Health News:350 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis ♦ Computer model could hold key to personalized epilepsy treatment ♦ Scientists learn how poxviruses defeat the body's host defense

Computer model could hold key to personalized epilepsy treatment A computer model that identifies the parts of a person's brain responsible for epileptic seizures could be used to design personalized surgical procedures.

Scientists learn how poxviruses defeat the body's host defense Research shows how smallpox, a feared bioterrorism agent, and other poxviruses overcome the defenses of their hosts. Implications of the findings extend to cancer therapy.

350 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis in california hospital  The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose announced December 13 that 368 mothers or parents, 308 employees, and 350 infants were possibly exposed to tuberculosis at the hospital due to an employee who was suspected of having active tuberculosis. The employee was placed on leave in mid November,

Emotion processing in brain changes with tinnitus severity People with tinnitus who are less bothered by their symptoms use different brain regions when processing emotional information, new research indicates. Tinnitus, otherwise known as ringing in the ears, affects nearly one-third of adults over age 65.

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

Pulmonary Research: Nicotine-chomping bacteria ♦ Sulfur dioxide air pollutant still a concern for asthmatics ♦ Missed diagnostic testing found among lung cancer patients

Emissions have declined, but sulfur dioxide air pollutant still a concern for asthmatics Emissions of the air pollutant sulfur dioxide have been dramatically decreased during the past 30 years but for some people even a little inhaled sulfur dioxide may still be too much.

Delay in treatment, missed diagnostic testing found among lung cancer patients Patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer may wait too long to receive treatment, and too many patients skip vital diagnostic steps that are needed to help determine the best possible treatment, researchers report.

On-chip processor the first step in point-of-care asthma and tuberculosis diagnostics A device to mix liquids utilizing ultrasonics is the first and most difficult component in a miniaturized system for low-cost analysis of sputum from patients with pulmonary diseases such as tuberculosis and asthma

Nicotine-chomping bacteria may hold key to anti-smoking therapy A new study explores a bacterial enzyme that might be used as a drug candidate to help people quit smoking. The research shows that this enzyme can be recreated in lab settings and possesses a number of promising characteristics for drug development.

Pulmonary Research: Stress-fighting proteins could be key to new treatments for asthma ♦ Next anti-tuberculosis drug ♦ Telomeres linked to origins of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Telomeres linked to origins of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Researchers have now discovered that telomeres, the structures that protect the chromosomes, are at the origin of pulmonary fibrosis. This is the first time that telomere damage has been identified as a cause of the disease.

.First trial of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis to show beneficial effect on lung function  For the first time gene therapy for cystic fibrosis has shown a significant benefit in lung function compared with placebo, in a phase 2 randomized trial. The technique replaces the defective gene response for cystic fibrosis by using inhaled molecules of DNA to deliver a normal working copy of the gene to lung cells

Stress-fighting proteins could be key to new treatments for asthma Investigators have discovered the precise molecular steps that enable immune cells implicated in certain forms of asthma and allergy to develop and survive in the body. The findings reveal a new pathway that scientists could use to develop more effective treatments and therapies for the chronic lung disorder

The next anti-tuberculosis drug may already be in your local pharmacy Testing thousands of approved drugs, scientists have identified an unlikely anti-tuberculosis drug: the over-the-counter antacid lansoprazole (Prevacid). Tuberculosis continues to be a global pandemic, second only to AIDS as the greatest single-agent killer in the world. In 2013 alone, the TB bug Mycobacterium tuberculosis caused 1.5 million deaths and almost nine million new infections.

Pulmonary Research: Statins reduce major complications following lung surgery ♦ Tuberculosis bacteria hide in low oxygen niches of bone marrow stem cells ♦ Highly educated women stop smoking if the cost goes up

Acute pulmonary fibrosis may respond to autoimmune disease therapy  Patients with acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis responded well to therapies similar to those used to treat autoimmune diseases,  IPF, a devastating lung disease, scientists report. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease of unknown origin with no approved treatments. It results in scar tissue building up in the lungs. It affects more than 100,000 people in the United States and 5 million worldwide. The median survival rate is less than three years, and only 20 percent of patients survive five years beyond diagnosis.

Tuberculosis bacteria hide in low oxygen niches of bone marrow stem cells A new study is helping to shed light on latent tuberculosis and the bacteria's ability to hide in stem cells. Some bone marrow stem cells reside in low oxygen (hypoxia) zones.

