toxins of these mostly marine animals can be very useful molecular probes for the analysis of ion channels involved in electrical signaling, immune responses and other signal transduction processes of biomedical interest. For instance, anaphylaxis was discovered by Richet (1905) during experiments with sea anemone and hydrozoan tentacular extracts. Similarly, it has recently been shown that a toxin from another sea anemone is able to potently inhibit T-lymphocyte proliferation in models of certain autoimmune diseases. Thus, these natural substances continue to be of relevance for understanding and treating human diseases. In addition to introducing phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterata), we provide a short history of early (until about 1990) research on cnidarian toxins and venoms, to provide a perspective for appreciating the scientific advances of the past two decades that are summarized in the ensuing 19 papers in this special Toxicon issue.