Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a major cause of bovine mastitis, but its pathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood. To evaluate the role of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) in the immune or inflammatory response of SA mastitis, we investigated the gene expression profile in bovine mammary epithelial cells stimulated with LTA alone or with formalin-killed SA (FKSA) using cap analysis of gene expressi...

Impairment of drug disposition in the liver during inflammation has been attributed to downregulation of gene expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and drug transporters. Inflammatory responses in the liver are primarily mediated by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). We have recently shown that activation of TLR2 or TLR4 by lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively, l...

Staphylococcus epidermidis causes infections associated with medical devices including central venous catheters, orthopaedic prosthetic joints and artificial heart valves. This coagulase-negative staphylococcus produces a conventional cellular lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and also releases a short-glycerophosphate-chain-length form of LTA (previously termed lipid S) into the medium during growth. Th...

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes severe inflammation in various infectious diseases, leading to high mortality. The clinical application of antibiotics has gained a significant curative effect. However, it has led to the emergence of various resistant bacteria. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the protective effect of polydatin (PD), a traditional Chinese medicine extract, on S...

Leukotriene (LT) A(4) hydrolase is a bifunctional zinc metalloenzyme, which converts LTA(4) into the neutrophil chemoattractant LTB(4) and also exhibits an anion-dependent aminopeptidase activity. In the x-ray crystal structure of LTA(4) hydrolase, Arg(563) and Lys(565) are found at the entrance of the active center. Here we report that replacement of Arg(563), but not Lys(565), leads to comple...

Exaggerated levels of the leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) frequently coexist at sites of inflammation and tissue remodeling. Therefore, we hypothesize that the LTB₄ pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neutrophilic inflammation that contributes to pulmonary emphysema. In this study, significant levels of LTB₄ were detected in human lung tissues with emphysema compared with lungs without...

Zeolite LTA was synthesized in the laboratory and loaded with silver ions by isomorphous substitution technique. The silverloaded zeolite A (Ag-LTA) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD and SEM analysis showed little or no changes in the phase purity of a...

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) transporters are known eponymously for their ability to confer resistance to various antimicrobial drugs. However, it is likely that this is not their primary function and that MDR transporters evolved originally to play additional roles in bacterial physiology. In Listeria monocytogenes a set of MDR transporters was identified to mediate activation of innate immune ...

AIMS The aim of this study was to assess the impact of bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin (UFH) on platelet aggregation in patients, pretreated with a 600 mg loading dose clopidogrel, undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS Patients (n = 100) were recruited consecutively in the setting of a double-blind, randomized trial. Bivalirudin or UFH was adm...

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) receiving aspirin therapy with a residual platelet reactivity (RPR) may be at increased risk of ischemic vascular events. Point-of-care (POC) methods PFA-100 (Dade-Behring, Marburg, Germany) and VerifyNow (Accumetrics, San Diego, CA) assays have been suggested as rapid tools to evaluate RPR. We compared PFA-100 closure times by collagen/epinephrine an...