Pulmonary Research: New light shed on mysterious fungus that has major health consequences ♦ Compounds discovered with potential to treat persistent tuberculosis

Compounds discovered with potential to treat persistent tuberculosis In a substantial number of cases -- some two billion, in fact -- the tuberculosis bacteria isn't active at all. Instead, it hides inside cell aggregates, latent and persistent, waiting to break out.Scientists have discovered several first-in-class compounds that target these hidden infections by attacking a critical process the bacteria use to survive in the lungs.

Fine dust: Separator helps observe limits Renewable fuels, such as wood chips, pellets, and firewood are popular. For wood-fired heating systems and furnaces to comply with the new stricter fine dust limits in Germany, particle separators are used to clean the flue gas. A long-term test of a newly created particle separator revealed that it works effectively and in an economically efficient manner

New light shed on mysterious fungus that has major health consequences Fungi in the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis has been examined by researchers who have discovered how one particularly cunning fungal species has evolved to defend itself against neighboring bacteria

Pneumonia 'finger clip' and better diagnostic tests could save thousands of lives Routinely used in hospitals, pulse oximetry is a non-invasive technology that measures oxygen in the blood, and can help doctors diagnose conditions such as pneumonia which trigger low oxygen levels. The authors argue that if pulse oximetry was made more widely available in the community, it could allow children to be diagnosed quicker and sent to hospital for lifesaving oxygen and antibiotics

Global Handwashing Day — October 15, 2015

October 15, 2015, marks the 8th annual Global Handwashing Day. This observance increases awareness and understanding of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent disease around the world.

Handwashing with soap has an important role in child survival and health. About 1.8 million children aged <5 years die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two causes of death among young children globally. Handwashing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhea among this age group by about 30% and respiratory infections by about 20%.

Although persons around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands because soap and water for handwashing might be less accessible in developing countries. Even when soap is available, it might be reserved primarily for laundry and bathing instead of for handwashing. Washing hands with soap removes bacteria much more effectively.

Additional information on Global Handwashing Day and handwashing in general is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing. Information on water-related hygiene is available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene.

Pulmonary Research: Targeting nerve endings to curb allergic asthma ♦ Severe asthma fails to respond to mainstay treatment ♦ New breath test for pneumonia

Multidrug-resistant TB appears less transmissible in households than drug-susceptible TB  Some strains of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) may have a lower fitness (be less capable of spreading) than drug-susceptible tuberculosis bacteria, according to a new study. The study compared new tuberculosis cases among household contacts of tuberculosis patients in South Lima and Callao, Peru, to determine the relative fitness of MDRTB vs. drug-susceptible tuberculosis.

New breath test for pneumonia An important new approach has been developed to diagnose infections in critically ill patients rapidly and accurately. Researchers have discovered that chemically analysing breath specimens from patients in intensive care can reveal bacterial infection in the lower respiratory tract of ventilated patients at risk of developing pneumonia

Targeting nerve endings to curb allergic asthma A study supports a surprising alternative approach to controlling asthma: targeting certain sensory nerve endings in the lungs. The researchers show that specialized sensory neurons called nociceptors are not only activated by allergic inflammation, but also exacerbate the allergic immune response. When these neurons are selectively silenced in mouse models of acute and chronic asthma, both inflammation and bronchial twitchiness are reduced.

Severe asthma fails to respond to mainstay treatment  The immune response that occurs in patients with severe asthma is markedly different than what occurs in milder forms of the lung condition, according to researchers. People with severe asthma, in which the airways become inflamed and constrict to impair breathing, do not get better even with high doses of corticosteroids, the mainstay of treatment for typical asthma.

Children's Health: Antibiotic choice for treating childhood pneumonia ♦ How to predict biphasic allergic reactions in children ♦ Grandparents support helps reduce risk of child obesity

Study looks at antibiotic choice for treating childhood pneumonia Hospitals are doing a better job of using antibiotics less commonly associated with antibiotic resistance to treat children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia .

How to predict biphasic allergic reactions in children Children are more likely to have a repeat, delayed anaphylactic reaction from the same allergic cause, depending on the severity of the initial reaction, reports the first pediatric study to look at the predictors for this phenomenon.

Smoking around your toddler could be just as bad as smoking while pregnant Children whose parents smoked when they were toddlers are likely to have a wider waist and a higher BMI by time they reach ten years of age. “We suspect the statistics we’ve established linking childhood obesity to exposure to parents’ smoking may underestimate the effect due to parents under reporting the amount they smoked out of shame, 40% of children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their own homes.

Grandparents support helps reduce risk of child obesity According to an English saying, it takes a whole village to raise a child. A new study has shown how important the support from grandparents could be. According to the study, emotional support from grandparents has a protective effect against child obesity.

Pulmonary research: Global air quality guidelines could prevent 2. 1 million deaths ♦ Lung transplant survival rates good for cystic fibrosis patients ♦ Cure for debilitating heart and lung disease

Community acquired pneumonia increases long-term morbidity, mortality Having had community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) greatly increases the risk of long-term morbidity and mortality compared to the general population who have never had CAP, according to a new study from researchers in Canada, the longest and largest outcomes study of patients with CAP reported to date.

Lung transplant survival rates good for cystic fibrosis patients The five-year survival rate for Canadians with cystic fibrosis who have received a lung transplant is 67 percent, new research finds. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Breakthrough points to cure for debilitating heart and lung disease A protein that targets the effects of a faulty gene could offer the first treatment targeting the major genetic cause of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Meeting global air quality guidelines could prevent 2. 1 million deaths per year Improving air quality could potentially avoid millions of pollution-related deaths each year. That finding comes from a team of environmental engineering and public health researchers who developed a global model of how changes in outdoor air pollution could lead to changes in the rates of health problems such as heart attack, stroke and lung cancer. The researchers were surprised to find the importance of cleaning air not just in the dirtiest parts of the world -- which they expected to find -- but also in cleaner environments like the United States, Canada and Europe

Health News: Online hawkers try to sell Blue Bell Ice Cream despite recall ♦ Kissing cousins, arranged marriages and genetic diversity ♦ Self-harm, suicide ideation linked in Iraq, Afghanistan veterans

Online hawkers try to sell Blue Bell Ice Cream despite recall. Despite the recent recall of all Blue Bell ice cream and related products due to the potential risk of Listeria contamination, some would-be entrepreneurs are attempting to make a quick buck by selling their previously purchased ice cream via online ads.

Kissing cousins, arranged marriages and genetic diversity In the first study of its kind, a research team has examined the effects of arranged marriages on genetic diversity. From hemophilia and color blindness amongst British and Russian monarchies, people have long known the potential damaging genetic consequences of inbreeding. But until recently, no one could measure or understand the impact of marriage rules on genetic diversity.

Self-harm, suicide ideation tightly linked in Iraq, Afghanistan veterans Non-suicidal self-injury -- that is, purposefully hurting oneself without conscious suicidal intent -- is relatively common among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and it is a strong risk factor for suicidal behavior.

Search and rescue tool that pinpoints buried victims developed A new locator feature on a search and rescue tool can pinpoint the location of a victim to within about five feet – saving rescuers time and increasing chances for locating survivors.

Links between household air pollution, lung infections examined, including pneumonia Scientists have come a step closer to understanding why people exposed to household air pollution (HAP) are at higher risk of lung infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. Three billion people worldwide are exposed to HAP from the fuels they burn to cook, light and heat with at home. Frequently, charcoal, wood and food waste are burned and generate high concentrations of smoke particles. This exposure is associated with increased risk of pneumonia, particularly in low and middle income countries where bacterial pneumonia is the biggest cause of infant mortality. This risk is well known, but the reasons are not.

