TB & Outbreaks Week articles from December 2003

TB & Outbreaks Week archives from December 2003

Modified luciferase reporter phages enable rapid detection of TB drug resistance.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A pair of modified luciferase reporter phages (LRPs) enable rapid detection of mycobacterial drug resistance. LRPs "have proven to be efficient tools for drug susceptibility testing of...

Molecular assay enables rapid, accurate detection of mutant mycobacterial katG.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay can quickly and accurately identify TB strains carrying katG resistance mutations. "The emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium...

Antitubercular compounds isolated from Caesalpinia pulcherrima root.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antitubercular compounds have isolated from the root of the "Pride of Barbados". According to published research from Thailand, "Activity-guided fractionation of a root extract of Caesalpinia...

Devil's claw yields potent, selective antimalarial agents.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Potent and selective antimalarial agents have been isolated from the African medicinal plant commonly known as Devil's claw. "The development of drug resistance and resurgence of malaria has...

Modified RT-PCR assay detects low-level Norovirus food contamination.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A modified RT-PCR assay can detect very low levels of gastroenteritis-causing Noroviruses in food. In a recent study from the United States, "Previously reported nucleic acid sequence-based...

Substantia nigra involved in West Nile virus-induced encephalitis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The substantia nigra is involved in West Nile virus-induced encephalitis. According to published research from Michigan, "West Nile virus has become a medically important arbovirus in the...

China can use lessons from anti-SARS battle to take on AIDS, U.N. expert says.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The lessons China learned in beating back SARS earlier this year can help it fight its AIDS epidemic - as long as the central government keeps providing quick and honest information, the head of the...

Growth hormone therapy may kill; monocytes produce IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNFalpha.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Septic shock, uncontrolled infection, and death of adults given growth hormone while ill may be due to its effect on LPS-activated PBMC: It makes them produce increased IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNFalpha. ...

Domestic animals may be bioterrorism targets; broad health, economic damage possible.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Domestic animals may be bioterrorism targets; broad health, economic damage possible. According to a study from France, "after a brief historical introduction, the authors describe a list of...

Improved diagnosis of fungal infections no longer requires preventive therapy.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Improved diagnosis of fungal infections no longer requires preventive therapy. According to recent research published in the journal Annals of Hematology, "invasive fungal infections are a primary...

Heat shock protein 60 mediates atherogenic effects of C. pneumoniae.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The heat shock protein (HSP) HSP60 mediates the atherogenic effects of Chlamydia pneumoniae. C. pneumoniae infection "has been linked with atherosclerosis," scientists in Canada explained....

Smooth muscle cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae increase MMP-1, MMP-3.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smooth muscle cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae increase MMP-1, MMP-3; not MMP-2, MMP-9, or TIMPs. According to recent research published in the journal Fems Immunology and Medical...

Nocardia puris characterized as a new species that can produce abscesses.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nocardia puris is characterized as a new species that can produce abscesses in humans. "A bacterial isolate (IMMIB R-145(T)) from a human abscess was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study....

Bordetella pertussis CyaA binds CD11b at different site than catalytic one.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The CyaA toxin of Bordetella pertussis binds CD11b/CD18 at a site different from the catalytic domain. According to published research from France, "adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) is one of the...

Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia can occur in immunocompetent patients.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prior aspergilloma or Aspergillus infection may influence immunocompetent patients to develop Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia. "A 69 yr old man developed an episode of severe community-acquired...

PFGE analysis useful in epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis can aid epidemiological investigation of cholera outbreaks. In a recent study from China, "Two hundred twenty isolates of Vibrio cholerae 01 and...

New TB vaccine shows promise in people with AIDS.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An innovative vaccine against tuberculosis has shown promise in people with HIV, researchers from Dartmouth Medical School and the National Public Health Institute of Finland report. An...

In organ transplant complications, histology is often needed to assess cause.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In organ transplant complications, histology is often needed to assess cause. According to recent research published in the journal Springer Seminars in Immunopathology, "immunopathology techniques...

8-Quinolinamines and their pro prodrug conjugates show promise as antimalarials.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A series of novel 8-quinolinamines and their pro prodrug conjugates show promise as antimalarial agents. Scientists in India reported the "synthesis and antimalarial activities of...

Scientists predict success of biomedical intervention against rapidly evolving organisms.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Viruses, bacteria, eukaryotic parasites, cancer cells, agricultural pests, and other inconvenient animates have the unfortunate feature to escape from selection pressures that are meant to control them....

New systems could find chemical residues, mad cow disease and SARS.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University at Buffalo (UB) has established the Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors, (CUBS) a new cross-disciplinary center that takes a unique approach to developing technologies in...

