WSU BIOL209 Microbiology

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.

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.

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.....

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".

Exciting experimental treatment that stops cancer cells. The treatment uses the patient's own T-cells(disease fighting cells) and uses some sort of virus as a vector to change those cells into cancer fighting cells. My concern was was is there a damage done to other immune systems cells that also have the CD19 molecule on their surface? dendritic cells to name, which is mandatory for the body to fight both bacterial as well as viral infections. You wipe the dendritic cells and that introduces opportunistic infections. Regardless amazing news.

Interesting article about how specific atomic interactions within the ribosome structure structure respond to the environment. Presents a new way to examine macromolecules and the physical principles that guide their function

The flu virus carries about 300 to 400 of these hooks and virologists had known that several are needed to fuse the membranes. 4 hooks has recently been identified as the number of hooks required to pull the two membranes together. Without the attachment of 4 hooks the virus is vulnerable to inhibitors which will prevent fusion.

Increasing ROS (reactive oxygen species) in bacteria allow current antibiotics to be more potent. This approach weakens the bacteria allowing lower doses of antibiotics to be effective. This is can potentially help reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance. As we continue to develop a greater understanding about disease causing bacteria we can expose numerous ways to weaken the bacteria.

This puts a whole new light on 'spirit'!!! Sterilization is SO important!!! Other articles are saying that this competition and the arena -- "It's probably the best-scrubbed place in the county," she added. Cheerleading camps or competitions have been the source of previous outbreaks, including a 2002 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Eastern Washington. This is crazy!!! Person to person contact is inevitable in cheerleading camps and competition. Proves how important sterilization and handwashing is!!!

The part that is most concerning is that the doctors knew the patient had encephalitis (granted not all causes of encephalitis are infectious in nature) and decided to donate the organs anyway.

While the number of confirmed cases is really low, the unnerving aspect is that 8 of the 14 people infected died.