2/20/15 Health News: Floridians Object to Gmo Mosquitos--Mystery Disease Triggers Resurgence--Parents experience post-traumatic stress disorder--Stroke survivors higher risk of having cancer

Messing With Mosquito DNA Creates Angry Buzz in Florida  In the bite-size community of Key Haven, like so many other mosquito-plagued spots up and down the Florida Keys, residents long ago made peace with insecticides dropped into town by planes or rumbling by on trucks. Continue Reading

Middle East Mystery Disease Triggers Early Resurgence  International health experts head to Saudi Arabia to help determine why MERS cases are soaring again.Infectious disease watchers are again wondering what is going on in Saudi Arabia. Since the beginning of February the Saudis have reported 52 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome 40 have come to light in the past week Continue Reading

Parents experience post-traumatic stress disorder after child's stroke Parents of children who had suffered a stroke showed signs of PTSD while children showed signs of anxiety. Parents' PTSD and children's anxiety could have a negative effect on the children's stroke recovery Continue Reading

Stroke survivors may be at higher risk of having cancer  A study of stroke survivors showed that having a stroke was linked with an increased risk of having an underlying cancer. Continue Reading

New weapon in war against flu pandemics and pneumonia  Scientists have developed an antibody which boosts the survival chances for patients suffering from influenza and pneumonia. Proven effective in lab tests, the antibody is now being made suitable for use in humans. The scientists are also using the new antibody to develop a diagnostic kit which can help doctors accurately track the recovery progress of flu and pneumonia patients Continue Reading

2/6/15 Health News:Drug-resistant bacteria lurk in subway ♦ Stress hormone levels affect fetal growth ♦ Probiotic helps treat diabetes ♦ Blood transfusions increase risk of pneumonia

Drug-resistant bacteria lurk in subway stations, high school students discover

Forget commuters and rats, New York City's subway system is crowded with microbes. After spending her vacation swabbing benches and turnstiles beneath the city, high school students found bacteria impervious to two major antibiotics. Continue Reading

Mother's stress hormone levels may affect fetal growth and long term health of child

Increased levels of stress hormones can lead pregnant mice to overeat, but affect growth of the fetus and, potentially, the long term health of the offspring, according to a new study Continue Reading

Probiotic helps treat diabetes in rats, could lead to human remedy

Researchers have engineered a strain of lactobacillus, a human probiotic common in the gut, to secrete a Glucagon-like peptide. They then administered it orally to diabetic rats for 90 days and found the rats receiving the engineered probiotic had up to 30 percent lower high blood glucose, a hallmark of diabetes. Continue Reading

Blood transfusions during heart surgery increase risk of pneumonia

Patients who receive red blood cell transfusions during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia, "Patients should receive red blood cell transfusions based on clinical need," an investigator noted.." Continue Reading

New protein detonates 'invincible' bacteria from within

The epidemic of 'superbugs,' bacteria resistant to antibiotics, knows no borders -- presenting a clear and present danger around the globe. Now a groundbreaking discovery may strengthen efforts by the medical community to fight this looming superbug pandemic. By sequencing the DNA of bacteria resistant to viral toxins, researchers identified novel proteins capable of stymieing growth in treacherous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Continue Reading

3/4/14 Health News: CONTROLLING SALMONELLA - Cashiers May Absorb Controversial Chemical When Handling Receipts- Pneumonia Vaccine

CONTROLLING SALMONELLA WOULD COST FARMERS

Controlling Salmonella or other pathogens would cost producers, and the cost would be expected to be transferred to processors and consumers. For animal pathogens, the USDA’s APHIS bears some of the burden and indemnifies producers for destroyed flocks. Many producers currently bear the cost of preventing animal pathogens from infecting their flocks and herds through... Continue Reading

Cashiers May Absorb Controversial Chemical When Handling Receipts

People who work a cash register all day are most likely absorbing a potentially toxic chemical from the receipts they handle, new research finds. Thermal receipt paper contains bisphenol A (BPA), which is used to prevent the color on paper from running or bleeding. Researchers discovered that people working a two-hour shift at a cash register saw their BPA levels increase three to five times from handling the receipts. Continue Reading