Highly educated women stop smoking if the cost goes up Cigarette prices and images on cigarette packets have an impact on women in terms of continuing to smoke or quitting. In fact, less educated women are more responsive to pictorial labels on cigarette packets, as revealed by a Spanish study that has analyzed, for the first time, the generation differences among female smokers, a group which, despite policy measures, has not stopped growing.

Statins show promise to reduce major complications following lung surgery Statins have been shown to reduce complications from cardiovascular surgery. To determine whether statins might also help those undergoing major lung surgeries, a team of researchers conducted a well-designed study that randomized patients to receive either a statin or placebo before and after surgery. They found that patients undergoing major lung resection experienced fewer complications overall, however, the differences between groups for specific complications or changes in inflammatory markers failed to reach statistical significance.

Pulmonary Research :Immunity enzyme defends against tuberculosis infection ♦ New hope in the fight against tuberculosis ♦ Air pollution below EPA standards linked with higher death rates

Immunity enzyme defends against tuberculosis infection, A study has identified how an enzyme involved in protecting the body from pathogens senses Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterial pathogen that infects millions of people worldwide and causes about 1.5 million deaths annually

Air pollution below EPA standards linked with higher death rates Death rates among people over 65 are higher in zip codes with more fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) than in those with lower levels of PM2.5, researchers have found. The harmful effects from the particles were observed even in areas where concentrations were less than a third of the current standard set by the EPA

Emphysema patient has good result from experimental one-way valve procedure An experimental procedure using one-way valves to achieve lung volume reduction shows promise for an emphysema patient. Emphysema, a lung disease usually caused by smoking, damages air sacs in the lung. The sacs fill with air that the body is unable to exhale, causing the lungs to expand. This in turn flattens the diaphragm, the primary muscle used for breathing. The flattened diaphragm is unable to function properly, making it extremely difficult for the individual to breathe.

New hope in the fight against tuberculosis Scientists have discovered a new target for the fight against multi-resistant mycobacteria, from a rejuvenated antibiotic series. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main cause of tuberculosis. The treatment for drug-susceptible tuberculosis consists of the daily administration of multiple drugs for a minimum of six months. Lack of adherence to this regimen can result in treatment failure and the emergence of drug resistance.

Antibiotic Resistance: Wastewater treatment may be creating antibiotic resistance ♦ Vulnerability found in some drug-resistant bacteria ♦ Drug resistant strain of typhoid spreading

New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier Now, researchers have designed a diagnostic chip to reduce testing time of antibiotics from days to one hour, allowing doctors to pick the right antibiotic the first time

Genomic data reveals emergence in Africa of drug resistant strain of typhoid The emergence of a novel strain of Typhoid fever in Malawi,The H58-strain, which is likely to have emerged in Asia approximately thirty years ago, is now rapidly spreading across Africa, where it has been introduced on several separate occasions. This strain appears to be its ability to acquire resistance to commonly available antibiotics

New online tool to predict genetic resistance to tuberculosis drugs A new TB-Profiler tool analyses and interprets genome sequence data to predict resistance to 11 drugs used to fight TB. This tool finds which drugs to use for a patient with TB can be sped up by days or even weeks, increasing the likelihood of a cure.

Vulnerability found in some drug-resistant bacteria Analyzing the physical dynamics of all currently mapped structures in an important group of antibiotic-destroying enzymes has found a common structural feature. The apparently universal nature of this complex structural dynamic implies that it is critical to the antibiotic destroying properties of the enzyme and points to the possibility of finding a way to chemically disable the enzymes and bacterial antibiotic resistance.

Wastewater treatment may be creating new antibiotics Scientists have been aware of the potential problems of antibiotics being present in wastewater, and new research is showing that treatments to clean wastewater may actually be creating new antibiotics and further contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in the environment

Antibiotic Resistance Research:Bacteria shown to suppress their antibiotic-resistant cousins ♦ Antibiotic resistant typhoid detected ♦ How many bacteria fight off invaders

Scientists resolve debate over how many bacteria fight off invaders Every inch of our body, inside and out, is oozing with bacteria. In fact, the human body carries 10 times the number of bacterial cells as human cells. Many are our friends, helping us digest food and fight off infections, for instance. But much about these abundant organisms, upon which our life depends, remains mysterious.

Antibiotic resistant typhoid detected in countries around the world There is an urgent need to develop global surveillance against the threat to public health caused by antimicrobial resistant pathogens, which can cause serious and untreatable infections in humans. Typhoid is a key example of this, with multidrug resistant strains of the bacterium Salmonella Typhi becoming common in many developing countries.

