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"Sick building syndrome" is a hallmark of job stress and lack of support rather than an unhealthy building

Sick building syndrome describes a cluster of symptoms affecting the eyes, head, nose and throat and skin, all of which have been associated with the physical properties of office buildings.

23 Mar 2006

A newly recognized type of immune cell may play an important role in causing asthma

...perhaps explaining why current therapies sometimes fail, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Mar 2006

Discovery of basic defect in cystic fibrosis airway glands

Scientists at Stanford University have determined that the buildup of sticky mucus found in cystic fibrosis is caused by a loss in the epithelial cell's ability to secrete fluid.

21 Mar 2006

Novel vaccine approach to listeria - potential protection against other intracellular bacterial pathogens

When bacterial pathogens attack the surface of a cell, vaccine-induced antibodies can mount a formidable defense and fend off the bad bugs.

21 Mar 2006

Rutgers researchers discover obesity gene

Rutgers researchers have identified a gene - and the molecular function of its protein product - that provides an important clue to further understanding obesity and may point the way to new drugs to control fat metabolism.

20 Mar 2006

Attractive birds appear to have greater avian virus resistance

A research team at Uppsala University, Sweden has shown in a new study, published in the journal Acta Zoologica, that the size of the spot on a male collared flycatcher's forehead reflects how well the immune defence system combats viruses such as avian influenza.

20 Mar 2006

A putative RNA-interference-based immune system in prokaryotes

Researchers have used computational methods to predict what could be a prokaryotic RNA-silencing mechanism similar to the eukaryotic RNA- interference system.

20 Mar 2006

Salmonella research provides clues to antibiotic development

Pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, causing problems for therapy. Doctors need to have antibiotics available that work in new kinds of ways.

19 Mar 2006

Discovery of common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis

University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis - a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease.

19 Mar 2006

Vaccinated adults less likely to die from pneumonia

Adults hospitalized for pneumonia who have received the pneumococcal vaccine are at a lower risk of dying from the disease than those who haven't been vaccinated, according to an article in the April 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

19 Mar 2006

FDA grants Cerexa fast track designation

Cerexa has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for PPI-0903, a next-generation, broad-spectrum, cephalosporin antibiotic, for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

17 Mar 2006

Hospitalized schizophrenics more likely to have complications

A Johns Hopkins study of more than 1,700 patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for medical or surgical care unrelated to their mental disorder shows they are at least twice as likely as similar patients without schizophrenia to suffer dangerous and expensive adverse events.

15 Mar 2006

Single dose of oral antibiotic azithromycin taken after trichiasis eye surgery prevents recurrence of inturned eyelashes

A Johns Hopkins Medicine study finds that a single dose of the oral antibiotic azithromycin taken after trichiasis eye surgery can reduce the frequency with which eyelashes turn back in and abrade the eye.

14 Mar 2006

Drink up that vino - it stops your teeth falling out!

Red wine contains antioxidants known as polyphenols, which are already believed to reduce cholesterol but are now also thought to prevent gum disease.

13 Mar 2006

Researchers synthesize nisin in a test tube

Scientists have made nisin, a natural antibiotic used for more than 40 years to preserve food, in a test tube for the first time using nature's toolbox.

13 Mar 2006

RvE1 protects from inflammation and bone loss in experimental periodontitis

Gum disease is initiated by bacteria populating dental plaque and may eventually result in tissue and tooth loss.

13 Mar 2006

Components found in red wine can help prevent periodontal diseases

Periodontitis is a progressive infectious disease affecting the gums and bone that surround and support teeth, often causing tooth movement and leading to permanent tooth loss.

13 Mar 2006

Photodynamic therapy may be an effective treatment for infections of the oral cavity

Researchers found that the bacteria S. mutans, as well as fungal organisms of the genus Candida, cultured from HIV patients, were highly susceptible to killing with minimal doses of PDT, both in laboratory dishes and on biofilms grown on denture material.

13 Mar 2006