Roundworm News and Research

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Roundworm infection, or toxocariasis, is a zoonotic disease — a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Dogs and cats are the definitive hosts for the roundworm species that commonly cause human disease.

Scientists turn to C. elegans for new model of peripheral neuropathy

Studying transthyretin amyloidoses-;a group of progressive nerve and cardiac degenerative diseases caused by the buildup of misfolded transthyretin proteins in the body-;has long been hampered by the lack of animal models of the disease.

9 Aug 2018

Researchers report new way to map the inner workings of a living cell

Imaging tools like X-rays and MRI have revolutionized medicine by giving doctors a close up view of the brain and other vital organs in living, breathing people. Now, Columbia University researchers report a new way to zoom in at the tiniest scales to track changes within individual cells.

6 Aug 2018

Mosquito screening found to be useful for tracking recurrence of lymphatic filariasis

To ensure elimination of the Wuchereria bancrofti, a parasitic roundworm that causes lymphatic filariasis, public health workers must follow up mass drug administration with careful monitoring for recurrence.

27 Jul 2018

Rockefeller scientists shed new light on the neuroscience of sleep

A good night of sleep entails about eight hours of blissful immobility--a state of near paralysis that, though welcome at night, would be inconvenient during the day. In a recent paper published in Cell Reports, Rockefeller scientists shed new light on the transitions between a wakeful, active state and the stillness of sleep.

1 Jun 2018

Scientists identify new inherited neurodevelopmental disease

Researchers have identified a new inherited neurodevelopmental disease that causes slow growth, seizures and learning difficulties in humans.

23 May 2018

Gut microbes linked to severity of intestinal parasitic worm infections

A new study indicates that the kinds of microbes living in the gut influence the severity and recurrence of parasitic worm infections in developing countries.

9 Mar 2018

Study reveals key function of ALS-linked protein

The protein FUS, whose mutation or disruption causes many cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), works as a central component of one of the most important regulatory systems in cells, according to a new study in Molecular Cell from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

8 Mar 2018

Biologists discover new genetic pathway for injured nerve regeneration

On the hunt for genes involved in regenerating critical nerve fibers called axons, biologists at the University of California San Diego came away with a surprise: The discovery of a new genetic pathway that carries hope for victims of traumatic injuries-; from stroke to spinal cord damage.

25 Jan 2018

Sleeping sickness actually caused by acceleration of biological clocks

Sleeping sickness could use a more encompassing moniker. An international study from the O'Donnell Brain Institute shows one of Africa's most lethal diseases is actually a circadian rhythm disorder caused by the acceleration of biological clocks controlling a range of vital functions besides sleep.

4 Jan 2018

UT Southwestern researchers identify potential approach to suppress lethal parasitic infections

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical that suppresses the lethal form of a parasitic infection caused by roundworms that affects up to 100 million people and usually causes only mild symptoms.

5 Dec 2017

Scientists one step closer to solving puzzle of how nerves can self-heal

Monash University scientists are one step closer to solving the riddle of how nerves can self-heal. The scientists from the Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) have found signals in the tiny transparent roundworm that control the mechanism by which severed nerves self-heal.

7 Nov 2017

Study elucidates how aerobic exercise protects the sick heart

Regular exercise is considered an important form of treatment for heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

18 Aug 2017

Scientists map learning and memory center of fruit fly larva brain

A Johns Hopkins University mathematician and computer scientist joined an international team of neuroscientists to create a complete map of the learning and memory center of the fruit fly larva brain, an early step toward mapping how all animal brains work.

11 Aug 2017

Hidden parasite: Raccoon roundworms may infect people more than previously assumed

The raccoon that topples your trashcan and pillages your garden may leave more than just a mess. More likely than not, it also contaminates your yard with parasites -- most notably, raccoon roundworms (Baylisascaris procyonis).

24 Jul 2017

Tumorigenesis may be induced from neighboring tissues, study suggests

Current view is that cancer development is initiated from cells that acquire initial DNA mutations. These in turn provoke additional defects, and ultimately the affected cells begin to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner to develop primary tumors.

2 Jun 2017

Study findings could pave way for better drugs to fight against parasitic infections

Immune cells, called macrophages, may rely on a compound to signal an attack to beat back attacks from parasitic worms, according to an international team of researchers, including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine.

12 May 2017

Scientists reveal how immune cells activate to kill parasitic worms

An international team of researchers including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine, reveals how immune cells called macrophages activate to kill parasitic worms.

11 May 2017

Study shows how gut microbiota may play role in effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs

The bacteria residing in your digestive tract, or your gut microbiota, may play an important role in your ability to respond to chemotherapy drugs in the clinic, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

25 Apr 2017

Research finding could set stage for potential development of new antimicrobial drugs

Research teams from the National Institutes of Health and abroad have identified the first inhibitor of an enzyme long thought to be a potential drug target for fighting disease-causing parasites and bacteria.

3 Apr 2017

Parasite's biological clock could help improve treatments for deadly sleeping sickness

The parasite that causes deadly sleeping sickness has its own biological clock that makes it more vulnerable to medications during the afternoon, according to international research that may help improve treatments for one of Africa's most lethal diseases.

24 Mar 2017