Bacteria shown to suppress their antibiotic-resistant cousins Researchers studying a dangerous type of bacteria have discovered that the bacteria have the ability to block both their own growth and the growth of their antibiotic-resistant mutants. The discovery might lead to better ways to fight a class of bacteria that have contributed to a growing public health crisis by becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotic treatments

New test could identify resistant tuberculosis faster The time needed to genetically sequence the bacteria causing tuberculosis (Mtb) from patient samples has been reduced from weeks to days using a new technique. This could help health service providers to better treat disease, control transmission of this infection, and monitor outbreaks.

2/27/15 Health News: Water fluoridation linked to underactive thyroid ♦ GM food rules to take effect early ♦ Treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis ♦ HIV drug beat strep throat

GM food rules to take effect 6 months early Originally slated to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2016, the law states that manufacturers should clearly label all food products, additives and loosely packaged products containing genetically modified ingredients. The print on the labels must be over 5 millimeters, and processed foods including soy oil must list any genetically modified ingredients Continue Reading

Potential treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis discovered  A new small molecule drug has been discovered that may serve as a treatment against multidrug resistant tuberculosis, a form of the disease that cannot be cured with conventional therapies. While standard anti-tuberculosis drugs can cure most people of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, improper use of antibiotics has led to new strains of the bacterium resistant to the two most powerful medications, isoniazid and rifampicin. Continue Reading

New research provides first glimpse of weight gain guidance for pregnant women with obesity  New research provides the first glimpse of weight-gain guidance for pregnant women with various classes of obesity based on body mass index and suggests that they not gain any weight until mid-pregnancy or later Continue Reading

Water fluoridation in England linked to higher rates of underactive thyroid Water fluoridation above a certain level is linked to 30 percent higher than expected rates of underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) in England. Researchers point out that their findings echo those of previous research,. Continue Reading

Could an HIV drug beat strep throat, flesh-eating bacteria? With antibiotic resistance on the rise, scientists are looking for innovative ways to combat bacterial infections. The pathogen that causes conditions from strep throat to flesh-eating disease is among them, but scientists have now found a tool that could help them fight it: a drug approved to treat HIV. Their work could someday lead to new treatments Continue Reading

2/26/15 Health News: Salmonella Outbreak Grows to 59 Cases ♦ E. coli Vaccine Effective ♦ 120 treated after meningitis death ♦ Treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis discovered

TEXAS SALMONELLA OUTBREAK GROWS TO 59 CASES   At least 59 people have been found ill in a Salmonella outbreak connected in part to the Ten in Texas steakhouse in Dalhart, TX. One of the restaurant’s customers who was sickened, Frances Childers, is filing a lawsuit against the restaurant. Her attorneys say that she suffered from kidney failure alongside abdominal pains, nausea and muscle aches. Childers Continue Reading

STUDY: E. COLI VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE BUT ECONOMIC INCENTIVE NEEDED Despite the proven effectiveness of vaccines designed to decrease the presence of E. coli bacteria in cattle by as much as 98 percent, beef producers are not likely to widely adopt the practice of vaccinating their herds until there is a clear economic incentive,Continue Reading

120 treated after meningitis death in Brevard jail. The Florida Department of Health in Brevard County confirmed the week of February 16 that a teenager died from meningitis at the Brevard Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Cocoa prompting health officials to treat 120 potentially exposed children and staff for the disease February 21. Continue Reading

Tissue engineering: Scientists grow leg muscle from cells in a dish  Scientists have generated mature, functional skeletal muscles in mice using a new approach for tissue engineering. The scientists grew a leg muscle starting from engineered cells cultured in a dish to produce a graft. The subsequent graft was implanted close to a normal, contracting skeletal muscle where the new muscle was nurtured and grown  Continue Reading

Potential treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis discovered  A new small molecule drug has been discovered that may serve as a treatment against multidrug resistant tuberculosis, a form of the disease that cannot be cured with conventional therapies. While standard anti-tuberculosis drugs can cure most people of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, improper use of antibiotics has led to new strains of the bacterium resistant to the two most powerful medications, isoniazid and rifampicin. Continue Reading

A New Way to Treat Tuberculosis

In a new study published in Nature, scientists describe a new type of tuberculosis (TB) treatment that involves manipulating the body’s response to TB bacteria rather than targeting the bacteria themselves, a concept called host-directed therapy. TB remains a major cause of disability and death worldwide as an estimated 8.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.3 million people died from the disease in 2012, according to the World Health Organization.

