Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0016382 (flushing)
 6,387 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We previously reported on the sporadic contamination by Legionella anisa of shower units and sink taps at Ryukyu University Hospital. Starting in July 2003, the neonatal area underwent an 8-month reconstruction, and in March 2005, the boiler system was replaced. We therefore examined shower water and tap water for the presence of Legionella just after replacement of the boiler system. In 3 of the 8 water samples collected from the remodeled area, we isolated Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 and L. anisa. Moreover, L. pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated in 4 of the 5 water samples gathered from the unreconstructed area of the same floor. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis suggested that a single clone of L. pneumophila might exist throughout the floors of the water distribution system. We replaced the shower units at the Legionella-positive site, and began flushing the sink-faucets with water heated to 55N for at least 1 h every morning. As a result, Legionella was not subsequently isolated in water samples. In this prospective study, we identified a central contamination by L. pneumophila serogroup 1 and showed that flushing with hot tap water was effective to counter this situation.
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PMID:Prospective monitoring study: isolating Legionella pneumophila in a hospital water system located in the obstetrics and gynecology ward after eradication of Legionella anisa and reconstruction of shower units. 1731 17

Over the world, canine species, including the gray wolf, have been gradually endangered or extinct. Many efforts have been made to recover and conserve these canids. The aim of this study was to produce the endangered gray wolf with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) for conservation. Adult ear fibroblasts from a female gray wolf (Canis lupus) were isolated and cultured in vitro as donor cells. Because of limitations in obtaining gray wolf matured oocytes, in vivo matured canine oocytes obtained by flushing the oviducts from the isthmus to the infundibulum were used. After removing the cumulus cells, the oocyte was enucleated, microinjected, fused with a donor cell, and activated. The reconstructed cloned wolf embryos were transferred into the oviducts of the naturally synchronized surrogate mothers. Two pregnancies were detected by ultrasonography at 23 days of gestation in recipient dogs. In each surrogate dog, two fetal sacs were confirmed by early pregnancy diagnosis at 23 days, but only two cloned wolves were delivered. The first cloned wolf was delivered by cesarean section on October 18, 2005, 60 days after embryo transfer. The second cloned wolf was delivered on October 26, 2005, at 61 days postembryo transfer. Microsatellite analysis was performed with genomic DNA from the donor wolf, the two cloned wolves, and the two surrogate female recipients to confirm the genetic identity of the cloned wolves. Analysis of 19 microsatellite loci confirmed that the cloned wolves were genetically identical to the donor wolf. In conclusion, we demonstrated live birth of two cloned gray wolves by nuclear transfer of wolf somatic cells into enucleated canine oocyte, indicating that SCNT is a practical approach for conserving endangered canids.
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PMID:Endangered wolves cloned from adult somatic cells. 1738 20

In order to produce transgenic goats with hG-CSF, a total of 24 adult Saanen and 48 adult undefined breed goats were used as donors and recipients, respectively. Donors were estrus-synchronized with vaginal sponges and superovulated by a treatment with 200 mg FSH given twice daily in decreasing doses over 3 days starting 48 h before sponge removal. Ovulation was induced by injecting 100 microg GnRH 36 h after sponge removal. The recipients also received an estrus synchronization treatment. Donors were mated with fertile Saanen bucks and, approximately 72 h after sponge removal, zygotes were recovered surgically by flushing oviducts. The recovered zygotes were briefly centrifuged to a reliable visualization of the pronuclei. The DNA construct containing hG-CSF gene flanked by goat and bovine alphas1-casein sequences was injected into pronuclei of 129 zygotes. The microinjected embryos (3-6 per female) were transferred to 27 recipients. Ten recipients became pregnant and 12 kids were born. One transgenic male founder was identified in the group of kids. This is the first report of a birth of a transgenic goat in Latin America.
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PMID:Production of transgenic goat (Capra hircus) with human Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (hG-CSF) gene in Brazil. 1806 30

We present a fully automated DNA purification module comprised of a micro-fabricated chip and sequential injection analysis system that is designed for use within autonomous instruments that continuously monitor the environment for the presence of biological threat agents. The chip has an elliptical flow channel containing a bed (3.5 x 3.5 mm) of silica-coated pillars with height, width and center-to-center spacing of 200, 15, and 30 microm, respectively, which provides a relatively large surface area (ca. 3 cm(2)) for DNA capture in the presence of chaotropic agents. We have characterized the effect of various fluidic parameters on extraction performance, including sample input volume, capture flow rate, and elution volume. The flow-through design made the pillar chip completely reusable; carryover was eliminated by flushing lines with sodium hypochlorite and deionized water between assays. A mass balance was conducted to determine the fate of input DNA not recovered in the eluent. The device was capable of purifying and recovering Bacillus anthracis genomic DNA (input masses from 0.32 to 320 pg) from spiked environmental aerosol samples, for subsequent analysis using polymerase chain reaction-based assays.
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PMID:Development of an automated DNA purification module using a micro-fabricated pillar chip. 1822 49