Borrelia burgdorferi induces inflammatory cytokines during erythema migrans.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inflammatory cytokines are induced in PBMC of newly infected patients with erythema migrans from Borrelia burgdorferi. According to recent research from the United States, "in a study of cytokine...

E. faecalis gains entry into enterocytes by means of Asc10 functional domain.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enterocytes internalize Enterococcus faecalis by means of the functional domain of aggregation substance, not the RGD motifs. "Aggregation substance (AS), a surface protein encoded on the...

Company reports record first quarter sales of VScan test kits.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Services International, Inc., (MSITF) announced that it has sold VScan test kits worth US$268,000 in the first quarter (period ending September 30, 2003) of its current fiscal year. This...

The Bacillus subtilis strain used in biological control can infect cabbages.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bacillus subtilis strain BB, used in biological control, can infect Brassica vegetables internally. "The ability of Bacillus subtilis, strain BB, to colonize cabbage seedlings endophytically was...

Ravuconazole, voriconazole, and albaconazole are active against Chaetomium.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antifungals ravuconazole, voriconazole, albaconazole, but not micafungin, are active against Chaetomium. "Chaetomium is an unusual etiological agent of human infections, but the mortality rate...

Toxigenic and nontoxigenic H. pylori outer membrane vesicles increase IL-8.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gastric epithelial cells respond to Helicobacter pylori outer membrane vesicles with IL-8 production, proliferation, whether a toxigenic strain or not. "Helicobacter pylori infection, which is...

C. pneumoniae tyrP genotype determines respiratory, cardiovascular effects.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The tyrP gene locus of Chlamydia pneumoniae determines its respiratory and cardiovascular effects. According to published research from Germany, C. pneumoniae "is an obligate intracellular pathogen...

Team developing "Flu Chip" for fast, accurate diagnosis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A team of researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder is developing a "Flu Chip" that will aid physicians in swiftly diagnosing respiratory illness for future flu seasons. The Flu Chip...

Serum protein carbonyl groups are lower in familiar chronic nail candidiasis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Serum protein carbonyl groups are lower in familiar chronic nail candidiasis. According to a study from Italy, "familiar chronic nail candidiasis (FCNC) is a rare disorder characterized by early...

Surface metalloprotease gp63 is released by Leishmania species into culture.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The surface metalloprotease, gp63, is released by Leishmania species into culture. According to published research from Israel, "protease activity was found in spent culture medium collected from...

Fluorogenic assay provides improved P. falciparum genotyping.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel fluorogenic assay enables accurate genotyping of malaria parasites. "Pathogen genotyping of polyclonal infections is limited by two major drawbacks: 1) how to establish whether multiple...

Hemazoin augments nitric oxide production by macrophages.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Plasmodial HZ augments interferon (IFN)-gamma-induced nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophages. "NO overproduction has been suggested to contribute to the immunopathology related to malaria...

Plasmodium falciparum Rad51 homologue identified.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A plasmodial Rad51 homologue has been identified and characterized. "Rad51 protein, the eukaryotic homologue of Escherichia coli RecA protein plays a pivotal role in recombinational repair...

Combination antimalarial therapy can slow spread of drug resistance.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The use of multidrug regimens can preserve the efficacy of antimalarial agents in endemic areas. "Combination antimalarial therapy may delay the spread of drug resistance, but clinical data...

Novel beta-diketonate improves synthesis of trioxane antimalarial agents.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel beta-diketonate improves the synthesis of trioxane antimalarial agents. According to a recent study from England, "Bis(2,2;6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)cobalt(II)...

Oxidative stress underlies antitumor activity of artesunate.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oxidative stress underlies the antitumor as well as the antimalarial activity of artesunate (ART). ART "is very cytotoxic in tumor cell lines," scientists in Germany explained. "The active moiety...

Peritrophic matrix limits blood digestion rate in malaria-carrying mosquitos.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The peritrophic matrix (PM) limits the rate of blood digestion in a pair of malaria-carrying mosquito species. According to a study from the United States, the PM "is a chitin-containing acellular...

Pennsylvania now requires hospital-acquired infections to be reported.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospitals in Pennsylvania must report how many patients contracted infections while hospitalized and the types of infections, under a requirement adopted November 6, 2003. Hospitals protested that...

Mycobacterium xenopi treatment is unnecessary for HIV patients on HAART.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mycobacterium xenopi treatment is unnecessary for HIV patients on HAART. Scientists in England described "treatment decisions and outcomes for 20 patients" with confirmed, symptomatic M. xenopi...

Free-living amoebic pathogen P. acanthamoeba replicates in macrophages.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Free-living amoebic pathogen P. acanthamoeba replicates in macrophages, induces apoptosis. "Parachlamydia acanthamoeba is an obligately intracellular bacterium that naturally infects free-living...

Azithromycin is an effective treatment for pertussis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Azithromycin is an effective treatment for pertussis. According to a study from the United States, "a prospective, open label, noncomparative trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of a 5-day...

