Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Bott

Publications and source records attributed to M Bott.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

In vivo and in vitro development of the protist Helicosporidium sp.

We describe the discovery and developmental features of a Helicosporidium sp. isolated from the black fly Simulium jonesi. Morphologically, the helicosporidia are characterized by a distinct cyst stage that encloses three ovoid cells and a single elongate filamentous cell. Bioassays have demonstrated that the cysts of this isolate infect various insect species, including the lepidopterans, Helicoverpa zea, Galleria mellonella, and Manduca sexta, and the dipterans, Musca domestica, Aedes taeniorhynchus, Anopheles albimanus, and An. quadrimaculatus. The cysts attach to the insect peritrophic matrix prior to dehiscence, which releases the filamentous cell and the three ovoid cells. The ovoid cells are short-lived in the insect gut with infection mediated by the penetration of the filamentous cell into the host. Furthermore, these filamentous cells are covered with projections that anchor them to the midgut lining. Unlike most entomopathogenic protozoa, this Helicosporidium sp. can be propagated in simple nutritional media under defined in vitro conditions, providing a system to conduct detailed analysis of the developmental biology of this poorly known taxon. The morphology and development of the in vitro produced cells are similar to that reported for the achorophyllic algae belonging to the genus Prototheca.

Animals↗

The impact of cultural values on patient education for the elderly.

Little literature has examined the interaction of culture and patient education with specific reference to the elderly. It is necessary for nurses to develop a respectful understanding of their patient's culture in order to provide meaningful and relevant patient education. Understanding of cultural differences is especially important when educating elderly immigrants, as many elderly retain significant aspects of their native cultural traditions and may be slower to acculturate to Western cultural values. This paper will outline a number of assessment parameters and educational strategies necessary for nurses to begin to provide culturally sensitive patient education for elderly patients within the nephrology setting.

Acculturation↗

Anaerobic citrate metabolism and its regulation in enterobacteria.

Several species of enterobacteria are able to utilize citrate as carbon and energy source. Under oxic conditions in the presence of a functional tricarboxylic acid cycle, growth on this compound solely depends on an appropriate transport system. During anaerobiosis, when 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase is repressed, some species such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium, but not Escherichia coli, are capable of growth on citrate by a Na+-dependent pathway forming acetate, formate, and CO2 as products. During the last decade, several novel features associated with this type of fermentation have been discovered in K. pneumoniae. The biotin protein oxaloacetate decarboxylase, one of the key enzymes of the pathway besides citrate lyase, is a Na+ pump. Recently it has been shown that the proton required for the decarboxylation of carboxybiotin is taken up from the side to which Na+ ions are pumped, and a membrane-embedded aspartate residue that is probably involved both in Na+ and in H+ transport was identified. The Na+ gradient established by oxaloacetate decarboxylase drives citrate uptake via CitS, a homodimeric carrier protein with a simultaneous-type reaction mechanism, and NADH formation by reversed electron transfer involving formate dehydrogenase, quinone, and a Na+-dependent NADH:quinone oxidoreductase. All enzymes specifically required for citrate fermentation are induced under anoxic conditions in the presence of citrate and Na+ ions. The corresponding genes form a cluster on the chromosome and are organized as two divergently transcribed operons. Their co-ordinate expression is dependent on a two-component system consisting of the sensor kinase CitA and the response regulator CitB. The citAB genes are part of the cluster and are positively autoregulated. In addition to CitA/CitB, the cAMP receptor protein (Crp) is involved in the regulation of the citrate fermentation enzymes, subjecting them to catabolite repression.

Anaerobiosis↗