To date, dogs have been cloned with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), using donor cells derived from large-breed dogs 2 months to 3 years of age. The objective of the present study was to use SCNT to produce a small-breed dog from ear fibroblasts of an aged poodle, using large-breed oocyte donors and surrogate females, and to determine the origin of its mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the length of its telomeres. Oocytes were derived from large-breed donors, matured in vivo, collected by flushing oviducts, and reconstructed with somatic cells derived from an aged (14-year-old) female toy poodle. Oocytes and donor cells were fused by electric stimuli, activated chemically, and transferred into the oviducts of large-breed recipient females. Overall, 358 activated couplets were surgically transferred into the oviducts of 20 recipient dogs. Two recipients became pregnant; only one maintained pregnancy to term, and a live puppy (weighing 190 g) was delivered by Caesarean section. The cloned poodle was phenotypically and genetically identical to the nuclear donor dog; however, its mtDNA was from the oocyte donor, and its mean telomere length was not significantly different from that of the nuclear donor. In summary, we demonstrated that a small-breed dog could be cloned by transferring activated couplets produced by fusion of somatic cells from a small-breed, aged donor female with enucleated in-vivo-matured oocytes of large-breed females, and transferred into the oviduct of large-breed recipient female dogs.
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PMID:A cloned toy poodle produced from somatic cells derived from an aged female dog. 1824 92

To decipher and manipulate the 14 000 identified Drosophila genes, there is a need to inject a large number of embryos with transgenes. We have developed an automated instrument for high throughput injection of Drosophila embryos. It was built on an inverted microscope, equipped with a motorized xy stage, autofocus, a charge coupled device camera, and an injection needle mounted on a high speed vertical stage. A novel, micromachined embryo alignment device was developed to facilitate the arrangement of a large number of eggs. The control system included intelligent and dynamic imaging and analysis software and an embryo injection algorithm imitating a human operator. Once the injection needle and embryo slide are loaded, the software automatically images and characterizes each embryo and subsequently injects DNA into all suitable embryos. The ability to program needle flushing and monitor needle status after each injection ensures reliable delivery of biomaterials. Using this instrument, we performed a set of transformation injection experiments. The robot achieved injection speeds and transformation efficiencies comparable to those of a skilled human injector. Because it can be programed to allow injection at various locations in the embryo, such as the anterior pole or along the dorsal or ventral axes, this system is also suitable for injection of general biochemicals, including drugs and RNAi.
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PMID:Automating fruit fly Drosophila embryo injection for high throughput transgenic studies. 1824 37

Gangliosides are a family of sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids that are abundant in neurons and have a variety of functions in developing and mature tissues. We examined the expression of ganglioside GT1b in the embryonic preimplantation stage after freezing and thawing processes to determine the regulatory roles of ganglioside GT1b in early embryonic development. ICR mouse embryos at the two-cell stage obtained by flushing the oviducts were frozen by two cryopreservation procedures, slow freezing using a programmable freezer or vitrification by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen. Slow freezing was conducted with equilibration in 1.5 M 1,2-propanediol or 5% equilibration glycerol. Vitrification was applied with a 10-15 min equilibration in 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG), 7.5% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and 30 sec in a solution of 15% EG, 15% DMSO and 0.5 M sucrose. Immediately after thawing, the survival rate of the embryos was assessed by their morphology and ability to develop to blastocysts in culture. The survival rate of vitrified and thawed embryos (92%) was significantly higher than that of slow frozen and thawed embryos (76%) (P<0.05). A tendency of higher blastocyst rate was found in the vitrified and thawed embryos compared to that of the slow frozen and thawed embryos. Confocal immunofluorescence staining confirmed that surviving embryos expressed ganglioside GT1b, with the strongest expression at the compacted eight-cell or later stage embryos. Ganglioside GT1b was not observed in the TUNEL-positive, apoptotic embryos, suggesting that cryopreservation had induced DNA breaks in them. These results suggest that ganglioside GT1b may play an important role in embryo survival or development.
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PMID:Expression of ganglioside GT1b in mouse embryos at different developmental stages after cryopreservation. 1827 13

Three mixed-bred raptors (Falco rusticolus x Falco cherrug) from a German falcon breeder were presented with a history of respiratory distress. In one bird a laryngeal stridor was noted, and oral examination revealed an epiglottal swelling. In the other two birds, nasal discharge and sneezing were the main clinical symptoms. Nasal flushing samples and biopsies were collected for pathologic, bacteriologic, and parasitologic examination. Results confirmed a cryptosporidial infection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA analysis identified the causative agent to be Cryptosporidium baileyi. No cryptosporidia were detected in fecal samples, indicating the infection was confined to the respiratory system. Analysis of prey animals (pigeons, quail) failed to identify the source of infection. Treatment was initiated with paromomycin in all three birds, whereas in two birds an additional therapy with azithromycin was given. However, no clinical improvement was seen after several weeks of treatment, and the birds either died or were euthanatized. To the authors' knowledge, these are the first confirmed cases of disease caused by cryptosporidia in the order of Falconiformes.
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PMID:Upper respiratory tract infection caused by Cryptosporidium baileyi in three mixed-bred falcons (Falco rusticolus x Falco cherrug). 1864 71

