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Variation in oxytocin receptor gene influences face recognition skills, study finds

New findings suggest the oxytocin receptor, a gene known to influence mother-infant bonding and pair bonding in monogamous species, also plays a special role in the ability to remember faces. This research has important implications for disorders in which social information processing is disrupted, including autism spectrum disorder. In addition, the finding may lead to new strategies for improving social cognition in several psychiatric disorders.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers develop new vaccine that protects against lethal pneumonia caused by staph bacteria

University of Iowa researchers have developed a new vaccine that protects against lethal pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, including drug-resistant strains like MRSA.

23 Dec 2013

New antibody could boost strength, muscle mass in patients with cancer and other diseases

A new antibody could dramatically boost strength and muscle mass in patients with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sporadic inclusion body myositis, and in elderly patients with sarcopenia according to research published ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology.

20 Dec 2013

TB-causing bacteria appear to mask their identity to avoid recognition by infection-killing cells

TB-causing bacteria appear to mask their identity to avoid recognition by infection-killing cells in the upper airways. The bacteria call up more permissive white blood cells in the deeper regions of the lungs and hitch a ride inside them to get into the host's body.

20 Dec 2013

Study supports mounting evidence that inflammation may be the cause of chronic rhinosinusitis

Saint Louis University researchers have analyzed the microbiomes of people with chronic rhinosinusitis and healthy volunteers and found evidence that some chronic sinus issues may be the result of inflammation triggered by an immune response to otherwise harmless microorganisms in the sinus membranes.

20 Dec 2013

Researchers develop oral vaccine against Helicobacter pylori

Researchers from Southern Medical University in Guangdong, Guangzhou, China, have developed an oral vaccine against Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for peptic ulcers and some forms of gastric cancer, and have successfully tested it in mice. The research is published ahead of print in the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

20 Dec 2013

UCLA researchers find no evidence of association between iron levels and atherosclerosis risk

A UCLA research team has found no evidence of an association between iron levels in the body and the risk of atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of the arteries that leads to cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer in the U.S.

18 Dec 2013

Researchers discover molecular "switch" in receptor that controls cell behavior

If scientists can control cellular functions such as movement and development, they can cripple cells and pathogens that are causing disease in the body.

17 Dec 2013

Arizona scientists investigate intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Cheryl Nickerson and her team have been investigating the intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens.

17 Dec 2013

UCLA scientists receive $21M grant to conduct groundbreaking clinical trials on stem cell science

Scientists from UCLA are now bringing their groundbreaking stem cell science directly to patients in two exciting new clinical trials scheduled to begin in early 2014, thanks to funding from California's stem cell agency.

17 Dec 2013

Scientists reveal how MRSA strain rapidly rises to prominence

Scientists believe they have an explanation for how the most common strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus rapidly rose to prominence. Research published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, suggests that the strain recently acquired a number of genes from common skin bacteria that allow it to grow and thrive on the skin where other strains of MRSA cannot.

17 Dec 2013

Findings could point the way to new vaccines to prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The lung lesions in an individual infected with tuberculosis are surprisingly variable and independent of each other, despite whether the patient has clinically active or latent disease, according to a new animal study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online today in Nature Medicine, could point the way to new vaccines to prevent the hard-to-treat infection.

16 Dec 2013

MD Anderson researcher earns Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Basic science research that exposed vital details of cancer's defense against the immune system, revealing an entirely new way to combat these diseases, has earned Jim Allison, Ph.D., a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

14 Dec 2013

Protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells that fight against bacteria

A protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells -- critical players in the body's fight against bacteria and other pathogens -- rendering them unable to protect against bacterial spread in the body, according to researchers at Duke Medicine and Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS).

13 Dec 2013

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Vaccines for whooping cough contain three to five protective antigens, the presence of which are critical to the vaccine's effectiveness. But one of the antigens, pertactin, which had been present in almost all isolates of Bordetella pertussis in the US as late as 2010, is now absent from more than half of them, according to a paper published ahead of print in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

13 Dec 2013

Scientists bring stem cell science directly to patients

Scientists from UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research are bringing stem cell science funded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state stem cell agency, directly to patients in two exciting new clinical trials scheduled to begin in early 2014.

13 Dec 2013

Understanding long-term clinical stability in hemophilia patients living with HIV

People with the genetic blood clotting disorder hemophilia who have been infected with HIV for decades have an increased proportion of immune cells in their blood that specifically target HIV. This protective immune response helps chronically infected hemophilia patients survive, even during periods of HIV activity, according to a study published in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

12 Dec 2013

Study reveals that germ-free mice are susceptible to infection with foodborne pathogen

When it comes to fighting off pathogens like Listeria, your best allies may be the billions of microorganisms that line your gut, according to new research published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

10 Dec 2013

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

A team led by a longtime Oregon Health & Science University researcher has demonstrated in mice what could be a revolutionary new technique to cure a wide range of human diseases - from cystic fibrosis to cataracts to Alzheimer's disease - that are caused by "misfolded" protein molecules.

9 Dec 2013

ATS Labs offers testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against H7N9 virus

ATS Labs announced today that they are pleased to offer testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against avian influenza A (H7N9) virus. Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, called H7N9 for short, has infected humans in China causing severe respiratory illness.

6 Dec 2013

Microbiology News and Research

Variation in oxytocin receptor gene influences face recognition skills, study finds

Researchers develop new vaccine that protects against lethal pneumonia caused by staph bacteria

New antibody could boost strength, muscle mass in patients with cancer and other diseases

TB-causing bacteria appear to mask their identity to avoid recognition by infection-killing cells

Study supports mounting evidence that inflammation may be the cause of chronic rhinosinusitis

Researchers develop oral vaccine against Helicobacter pylori

UCLA researchers find no evidence of association between iron levels and atherosclerosis risk

Researchers discover molecular "switch" in receptor that controls cell behavior

Arizona scientists investigate intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens

UCLA scientists receive $21M grant to conduct groundbreaking clinical trials on stem cell science

Scientists reveal how MRSA strain rapidly rises to prominence

Findings could point the way to new vaccines to prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

MD Anderson researcher earns Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells that fight against bacteria

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Scientists bring stem cell science directly to patients

Understanding long-term clinical stability in hemophilia patients living with HIV

Study reveals that germ-free mice are susceptible to infection with foodborne pathogen

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

ATS Labs offers testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against H7N9 virus

Microbiology eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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