Pigs and other farm animals are harbouring major reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to research presented today (Wednesday, 08 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting in Trinity College Dublin, by researchers from the University of Leeds.
The scientists were concerned about the effects that decades of use of antibiotics to treat infections, prevent diseases, or promote growth, have had on the spread of antibiotic resistance genes
A biodegradable plastic made from toxic waste could solve pollution problems, scientists from Dublin announced today (Wednesday, 08 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
The team from University College in Dublin have demonstrated that bacteria can use styrene, a toxic by-product of the polystyrene industry, to make a type of biodegradable plastic, polyhydroxyalkanoate, known as PHA.
Styrene is found in many type
Scientists have traced the first steps in the way some new diseases emerge, and how harmless bacteria living in insects become dangerous disease-causing bugs which can affect humans, like the plague or anthrax. Researchers from the University of Bath are presenting their results today (Wednesday, 08 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
The scientists believe that because of the similarities between human and insect immune
Upset stomachs and gut diseases are a common problem amongst our increasingly elderly population, but now help may be on hand using friendly bacteria isolated from the intestines of healthy elderly individuals, according to scientists speaking today (Wednesday, 08 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
Giving elderly patients antibiotics often causes nearly as many problems as it cures, by wiping out the protective bacteria
Cancer-causing soil pollution from herbicide residues may be avoided in future thanks to researchers from Exeter University, who have identified bacteria which can break down a widely used toxic chemical, scientists will announce tomorrow (Thursday, 09 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
Herbicide residues leaking into water sources, or remaining in agricultural soil and landfills, pose a serious threat of cancer to adults and
The findings of Finnish scientists with their multinational collaborators shed light to the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease and early menopause.
Parkinson’s disease affects about 2% of the general population. It is caused by death of such nerve cells that utilize dopamine in their function, located in the brain nucleus called substantia nigra, black matter. The degeneration of these cells leads to for example slow movements, and rigidity. The disease is multifactorial, meaning that
Brothers and sisters as well as parents of infants born with severe, life-threatening abnormalities of the left side of the heart should be screened for less severe, but related, heart problems, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston.
In a new study in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, Drs. Jeffrey Towbin, BCM professor of pediatrics at BCM, and John Belmont, BCM professor of molecular and human genetics, found that these first degree relatives
Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are frequently misdiagnosed or remain undiagnosed, and may therefore be missing out on appropriate treatment, according to the results of a primary care study presented today at the annual European Respiratory Society (ERS) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.1
COPD is a progressive respiratory disease that causes significant deterioration of lung function and chronic breathlessness that can lead to severe disability.2 Limited air
New research has shown, using human tissue biopsies – a hypothesis that until now could only be argued indirectly using cell cultures – that the significant increase in genomic “disorder” that is associated with breast cancer occurs in the transition between the typical hyperplasia and the in situ carcinoma, coinciding with a reduction to a critical minimum in the cell chromosome terminations (known as telomeres). This process of critical reduction, occurring due to the accumulation of cell divis
When it comes to making noise, both parrots and humans rely on extremely specialized vibrating organs in their throats. Now scientists at Indiana University and Leiden University in The Netherlands have shown for the first time that parrots, like humans, also can use their tongues to craft and shape sound.
“This is the first direct evidence that parrots are able to use their large tongues to change the acoustic properties of their vocalizations,” said IU Bloomington neurologist Roder
Air quality has improved dramatically over the past 50 years. Professor Mike Piling, Head of Physical Chemistry at the University of Leeds, will reveal the latest about air quality research at the Festival of Science today.
The Clean Air Act was passed in 1956 in response to the devastating London smog of 1952 and led to substantial improvements. Since then road traffic has become a major contributor to air pollution and much of current legislation is designed to minimise the eff
Treating patients with a drug called aprotinin reduces the risk of stroke by 47 percent in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
The study, a large-scale analysis evaluating data from 35 CABG studies, determined that use of aprotinin reduced the need for a blood transfusion by 39 percent. Blood transfusions during CABG surgery have been associated with an increased risk
Hospital costs for severe cases down $100M per year since shot introduced
The chicken pox vaccine has saved America hundreds of millions of dollars since its introduction in 1995 by preventing the kinds of severe cases that used to send children, teens and adults to the hospital, a new study finds. In fact, it’s even more effective — and cost-effective — than originally predicted at preventing hospitalizations and hospital costs.
And the widespread immunity to the dis
A team of scientists from Glasgow today revealed a new technique that will allow dentists to detect and study the tell-tale signs of tooth decay before too much damage is done.
Speaking at one of the opening sessions at the Institute of Physics conference Photon 04 in Glasgow, Simon Poland outlined a new way of making a detailed 3D picture of a diseased area of a tooth, which could be done while a patient waits. Simon Poland, from the Institute of Photonics at the University of St
Researchers in Sweden and the United States have publicly released a new database of many of the most important genes in a tree genome. This collection of genes, which includes a large proportion of those expressed during tree growth, is among the best for any plant species.
“This is an important fundamental step towards doing the type of genetic and biotechnology research with trees that we’ve been able to do with only the most scientifically well-known plants,” said Steven Stra
Doctors across the United States are mostly in favor of a recommendation to vaccinate healthy infants and toddlers against the flu, but they are concerned about costs, parental vaccine fears, and how to let families know about the flu vaccine recommendations, according to a University of Rochester survey.
The 2003-2004 flu season, with its highly publicized deaths of several children and reports of vaccine shortages, drew the issue of flu shots for children into the national spotlig
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