Although TB is curable, adherence to therapy is difficult as treatment requires taking antibiotic drugs for at least six months and sometimes up to two years. Poor adherence to medication and other factors have resulted in drug-resistant strains, and currently no effective TB vaccine exists.

To address the need for alternative interventions, scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, demonstrated proof-of-concept for a host-directed strategy to treat tuberculosis. They found that interleukin-1, a type of protein that regulates the body’s immune response to infection, can help protect the body from TB infection. Their studies in cells and in mice and human patients infected with TB bacteria demonstrated that interleukin-1 induces a mediator, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), that limits the production of type-I interferons, which are associated with increased TB disease severity.

The scientists found that host-directed immunotherapy using PGE2 and zileuton, a clinically-approved drug typically used to treat asthma, prevented death in TB-infected mice. This strategy could be of particular benefit to people infected with drug-resistant TB strains who have limited options for effective antibiotics because the treatment increased bacterial control and limited disease even in the absence of TB chemotherapy. In principle, this approach is compatible with standard antibiotic regimens, according to the authors. In future studies, NIAID scientists will test adjunct host-directed therapies in TB-infected individuals.

4/8/14 Health News: Food Poisoning More Likely Eating in Restaurants ♦ Decoding Germs' DNA To Fight Food Poisoning ♦ Catch Tuberculosis From Pet Cat ♦ One in 25 Patients Infected in Hospital

CSPI: EATING OUT LINKED TO NEARLY TWICE AS MANY OUTBREAKS AS EATING IN

A report released Monday by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) revealed that, over a 10-year period, there were about twice as many foodborne illness outbreaks linked to restaurants than to private homes. The 17-page report, entitled, “Outbreak Alert! 2014, A Review of Foodborne Illness in America From 2002-2011,” looked at “solved... Continue Reading

Decoding Germs' DNA To Fight Food Poisoning

Chances are you've heard of mapping genes to diagnose rare diseases, predict your risk of cancer and tell your ancestry. But to uncover food poisonings? The nation's disease detectives are beginning a program to try to outsmart outbreaks by routinely decoding the DNA of potentially deadly bacteria and viruses.The initial target is listeria, the third-leading cause of death from food poisoning and bacteria that are especially dangerous to pregnant women. Already, the government credits the technology with helping to solve a listeria outbreak that killed one person in California and sickened seven others in Maryland.Continue Reading

Two British Citizens Catch Tuberculosis From Pet Cat

England's public health agency says two people have caught tuberculosis from a pet cat, the first time the bacterial disease has been documented to spread from cat to human. In a report, Public Health England said it concluded TB samples taken from the cat and from two people in contact with the animal were "indistinguishable" and that the cat was considered to be "the likely source of infection." Continue Reading

One in 25 Patients Has an Infection Acquired During Hospital Stay, CDC Says

One in 25 patients in U.S. hospitals has an infection acquired as part of his or her care despite modest progress in controlling those pathogens inside medical facilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its most comprehensive look at a stubborn and lethal health-care problem. The CDC’s 2011 survey of 183 hospitals showed that an estimated 648,000 patients nationwide suffered 721,000 infections, and 75,000 of them died: Continue Reading

India: More Cases of Antibiotic Resistance Tuberculosis

Of the 40 000 tuberculosis (TB) cases recorded in the city [Mumbai, Maharashtra state] in 2013, more than 4000 patients were relapse cases, according to civic health department data. The count of relapse cases has remained constant over the last few years -- an indicator of the poor living conditions and of the hurdles in the treatment regime followed in public hospitals. According to estimates, the actual count of relapse cases may be higher, as not all private hospitals are accounted for by the civic health department.

Over the last 3 years, the count of multi drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB cases has noticeably increased. From 181 new patients diagnosed with MDR TB and 288 already receiving treatment for it in 2011, the figure rose to 2195 new patients diagnosed with MDR TB and 1935 on treatment in 2012. In 2013, a whopping 2903 patients were diagnosed with MDR TB and 2604 were on treatment.

Dr Minnie Khetarpal, BMC's TB control officer, said, "Though MDR cases are rising, patients receive 2nd-line treatment. But in XDR cases, patients respond to very few drugs. Currently, Bedaquilin is considered a wonder drug, but is under clinical trials in India." The drug, which has been used on 5 patients in Mumbai, is being imported from Belgium.

