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Infectious heart disease death rates rising again say scientists

Infectious heart disease is still a major killer in spite of improvements in health care, but the way the disease develops has changed so much since its discovery that nineteenth century doctors would not recognise it, scientists heard today (Thursday 11 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

10 Sep 2008

Bleeding gums increase risk of heart disease

Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can cause heart disease, Professor Howard Jenkinson from the University of Bristol will tell members of the Society for General Microbiology in Trinity College, Dublin today [Thursday 11 September].

10 Sep 2008

Killing bacteria isn't enough to restore immune function after infection, researchers find

A bacterial molecule that initially signals to animals that they have been invaded must be wiped out by a special enzyme before an infected animal can regain full health, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

10 Sep 2008

Food poisoning bacteria prefer duck to beef on meat factory surfaces

The food poisoning bacterium Listeria could survive on surfaces in meat processing factories if certain other bacteria are present, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

9 Sep 2008

New coating for urinary catheters reduce infection risk

A new coating for urinary catheters could reduce the risk of infection, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

8 Sep 2008

Atomic structure of the mammalian "fatty acid factory" determined

Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have determined the atomic structure of a mammalian fatty acid synthase. Their results have just been published in Science magazine.

7 Sep 2008

Rattlesnake-type poisons used by superbug bacteria to beat our defences

Colonies of hospital superbugs can make poisons similar to those found in rattlesnake venom to attack our bodies' natural defences, scientists heard today (Monday 8 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

7 Sep 2008

African countries commit to new meningitis vaccine

Health ministers from countries of the African meningitis belt today committed themselves to introduce a highly promising candidate meningitis vaccine. The vaccine is designed to prevent periodic epidemics of the deadly disease in these countries.

4 Sep 2008

Anadis to commercialise "BioGard" adjunctive therapy for HIV/AIDS

Anadis announced today its commercialization of a new product, BioGard, intended to maintain gastrointestinal and immune system health. The specific formulation may be of particular clinical benefit in persons undergoing antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS.

4 Sep 2008

MRSA breast infections controllable in nursing mothers, researchers find

Many nursing mothers who have been hospitalized for breast abscesses are afflicted with the "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, but according to new research by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians, conservative treatment can deal with the problem.

3 Sep 2008

Nature inspires new highly specific drugs and organic products

The best place to seek novel compounds for pharmaceutical drugs, alternative energy sources, and a host of industrial applications, is within natural systems that have evolved over millions of years.

2 Sep 2008

New diagnostic tools and biomarkers

Patients presenting shortness of breath on arrival at the emergency department (ED) can gain from improved diagnosis allowing physicians to distinguish congestive heart failure patients from those presenting pneumonia.

1 Sep 2008

Contaminated meat responsible for deaths of 12 Canadians

Twelve people in Canada have died from an infection caused by eating spoiled meat, eleven in Ontario and one in British Columbia.

26 Aug 2008

Premature births may be the result of undiagnosed infection

Scientists in the U.S. say a significant number of premature births may be caused by infections which are undiagnosed and the heavier the infection, the more likely the women were to deliver younger, sicker babies.

26 Aug 2008

Infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth

Previously unrecognized and unidentified infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

25 Aug 2008

New vaccine to fight multiple influenza strains

A universal vaccine effective against several strains of influenza has passed its first phase of testing, according to Dr. Christine Turley of the University of Texas at Galveston.

21 Aug 2008

Scientists uncover molecule that keeps pathogens like salmonella in check

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a potential new way to stop the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea from making people sick.

21 Aug 2008

Bacterial pneumonia caused most deaths in 1918 influenza pandemic

The majority of deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Instead, most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection.

19 Aug 2008

Evolution in the ribosome

A new study of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building machinery, sheds light on the oldest branches of the evolutionary tree of life and suggests that differences in ribosomal structure between the three main branches of that tree are "molecular fossils" of the early evolution of protein synthesis.

18 Aug 2008

New understanding of how white blood cell eosiniphils fights infection

U.S. and Swiss scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how a type of white blood cell called the eosinophil may help the body to fight bacterial infections in the digestive tract, according to research published online this week in Nature Medicine

13 Aug 2008