Canada lab to use monkeys for SARS research.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eight monkeys at a Winnipeg lab will be infected with the SARS virus as part of a national effort to develop a vaccine for the deadly respiratory disease. The National Microbiology Lab will try to...

Hospital officials say degenerative bone disorder found in 49 patients.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospital officials say that 49 SARS survivors are suffering from a degenerative bone disorder, a likely side effect of the steroids used to treat them. Many Hong Kong SARS patients were treated with...

Immune memory from vaccination lasts more than 50 years.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immune memory after smallpox vaccination persists for at least 50 years in immunized people, according to research conducted by scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center and Emory University School of...

New staphylococcal enterotoxin SER may be related to SEG; found in 2 plasmids.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new staphylococcal enterotoxin, SER, may be related to SEG; it can be found in 2 plasmids. "We identified and characterized a novel staphylococcal enterotoxin-like putative toxin, which is named...

Infliximab raises post-SCT risk of non-Candida invasive fungal infections.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infliximab treatment increases the risk of non-Candida fungal infections after stem cell transplantation. Acute GVHD "is a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation...

Brain ciliated ependyma appear to sustain damage during bacterial meningitis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Brain ciliated ependyma appear to sustain damage during Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis, in animal model. "Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis remains a disease with poor outcome for the...

Penicillin therapy for S. pneumoniae can create an inflammatory reaction.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Penicillin, but not moxifloxacin or erythromycin, creates TLR-2 mediated inflammation in treatment of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. According to published research from England, "the...

Streptococcus pyogenes HtsA, upregulated in blood, binds one heme molecule.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Streptococcus pyogenes HtsA is upregulated in blood and binds 1 heme molecule. "Group A streptococci (GAS) can use heme and hemoproteins as sources of iron. However, the machinery for heme...

Chronic exposure to antigen induces IFNgamma-dependent TCR downregulation.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interferon gamma dependent, T cell antigen receptor zeta chain downregulation occurs in response to chronic inflammation and antigen exposure. "T cell antigen receptor zeta chain downregulation and...

Granulocyte transfusions effective against drug-resistant infection in neutropenic patient.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Granulocyte transfusions may be an effective means of treating drug-resistant infections in neutropenic patients. "The emergence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPA) has become a...

IFN-gamma-inducible LRG-47 plays key role in anti-TB immune defense.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interferon (IFN)-gamma-inducible LRG-47 plays a key role in immune defense against tuberculosis infection. IFN-gamma "provides an essential component of immunity to tuberculosis by activating...

Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis useful for identifying M. tuberculosis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) is useful for distinguishing between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. In a recent study from Norway, researchers...

Fluorogenic assay enables rapid and accurate TB diagnosis.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel fluorogenic assay enables rapid and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis infection. In a recent study from the United States, "A procedure using the Smart Cycler instrument and a fluorescence...

Molecular assay suitable for high-throughput mycobacterial identification.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel molecular assay is suitable for high-throughput identification of mycobacterial pathogens, including M. tuberculosis. In a recent study from China, "polymerase chain reaction...

Fully automated assay suitable for identifying pyrazinamide-resistant TB.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel automated system is suitable for identifying pyrazinamide-resistant strains of tuberculosis. In a recent study from Greece, "One hundred and fifty clinical isolates of Mycobacterium...

Amplified-fragment length polymorphism typing can complement RFLP.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AFLP-based typing can complement RFLP typing in epidemiological investigations of tuberculosis clusters. In a recent study from Spain, "The amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique...

MyD88 primes macrophages for IFN-gamma activation, but has limited role in TB defense.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The myeloid differentiation primary response protein MyD88 primes macrophages for IFN-gamma activation, but has a limited role in anti-tuberculosis responses. "Macrophages are activated from a...

Mycobacterial heat shock protein HSP16.3 characterized.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The structure of the mycobacterial small heat shock protein HSP16.3 has been elucidated. According to recent research from China, HSP16.3 "was identified as the major membrane-bound protein of...

IL-12B UTR mutation does not affect TB risk.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A mutation in a gene coding for the cytokine interleukin (IL)-12 does not influence susceptibility to tuberculosis infection. According to published research from Texas, IL-12 "plays a pivotal role...

MRI useful for detecting asymptomatic spinal arachnoiditis in TBM patients.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a valuable tool for detecting asymptomatic spinal arachnoiditis in tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients. "Spinal arachnoiditis is one of the common and disabling...

Proteus mirabilis XerC and XerD are functional in E. coli.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Proteus mirabilis XerC and XerD are functional in E. coli. According to recent research from Canada, "XerC and XerD are 2 site-specific recombinases, which act on different sites to maintain...

