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Study provides new paradigm for understanding role of immune system in type 1 diabetes

Researchers from The University of Colorado, in collaboration with St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, have identified what may be the initial target of the immune response that causes type 1 diabetes.

18 Feb 2016

Tackling antibiotic resistance from a new perspective

Tackling antibiotic resistance on only one front is a waste of time because resistant genes are freely crossing environmental, agricultural and clinical boundaries, new research has shown.

17 Feb 2016

Small chemical change to existing antibacterial drug may result in better treatment for TB

Researchers with Vanderbilt University have discovered that one small chemical change to an existing antibacterial drug results in a compound that is more effective against its target enzyme in tuberculosis.

17 Feb 2016

Small peptide TAxI holds promise for carrying biologic drugs into spinal cord

A small peptide dubbed TAxI is living up to its name. Recent studies show it to be an effective vehicle for shuttling functional proteins, such as active enzymes, into the spinal cord after a muscle injection.

17 Feb 2016

Researchers one step closer to developing new treatment strategy to combat TB

By uncovering the 3-dimensional structure of an enzyme that is critical for the survival of the bacterium that cause tuberculosis, researchers may be one step closer to developing a new strategy to combat TB infections.

17 Feb 2016

Bacteria lurking in dental water lines

Bacteria lurking in the water lines at the dentist's office are tougher than we thought, according to a new paper published in Water Research. The study reveals that the disinfectants recommended by companies that manufacture the water lines don't actually shift all the bacteria in the lines, which means they're never completely clean.

17 Feb 2016

Better understanding link between oral bacteria and certain types of stroke

In a study of patients entering the hospital for acute stroke, researchers have increased their understanding of an association between certain types of stroke and the presence of the oral bacteria (cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans).

17 Feb 2016

Study highlights dual role of cytokine in inflammatory bowel disease

Small proteins that affect communication between cells play an important role in regulating inflammation that occurs during inflammatory bowel disease, according to researchers at Georgia State University, Emory University, the University of Michigan and Amgen, a biotechnology company.

17 Feb 2016

New UNC School of Medicine study shows how some bacteria can spread throughout the body

Bacteria have evolved thousands of clever tactics for invading our bodies while evading our natural defenses. Now, UNC School of Medicine scientists studying one of the world's most virulent pathogens and a separate very common bacterium have discovered a new way that some bacteria can spread rapidly throughout the body - by hitchhiking on our own immune cells.

16 Feb 2016

Allergan's sNDA for TEFLARO (ceftaroline fosamil) accepted by FDA

Allergan plc today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for TEFLARO (ceftaroline fosamil).

16 Feb 2016

Anti-biofilm compounds show promise against drug-resistant bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and School of Public Health have discovered a new class of anti-biofilm compounds derived from marine microorganisms that show promise against a drug-resistant bacterium commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections.

16 Feb 2016

Critical discovery holds key to explaining how 'good' gut bacteria promote health

A critical discovery about how bacteria feed on an unusual sugar molecule found in leafy green vegetables could hold the key to explaining how 'good' bacteria protect our gut and promote health.

15 Feb 2016

Shift from huts to cities has dramatically changed human exposure to certain microbes

The shift from living in jungle huts to cities has dramatically changed human exposure to certain microbes, which could have implications for healthy immune function, according to a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published online Feb. 12, 2016 in Science Advances.

15 Feb 2016

Australian researchers identify genetic map of human parasitic scabies mite

Australian researchers have used cutting-edge genome technologies to reveal the genetic makeup of a widespread skin parasite causing serious health problems in Aboriginal communities.

15 Feb 2016

New experimental method could help detect Lyme disease at the earliest time of infection

When it comes to early diagnosis of Lyme disease, the insidious tick-borne illness that afflicts about 300,000 Americans annually, finding the proverbial needle in the haystack might be a far easier challenge--until now, perhaps. An experimental method developed by federal and university researchers appears capable of detecting the stealthy culprit Lyme bacteria at the earliest time of infection, when currently available tests are often still negative.

15 Feb 2016

New approach could be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA have developed a new approach that could eventually be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

14 Feb 2016

Discovery opens door to preventing diet-induced heart disease

Four years ago, Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues made a landmark discovery linking intestinal bacteria to heart disease. His team found that when our digestive systems digest the nutrients carnitine and choline (abundant in red meat and eggs, respectively), a bacterial waste product called TMAO is formed. They showed that high levels of TMAO are associated with higher rates of heart attack, stroke and cardiac death.

14 Feb 2016