Therapeutics and Prevention
Observation | Therapeutics and PreventionA Novel, Rapid, and Low-Volume Assay for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Posaconazole and Other Long-Chain Azole-Class Antifungal DrugsThis work describes an effective assay for TDM of long-chain azole-class antifungal drugs that can be used in diluted human serum samples. This assay will provide a quick, cost-effective method for monitoring concentrations of drugs such as posaconazole that exhibit well-documented pharmacokinetic variability. Our rGO-aptamer assay has the potential to improve health care for those struggling to treat fungal infections in rural or...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDevelopment of an Opsonophagocytic Killing Assay Using HL-60 Cells for Detection of Functional Antibodies against Streptococcus pyogenesMeasuring functional opsonic antibodies against group A streptococci is an important component of the clinical development path for effective vaccines. Prior studies have used an assay developed over 60 years ago that relied on whole human blood as the source of phagocytes and complement, both of which are critical components of antibody-mediated killing assays. In this study, we adapted an assay that uses the HL-60 human promyelocytic...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionFh15 Blocks the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Cytokine Storm While Modulating Peritoneal Macrophage Migration and CD38 Expression within Spleen Macrophages in a Mouse Model of Septic ShockSepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. Sepsis is mostly the consequence of systemic bacterial infections leading to exacerbated activation of immune cells by bacterial products, resulting in enhanced release of inflammatory mediators. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of sepsis, which is sensed by Toll-...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionVitamin E Increases Antimicrobial Sensitivity by Inhibiting Bacterial Lipocalin Antibiotic BindingBacteria exposed to stress mediated by sublethal antibiotic concentrations respond by adaptive mechanisms leading to an overall increase of antibiotic resistance. One of these mechanisms involves the release of bacterial proteins called lipocalins, which have the ability to sequester antibiotics in the extracellular space before they reach bacterial cells. We speculated that interfering with lipocalin-mediated antibiotic binding could...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAcquired Nisin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Involves Constitutive Activation of an Intrinsic Peptide Antibiotic Detoxification ModuleNIS and related bacteriocins are of interest as candidates for the treatment of human infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. An important liability of NIS in this regard is the ease with which S. aureus acquires resistance. Here we establish that this organism...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionImproving Our Understanding of Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B through the Engineering and Testing of a Live Attenuated Vaccine StrainWe developed a live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B vaccine that conferred protection in mice against challenge with S. Paratyphi B sensu stricto and S. Paratyphi B Java, which are the causes of enteric fever and gastroenteritis, respectively. Currently, the incidence of invasive S. Paratyphi B sensu stricto...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionGlycerol Monolaurate (GML) and a Nonaqueous Five-Percent GML Gel Kill Bacillus and Clostridium SporesBacillus and Clostridium spores are known to be highly resistant to killing, persisting on environmental and human body surfaces for long periods of time. In favorable environments, these spores may germinate and cause human diseases. It is thus important to identify agents that can be used on both environmental and human skin and mucosal surfaces and that are effective in killing spores. We previously showed that the...
Meeting Highlights | Therapeutics and PreventionThe Fourth International Neonatal and Maternal Immunization Symposium (INMIS 2017): Toward Integrating Maternal and Infant Immunization ProgramsThis report provides an overview of the proceedings of the 4th International Maternal and Neonatal Immunization Symposium, where presentations focused on the state-of-the-art research on the development and implementation of vaccines given during pregnancy for the protection of mothers and infants.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionHydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin Reduces Inflammatory Signaling from Monocytes: Possible Implications for Suppression of HIV Chronic Immune ActivationChronic immune activation is a hallmark of HIV infection and is often not controlled even in patients under antiretroviral therapy. Indeed, chronic diseases with inflammatory pathogenesis are being reported as major causes of death for HIV-infected persons. Hydroxypropyl-beta cyclodextrin (HP-BCD) is a cholesterol-sequestering drug that inhibits HIV replication and infectivity in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies have...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAlexidine Dihydrochloride Has Broad-Spectrum Activities against Diverse Fungal PathogensThe prevalence of fungal infections has seen a rise in the past decades due to advances in modern medicine leading to an expanding population of device-associated and immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, the spectrum of pathogenic fungi has changed, with the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains such as C. auris. High mortality related to fungal infections...