Maggots rid patients of MRSA
University of Manchester researchers are ridding diabetic patients of the superbug MRSA - by treating their foot ulcers with maggots.
Professor Andrew Boulton and his team used green bottle fly larvae to treat 13 diabetic patients whose foot ulcers were contaminated with MRSA and found all but on...
Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells
Tackling a pressing and controversial technical barrier in stem cell biology, scientists at the WiCell Research Institute and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have crafted a recipe that allows researchers to grow human embryonic stem cells in the absence of mouse-derived "feeder" cells, long tho...
Sex involved in plant defense
...ized plant-eaters are attracted to them.
Johnson says the nuanced results make sense.
"Sex shuffles up genes and allows individual plants to get rid
of bad genes and keep good ones," he said. "That helps them evolve defenses against generalist herbivores. Though there are short-term benefits to ase...
Waste water treatment plant mud used as 'green' fuel
... 100 years, and they confirm in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research that it is "the best option for getting rid
of mud that would have had to be dumped elsewhere, while also powering the plant".
"As this mud is already waste, burning it does not enter into th...
'Shock and kill' research gives new hope for HIV-1 eradication
...body", says Dr. Andrea Savarino, "Such weapons, in combination with antiretroviral therapies, could hopefully allow people living with HIV/AIDS to get rid
of the virus and return to a normal life. Of note, there are testable drug combinations composed of molecules that have passed phase I clinical trials...
Immune genes adapt to parasites
...genes that were shaped by worm diversity made perfect sense, as the proteins they encode help generate the precise type of immune response required to rid
the body of worms.
Other genes, however, seemed to be influenced more by the diversity of viruses, bacteria, and fungi than by that of worms. SNPs...
System that regulates blood pressure is amiss in some healthy, young blacks
...enin-angiotensin-aldosterone system helps regulate blood pressure, prompting the kidneys to hold onto more salt and fluid if it's too low and to get rid
of salt when it's high.
But when MCG researchers looked at the system's activity by measuring levels of the hormones it uses to help regulate sodi...
The story of X -- evolution of a sex chromosome
...take advantage of the main way deleterious genetic mutations are eliminated. The XX pair in females does recombine, but for the Y, the only way to get rid
of a bad mutation in a gene is to inactivate or delete the entire gene. Over millions of years, inactive genes are lost, and the Y shrinks.
Bad mix of bacterial remnants and genetics leads to arthritis
...tributes to arthritis," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology , "the next step is to find treatments that either rid
the body of this inflammatory signal or mask it. Either way, the net effect would be the same: people would be spared from a very crippling disease. "...
Microbes in mud flats clean up oil spill chemicals
... However, in a contaminated environment oxygen is quickly depleted and anaerobic breakdown (without oxygen) becomes an important mechanism for getting rid
The scientists also investigated the impact of the three chemicals on the make-up of different estuarine microbial communities. Ove...
Press statement on new CDC MMWR on Klebseilla pneumonia Carbapenemase-producing organisms
...rds including intensive care units to make sure there is no evidence of ongoing transmission. The strategy for testing uses a selection process to get rid
of most other organisms and focuses on the ones that are likely to be treatment-resistant including Carbapenem resistant Klebsiella.
For example, I...
Catching the common cold virus genome
...immune system does a good job of recognizing viral contaminants and getting rid
of them, as do new drugs, but the rhinovirus has responded to these defense... more we can learn about how the virus evolves solutions, the better we can rid
the body of these infections."
Understanding where change occurs in the ...
The genetics of fear: Study suggests specific genetic variations contribute to anxiety disorders
...a particular stimulus) shows that individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders are quick to learn to fear a stimulus but have a difficult time getting rid
of that fear. In this study, the researchers focused on polymorphisms in two genes thought to play a role in anxiety disorders: the serotonin transpor...
Termite killer lingers as a potent greenhouse gas
... Sulfuryl fluoride (SO 2 F 2 ), a gas commonly used to rid
buildings of termites and other pests, is a greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere about 36 years, six to 10 times longer than previously thoug...
Geologists map rocks to soak CO2 from air
...er and injecting it into the rock, as well as capturing heat generated by the reaction to accelerate the process. "It offers a way to permanently get rid
of CO 2 emissions," said Juerg Matter, a scientist at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where a range of projects is underway.
Self-digestion as a means of survival
...gh, and in the course of evolution, it has become a kind of self-cleaning process. In mammalian cells, autophagosomes are also responsible for getting rid
of misfolded proteins, damaged organelles or disease-causing bacteria.
If this process malfunctions, it can result in infectious diseases, as well...
Molecule that suppresses immune response under study in type 1 diabetes
...n these mice, you can slow or even prevent the disease." He'll further explore IDO's role in type 1 diabetes by using several different methods to get rid
of IDO and observe what happens. He'll also enhance IDO expression in the females by giving a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis that th...
Scientists discover how deadly fungus protects itself
...ction can be fatal, especially if not treated with antifungal medications.
"It's a horrendous disease, and even with therapy, you often can't get rid
of it," says the paper's senior author, Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of microbiology & immunology.
Scientists have known t...
Researchers may have found why women have an edge on salt-sensitive hypertension
...ed. Salt-sensitive hypertension means kidneys hold onto too much salt. When the kidneys realize the blood pressure is getting too high they try to get rid
of salt. If they can't, in an ironic twist, blood pressure goes even higher to help literally force salt out of the kidneys. That approach eventually ...
Newly identified gene powerful predictor of colon cancer metastasis
...rchers call this pathway HGF/Met signaling pathway. Once MACC1 has activated this HGF/Met signaling pathway, tumor cells proliferate much faster, get rid
of their ties within the cellular tissue, and eventually settle down as metastasis at various sights throughout the body far from the original tumor. ...
