Institution
University of Texas Medical Branch
Education•Galveston, Texas, United States•
About: University of Texas Medical Branch is a education organization based out in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Virus. The organization has 22033 authors who have published 38268 publications receiving 1517502 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston & UTMB.
Topics: Population, Virus, Immune system, Receptor, Poison control
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: This case report provides evidence that in addition to microcephaly, there may be a link between Zika virus infection and hydrops fetalis and fetal demise and systematic investigation of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths is warranted.
Abstract: The rapid spread of Zika virus in the Americas and outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil has
raised attention to the possible deleterious effects that the virus may have on fetuses. We
report a case of a 20-year-old pregnant woman from Salvador, Brazil whose fetus had
developed hydrops fetalis, a condition where there is abnormal accumulation of fluid in
the fetus, as well as severe central nervous system defects such as microcephaly and hydranencephaly.
After fetal demise, ZIKV RNA was detected in central nervous system tissues
and amniotic fluid. The case report provides evidence that in addition to microcephaly,
there may be a link between Zika virus infection and hydrops fetalis and fetal demise.
Given the recent spread of the virus, systematic investigation of spontaneous abortions
and stillbirths may be warranted to evaluate the risk that ZIKV infection imparts on these
outcomes.
303 citations
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TL;DR: Strong evidence is provided that somata of DRG neurons actively release transmitters and play a crucial role in bidirectional communication between neurons and surrounding satellite glial cells, and this results suggest that, contrary to the conventional view, neuronal somata have a significant role in cell–cell signaling.
Abstract: It has been generally assumed that the cell body (soma) of a neuron, which contains the nucleus, is mainly responsible for synthesis of macromolecules and has a limited role in cell-to-cell communication. Using sniffer patch recordings, we show here that electrical stimulation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons elicits robust vesicular ATP release from their somata. The rate of release events increases with the frequency of nerve stimulation; external Ca2+ entry is required for the release. FM1–43 photoconversion analysis further reveals that small clear vesicles participate in exocytosis. In addition, the released ATP activates P2X7 receptors in satellite cells that enwrap each DRG neuron and triggers the communication between neuronal somata and glial cells. Blocking L-type Ca2+ channels completely eliminates the neuron–glia communication. We further show that activation of P2X7 receptors can lead to the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) from satellite cells. TNFα in turn potentiates the P2X3 receptor-mediated responses and increases the excitability of DRG neurons. This study provides strong evidence that somata of DRG neurons actively release transmitters and play a crucial role in bidirectional communication between neurons and surrounding satellite glial cells. These results also suggest that, contrary to the conventional view, neuronal somata have a significant role in cell–cell signaling.
302 citations
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TL;DR: The generation and characterization of PrPC-deficient cattle produced by a sequential gene-targeting system are reported and at over 20 months of age the cattle are clinically, physiologically, histopathologically, immunologically and reproductively normal.
Abstract: Prion diseases are caused by propagation of misfolded forms of the normal cellular prion protein PrP(C), such as PrP(BSE) in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and PrP(CJD) in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. Disruption of PrP(C) expression in mice, a species that does not naturally contract prion diseases, results in no apparent developmental abnormalities. However, the impact of ablating PrP(C) function in natural host species of prion diseases is unknown. Here we report the generation and characterization of PrP(C)-deficient cattle produced by a sequential gene-targeting system. At over 20 months of age, the cattle are clinically, physiologically, histopathologically, immunologically and reproductively normal. Brain tissue homogenates are resistant to prion propagation in vitro as assessed by protein misfolding cyclic amplification. PrP(C)-deficient cattle may be a useful model for prion research and could provide industrial bovine products free of prion proteins.
302 citations
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TL;DR: A method is described that leverages the advantages of bottom-up and top-down strategies to incorporate proteins derived from the leukocyte plasma membrane into lipid nanoparticles that retained the versatility and physicochemical properties typical of liposomal formulations and enabled the selective and effective delivery of dexamethasone to inflamed tissues.
Abstract: A multitude of micro- and nanoparticles have been developed to improve the delivery of systemically administered pharmaceuticals, which are subject to a number of biological barriers that limit their optimal biodistribution. Bioinspired drug-delivery carriers formulated by bottom-up or top-down strategies have emerged as an alternative approach to evade the mononuclear phagocytic system and facilitate transport across the endothelial vessel wall. Here, we describe a method that leverages the advantages of bottom-up and top-down strategies to incorporate proteins derived from the leukocyte plasma membrane into lipid nanoparticles. The resulting proteolipid vesicles-which we refer to as leukosomes-retained the versatility and physicochemical properties typical of liposomal formulations, preferentially targeted inflamed vasculature, enabled the selective and effective delivery of dexamethasone to inflamed tissues, and reduced phlogosis in a localized model of inflammation.
302 citations
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TL;DR: The induction of a specific, neutralizing IgM response early in the course of WNV infection limits viremia and dissemination into the central nervous system, and protects against lethal infection.
Abstract: In humans, the elderly and immunocompromised are at greatest risk for disseminated West Nile virus (WNV) infection, yet the immunologic basis for this remains unclear. We demonstrated previously that B cells and IgG contributed to the defense against disseminated WNV infection (Diamond, M.S., B. Shrestha, A. Marri, D. Mahan, and M. Engle. 2003. J. Virol. 77:2578–2586). In this paper, we addressed the function of IgM in controlling WNV infection. C57BL/6J mice (sIgM−/−) that were deficient in the production of secreted IgM but capable of expressing surface IgM and secreting other immunoglobulin isotypes were vulnerable to lethal infection, even after inoculation with low doses of WNV. Within 96 h, markedly higher levels of infectious virus were detected in the serum of sIgM−/− mice compared with wild-type mice. The enhanced viremia correlated with higher WNV burdens in the central nervous system, and was also associated with a blunted anti-WNV IgG response. Passive transfer of polyclonal anti-WNV IgM or IgG protected sIgM−/− mice against mortality, although administration of comparable amounts of a nonneutralizing monoclonal anti-WNV IgM provided no protection. In a prospective analysis, a low titer of anti-WNV IgM antibodies at day 4 uniformly predicted mortality in wild-type mice. Thus, the induction of a specific, neutralizing IgM response early in the course of WNV infection limits viremia and dissemination into the central nervous system, and protects against lethal infection.
301 citations
Authors
Showing all 22143 results
Name | H-index | Papers | Citations |
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Stuart H. Orkin | 186 | 715 | 112182 |
Eric R. Kandel | 184 | 603 | 113560 |
John C. Morris | 183 | 1441 | 168413 |
Joseph Biederman | 179 | 1012 | 117440 |
Richard A. Gibbs | 172 | 889 | 249708 |
Timothy A. Springer | 167 | 669 | 122421 |
Gabriel N. Hortobagyi | 166 | 1374 | 104845 |
Roberto Romero | 151 | 1516 | 108321 |
Charles B. Nemeroff | 149 | 979 | 90426 |
Peter J. Schwartz | 147 | 647 | 107695 |
Clifford J. Woolf | 141 | 509 | 86164 |
Thomas J. Smith | 140 | 1775 | 113919 |
Edward C. Holmes | 138 | 824 | 85748 |
Jun Lu | 135 | 1526 | 99767 |
Henry T. Lynch | 133 | 925 | 86270 |