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Scientists Use Nature Against Nature to Develop an Antibiotic With Reduced Resistance - 0 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...130410201828.htm microbiology resistance antibiotic
shared by Megan Rasmussen on 14 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Megan Rasmussen on 14 Apr 13
     
    Researchers have applied knowledge about bacteria phages in order to develop a new antibiotic. They studied the enzyme 2-epimerase, which controls the formation Bacillus anthracis cell wall. Researchers used an inhibitory molecule that would bind to the allosteric site* site of this enzyme. They tested this antibiotic called Epimerox in mice infected with Ballcillus anthracis and found that it protected the mice from anthrax. It also showed that the bacteria did not develop a resistance to this inhibitory molecule. Although this is just a start, it could change so much in the quest for effective antibiotics!
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Secrets of bacterial slime revealed - 1 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...130412132413.htm
shared by Katelyn Madigan on 13 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • help identify a new target for antibiotics and prevent other biofilms from forming
  • regulator of biofilm formation, a protein called SinR, acts in the model bacterium, Bacillus subtilis.
  • Katelyn Madigan on 13 Apr 13
     
    While this still seems like a somewhat preliminary study on protein interactions, I think this is an important direction for future studies due to the increased understanding of the dangers of biofilms.
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Good parenting vs. effective parenting on imgfave - 2 views

imgfave.com/3392161
shared by Tiffany Arcand on 13 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Tiffany Arcand on 13 Apr 13
     
    This is not scientific nor do I expect it to count towards my 10 articles, I just found it humorous and thought I would share :]
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Fighting disease from within the mosquito: New techniques to help halt the spread of di... - 0 views

phys.org/...-mosquito-techniques-halt.html mosquito disease
shared by Jenna Veldhuizen on 12 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • When infected with the bacteria Wolbachia, mosquitoes are unable to spread viruses such as dengue
  • by introducing an insecticide resistance gene alongside the Wolbachia bacteria into the mosquito, that the insects pass on the disease-blocking bacteria to other mosquitoes faster
  • Our results show that Wolbachia-based strategies could hold the key to a cheap and sustainable approach to disease control
  • Amy Jorgenson on 12 Apr 13
     
    This in an interesting application in slowing the spread of diseases such as dengue and yellow fever, but one also has to wonder what this will do to the mosquito population as it reduces the mosquito's ability to lay viable eggs. How controlled will this application be and how often will it be utilized?
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Molecule in meat may increase heart disease risk | Genes & Cells | Science News - 3 views

www.sciencenews.org/...y_increase_heart_disease_risk_
shared by Casey Finnerty on 12 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Hazen’s group also found that blood levels of TMAO and L-carnitine could predict heart disease risk, which they learned by collecting blood samples from 2,595 patients and tracking their health for three years.
    • Casey Finnerty
      Casey Finnerty on 16 Apr 13
       
      That is a fairly large sample size and long term study.
  • Molecules proposed as biomarkers for heart disease often look promising in initial studies but fizzle out clinically. “We’ve been down this road so many times before.”
    • Casey Finnerty
      Casey Finnerty on 16 Apr 13
       
      Very true.
  • Nate Scheibe on 12 Apr 13
     
    This is an interesting story on how the microbiota of our gut may play an indirect role in cardiovascular disease.
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New Technologies in Clinical Microbiology - 0 views

jcm.asm.org/...S62.full clinical microbiology
shared by Casey Finnerty on 11 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Unfortunately, when laboratory methods rely solely on cultivation of pathogens and traditional phenotypic methods of pathogen characterization, physicians are forced to deduce the presence of BSI based on clinical symptoms, which are often nonspecific. Subsequently, antibiotic therapy is initiated based on clinical and epidemiologic profiles (28) rather than on laboratory evidence. Typically, within 1 to 3 days a microscopic Gram stain category (Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, or fungi) provides physicians with a general direction for antibiotic therapy. Definitive results that eliminate the need for broad-spectrum therapy and enable de-escalation and the tailoring of treatment to the most effective antibiotic regimen often require more than 3 to 5 days. This gap has been implicated as one reason for high mortality and the emergence of drug-resistant microbes.
    • Casey Finnerty
      Casey Finnerty on 11 Apr 13
       
      Alison, I found this reference after our chat today at the end of the lab. I think you would find this paper very interesting.
  • Casey Finnerty on 11 Apr 13
     
    This paper is an excellent review on the need for improved protocols for microbial identification the technologies that are under development.
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Recollections of Charlie: Dr. Charles Alderson Janeway, Jr. (1943-2003) - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC2193774 vaccination immune
shared by Whitney Hopfauf on 04 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Whitney Hopfauf on 04 Apr 13
     
    Immunology's Dirty Little Secret
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Severe Food Allergy Stresses Moms, Baffles Doctors - Yahoo! - 1 views

gma.yahoo.com/71904938--abc-news-health.html
shared by Jeremiah Williamson on 03 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • Jeremiah Williamson on 03 Apr 13
     
    Going along with the immunology portion of class, this article talks about a new food allergy that a little boy suffers.  He is allergic to almost all food, except a handful of things.  it causes an immune response that is non-IgE, which is the case in most allergies.  
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Genetically Engineered Immune Cells Found to Rapidly Clear Leukemia Tumors: Scientific ... - 0 views

www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm leukemia
shared by Whitney Hopfauf on 31 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • shown promise against chronic leukemia, but there were
  • doubts about whether it could take on the faster-growing acute lymphoblastic
  • By the time the man started the trial, 70% of his bone marrow was tumor.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • ‘chimeric antigen receptor
  • ’, or CAR, that would target cells expressing a protein called CD19.
  • treatment had driven his cancer into remission
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Estrogen Plus Progestin Use Linked With Increased Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality - 1 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...130329161238.htm
shared by Abdirizak Abdi on 30 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Abdirizak Abdi on 30 Mar 13
     
