Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0155339 (Brown)
 12,436 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Rapid immunoassays have been developed to decrease the time to detection of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage in pregnant women. In this study, a total of 162 pregnant women, considered to be high-risk obstetric patients, were seen in the Family Care Center at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, a 300-bed teaching hospital associated with Brown University Medical School. Vaginal and rectal specimens were taken and tested for GBS by using two rapid enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) that were compared with culture. Quidel and Hybritech ICON Group B strep tests were run following 4 h incubation in the selective enrichment LIM Group B strep broth; cultures were done both directly and after enrichment. Results with both EIAs were identical, with overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 38%, 98%, 88%, and 84% respectively. However, when women having positive cultures were separated into moderately to heavily colonized (> or = 3 +) and lightly colonized (< or = 2 +) populations, the sensitivities were 82% and 19%, respectively. Although GBS assays are useful in the rapid diagnosis of heavily colonized women, culture following enrichment remains the most sensitive method for a lightly colonized population.
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PMID:Detection of group B Streptococcus by immunoassay following enrichment in LIM-selective broth medium. 858 36

Recently we reported a novel means of regulating LIM domain protein function. Paxillin LIM zinc-finger phosphorylation in response to cell adhesion regulates the subcellular localization of this cytoskeletal adaptor protein to focal adhesions, and also modulates cell adhesion to fibronectin (Brown et al. [1998] Mol. Biol. Cell 9:1803-1816). In the present study, we characterize further the protein kinases that phosphorylate paxillin LIM2 on threonine and LIM3 on serine. Analysis of the subcellular distribution of the LIM kinases demonstrated that the LIM3 protein kinase, but not the LIM2 kinase, resides within a detergent-insoluble fraction. The activities of the paxillin LIM domain kinases are differentially regulated during embryogenesis, and analysis of tissue distribution indicated a specificity in expression patterns between the LIM2 and LIM3 kinases. In addition, these protein kinases were refractory to inhibition by a panel of broad-spectrum serine/threonine kinase inhibitors, suggesting a novel derivation. The paxillin protein kinase activities were stimulated in serum-starved CHO.K1 cells by the mitogen phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and by PMA and angiotensin II in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. In vivo labeling, phosphoamino acid analysis, and phosphopeptide mapping of paxillin immunoprecipitated from angiotensin II-stimulated smooth muscle cells confirmed an induction of paxillin serine/threonine phosphorylation and supports the contention that these newly identified paxillin kinases are dynamic components of growth factor signaling through the cytoskeleton.
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PMID:Characterization of paxillin LIM domain-associated serine threonine kinases: activation by angiotensin II in vascular smooth muscle cells. 1058 Oct 4

Studies at two Brown Medical School-affiliated hospitals were undertaken to evaluate a new selective broth medium (GBS broth) and to compare it to the LIM broth currently used to culture for group B streptococci. Beta-hemolytic group B streptococci produce a carotenoid pigment that turns GBS broth an orange color. From a total of 580 pregnant women, duplicate vaginal-rectal swabs were collected at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation and cultured for group B streptococci, using either LIM broth (a selective broth containing antibiotics) or GBS broth for enrichment. Specimens were either transported to the laboratory or immediately placed in the respective enrichment broths and delivered to the laboratory. GBS broth medium had sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 87.8, 100, 100, and 95.1% when planted in the laboratory and 90.3, 100, 100 and 97.6%, respectively, when inoculated at bedside. Use of GBS broth would satisfy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements and would provide faster, more-sensitive, and cost-effective detection of group B streptococci in pregnant women.
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PMID:Evaluation of a new selective enrichment broth for detection of group B streptococci in pregnant women. 1608 9