Indole and 3-indolylacetonitrile inhibit spore maturation in Paenibacillus alvei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bacteria use diverse signaling molecules to ensure the survival of the species in environmental niches. A variety of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria produce large quantities of indole that functions as an intercellular signal controlling diverse aspects of bacterial physiology.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we sought a novel role of indole in a Gram-positive bacteria <it>Paenibacillus alvei </it>that can produce extracellular indole at a concentration of up to 300 μM in the stationary phase in Luria-Bertani medium. Unlike previous studies, our data show that the production of indole in <it>P. alvei </it>is strictly controlled by catabolite repression since the addition of glucose and glycerol completely turns off the indole production. The addition of exogenous indole markedly inhibits the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei </it>without affecting cell growth. Observation of cell morphology with electron microscopy shows that indole inhibits the development of spore coats and cortex in <it>P. alvei</it>. As a result of the immature spore formation of <it>P. alvei</it>, indole also decreases <it>P. alvei </it>survival when exposed to antibiotics, low pH, and ethanol. Additionally, indole derivatives also influence the heat resistance; for example, a plant auxin, 3-indolylacetonitrile dramatically (2900-fold) decreased the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei</it>, while another auxin 3-indoleacetic acid had a less significant influence on the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Together, our results demonstrate that indole and plant auxin 3-indolylacetonitrile inhibit spore maturation of <it>P. alvei </it>and that 3-indolylacetonitrile presents an opportunity for the control of heat and antimicrobial resistant spores of Gram-positive bacteria.</p

Warfarin-Induced Eosinophilic Pleural Effusion

A 29-year-old man suffering from dyspnea and eosinophilic pleural effusion after being on warfarin for pulmonary thromboembolism for a period of one month, was readmitted to our hospital. Etiology of pleural effusion other than warfarin was excluded. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of warfarin-induced pleural effusion reported in Korea

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome as a cause of persistent neuromuscular weakness after a mediastinoscopic biopsy -A case report-

There are many causes of prolonged postoperative muscle weakness, including drugs, residual anesthetics, cerebrovascular events, electrolyte imbalance, hypothermia, and neuromuscular disease. Neuromuscular diseases are relatively rare, with the most common being myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). We report an unusual case in which a patient who was given a muscle relaxant during mediastinoscopy developed postoperative muscle weakness that was ultimately diagnosed as secondary to LEMS

Inter-arm arterial pressure difference caused by prone position in the thoracic outlet syndrome patient -A case report-

Thoracic outlet syndrome has neurologic symptoms caused by compression of brachial plexus, blood vessel symptoms are caused by compression of the artery or vein. The authors report a case of sudden decrease in blood pressure of the left arm after turning the patient from supine position to prone position. They confirmed that the patient had thoracic outlet syndrome after performing computed tomography

Sublingual Immunization with M2-Based Vaccine Induces Broad Protective Immunity against Influenza

The ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is a rationale target antigen candidate for the development of a universal vaccine against influenza as M2e undergoes little sequence variation amongst human influenza A strains. Vaccine-induced M2e-specific antibodies (Abs) have been shown to display significant cross-protective activity in animal models. M2e-based vaccine constructs have been shown to be more protective when administered by the intranasal (i.n.) route than after parenteral injection. However, i.n. administration of vaccines poses rare but serious safety issues associated with retrograde passage of inhaled antigens and adjuvants through the olfactory epithelium. In this study, we examined whether the sublingual (s.l.) route could serve as a safe and effective alternative mucosal delivery route for administering a prototype M2e-based vaccine. The mechanism whereby s.l. immunization with M2e vaccine candidate induces broad protection against infection with different influenza virus subtypes was explored.A recombinant M2 protein with three tandem copies of the M2e (3M2eC) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Parenteral immunizations of mice with 3M2eC induced high levels of M2e-specific serum Abs but failed to provide complete protection against lethal challenge with influenza virus. In contrast, s.l. immunization with 3M2eC was superior for inducing protection in mice. In the latter animals, protection was associated with specific Ab responses in the lungs.The results demonstrate that s.l. immunization with 3M2eC vaccine induced airway mucosal immune responses along with broad cross-protective immunity to influenza. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the M2-based vaccine approach to control epidemic and pandemic influenza infections