Immunology
The H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza virus, known informally as 'swine flu', has remained a hot topic in science and culture. The science and medical community, including former FDA deputy commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, criticized the Obama admiinistration for not allowing multi-dose vials of vaccines because they contained thimerosal, which had been one of the reasons during the 2008 campaign season that Senator Obama hinted he believed vaccines caused autism. The anti-immigration contingent blamed international air travel.
Science knew the first argument against vaccines was silly (…
Rifampicin and related drugs are important antibiotics in the "drug cocktail" that cures tuberculosis in about 6 months. But two forms of tuberculosis, referred to as "multi-drug-resistant," or MDR, and "extensively drug-resistant," or XDR, have become resistant to rifampicin.
In 1993, resurging levels of tuberculosis due to antibiotic resistance led the World Health Organization to declare it a global health emergency. Today more than 1 million people around the world are dying each year from tuberculosis.
But help may be on the way. Scientists in the United States and India have…
Moderate to severe diarrhea (MSD) is a major cause of childhood mortality in developing countries and ranks as one of the top four causes of death among young children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In a finding that may one day help control this major cause of death among children in developing countries, a team has identified microorganisms that may trigger diarrheal disease and others that may protect against it.
These microbes were not widely linked to the condition previously and a much better understanding of these interactions is important because they could lead to…
Honeybees are a key pollinating insect, associated with around $40 billion in crops. In recent years, there were higher than normal colony losses (colony collapse disorder) has been a concern. Environmentalist have focused on neonicotinoid pesticides while science has believed it is a combination of weather and parasites.
The war on nature is not new, nor are new and emerging threats to insect pollinators.
Research has found that a bloodsucking parasite is a large part of the problem. It has transformed Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), one of the most common viruses infecting European…
A fungus living in the soils of Nova Scotia may be a secret weapon in the battle against drug-resistant germs that kill tens of thousands of people every year, including one considered a serious global threat.
A team of researchers has discovered a fungus-derived molecule known as AMA is able to disarm one of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistance genes: NDM-1 or New Delhi Metallo-beta-Lactamase-1, identified by the World Health Organization as a global public health threat.
Discovering the properties of the fungus-derived molecule is critical because it can provide a means to target…
Elites in California and Washington and New York like to claim they are showing leadership with every fad they embrace - they should be showing leadership by telling their citizens to stop promoting anti-vaccine nonsense.
Otherwise, the US could end up like the UK, where an ongoing culture war against genetic modification, vaccines and the other science wars of progressives have results in a 20 percent chance that a child with a persistent cough have Pertussis - whooping cough - even if they have been vaccinated. Whooping cough is a highly transmissible infection which can cause…
Some studies have suggested a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia, but it has remained unclear whether this association is due to cannabis directly increasing the risk of the disorder.
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world, and its use is higher amongst people with schizophrenia than in the general population. Schizophrenia affects approximately 1 in 100 people and people who use cannabis are about twice as likely to develop the disorder. The most common symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions (false beliefs) and auditory hallucinations (hearing voices).…
Pictured is Sydney Kandell with MSU and Sparrow Hospital residents Tiffany Burns and Lee Murphy just after surgery to remove the aggressive tumor that was causing her rare form of Cushing disease. Credit: Sydney Kandell
The symptoms of Cushing disease are unmistakable to those who suffer from it – excessive weight gain, acne, distinct colored stretch marks on the abdomen, thighs and armpits, and a lump, or fat deposit, on the back of the neck. Yet the disorder often goes misdiagnosed.
To help combat misdiagnosis, Saleh Aldasouqi, an associate professor in the College of Human Medicine at…
While probiotics don't do much of anything except make companies rich, fecal microbiota transplantation --- the process of delivering stool bacteria from a healthy donor to a patient suffering from intestinal infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile --- has been shown to work by restoring healthy bacteria and functioning to the recipient's gut, according to a new study.
The paper provides insight into the structural and potential metabolic changes that occur following fecal transplant, says senior author Vincent B. Young, MD, PhD, an associate professor in microbiology at the…
The gluten-specific enzyme ALV003 reduces a patient's exposure to gluten and its potential harm, according to a new phase 2 study appearing in Gastroenterology. It's the first time a non-dietary intervention has been shown to potentially benefit celiac disease patients.
Study participants were put on an everyday gluten-free diet, challenged with up to 2 grams of gluten daily (equivalent to approximately one half of a standard slice of bread in the U.S.). Researchers found that daily oral administration of ALV003, at the time of gluten ingestion, decreased gluten-induced injury to the…