Toxins News and Research

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Discovery lays groundwork for new class of antibiotics for Staphylococcus aureus infections

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered an enzyme that regulates production of the toxins that contribute to potentially life-threatening Staphylococcus aureus infections. The study recently appeared in the scientific journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

7 Aug 2014

Graphene droplets open up possibilities for use in drug delivery and disease detection

A chance discovery about the 'wonder material' graphene - already exciting scientists because of its potential uses in electronics, energy storage and energy generation - takes it a step closer to being used in medicine and human health.

6 Aug 2014

Potential health concerns, but limited data on electronic cigarettes safety

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are booming in popularity-but there's still only limited evidence on their potential health risks, or their advertised benefits in helping people to quit smoking, according to a research review in the July/August Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

6 Aug 2014

Cancer fighter may also help patients survive pneumonia

The tip of an immune molecule known for its skill at fighting cancer may also help patients survive pneumonia, scientists report.

5 Aug 2014

Bacteria that aid in digestion help keep intestinal lining intact

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact.

4 Aug 2014

Researchers advance stability of protein that may prevent brain damage from toxins

Research at New York University is paving the way for a breakthrough that may prevent brain damage in civilians and military troops exposed to poisonous chemicals-particularly those in pesticides and chemical weapons.

31 Jul 2014

Biochemists report advance in production of functional mirror-image proteins

University of Utah biochemists have reported an advance in the production of functional mirror-image proteins.

29 Jul 2014

Effective way to fight against certain species of toxic grass fungus: moose saliva

Some sticky research out of York University shows a surprisingly effective way to fight against a certain species of toxic grass fungus: moose saliva (yes- moose saliva).

25 Jul 2014

Researchers develop sensing microbiosensor that detects beneficial bacteria in food

In the food industry is very important to ensure the quality and safety of products consumed by the population to improve their properties and reduce foodborne illness.

24 Jul 2014

Unnatural DNA bases: an interview with Professor Floyd E. Romesberg, The Scripps Research Institute

The natural DNA bases that form the letters of DNA are usually referred to as G, C, A, and T. Those are only the first letters of the chemical names. They’re often called nucleotides by their scientific name and all of them have in common a phosphate part, a sugar part and a nucleobase part.

21 Jul 2014

Study of woodrats may impact farming practices in arid regions

Woodrats lost their ability to eat toxic creosote bushes after antibiotics killed their gut microbes. Woodrats that never ate the plants were able to do so after receiving fecal transplants with microbes from creosote-eaters, University of Utah biologists found.

21 Jul 2014

New way to protect crops from insect plagues in safe and environmentally responsible way

Using spider toxins to study the proteins that let nerve cells send out electrical signals, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have stumbled upon a biological tactic that may offer a new way to protect crops from insect plagues in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

11 Jul 2014

Samples from Chobani yogurt contain most virulent form of fungus

Samples isolated from Chobani yogurt that was voluntarily recalled in September 2013 have been found to contain the most virulent form of a fungus called Mucor circinelloides, which is associated with infections in immune-compromised people.

8 Jul 2014

Researchers find novel inhibitor that prevents cholera toxin from binding to carbohydrates

Cholera against cholera: a novel inhibitor prevents the cholera toxin from binding to carbohydrates found on the surface of intestinal cells.

7 Jul 2014

MEF2 gene: A potential therapeutic target to protect neuronal loss in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

A new study by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) has identified a chemical "switch" that controls both the generation of new neurons from neural stem cells and the survival of existing nerve cells in the brain.

4 Jul 2014

ECsafeSEAFOOD project assesses priority contaminants present in seafood

Significant progress towards improving seafood safety in Europe is being made by the EC-funded ECsafeSEAFOOD project.

4 Jul 2014

Leopoldina, DFG present joint recommendations for handling security-relevant scientific research

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina presented their joint recommendations on "Scientific Freedom and Scientific Responsibility" on 26 June 2014 in Berlin.

27 Jun 2014

Preventing antibiotic side effects: an interview with Florence Séjourné, CEO, Da Volterra

Like all drugs, antibiotics can have side-effects when administered to people. The most common (and often benign) side effect people experience when taking antibiotics is “associated diarrhea”. This illustrates the fact that antibiotics have an impact on the intestine!

25 Jun 2014

Research explores links between planet's health and human health

United Nations University will help pioneer a fresh trail in global health research, exploring links between the planet's health and human health at an institute in Kuala Lumpur generously supported by Malaysia.

17 Jun 2014

C. difficile bacteria pose major health threat without proper infection prevention in hospitals, homes

Without proper infection prevention in hospitals, and now homes, the Clostridium difficile bacteria poses a major health threat, cautions a Case Western Reserve University infection control researcher.