Bacterial Research; How depleting the gut microbiota protects from obesity ♦ Concerted action needed to control healthcare-related infection ♦ New technique could prevent dangerous biofilms on catheters

New information about bacterial enzymes to help scientists develop more effective antibiotics, cancer drugs New research now allows researchers to manipulate nature's biosynthetic machinery to produce more effective antibiotics and cancer-fighting drugs.

How depleting the gut microbiota protects from obesity By studying mice without microbiota, scientists were able to demonstrate how the absence of microbiota has a remarkable effect against obesity. Indeed, it triggers a surprising metabolic mechanism: white fat cells -- which in excess cause obesity and insulin resistance -- are transformed into cells similar to brown fat (they are called 'beige fat'), that protects the body against excess weight and its damaging consequences.

Responding to C. diff: Concerted action needed to control healthcare-related infection Appropriate use of antibiotics is a critical step toward controlling the ongoing epidemic of health care-related Clostridium difficile infection, according to a special article from experts

New technique could prevent dangerous biofilms on catheters Biofilms frequently coat the surfaces of catheters, and of various medical implants and prostheses, where they can cause life-threatening infections. New research shows that coating implants with a certain 'activator' can prevent Staphylococcus aureus, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, from forming biofilms

Bacterial Research: Superhero' microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection ♦ New technique could prevent biofilms on catheters and medical implants

Superhero' microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection Once the most powerful and revolutionary of drugs, antibiotics appear to have reached their limits, due to the ability of bacteria to rapidly evolve resistance to the medicines. Now a team of scientists has found E. coli in microbiome capable of protecting the body from infectious diseases, which may help prevent antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

New technique could prevent biofilms on catheters and medical implants Biofilms -- mats of bacteria similar to the plaque that grows on teeth -- frequently coat the surfaces of catheters, and of various medical implants and prostheses, where they can threaten lives or lead to failure of the implants. Antibiotics are impotent against biofilms. Now scientists show that coating implants with 'tissue plasminogen activator' can prevent Staphylococcus aureus, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, from forming biofilms.

Study examines bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea Although gonorrhea susceptibility to the antibiotic cefixime has been improving in recent years, suggesting a halt of a drift towards antibiotic resistance, data for 2014 indicates a worsening of susceptibility.

Preventing dental implant infections Millions of dental implants are inserted every year, and often they need to be replaced due to issues such as tissue infections caused by bacteria. In the future, these infections will be prevented thanks to a new plasma implant coating that kills pathogens using silver ions.

Cancer Research: Link between bacterial 'biofilms' and colon cancer ♦ Haywire protein connected to breast cancer, leukemia ♦ Treatment strategy to 'checkmate' glioblastoma

Researchers connect haywire protein to breast cancer, leukemia. In the new study, the researchers found that too much of a key protein, called cyclin E, slows down DNA replication and introduces potentially harmful cancer-linked mutations when cells divide

Metabolic link between bacterial 'biofilms' and colon cancer found A team of scientists has uncovered a big clue to how bacteria may promote some colon cancers. The study used novel metabolomic technologies to reveal molecular evidence suggesting a vicious circle in which cancerous changes in colon cells promote the growth of bacterial conglomerations called biofilms, and biofilms in turn promote cancer development

Why almost half of patients opt out of comprehensive cancer testing Some at-risk patients opted out of comprehensive cancer gene screening when presented with the opportunity to be tested for the presence of genes linked to various cancers,. Concern for uncertainty and potential distress were cited among the most common reasons to refuse testing.

Biologist advances cancer research with new data analysis techniques Patience and persistence are beginning to pay off for one researcher whose research about the behavior of cell proteins in childhood cancer was started by identifying a large number of signaling proteins using mass spectrometry.

New combination treatment strategy to 'checkmate' glioblastoma

Therapies that specifically target mutations in a person's cancer have been much-heralded in recent years, yet cancer cells often find a way around them. To address this, researchers identified a promising combinatorial approach to treating glioblastomas, the most common form of primary brain cancer.

Saving Lives with Phage Therapy Three

Bacteriophage (phage for short) use bacteria as a womb. They inject their DNA into the bacteria. They take energy from the bacteria and make 50 or more phages within the bacteria. Then they break open the bacteria and the phages go on there way.Depending on the type of phage this takes about twenty minutes.

There are two advantages to this One, the phages grow faster than the bacteria so they can over take them. Second, the phages end up in the same area as the infection.