Bedaquiline was described for the first time in 2004  One of the first published trials of Bedaquiline was a Phase II trial of 47 patients, which showed that the drug was effective in reducing the time to TB-free sputum cultures

It is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson (J&J), who sought accelerated approval of the drug, a type of temporary approval for diseases lacking other viable treatment options. By gaining approval for a drug that treats a neglected disease, J&J is now able to request expedited FDA review of a future drug

It was formally approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in tuberculosis (TB) treatment, as part of a fast-track approval for use only in cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and the more resistant extensively drug resistant tuberculosis.

There is some controversy over the approval for the drug, as the FDA's ruling was based on a surrogate outcome (sputum cultures) as opposed to patient deaths. In the clinical trials used for approval, the patients taking bedaquiline were more likely to die, even though they had resolution of TB based on sputum cultures. The most common side effects of bedaquiline in studies were nausea, joint and chest pain, and headache. The drug also has a black-box warning for arrhythmias.

Northern Michigan at High Risk for Bovine Tuberculosis

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has established 2 "Potential High Risk Areas" for the disease after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources found a white-tailed deer tested positive for bovine TB in Presque Isle County. Another deer was also found with the disease in northwestern Montmorency County.

The designation requires all nearby cattle and bison herds be tested for bovine TB within the next 6 months. The cattle and bison on farms within a 10-mile [16-km] radius of either deer found with TB will have to be tested for the disease. According to the Department of Agriculture, some cattle farms are already tested for TB on an annual basis. No additional TB testing will be needed on those farms.

All impacted cattle owners will be contacted and asked to schedule a test to avoid the possibility of quarantine being placed on their farms.

A meeting will also be held on [8 Apr 2014] to discuss the TB Program and the regions designated as Potential High Risk Areas. It will take place at the Presque Isle District Library in Rogers City at 7 pm.

Bovine tuberculosis has one of the widest host ranges of all the tuberculosis complex and can readily spill over into a variety of domestic and wild mammals, including humans. This makes control by culling very frustrating and inefficient.

In North America, naturally occurring tuberculosis has been reported in white-tailed deer, elk, and mule deer. Surveillance efforts like the one that detected these cases of bovine TB in deer are key to provide an early warning of risk of transmission to livestock and also to produce crucial data to better understand the eco epidemiology of the disease.

Bovine TB is usually transmitted to humans by infected milk, although it can also spread via aerosol droplets. Actual infections in humans are rare, mainly because pasteurisation kills any bacteria in infected milk; also, cattle are randomly tested for the disease and immediately culled if infected, but can still be used for human consumption. However, in areas of the developing world where pasteurisation is not routine, Bovine TB is a relatively common cause of human tuberculosis.

Bovine TB is a chronic infectious disease which affects a broad range of mammalian hosts, including humans, cattle, deer, llamas, pigs, domestic cats, foxes, coyotes, opossums, mustelids and rodents. It rarely affects equids or sheep The disease can be transmitted in several ways; for example, it can be spread in exhaled air, sputum, urine, faeces and pus, so the disease can be transmitted by direct contact with the excreta of an infected animal, or inhalation of aerosols, depending on the species involved.

U.S. Saves 15 Million With New TB Safety Regulations

Data indicate that cases and rates of TB disease continue to fall in the U.S.; however, a higher burden in some populations – such as foreign-born individuals and racial/ethnic minorities – keeps TB elimination out of reach.

Preliminary data from the CDC National TB Surveillance System show a total of 9,588 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2013, marking a 4.2 percent decline in the 2012 rate. Despite overall progress, the TB rate for foreign-born individuals is 13 times higher than among individuals born in the U.S., and the proportion of TB cases in the foreign-born group continues to increase.

Racial disparities persist. Hispanics, blacks and Asians face higher TB rates—7, 7 and 26 times higher, respectively—than whites. Persons infected with HIV and people who are homeless are also especially vulnerable to TB.

Although the proportion of drug-resistant cases remains relatively small, drug resistant TB is a concern because it is difficult and costly to treat and more often fatal. In 2012, multidrug-resistant TB accounted for 1.2 percent of cases (86 cases). Two cases of extensively-drug-resistant TB were reported in 2013. The authors note that eliminating TB in the U.S. requires continuing to address TB in affected populations and improvements in awareness, testing and treatment of TB disease.