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Flu Hit Working-age Adults Hardest This Year

Young people and middle-aged adults were at high risk this flu season. Working-age adults accounted for 61% of influenza hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Last flu season, about 35% of flu hospitalizations were in people ages 18 to 64, CDC reported. People in that age range accounted for about 60% of flu deaths. That compared with 18%, 30% and 47% for the three previous seasons, the CDC reported. "One of the reasons flu is hitting young adults hard is such a low proportion, get the flu shot," said CDC Director Tom Frieden. "Only one-third were vaccinated." That's in contrast to a 60% vaccination rate for seniors and more than 50% for children.Continue Reading

Pfizer Pneumonia Vaccine Study Meets Clinical Objectives

Pfizer Inc. said a clinical study of its pneumonia vaccine treatment for older adults showed the immunization prevented several kinds of community-acquired pneumonia. Pfizer's Prevnar 13 is a vaccine meant to prevent pneumococcal diseases, or illnesses caused by s. pneumoniae bacteria, which occur when the bacteria enters the bloodstream or causes an infection in the lungs. The Prevnar 13 trial tested the effectiveness of the vaccine in 85,000 patients aged 65 or older against pneumonia, which Pfizer said makes it the largest double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy trial conducted in adults. The immunization was effective against the first episode of community-acquired pneumonia, or pneumonia spread from normal social contact rather than a hospital. Prevnar 13 also prevented the first episode of non-invasive community-acquired pneumonia as well as the first episode of vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease..Continue Reading

Potential Vaccine against early Childhood Pneumonia and Bronchiolitis

An experimental vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of illness and hospitalization among very young children, elicited high levels of RSV-specific antibodies when tested in animals, according to a report in the journal Science.

Early-stage human clinical trials of the candidate vaccine are planned. The scientist built on their previous findings about the structure of a critical viral protein to design the vaccine. The team was led by Peter D. Kwong, Ph.D., and Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for a common chidhood illness. There is no vaccine available to prevent RSV infection.

In the United States, RSV infection is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in children less than one year old and the most common cause for hospitalization in children under five. Worldwide, it is estimated that RSV is responsible for nearly 7 percent of deaths in babies aged 1 month to 1 year; only malaria kills more children in this age group. Others at risk for severe disease following RSV infection include adults over age 65 and those with compromised immune systems.

“Many common diseases of childhood are now vaccine-preventable, but a vaccine against RSV infection has eluded us for decades,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “This work marks a major step forward. Not only does the experimental vaccine developed by our scientists elicit strong RSV-neutralizing activity in animals, but, more broadly, this technique of using structural information to inform vaccine design is being applied to other viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS.”

Viruses are made of proteins.For a vaccine to work there need to be a protein that is the same shape as the virus but will not cause illness. When The immune system comes in contact with the vaccine it learns to attack this protein. That way your immune system will attack the virus when it comes in concact with them.

“Here is a case in which information gained from structural biology has provided the insight needed to solve an immunological puzzle and apply the findings to address a real-world public health problem,” said Dr. Graham. He and the VRC scientists are continuing to refine the engineered F glycoproteins and hope to launch early-stage human clinical trials of a candidate RSV vaccine as soon as clinical grade material can be manufactured, a process that takes about 18 to 24 months.

“Previously, structure-based vaccine design held promise at a conceptual level,” said Dr. Kwong. “This advance delivers on that promise and sets the stage for similar applications of structure-guided design to effective vaccines against other pathogens.”

Dr. Fauci added, “This latest advance underscores the advantages of the VRC’s organizational design, where experts in RSV virology, vaccinology and clinical studies, such as Dr. Graham, are in daily contact with Dr. Kwong and others who are experts in structural biology. Such close collaboration across disciplines allows for rapid testing of new approaches to a given problem.”

Source NIH