Toxin News and Research

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'Designer' probiotic bacterium neutralises E. coli toxin

A potential life-saving treatment for severe E. coli food poisoning outbreaks - developed more than a decade ago - hasn't gone forward into clinical trials because of lack of commercial interest.

8 Jun 2011

Non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are honing in on the development of what may be the first non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men. Tests of low doses of a compound that interferes with retinoic acid receptors (RARs), whose ligands are metabolites of dietary vitamin A, showed that it caused sterility in male mice.

7 Jun 2011

Tikcro reports net loss of $30,000 for first quarter 2011

Tikcro Technologies Ltd. today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.

7 Jun 2011

Researchers discover a peptide that short circuits chronic pain pathway

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a peptide that short circuits a pathway for chronic pain. Unlike current treatments this peptide does not exhibit deleterious side effects such as reduced motor coordination, memory loss, or depression, according to an article in Nature Medicine posted online June 5, 2011.

6 Jun 2011

New E. coli outbreak alarms Europe

An Escherichia coli (E. coli) outbreak of disease in Germany has left 22 people dead and it is alarming populations across Europe.

5 Jun 2011

E coli outbreak in Germany continues

As the current virulent Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) outbreak in Germany spreads, experts from The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) are concerned not only about the pressure health facilities are being put under, but also the use of antibiotics and broader implications for preparedness across Europe to cope, both now and in the future.

3 Jun 2011

Eculizumab effective for treating hemolytic-uremic syndrome from EHEC

In the online version of the New England Journal of Medicine, physicians and scientists in Heidelberg, Montreal, and Paris reported on the successful treatment of three young children who were suffering from a severe hemolytic-uremic syndrome after an infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

1 Jun 2011

Complementary technologies for rapid EHEC identification and detection

With the recent outbreak in Europe of Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Roche Applied Science and TIB Molbiol are providing scientists with complementary technologies that can be used for the rapid identification and detection of EHEC.

30 May 2011

'Spongy' silicon biosensor shows promise for medical, security applications

Vanderbilt University engineers have created a "spongy" silicon biosensor that shows promise not only for medical diagnostics, but also for the detection of dangerous toxins and other tiny molecules in the environment.

27 May 2011

Study offers hints to why Parkinson's so selectively harms dopamine-producing cells

New data offer hints to why Parkinson's disease so selectively harms brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine, say researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

13 May 2011

Losartan therapy improves muscle injury regeneration and prevents disuse atrophy

Using geriatric mice, a Johns Hopkins research team has shown that losartan, a commonly used blood pressure drug, not only improves regeneration of injured muscle but also protects against its wasting away from inactivity.

12 May 2011

Injecting botox in 'trigger points' of pericraneal and neck muscles reduces migraine frequency

Scientists at the University of Granada have confirmed that injecting a local anesthetic or botulinum toxin (botox) into certain points named "trigger points" of the pericraneal and neck muscles reduce migraine frequency among migraine sufferers. University of Granada researchers have identified the location of these trigger points -which activation results in migraine- and their relationship with the duration and severity of this condition.

11 May 2011

FDA clears Meridian's new C. difficile immunoassay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new Clostridium difficile immunoassay named Premier C. difficile GDH.

11 May 2011

Arsenic exposure and cigarette smoking in combination elevate risk of cardiovascular disease mortality

Arsenic exposure and smoking each elevate the risk of disease. But when combined together, the danger of dying from cardiovascular disease is magnified, a new study finds.

6 May 2011

Quest Diagnostics' Simplexa C. difficile test is now available in Europe

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced the availability in Europe of the Simplexa C. difficile Universal Direct test on the 3M Integrated Cycler.

From Quest Diagnostics 6 May 2011

Researchers present evidence from first ever general population survey of autism in adulthood

Not a single person identified with autism or asperger's syndrome during a community survey in England actually knew they had the condition, research led by the University of Leicester reveals.

5 May 2011

Portuguese researcher to earn Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation award for new HIV therapy

João Gonçalves, from Faculdade de Farmácia e Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal, to win a Grand Challenges Exploration Award

29 Apr 2011

Botox injections: Reading and mimicking emotions hampered

In cosmetics, a Botox injection, consisting of a small dose of botulinum toxin, can be used to prevent formation of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles and can therefore make users appear less emotional. Now a new study finds that the cosmetic toxin may also make recipients less able to read the emotions of others.

26 Apr 2011

Some bacteria avoid antibiotic treatments by going 'off the grid' like rogue secret agents

Going "off the grid," like rogue secret agents, some bacteria avoid antibiotic treatments by essentially shutting down and hiding until it's safe to come out again, says Thomas Wood, professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.