Updated CDC recommendations for overseas tuberculosis screening of immigrants and refugees has resulted in better diagnosis of TB before individuals arrive in the United States. CDC reports the completion of implementation of new tuberculosis screening and treatment requirements for US-bound immigrants and refugees. Implementation of these requirements has resulted in twice as many cases of tuberculosis being diagnosed and treated before immigrants and refugees arrive in the U.S. compared with the previous screening program. Since the new requirements were implemented, reports of cases of foreign-born tuberculosis have declined. In addition, the increase in persons diagnosed and treated overseas is projected to result in a savings of more than $15 million in US health care costs.

2/18/14 Health News Mom Pleads~ DON’T FEED CHILDREN RAW MILK - Stem Cell Lines Not Fit for Clinic- New Antibiotic for TB - Testing Your Breath To Diagnose Disease

A MOM AND A DAIRYMAN PLEAD: DON’T FEED

Two years ago, when Oregon parents Jill Brown and Jason Young met Brad and Tricia Salyers, the families had no idea that they would eventually be sharing in a tragedy that sickened four of the Salyers’ children and left Brown and Young’s youngest child, Kylee – 23 months old at the time – with such... Continue Reading

Diagnosis Just a Breath Away With New Laser

University of Adelaide physics researchers have developed a new type of laser that will enable exciting new advances in areas as diverse as breath analysis for disease diagnosis and remote sensing of critical greenhouse gases. They have been able to produce 25 times more light emission than other lasers operating at a similar wavelength - opening the way for detection of very low concentrations of gases. Research has shown that with various diseases, minute amounts of gases not normally exhaled can be detected in the breath; for example, acetone can be detected in the breath when someone has diabetes..Continue Reading

A Faster Way to Flag Bacteria-Tainted Food — and Prevent Illness

On the horizon is a new approach for pathogen screening that is far faster than current commercial methods. Scientists are reporting the technique in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Sibani Lisa Biswal and colleagues note that Salmonella is one of the pathogens most commonly associated with foodborne illness, which can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. They used an array of tiny “nanomechanical cantilevers,” anchored at one end, kind of like little diving boards. The cantilevers have peptides attached to them that bind to Salmonella. When the bacteria bind to the peptides, the cantilever arm bends, creating a signal. The screening system rapidly distinguished Salmonella from other types of bacteria in a sample. One of the peptides was even more specific than an antibody, Continue Reading

Stem Cell Lines Not Fit for Clinic

Most stem cell lines registered with the NIH don’t comply with the FDA’s guidelines for human use, according to a new report. Many of the stem cell lines used by academics and registered with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) would not be eligible for commercialization because they don’t pass muster with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agencies’ standards throws up a potential roadblock on the path from the laboratory to the clinic. “The main concern . How do we move this technology [to the clinic]? How do we translate it?”.Continue Reading

Promising Class of Antibiotics Discovered for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have discovered a promising new class of antibiotics that could aid efforts to overcome drug-resistance in tuberculosis (TB), a global killer. The drugs increased survival of mice infected with TB and were effective against drug-resistant strains of TB. St. Jude led the international research effort, The antibiotics, called spectinamides, were created by changing the chemical structure of an existing antibiotic, spectinomycin, which does not work against TB. In multiple trials of mice with both active and chronic TB infections, researchers report that one version of the new drug—an analog known as 1599—was as good as or better than current TB drugs at reducing levels of the bacteria in the lungs of mice. In addition, 1599 caused no serious side effects.Continue Reading

2/3/14 Health News: New Treatment For Peanut Allergy - TB Exposure During Dental Care - Live Subjects infected With Influenza

New treatment may offer hope for peanut allergy

When you live in fear of you or your child accidentally ingesting peanut crumbs, any hope of undoing severe food allergy is welcome.

A large clinical trial published this week in the Lancet confirms what smaller studies have shown in the past: Oral immunotherapy -- swallowing tiny, increasing amounts of peanut over time -- has the ability to desensitize allergic individuals to peanuts. Continue Reading

NIH Researchers Infect Live Subjects With Influenza in Study Intended to Improve Vaccine

As seasonal influenza sweeps much of the country, scores of study volunteers are allowing government scientists — in a rare live study — to infect them with influenza, in hopes of soon improving vaccine capability. Study leader Matthew Memoli, of the National Institutes for Health (NIH), told the Associated Press in an interview, “Vaccines are working, but we could do better.” A few thousand Americans die every year of seasonal influenza,Continue Reading