First human trial of West Nile vaccine to begin.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acambis (ACAM) announced the start of a phase I trial of its investigational vaccine against West Nile virus, ChimeriVax-West Nile. Since it was first identified in New York in 1999, the West Nile...

Some Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A appear to have virulence factors.
December 2, 2003... 2003 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A appear to have virulence factors. According to a study from Australia, "Yersinia enterocolitica strains of biotype 1A lack the known virulence determinants of...

Crystal structure of M. tuberculosis MenB characterized.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The crystal structure of a key M. tuberculosis enzyme has been characterized for the first time. "Bacterial enzymes of the menaquinone (vitamin K-2) pathway are potential drug targets because they...

Serum copper and zinc levels could mark efficacy of anti-TB treatment.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Serum Cu and Zn levels could be a useful marker of the response to anti-tuberculosis therapy. "The effectiveness and success of antituberculosis therapy is mainly measured by its ability to...

Piperazine derivatives show promise as antimalarial agents.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A series of novel piperazine derivatives have demonstrated potent antimalarial activity in vitro. Scientists in France reported the results of their "synthesis and evaluation of the activity of a...

IL-6 produced by TB-infected macrophages inhibits IFN-gamma activity.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interleukin (IL)-6 produced by M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages inhibits interferon (IFN)-gamma-mediated immune activity. "In humans and in mice, control of the intracellular pathogen,...

Cryptococcus recombination event may underlie Vancouver Island outbreak.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Cryptococcus neoformans recombination event may underlie a recent Canadian outbreak. According to a study from the United States, C. neoformans "is a human fungal pathogen that exists as three...

MptpB protein plays key role in M. tuberculosis virulence.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The mycobacterial MptpB protein plays a key role in M. tuberculosis virulence. According to published research from India, "Protein tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphatases from several bacterial...

AIDS vaccine trials begin in South Africa, Switzerland.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has begun human trials in South Africa and Switzerland to test HIVA.MVA, a candidate vaccine to prevent people uninfected with HIV/AIDS from contracting...

Cholecystitis with lithiasis can be caused by Campylobacter jejuni.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cholesystitis with lithiasis can be caused by Campylobacter jejuni. "A 51-year-old man presented with acute cholecystitis and the routine intraoperative culture of the bile grew Campylobacter...

Naegleria fowleri common in Arizona kitchens, bathrooms.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Naegleria fowleri is frequently found in domestic water in kitchens, bathroom fixtures in Arizona presenting risk of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. According to recent research published in...

Chronic renal dysfunction linked to oral acyclovir reported.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A case of chronic renal dysfunction linked to oral acyclovir treatment has been described. "Nephrotoxicity is a well-known side effect of intravenous acyclovir treatment but occurs rarely by oral...

Membrane localized NADPH oxidases are involved in ROS formation in many cells.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Membrane localized NADPH oxidases are involved in reactive oxygen species formation in phagocytes and nonphagocytic cells. According to a study from the United States, "in addition to their role in...

Clinical isolate fungi are mostly Candida; only amphotericin B acts on all.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fungal isolates from hospital patients are predominantly Candida; most are susceptibility to amphotericin B, but fewer are to other agents. "The aim of this study was to analyze the type and...

Reaction to unmethylated CpG motifs in bacterial DNA can induce sepsis or cure.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Host reaction to unmethylated CpG motifs in bacterial DNA can induce sepsis or cure. "Unmethylated CpG motifs are prevalent in bacterial, but not vertebrate, genomic DNAs and activate immune cells...

Bacteriophages may serve in transplantation as antibacterial, immune suppressant.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bacteriophages may serve in transplantation as antibacterial; may even reduce graft rejection risk. According to published research from Poland, "due to the increasing prevalence of drug-resistant...

Enteric toxins modulate gut physiology.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enteric toxins modulate gut physiology. According to a study from India, "Diarrheal diseases caused by microorganisms and their toxins are a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the...

Antibiotic resistance may be susceptible to genetic approach.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biofilms, slimy clusters of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, may have a genetic chink in their armor that could be exploited to combat the infections they cause. A study led by Dartmouth...

High theoretical risk of HIV, HCV transmission for forensic pathologists.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Forensic pathologists have a high theoretical risk of work-related HIV and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. "Using a cumulative probability analysis and published data," researchers in the...

IU Medical School, Merck take shot at vaccinating Kenyan kids.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Half of the children born in sub-Saharan Africa each year do not receive routine vaccinations to protect them from debilitating or deadly diseases. An ambitious venture of the Indiana University (UI)...

Gen-Probe, partner amend blood screening agreement to set fixed revenue shares.
December 9, 2003... 2003 DEC 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gen-Probe, Inc., (GPRO) and Chiron Corp. (CHIR) announced they have agreed to amend their world-wide blood screening collaboration agreement in order to adopt permanent, fixed revenue shares for each...