Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is a major surface component of Moraxella catarrhalis and a possible virulence factor in the pathogenesis of human infections caused by this organism. The presence of LOS on the bacterium is an obstacle to the development of vaccines derived from whole cells or outer membrane components of the bacterium. An lpxA gene encoding UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase res...

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), potent inducers of inflammation, have been associated with chronic metabolic disturbances. Obesity is linked to dyslipidemia, increased body adiposity, and endotoxemia. We investigated the cross-sectional relationships between serum LPS activity and body adiposity as well as inflammation in 242 subjects with type 1 diabetes. Body fat distribution was measure...

A kinetic model was established for the inactivation of endotoxins in water at temperatures ranging from 210°C to 270°C and a pressure of 6.2 × 10(6) Pa. Data were generated using a bench scale continuous-flow reactor system to process feed water spiked with endotoxin standard (Escherichia coli O113:H10). Product water samples were collected and quantified by the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay....

Endotoxin neutralizing protein (ENP), a recombinant form of the anti-lipopolysaccharide factor that was isolated from amebocytes of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, detoxifies lipopolysaccharide (LPS) both in vitro and in vivo. Using the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay, LPS was detoxified by ENP at a 1 to 1 weight ratio (1:1). When isolated rat aortic rings were preincubated for ...

Endotoxin was detected in all erythropoietin preparations tested and was removed from four lots, without loss of erythropoietic activity, by adsorption with limulus amebocyte lysate. Comparison of adsorbed (endotoxin-depleted) and nonadsorbed (endotoxin-containing) erythropoietin preparations demonstrated significant inhibition of CFU-e and BFU-e in vitro by nonadsorbed erythropoietin at concen...

A Limulus amoebocyte lysate microtechnique performed in petrolatum wells on a microscope slide is described. Injection of a dye solution in ethanol directly into the wells leads to an unambiguous interpretation of the results. Twelve samples can be tested on a single slide, and compact storing of the samples is possible.

To identify the size and components related to toxicity of ambient particles, we used a trichotomous impactor to collect 17 sets of particles in three size ranges--submicrometer (diameters < 1 microm; PM1.0, fine (diameters between 1 and 2.5 microm; PM1.0-2.5, and coarse (diameters between 2.5 and 10 microm; PM2.5-10--at stations monitoring background, urban, traffic, and industrial air in Taiw...

Inflammatory airway disease is common in stabled horses, with a prevalence of 17.3% in Michigan pleasure horses. Stable dust is rich in endotoxin, which may induce neutrophilic airway inflammation. Climatological conditions (ambient temperature and relative humidity) may influence endotoxin concentrations in pastures. The aim of this project was to determine if endotoxin levels in the breathing...

We investigated the effects of two different Gram-negative bacteria and radiation-induced leukopenia on endotoxemia, cardiovascular abnormalities, and mortality in a canine model of septic shock. Serial hemodynamics were measured in conscious dogs using radionuclide heart scans and thermodilution cardiac output catheters. Plasma endotoxin concentrations were determined with a chromogenic Limulu...

Neuroinflammation is a well-recognized consequence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and may be responsible for important complications of SAH. Signaling by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated nuclear factor κB (NFκB) in microglia plays a critical role in neuronal damage after SAH. Three molecules derived from erythrocyte breakdown have been postulated to be endogenous TLR4 ligands: methemoglo...