"Foamy" macrophage formation may be the key to persistence of infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, explains a study published November 14 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. These immunity-related cells are shown to be a safety reservoir where the bacterium can hide for years in infected individuals, before inducing an active disease.
Body
LA JOLLA, CA — A previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency (HIV) replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Traffic pollution, especially in cities, adversely affects respiratory health in children with asthma. A study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research has found that in this vulnerable group, worsening of respiratory symptoms requiring recurrent additional treatment.
Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current Government recommendations, according to the SPEEDY study (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people). The original results for the study are published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
ECG (electrocardiogram) tests commonly given to people with suspected angina to predict the likelihood future of heart disease have limited accuracy, according to a study published today on bmj.com.
Alternative tests which add predictive value to that obtained from the patient's clinical history are needed to improve the chances of detecting people at higher risk of future heart disease and heart attacks, say the authors.
Fibre, antispasmodics and peppermint oil are all effective therapies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and should become first-line treatments, according to a study on bmj.com today.
National guidelines on the management of IBS should be updated in light of this evidence, say the authors.
Sophia Antipolis, 13 November 2008: New European guidelines issued today on the management of heart attack emphasise speed of action and the importance of "reperfusion" therapy to restore blood flow to the heart and improve survival rates. "A well-functioning regional system of care... and fast transport to the most appropriate facility is key to the success of the treatment," state the guidelines, which have been developed by a Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
MANHATTAN -- Theoretical physicist Uwe Thumm and his colleagues Feng He and Andreas Becker not only work with some of the smallest molecules in the universe, but they now have found a way to control the motion of the molecules' building blocks, electrons and nuclei.
Many biological conditions cause a rise in the pH of the environment in which cells in our body exist (i.e., the environment becomes alkaline). Some of these conditions, e.g., respiratory alkalosis due to hyperventilation and the high blood pH caused by urinary tract infection, cause pain sensation, but the mechanisms by which sensory nerve cells detect alkaline pH are not well defined.
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 13 – When mice are exposed to arsenic at federally-approved levels for drinking water, pores in liver blood vessels close, potentially leading to cardiovascular disease, say University of Pittsburgh researchers in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, available online Nov. 13. The study, while preliminary, also reveals how an enzyme linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis alters cells, and may call into question current Environmental Protection Agency standards that are based solely on risks for cancer.
Japanese research group, led by Prof Makoto Tominaga of National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan, found that the receptor for hot taste of WASABI, Japanese horseradish usually eaten with Sushi, can sense alkaline pH caused by base such as ammonia. The team reports their finding in Journal of Clinical Investigation on November 13, 2008.
A small, antibody-like molecule created by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center can successfully attack two separate molecules on the surface of cancer cells at the same time, halting the growth of breast cancer cells in laboratory tests, the researchers say. The molecule, nickname "ALM," might be a means of slowing cancer spread or, as the researchers believe, a guidance system for delivering more aggressive drugs directly to cancer cells. Their findings appear in a recent issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
Prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke can increase levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine and enzymes in the heart that have the potential to reshape the left ventricle, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (November 13, 2008) – In a report now available online and scheduled to be the cover story of the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Urology, University of Virginia Health System researcher John C. Herr, PhD and his colleagues have confirmed the accuracy and reliability of SpermCheck Vasectomy, the first FDA approved at-home immunodiagnostic test for detecting low concentrations of sperm.
November 13, 2008 -- New York, NY -- A study released by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows that developing antibodies to cockroach and mouse proteins is associated with a greater risk for wheeze, hay fever, and eczema in preschool urban children as young as three years of age.