Toxins News and Research

RSS

Certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria can dampen production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1

Certain Streptococci increase their production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, sometimes to potentially dangerous levels, when aerobic bacteria are present in the vagina. But scientists from the University of Western Ontario have discovered certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria are capable of dampening production of that toxin according to research published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

25 Mar 2013

Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent gets FDA approval for patients showing signs of botulism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)-(Equine) to treat patients showing signs of botulism following documented or suspected exposure to botulinum neurotoxin.

25 Mar 2013

Relighting cigarettes related to economic factors, researchers find

In what is believed to be a first of its kind study, a research member at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and colleagues have found that an accelerating trend of smokers relighting cigarettes is related to economic factors, and the practice has implications for tobacco dependence treatment and policy.

19 Mar 2013

Harvard’s Wyss Institute to harness Sony DADC's expertise to advance Organs-on-Chips technologies

Today the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Sony DADC announced a collaboration that will harness Sony DADC's global manufacturing expertise to further advance the Institute's Organs-on-Chips technologies.

18 Mar 2013

Studies show protein semaphorin 3A helps detect acute kidney injury

A guidance cue that helps kidneys form may also be a red flag that they are in danger, researchers report.

13 Mar 2013

Anti-cancer drug conjugates: an interview with Dr Andreas Menrad, CSO Ablynx and Dr Chris Martin, CEO Spirogen

Antibodies and in the case of Ablynx, Nanobodies, can be raised and selected to bind with high affinity selectively to cancer cells in a tumour. Cancer cells are exquisitely sensitive to certain toxins such as the PBDs produced by Spirogen.

12 Mar 2013

Microcystins in drinking water

An interview with Rohan Thakur, discussing the prevalence of microcystins in drinking water, and the use of LC-MS to identify cyanotoxins within water samples.

From Bruker Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry 5 Mar 2013

Scientists discover enzyme regulation that catalyzes chain elongation in the terpenoid pathway

Max Planck scientists in Jena, Germany, have discovered an unusual regulation of enzymes that catalyze chain elongation in an important secondary metabolism, the terpenoid pathway.

2 Mar 2013

Stem cell line could also advance research into liver cancers, cystic fibrosis

Chronic or acute, liver failure can be deadly. Toxins take over, the skin turns yellow and higher brain function slows. "There is no effective therapy at the moment to deal with the toxins that build up in your body," said Neil Talbot, a Research Animal Scientist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. "Their only option now is to transplant a liver."

1 Mar 2013

U.S. health officials outline new policies for funding research on H5N1 avian flu, other potentially dangerous agents

"U.S. health authorities on Thursday outlined the conditions for funding research on the H5N1 bird flu virus a month after scientists lifted a yearlong pause on the work that was imposed amid concerns it could be used by terrorists," Bloomberg reports.

23 Feb 2013

Combining synthetic and natural toxins could disarm cancer, drug-resistant bacteria

Cancer researchers from Rice University suggest that a new man-made drug that's already proven effective at killing cancer and drug-resistant bacteria could best deliver its knockout blow when used in combination with drugs made from naturally occurring toxins.

13 Feb 2013

Pmt transport system helps develop new type of drug against S. aureus infection

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have identified a promising lead for developing a new type of drug to treat infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that frequently resists traditional antibiotics.

11 Feb 2013

Studies to identify molecular causes and preventive and therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's

On the fourth floor of Wichita State University's McKinley Hall, biochemistry professor Kandatege Wimalasena and his group of doctoral and undergraduate students are hard at work researching Parkinson's disease (PD) - the second-most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 1 to 2 percent of people older than 60.

7 Feb 2013

Fish-related ciguatoxin danger highlighted

Researchers report that 28 cases of ciguatera fish poisoning occurred in New York City during 2010–2011, a greater number than were reported during the preceding 10-year period.

6 Feb 2013

Researchers investigate e-cigarettes awareness, use and perceptions among smokers

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or e-cigarettes, debuted in China in 2003 and have since become available globally, particularly through the Internet. While they resemble traditional tobacco cigarettes, they produce fewer toxins in the vapor for the smoker. Still, these novel products have unknown long-term health and addiction consequences, are of varying nicotine content and delivery, and may appeal to nonusers and youth. ENDS have been banned by health authorities in Canada and Australia.

5 Feb 2013

Researchers discover gene that causes MRSA infection to linger on skin longer than other strains

In the last decade, a new strain of MRSA has emerged that can spread beyond hospital walls, putting everyone at risk of contracting the dangerous bacterial infection. This particular strain of MRSA - known as USA300 - contains a chunk of genes not shared by any other strains, though it is unclear how this unique genetic material enables the bacteria to survive and persist in the community.

4 Feb 2013

Temple scientists to solve long-standing mystery in sepsis

Scientists at the Center for Translational Medicine at the Temple University School of Medicine are inching closer to solving a long-standing mystery in sepsis, a complex and often life-threatening condition that affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. every year.

28 Jan 2013

Scientists use magnetic levitation to make in vitro lung tissue more realistic

In a development that could lead to faster and more effective toxicity tests for airborne chemicals, scientists from Rice University and the Rice spinoff company Nano3D Biosciences have used magnetic levitation to grow some of the most realistic lung tissue ever produced in a laboratory.

25 Jan 2013

Antibodies essential for dendritic cell maturation

Dendritic cells, or DCs for short, perform a vital role for the immune system: They engulf pathogens, break them down into their component parts, and then display the pieces on their surface.

23 Jan 2013

Tips to help maintain health during travel

Whether you're away for business or pleasure, don't let traveling be an excuse to break your healthy New Year's resolutions. Check out these tips from Jodi Sullivan, Hilton Worldwide's senior director of global fitness, to help maintain your health wherever your travels may take you.

18 Jan 2013