Virologists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that, under the right conditions, a common cold virus closely related to poliovirus can cause polio in mice.
The researchers injected a cold virus called Coxsackievirus A21 into mice that were engineered to be susceptible to this particular virus. However, instead of developing a cold, the mice unexpectedly displayed paralytic symptoms characteristic of polio. The researchers determined that administering the virus dir
Heart disease is Europe’s leading cause of death, but new research shows that the disease’s toll would be much greater had natural selection not shifted the frequency of susceptibility genes over the past few tens of thousands of years. The work underscores the role of ancient natural selection in shaping contemporary public health.
The findings are reported by Matthew Rockman, Dagan Loisel, and Greg Wray at Duke University, Matthew Hahn at UC Davis, and David Goldstein and Nicole
Analyzing the frequency among human populations of a variant in a gene that influences vulnerability to heart disease, biologists have found evidence that the gene has been influenced by the pressure of natural selection. What’s more, this evolutionary pressure has influenced heart disease risk.
An analysis of data on the genetic variation among 2,400 British middle-aged men indicated that the men would have suffered 43 percent more heart attacks had the positive selection for
A “planned-care method” of providing primary care for children with asthma can significantly reduce symptoms and need for emergency medications, according to a study published in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Much of the asthma care in the United States is based on visiting the doctor when a child is having asthma symptoms. The method, devised by Kevin Weiss, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Center for Healthcare Studies at
Immunity to a cancer in chickens could shed light on ways to control certain human cancers according to scientists from the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). Their work on Marek’s disease (MD) in chickens has identified the first natural model for specific Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, and is published this week in PNAS (06-10 September 2004).
Marek’s disease virus (MDV) shares many biological properties with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) – a major cause of Hodgkin’s disease.
While the nucleus of a cell may be its command headquarters, mitochondria are equally vital—they are the power plants of the cell, and without them all cellular activity would quickly and irrevocably come to a halt. Testifying to their origins as once free-living bacteria, mitochondria have their own DNA, comprising 37 genes in humans on a single circular chromosome. However, most of the mitochondria’s presumed ancestral genes have been taken into the cell’s nucleus, where they are under t
About half of today’s children have tooth decay, so a new solution that blocks the action of bacteria which attack teeth could bring significant benefits, say scientists speaking Monday, 06 September 2004 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
Researchers from the Department of Oral Immunology at King’s College London have discovered how the bacteria which attack teeth, Streptococcus mutans, attach themselves to the enamel surface. O
Honey could be the new antibiotic, according to scientific research from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) presented Monday, 06 September 2004 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
By studying the way bacteria protect themselves from attack by forming slimy clumps, scientists have discovered that honey may be an effective new weapon in breaking up the microbes’ defences. The researchers from the School of Applied Sciences a
Stopping bacteria from talking to each other could help prevent serious infections say scientists from Aberdeen, in new research presented Monday, 06 September 2004 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
“It is war out there. Bacteria need to wait until there are enough of them to attack us, otherwise they just get beaten off by our skin, the antibodies which patrol our blood, and our other defences,” says Professor Andrew Porter from Aberde
Bee stings may provide a solution to overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in bacteria according to new research presented Monday, 06 September 2004 by Belfast scientists at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
A small protein found in bee venom called melittin can break open the protective skin which surrounds all cells, including cells in our own bodies, and the membranes which enclose bacteria.
“This new approach
The slippery mucus on the skin of rainbow trout is being studied by scientists as a possible source of new medicines to fight infectious diseases, according to research presented Monday, 06 September 2004 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
“Anglers, cooks and anyone cleaning up mess in their kitchen know how difficult it is to hold onto fresh slippery fish like rainbow trout,” says Dr Vyv Salisbury from the University of the West of En
Researchers from Rockefeller University, New York, have developed a new way of killing dangerous bacteria like the ones which cause anthrax and pneumonia, using products from a virus, according to new research presented today (Tuesday, 07 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
The new bug-smashing technique uses the bacteria’s own natural enemies, tiny viruses called bacteriophages (or phages), which can infect bacterial c
Tiny types of soil bugs already make many of the products we use in washing detergents, foods, and waste treatment, but scientists now hope that similar bacteria will also make the vaccines and drugs of the future, according to new research presented today (Tuesday, 07 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
Researchers from the Institute of Cell and Molecular Studies at Newcastle University have successfully produced small q
New research being presented at a conference opening in London today (Monday 6 September) shows that harmful environmental agents can cross the placenta to reach the developing foetus.
The incidence of childhood leukaemia in Britain has increased dramatically during the last century. This increase has mainly affected the under five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent in the second half of the century alone.
The causes of leukaemia in children a
Researchers hope to reduce the incidence of large birth weights
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Temple University School of Medicine will analyze whether the frequent monitoring and adjustment critical to the management of diabetes during pregnancy can be better accomplished virtually. The ultimate goal is to reduce large birth weights, which can pave the way to later problems such as obesity and diabetes. Gestational diabetes, which typically occurs toward the end o
A high percentage of the population could be endangering their health by taking herbal medicines without checking with a health professional first according to Peter Houghton, Professor in Pharmacognosy, King’s College London. Speaking today (6 September) at the BA Festival of Science, Prof Houghton warned of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional medicines.
There is widespread belief that all herbs are safe because they are ‘natural’. However, some plant materia
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