One thing bacteria do is to form which are clumps of bacteria. The have small holes running through the film so that the bacteria in the middle can get food. It is 100 times harder for antibiotics to kill of a biofilm than it is to kill off individual bacteria.. Antibiotics kill of the outer layers of bacteria, but they grow back out from the middle.

Bacteriophage on the other hand can kill off the bacteria in the biofilm because there are more phages born every 20 minutes  Check out my campaign  to start a nonprofit to promote bacteriophage as a cure.

https://igg.me/at/you-can-save-lives

I will write something about phage therapy every day this month untill the campaign is over.

1/23/14 Health News: Salmonella Biofilms Resists Disinfectants - Concussions Diagnosed on Sports Field - Toxin Kills of HIV- Mediterranean Diet Cuts Type 2 Diabetes

SALMONELLA BIOFILMS EXTREMELY RESISTANT TO DISINFECTANTS

Researchers have discovered that common disinfectants face an uphill battle killing Salmonella once it has had the time to form a biofilm – a community of cells that attach to each other and a surface, increasing the density of bacterial growth and providing support from harsh environments. Researchers at the National University of Ireland, Galway,... Continue Reading

A New Blood Test to Diagnose Concussions on the Sports Field

A protein could signal the first signs of brain changes due to a concussion.

With a finger-stick and a drop of blood, researchers from the University of Rochester say it may be possible to tell whether a player experienced a concussion. Levels of the brain protein S100B start to rise with intense exertion, but also after a major impact such as a blow to the head. So the scientists investigated whether it would be possible to distinguish the two circumstances in hopes of finding a way to detect the first signs of traumatic brain injury. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that a rise in S100B of more than 45% is nearly equivalent to a concussion diagnosis, and easily distinguishable from physical exertion..continue reading

Toxin Shows Promise in Killing Off Lurking HIV

An antibody and toxin mix has successfully detected and killed HIV-infected cells lurking in the organs and bone marrow of mice that were altered to have a human immune system. The results, reported offer conceptual proof that a reservoir of HIV-infected cells in organs can sought out and destroyed, a scenario that would potentially end the stalemate between the virus and antiretroviral drug therapies. The altered mice, developed about eight years ago, can be infected by the human immunodeficiency virus in an identical manner to humans; they exhibit the same viremia and respond the same way to current antiretroviral drug therapy, but do not come down with AIDS, according to the study.Continue Reading

Mediterranean Diet Cuts Type 2 Diabetes Risk by a Third

A Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil cut the risk for developing type 2 diabetes by about a third among adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with a low-fat diet, a new analysis finds. The results, from the subgroup of subjects in the Spanish cardiovascular prevention study Prevencion con Dieta Mediterránea who did not have diabetes at baseline Source:.continue reading

1/19/14 Health News: Avoid Getting Sick From Your Food - Bacteria Lives a Long Time on Books, Cribs, & Toys - Tiny Lab Can Roam Around Your Body, Diagnose and Treat Desease

Don’t be one of the 76 million Americans each year who get sick from food

The challenge of eating safely may be greater than you think.More than 76 million Americans develop foodborne illnesses annually, about 325,000 of those people are hospitalized and approximately 5,000 die, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Continue Reading

Some Bacteria 'Live for Long Periods' on Toys, Books and Cribs

Researchers from the University at Buffalo in New York say two bacteria that cause many common infections in children and the elderly, such as strep throat and ear infections, can live outside the human body for long periods of time on various objects, including books, cribs and toys. The investigators found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes linger on many surfaces significantly longer than previously thought, opposing previous studies that suggest the bacteria quickly die once they have left the human body. The researchers found that this bacteria is stronger than other bacteria that do not form biofilms, leading them to believe that the bacteria may linger on surfaces. Other experiments found that the biofilms were able to survive for many hours on human hands, books, hard and soft toys and surfaces, even after cleaning..continue reading

Israeli Researchers Create Tiny, Programmable, Genetic Test Device That Can Roam the Body and Diagnose and Treat Diseases on the Spot

The genetic device holds promise for developing cancer-specific gene therapies and could create new consulting opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists In Israel, researchers are making progress on the futuristic concept of biologic, medically-savvy computers that are so small they can fit inside human cells and roam the body detecting and treating diseases in vivo. This is another example of how new technologies can shift diagnostic testing away from clinical laboratories. This groundbreaking work is being done at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The research team has designed a genetic device that is inserted into bacteria cells where it operates independently. This device is programmed to identify certain disease parameters and mount an appropriate response, according to a story published by Science Daily.continue reading