American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Nov. 19, 2008
...le new source of sales and income for some suppliers, the article notes.
ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, November 24, 2008
This story will be available on November 24 at
FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:...
Clemson researchers advance nano-scale electromechanical sensors
...or Emeritus of Physics Malcolm Skove, who discovered that measuring the resonant frequency of a cantilever at the second or higher harmonies would get rid
of the so-called parasitic capacitance, an unwanted background that obscures the signal and has been a major stumbling block to the advancement of sim...
Montana State University researchers find gene that regulates mold's resistance to drugs
...osterol is a target for most of the antifungal drugs that are available," Cramer said. "These drugs target the synthesis of ergosterol. ... If you get rid
of ergosterol, you kill the mold."
Sven Willger, a postdoctoral researcher in Cramer's lab and first author of the PLoS Pathogens paper, said the...
Proteomics study yields clues as to how tuberculosis might be thwarting the immune system
... BERKELEY, CA -- A link between the immune system and the self-cleaning system by which biological cells rid
themselves of obsolete or toxic parts may one day yield new weapons in the fight against tuberculosis and other deadly infectious diseases. Scientists...
Predatory bacterial swarm uses rippling motion to reach prey
...dator-prey relationship or apply it to medically relevant situations," Kirby said. "It would be amazing if we could adapt its predatory ability to get rid
of harmful bacteria that reside in places we don't want them, including in hospitals or on medical implants."
M. xanthus lives in a multi-cellula...
Better beer: College team creating anticancer brew
...ll contain some unappetizing chemical "markers" that will be needed for the experiments.
"There's no way anyone's drinking any of this until we get rid
of that, not to mention that there's only one genetically modified strain of yeast that's ever been approved for use in beer, period," said Segall-Sha...
Genes that control cell death fingered in age-related hearing loss
...ed between the two groups.
Apoptosis itself is certainly nothing new. Such programmed cell death happens constantly it's the body's way of getting rid
of cells that are damaged or no longer needed. When apoptosis happens, a cell's structure breaks up, and the cell disintegrates, with the cell "blebbi...
Sensitive nanowire disease detectors made by Yale scientists
...iviral treatments or chemotherapy," said Fahmy. "They will help with one of the greatest challenges we face in treatment of disease knowing if we got rid
of all of it."
Disinfectants can make bacteria resistant to treatment
...ulted in the appearance of resistant mutants," said Dr Kaatz. "The number of efflux pumps in the bacteria increased. Because the efflux pumps can also rid
the cell of some antibiotics, pathogenic bacteria with more pumps are a threat to patients as they could be more resistant to treatment."
LIAI launches new division to look at novel approaches to heart disease and inflammation
...aspect of the inflammatory process that draws Ley's primary attention. He focuses on macrophages, white blood cells of the immune system that usually rid
the body of worn-out cells. However, in the case of the artery wall, the macrophages take on a destructive role, exacerbating the weakening of the ar...
New meat-eating dinosaur from Argentina had bird-like breathing system
...ds as in birds. At approximately 30 feet in length and weighing as much as an elephant, Aerosteon might well have used an air system under the skin to rid
itself of unwanted heat.
Meat-eating dinosaur from Argentina had bird-like breathing system
... birds possess. At approximately 30 feet in length and weighing as much as an elephant, Aerosteon might well have used an air system under the skin to rid
itself of unwanted heat.
Multiple disease-related research gets green light from the NIH
...is essential for survival during certain infections. Specifically, they found that fibrin staunches bleeding caused by protective immune cells as they rid
the body of infected cells. In addition to protecting against this collateral damage caused by the immune system itself, Drs. Smiley and Johnson also ...
Early stage colon cancer characterized by inactivation of gatekeeper gene
...our continuous teamwork with our clinical colleagues in improving the lives of cancer patients,"
The body usually has a fail-safe mechanism to get rid
of abnormal cells. However, this does not work when RUNX3 is not present. RUNX3 is a gene that acts as a gatekeeper and prevents the uncontrolled grow...
Munich researchers discover key allergy gene
... antibodies against harmless agents such as pollen, dust mites or animal hair. These IgE antibodies then work in conjunction with certain cells to get rid
of the allergens, a process that gives rise to the symptoms of allergy such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever), atopic dermatitis or asthma.
Novel fungus helps beetles to digest hard wood
..., the gut-borne fungi seem to do it much faster.
Researchers say the speedy process could potentially be harnessed to produce biofuel.
of the lignin barrier and making the cellulose more accessible is the most expensive and environmentally unfriendly part of making ethanol from biomas...
Pesticide build-up could lead to poor honey bee health
...ant and though some modifications were necessary to irradiate the wax sheets, it is possible. Some beekeepers already irradiate their equipment to get rid
of any disease causing agents. However, it might be more efficient if the wax sheet supplier irradiated their product before sale to the beekeepers.
Blood pressure response to daily stress provides clues for better hypertension treatment
...der. "When blood pressure goes up due to stress, their kidneys ought to get rid
of more salt so their blood pressure will come down, and they don't."
...that says the endothelin system normally functions to help your kidneys get rid
of salt," says Dr. Pollock. His studies have shown the kidney's endothelin ...
In scientific first, Einstein researchers correct decline in organ function associated with old age
... (BRONX, NY) As people age, their cells become less efficient at getting rid
of damaged protein resulting in a buildup of toxic material that is especially pronounced in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegener...
Likely cause of postpartum blues and depression identified
...with depression. But platelets that enable blood clotting also secrete serotonin which prompts platelets to aggregate and the placenta to want to get rid
"If there were no proper control here, blood leaving the mother's blood vessel would trigger release of serotonin, platelets would aggregate...