    Estrogen plus progestin use is linked with increased breast cancer incidence. In addition, prognosis is similar for both users and nonusers of combined hormone therapy, suggesting that mortality from breast cancer may be higher for hormone therapy users as well, according to a study
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Poultry probiotic cuts its coat to beat bad bacteria - 0 views

phys.org/...obiotic-coat-bad-bacteria.html probiotics
shared by Elijah Velasquez on 30 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Elijah Velasquez on 30 Mar 13
     
    The probioitc L. johnsonii has the ability to alter its coat. The alteration protects the bacteria from stomach acids and helps them come together to form biofilms. This increases colonization within the gut and could prevent C. perfringens from colonising the gut. This is a very interesting approach and is comparable to the actions of natural flora within humans.
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How Pigs on Antibiotics Are Making Superbugs Stronger | Popular Science - 0 views

www.popsci.com/...-are-making-superbugs-stronger
shared by Alison Prodzinski on 28 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • new research suggests it’s the animals, and the drugs we feed them
  • MRSA started out as a drug-defeatable bug and then transferred into the pig population, where it developed resistance to two common forms of antibiotics
  • “[It’s] like watching the birth of a superbug,”
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • humans have supplied a strong force through the excessive use of antibiotic drugs in farm animal production,
  • Alison Prodzinski on 28 Mar 13
     
    MSRA could be defeated when first discovered. However, it was transferred to the pig population and went crazy after that. Humans over immunize animals and make super-bugs from inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics.  New tests are being done with bacteria being injected into other hosts - which then can be used to kill MRSA. This method could find new and natural antibiotics that could fight various forms of drug-resistant superbugs!
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Brand-New Vaccine Strategy Works Against Herpes, And Potentially HIV | Popular Science - 0 views

www.popsci.com/...rpes-and-may-do-whole-lot-more
shared by Alison Prodzinski on 28 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • The Yale team’s “prime and pull” method is focused on exactly that. Working with mice, the researchers found a way to “prime” T cells to fight a certain kind of infection
  • through conventional vaccination that causes a system-wide immune response.
  • The “prime and pull” technique could potentially be used to combat any infectious agent that enters the body through any specific tissue--agents like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.
  • Alison Prodzinski on 28 Mar 13
     
    Manipulating T-Cells to fight certain infections, then pulling them out of the body as to not harm anything - because they can spread nasty diseases in places like the central nervous system.  They are now testing these T-cells against HIV. This could be revolutionary - in that the 'Prime and Pull' method could be used over and over without harming the person.  Just proof of how cool T-cells are!! Both useful and harmful if used inappropriately.
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New insights into how genes turn on and off - 0 views

medicalxpress.com/...2013-03-insights-genes.html
shared by Elijah Velasquez on 27 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Elijah Velasquez on 27 Mar 13
     
    Genetics Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains (PMDs), in which gene expression is turned off. Studying of the placenta is particularly interesting because the placenta has invasive characteristics associated with cancer. Increasing our knowledge about PMDs can help determine which genes are silenced and where specific DNA originated.
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A new way to lose weight? Study shows that changes to gut microbiota may play role in w... - 0 views

medicalxpress.com/...-gut-microbiota-role-loss.html
shared by Elijah Velasquez on 27 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Elijah Velasquez on 27 Mar 13
     
    New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. This is quite an astounding discovery. Finding ways to manipulate microbial populations can potentially open doors for alternatives to weight loss and fighting off bacteria.
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16,000 Dead Pigs In The Huangpu: Can You Still Drink Shanghai's Water? | Popular Science - 1 views

www.popsci.com/...lly-still-drink-water-shanghai
shared by Alison Prodzinski on 27 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Alison Prodzinski on 27 Mar 13
     
    The dead pigs are being thrown into the water, not dying from the water. After being dumped in, they are becoming toxic in the river and emitting poison into the water.  The city of Shanghai relies on the river for the all the drinkable water in the city.  City officials have no idea how toxic the river has become, since no studies were done prior to the findings.  More research showed that the pigs are being dumped into the river because of costs of discarding the dead animal. It is cheaper to dump it, even though it could be toxic to the whole city.  Makes you wonder - we eat dead animals. But, when dumped in drinking water, they become toxic.... Hmmm.....
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Thermo Fisher Scientific launches Brilliance GBS Agar - 1 views

www.news-medical.net/...nches-Brilliance-GBS-Agar.aspx
shared by Elijah Velasquez on 26 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Elijah Velasquez on 26 Mar 13
     
    The Brilliance GBS Agar is used for the testing of Group B streptococci (GBS) during pregnancy. The new agar is designed to reduce the number of test steps for clinical technicians, give more reliable results, and enable faster patient treatment by featuring proprietary Inhibigen™ technology. In trials, up to 99% of the negatives show no growth, greatly simplifying interpretation. And because the product requires only a single inoculation, it is also ideal for those laboratories who are already automating their test procedures. Screening for GBS can now be as simple as screening for MRSA".
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