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex disorder with environmental and genetic origins. The role of two genetic variants in ALDH2 and ADH1B in AD risk has been extensively investigated. This study tested for associations between nine polymorphisms in ALDH2 and 41 in the seven ADH genes, and alcohol-related flushing, alcohol use and dependence symptom scores in 4597 Australian twins. The vast majority (4296) had consumed alcohol in the previous year, with 547 meeting DSM-IIIR criteria for AD. There were study-wide significant associations (P<2.3 x 10(-4)) between ADH1B-Arg48His (rs1229984) and flushing and consumption, but only nominally significant associations (P<0.01) with dependence. Individuals carrying the rs1229984 G-allele (48Arg) reported a lower prevalence of flushing after alcohol (P=8.2 x 10(-7)), consumed alcohol on more occasions (P=2.7 x 10(-6)), had a higher maximum number of alcoholic drinks in a single day (P=2.7 x 10(-6)) and a higher overall alcohol consumption (P=8.9 x 10(-8)) in the previous year than those with the less common A-allele (48His). After controlling for rs1229984, an independent association was observed between rs1042026 (ADH1B) and alcohol intake (P=4.7 x 10(-5)) and suggestive associations (P<0.001) between alcohol consumption phenotypes and rs1693482 (ADH1C), rs1230165 (ADH5) and rs3762894 (ADH4). ALDH2 variation was not associated with flushing or alcohol consumption, but was weakly associated with AD measures. These results bridge the gap between DNA sequence variation and alcohol-related behavior, confirming that the ADH1B-Arg48His polymorphism affects both alcohol-related flushing in Europeans and alcohol intake. The absence of study-wide significant effects on AD results from the low P-value required when testing multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms and phenotypes.
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PMID:Associations of ADH and ALDH2 gene variation with self report alcohol reactions, consumption and dependence: an integrated analysis. 1899 23

Our Renal Care Center (RCC) is a separate building, performing almost 2500 outpatient dialysis runs per month. In May 2007, 2 patients developed, days apart, bacteremia with an apparently identical nonfermentative Gram-negative rod. Because of difficulty identifying the organism, testing in the Biolog system identified them as a Halomonas species. Sequencing of approximately 1500 bases of the 16S rRNA gene in both organisms in 3 reference laboratories confirmed, searching against 3 databases, that the organisms were identical and were Halomonas species. There were 54 recognized species of this genus, associated with marine or saline sites. Initial attempts at environmental isolation as primary cultures, including a 4% salt agar plate, or initial incubation in 6.5% salt broth enrichment culture with subculture to agar, to exploit the halophilicity of Halomonas, were successful in demonstrating the colonies seen in the blood cultures, only from sites not contaminated with other organisms, because of competing growth. A more selective method was developed for use on samples suspected to be heavily contaminated with other organisms, using the strategy of increased salt concentration in a broth enrichment culture to further exploit Halomonas halotolerance, and thereby inhibit other organisms. A 16.5% salt concentration in brain-heart infusion broth, incubated at 35 degrees C for 48-72 hours, then subcultured to agar plates incubated in room air at 35 degrees C, proved optimal for selection and secondary isolation. With a combination of these techniques, 14/15 cultures of dialysates and 10/38 from the outflow pathways of the machines were Halomonas positive, compared to 0/31 cultures from the inflow side of the machines (including water supplies and storing, mixing, and preparation tanks). The exception was sites associated with or downstream of bicarbonate influx, 12/54 of which were positive. Two other local hospitals' dialysis centers, and our own inpatient dialysis facility, were cultured at sites that yielded Halomonas from our RCC, and Halomonas was not isolated. Further study by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and DNA-DNA hybridization revealed the cultures represented 3 novel species: 1 (H. stevensii sp. nov.) in the patients and environment and 2 (H. hamiltonii sp. nov., H. johnsoniae sp. nov.) in the environment, most closely related to H. magadiensis. Of 35 speciated isolates, 22 were H. stevensii, 10 H. johnsoniae, and 3 H. hamiltonii. We hypothesize that the RCC became contaminated with these halophilic organisms from bicarbonate used to prepare dialysis fluid, and they persist despite cleaning and flushing procedures because of biofilm in machines and bicarbonate fluid inflow sites. Our experience, together with the review of the literature presented here, indicates the genus Halomonas has pathogenic potential.
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PMID:Halomonas, a newly recognized human pathogen causing infections and contamination in a dialysis center: three new species. 1959 30


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