Toxin News and Research

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Restaurants not effective in communicating risks of eating undercooked meat to customers, study shows

Front-line staff, such as servers in restaurants, are often trusted with providing customers with food safety information regarding their meals.

1 Dec 2016

Tiny, glowing crystals could be powerful new tool to detect and clean contaminated water sources

Tiny, glowing crystals designed to detect and capture heavy-metal toxins such as lead and mercury could prove to be a powerful new tool in locating and cleaning up contaminated water sources.

29 Nov 2016

Social status affects immune regulation and health status in rhesus monkeys

The richest and poorest Americans differ in life expectancy by more than a decade. Glaring health inequalities across the socioeconomic spectrum are often attributed to access to medical care and differences in habits such as smoking, exercise and diet.

24 Nov 2016

Research supports re-introduction of penicillin-type antibiotics as adjunct therapeutic for MRSA infections

Microbiologists have identified how MRSA may be more effectively treated by modern-day antibiotics, if old-fashioned penicillin is also used.

15 Nov 2016

Identifying foods that trigger IBS: an interview with Dr Bill Chey

IBS is a common medical condition which is diagnosed in the presence of characteristic gastrointestinal symptoms including recurring bouts of abdominal pain and diarrhea and/or constipation. IBS patients also commonly report bloating and abdominal distension or swelling.

15 Nov 2016

New study highlights health impacts of proposed hydroelectric development on local communities

In a new study, Harvard University researchers find over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities.

9 Nov 2016

Researchers develop new strategy to immunize against microbes that cause foodborne illness

University of California, Irvine and MIT researchers have developed a new strategy to immunize against microbes that invade the gastrointestinal tract, including Salmonella, which causes more foodborne illness in the United States than any other bacteria.

8 Nov 2016

Soiled clinical linens may be source of surface C. difficile contamination, study finds

A new paper published in FEMS Microbiology Letters, resulting from an investigation of a laundry facility that services several Seattle-area hospitals, suggests that soiled clinical linens may be a source of surface Clostridium difficile contamination.

7 Nov 2016

Polysorbate slows toxic effects of E. coli poisoning

Polysorbate, a safe additive found in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, has been proven to slow the toxic effects of E. coli poisoning.

4 Nov 2016

Safe food additive can slow toxic effects of E. coli poisoning

Polysorbate, a safe additive found in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, has been proven to slow the toxic effects of E. coli poisoning.

1 Nov 2016

Research shows way to directly target genes within specific cell type

The cornerstone of genetics is the loss-of-function experiment. In short, this means that to figure out what exactly gene X is doing in a tissue of interest—be it developing brain cells or a pancreatic tumor—you somehow cut out, switch off or otherwise destroy gene X in that tissue and then watch what happens.

1 Nov 2016

Researchers discover how toxic proteins linked to neurological diseases impair membrane-less organelles

Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered the way toxic proteins linked to the most common forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) incapacitate membrane-less organelles inside cells.

21 Oct 2016

UCLA scientists take promising step towards killing mosquitoes that carry Zika virus and dengue fever

Five UCLA researchers were part of an international team that has used X-rays to reveal the structure of a molecule that is toxic to disease-carrying mosquitoes.

18 Oct 2016

Study on common bacterium presents new pathway to combat gastric cancers

A common bacterium that more than half of people have in their gut can use hydrogen gas present in the gastrointestinal tract to inject a cancer-causing toxin into otherwise healthy cells, according to a recently published study led by University of Georgia researchers.

12 Oct 2016

Researchers describe novel host-oriented therapeutic approach for preventing lethal immune responses

Staphylococcal and streptococcal infections affect millions of individuals each year. They are a leading cause of sepsis and account for many cases of pneumonia and post-surgical infections.

8 Oct 2016

Danish scientists examine prevalence of bacteria in the gut of children

A type of bacteria, which can cause diarrhea and inhibit growth in children in developing countries, has been found in 14% of a sample of children in an industrialized country.

4 Oct 2016

Scientists solve structure of BinAB toxin that kills larvae of certain type of mosquitoes

Could we get rid of mosquitoes without polluting the environment? Yes, we can! The BinAB toxin, produced in crystal form by a bacterium, specifically kills the larvae of Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes, but it is inactive on tiger mosquitoes (or Aedes), the vectors for dengue fever and chikungunya.

29 Sep 2016

Research uncovers new clues to combat dengue and Zika virus

Structural biology research conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has uncovered how small insecticidal protein crystals that are naturally produced by bacteria might be tailored to combat dengue fever and the Zika virus.

28 Sep 2016

Hyaluronidase enzyme may be effective treatment option for spasticity caused by neurological injury

A naturally occurring enzyme called hyaluronidase may be an effective alternative treatment for spasticity, or muscle stiffness, a disabling condition in people who have had a stroke or other brain injury.

26 Sep 2016

Cepheid’s GeneXpert System offers rapid molecular diagnostic testing for virulent infections

Cepheid’s updated Winter Care Bundle of Xpert molecular diagnostic tests is an essential tool kit in the battle against virulent infections.

24 Sep 2016