Toxin News and Research

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Study: Bacterium that causes whooping cough changes in Australia

The bacterium that causes whooping cough, Bordetella pertussis, has changed in Australia - most likely in response to the vaccine used to prevent the disease - with a possible reduced effectiveness of the vaccine as a result, a new study shows.

16 Apr 2014

New research reveals that immunization can trigger distinct change in body odor

Our understanding of the role of body odor in conveying personal information continues to grow. New research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that immunization can trigger a distinct change in body odor. This is the first demonstration of a bodily odor change due to immune activation.

3 Apr 2014

New subcellular mechanism identified for fast transmission in basket cells of the brain

In his third major research paper since December 2013, IST Austria Professor Peter Jonas together with his collaborator, postdoc Hua Hu, identifies a new subcellular mechanism for reliable, fast transmission in the so-called basket cells of the brain.

25 Mar 2014

Sea lions exposed to toxin in algae develop form of epilepsy that is similar to humans

California sea lions exposed to a toxin in algae develop a form of epilepsy that is similar to one in humans, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

19 Mar 2014

Study suggests that screening children for retinoblastoma may not improve outcomes for majority of patients

For the most common form of childhood eye cancer, unilateral retinoblastoma, shortening the time from the first appearance of symptoms to diagnosis of disease has no bearing on survival or stage of the disease, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in partnership with the Hospital Infantil de Mexico.

19 Mar 2014

Research to identify exact mechanisms behind preterm birth and fetal brain injury

An inflammatory protein that triggers a pregnant mouse's immune response to an infection or other disease appears to cause brain injury in her fetus, but not the premature birth that was long believed to be linked with such neurologic damage in both rodents and humans, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.

6 Mar 2014

New drug is effective against superbug MRSA

"I routinely call hospitals and request their yearly antibiotic susceptibility testing data," said Washington University in St. Louis' Timothy Wencewicz. "The log might say, for example, that they've treated hundreds of patients for Acinetobacter baumanni, a bacterium brought into U.S. hospitals by soldiers wounded in the Iraq war, with 30 different antibiotics.

6 Mar 2014

Researchers unlock controversial structure in heart cells

Brandeis University researchers have unlocked a controversial structure in heart cells responsible for regulating heart contractions.

5 Mar 2014

Monell Center announces advocacy program to identify biological causes of smell loss

On Anosmia Awareness Day, the Monell Center announces "A Sense of Hope: The Monell Anosmia Project," a three-year $1.5M fundraising campaign to support a research and advocacy program focused on anosmia, the loss of the sense of smell.

4 Mar 2014

Nanomedicine – Past, Present and Future

News-Medical speaks to Frank Boehm about the fundamentals of nanomedicine and the nanotechnologies of the future.

4 Mar 2014

Researchers produce extremely accurate and detailed images of "toxic injections"

Bacteria have developed many different ways of smuggling their toxic cargo into cells. Tripartite Tc toxin complexes, which are used by bacteria like the plague pathogen Yersinia pestis and the insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens, are particularly unusual.

25 Feb 2014

Ajoene in garlic prevents bacteria from destroying white blood cells

Aggressive multi-resistant infections constitute an increasing health problem all over the world. Bacteria are developing resistance at an alarming pace, so new pharmaceuticals that can combat this threat are in great demand.

19 Feb 2014

Elusive progenitor cells that give rise to ILCs identified in fetal liver and bone marrow of mice

The elusive progenitor cells that give rise to innate lymphoid cells-a recently discovered group of infection-fighting white blood cells-have been identified in fetal liver and adult bone marrow of mice, researchers from the University of Chicago report early online in the journal Nature.

14 Feb 2014

Researchers create promising compound for cancer treatment

A promising compound for cancer treatment has been syntesised in a laboratory by an RMIT University researcher during his PhD research.

9 Feb 2014

Some neurologic diseases associated with prenatal exposure to inflammatory immune responses

Johns Hopkins researchers report that fetal mice — especially males — show signs of brain damage that lasts into their adulthood when they are exposed in the womb to a maternal immune system kicked into high gear by a serious infection or other malady. The findings suggest that some neurologic diseases in humans could be similarly rooted in prenatal exposure to inflammatory immune responses.

7 Feb 2014

Researchers examine how toxin triggers motor neuron death

In most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, a toxin released by cells that normally nurture neurons in the brain and spinal cord can trigger loss of the nerve cells affected in the disease, Columbia researchers reported today in the online edition of the journal Neuron.

7 Feb 2014

Research suggests that male mice may be vulnerable to effects of maternal inflammation than females

Johns Hopkins researchers report that fetal mice - especially males - show signs of brain damage that lasts into their adulthood when they are exposed in the womb to a maternal immune system kicked into high gear by a serious infection or other malady.

7 Feb 2014

Researchers reveal inner workings of nanomotor

Our cells produce thousands of proteins but more than one-third of these proteins can fulfill their function only after migrating to the outside of the cell. While it is known that protein migration occurs with the help of various 'nanomotors' that push proteins out of the cell, little is known about their precise mechanical functioning.

6 Feb 2014

Researchers identify components of C. diff bacteria that can be used to develop better treatment

Rhode Island Hospital researchers have identified components in Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that may lead to new diagnostic tools, and ultimately more timely and effective treatment for this often fatal infection. C. diff is a spore-forming bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and is responsible for 14,000 deaths annually in the U.S. The study is published online in advance of print in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

31 Jan 2014

Llama-derived antibodies open door to development of new treatments for C. difficile infections

Researchers from the Alberta Glycomics Centre at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, in collaboration with researchers at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, have revealed the first molecular views showing how highly specific antibodies derived from llamas may provide a new method for controlling deadly infections from the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

31 Jan 2014

Toxin News and Research

Study: Bacterium that causes whooping cough changes in Australia

New research reveals that immunization can trigger distinct change in body odor

New subcellular mechanism identified for fast transmission in basket cells of the brain

Sea lions exposed to toxin in algae develop form of epilepsy that is similar to humans

Study suggests that screening children for retinoblastoma may not improve outcomes for majority of patients

Research to identify exact mechanisms behind preterm birth and fetal brain injury

New drug is effective against superbug MRSA

Researchers unlock controversial structure in heart cells

Monell Center announces advocacy program to identify biological causes of smell loss

Nanomedicine – Past, Present and Future

Researchers produce extremely accurate and detailed images of "toxic injections"

Ajoene in garlic prevents bacteria from destroying white blood cells

Elusive progenitor cells that give rise to ILCs identified in fetal liver and bone marrow of mice

Researchers create promising compound for cancer treatment

Some neurologic diseases associated with prenatal exposure to inflammatory immune responses

Researchers examine how toxin triggers motor neuron death

Research suggests that male mice may be vulnerable to effects of maternal inflammation than females

Researchers reveal inner workings of nanomotor

Researchers identify components of C. diff bacteria that can be used to develop better treatment

Llama-derived antibodies open door to development of new treatments for C. difficile infections

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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