Toxins in Biological News

Data published in the New England Journal of Medicine support use of raxibacumab (ABthrax) for the treatment of inhalation anthrax

... they are not effective against the deadly toxins that the bacteria produce. Raxibacumab targets anthrax toxins after they are released by the bacteria into the ... not know they are infected with anthrax until the toxins already are circulating in their blood, and it ...

Potentially harmful chemicals found in forest fire smoke

... Wash. -- Researchers have detected common plant toxins that affect human health and ecosystems in smoke ... suggest that smoldering fires may produce more toxins than wildfires - a reason to keep human exposures ... during controlled burns. Finding these toxins -- known as alkaloids -- helps researchers ...

Mass Biologic Labs/UMass Med School and Medarex license C. difficile monoclonal antibody to Merck

... to target and neutralize Clostridium difficile toxins A and B, for the treatment of C. difficile ... effects of toxin A and toxin B, respectively, the toxins produced by the bacterium C. difficile and ... levels of antibodies in the blood to both toxins A and B and protection from disease or relapse. ...

Poison: It's what's for dinner

... deal with climate change." For example, "the toxins in creosote could respond to increases in ... warming, she adds. "The plants may make more toxins under elevated CO2 conditions because these toxins are built from carbon atoms." Dearing says ...

Poison: It's what's for dinner

... deal with climate change." For example, "the toxins in creosote could respond to increases in ... warming, she adds. "The plants may make more toxins under elevated CO2 conditions because these toxins are built from carbon atoms." Dearing says ...

Cause of mussel poisoning identified

... bacteria, many cases are due to gastrointestinal toxins and/or neurotoxins produced by certain marine ... column, and after ingestion they retain the toxins and accumulate them in their edible flesh. Azaspiracids comprise one group of these microalgal toxins The first known azaspiracid poisonings occurred ...

Exposure to insecticide may play role in obesity epidemic among some women

... pounds of excess weight. "Prenatal exposure to toxins is increasingly being looked at as a potential ... found for the first time is exposure to certain toxins by eating fish from polluted waters may ... the ATSDR, to assess the impact of pollutants and toxins on a wide variety of disorders by determining the ...

NYU scientists discover dangerous new method for bacterial toxin transfer

... unsettling possibility that bacterial swapping of toxins and other disease-aiding factors may be more ... to serve as shuttle vehicles for bacterial toxins between different species. The experiments were ... produce toxic shock toxin or other staphylococcal toxins in the wild. Both microbes, however, are known to ...

Positive results in Phase 2 trial of treatment of C-difficile-associated diarrhea

... human antibodies that neutralize C. difficile toxins A and B, respectively. Consistent with the ... strain that produces much higher levels of toxins A and B has also been associated with morbidity ... treatment with monoclonal antibodies against the toxins could reduce this significant and costly public ...

Biologists find diatom to reduce red tide's toxicity

... Society of London B . "We found that red tide toxins can be metabolized by other species of ... kingdom and the as yet unknown allelopathic toxins that kill other competing species of algae," said ... diatom, S. costatum, is able to undermine these toxins produced by the red tide, as well as the ...

Scientists determine drug target for the most potent botulinum neurotoxin

... those that enable breathing. To block the toxins action, the researchers designed four decoy ... to keep functioning, thus stopping the toxins pathological effects. The scientists used ... decoy proteins are efficient at inhibiting the toxins binding to the cells protein, but one of them in ...

Defining gene's role may lead to prevention of dangerous corn toxin

... by ingesting feed containing one of a group of toxins called fumonisins (few-mahn-ah-sins). About $40 ... impact development of a variety of fungi and toxins and also influence the level of poisons that are present. toxins are more likely to develop in corn when hot, dry ...

Insecticide combo delivers knockout punch

... as a barrier that protects the caterpillar from toxins in the diet, and cycles nutrients to the midgut. ... the caterpillar's first line of defense against toxins and chemicals in its diet," said Luthe. The ... which in turn is making it easier for the Bt toxins to reach the insects' midgut," explained Luthe, ...

Study on toxin that tainted spinach reveals treatment possibility

... what kind of infection youre dealing with. toxins like Shiga piggyback onto bacterial viruses, ... A longstanding hypothesis of this field is that toxins may have evolved to do something else besides ... With the number of bacterial viruses encoding toxins like Shiga outstripping the number of mammals by ...

Developing kryptonite for Superbug

... molecules are those that attach themselves to the toxins that staph makes, Bohach explained. We hope to identify particularly those toxins that are associated with the more virulent ... screen and isolate staph for many different toxins at the same time. So if youre looking ...

New test could help consumers avoid surprise headaches from chocolate, wine

... of so-called biogenic amines, naturally occurring toxins that can trigger a wide range of symptoms in ... Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal. These toxins can be a serious health problem and are more ... headaches, and respiratory disorders. These toxins can be particularly dangerous in people with ...

Does the victim affect snake venom composition?

... prey might affect the type and evolution of toxins in their venom, research published in the online ... think that these snakes need a diverse array of toxins in their venom. Sea snakes, on the other hand, ... a more restricted diet, feeding only on fish. The toxins in these snakes have now been shown to be less ...

Curbing C. difficile's toxin production

... Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). The toxins produced by C. difficile kill human intestinal ... ill. The C. difficile bacteria only produce toxins when they are in need of food, explains ... key nutrients and that it is time to make the toxins they need to get food from the host cells. To ...

Environmental cues control reproductive timing and longevity, University of Minnesota study shows

... may explain hormesis, the mysterious health benefits of low doses of toxins including those that plants like broccoli make to defend themselves from ... that can suppress reproduction and consequently increase longevity "These toxins may be abundant in 'famine foods' that are eaten only when meat and fruit ...

Desert woodrats switch one dietary poison for another

... able to learn how they will deal with climate change. "For example, the toxins in creosote could respond to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide," she says. "The plants may make more toxins under increased carbon dioxide conditions." Even with detoxification ...

Desert woodrats switch one dietary poison for another

... able to learn how they will deal with climate change. "For example, the toxins in creosote could respond to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide," she says. "The plants may make more toxins under increased carbon dioxide conditions." Even with detoxification ...

Rice eyes risks of quantum dots

... when such products are discarded, they can eventually release their toxins into the environment. "In that way, quantum dots resemble batteries," ... researchers cautioned that short-term studies can't easily predict whether toxins released by quantum dots will build up in the body over time. "We hope our ...

Queen's University Belfast plays leading role in Europe-wide tests for safer food

... in developing new tests aimed to protect the public from potentially fatal toxins in a wide range of foods including meat, poultry, milk, seafood and ... number of cases. However the true effects of long term exposure to these toxins are far from clear and may present significant heath risks. "Regulatory ...

Scientists present 'moving' theory behind bacterial decision-making

... State biochemists, called AbrB, helps control the production of the three toxins in anthrax: lethal factor, edema factor and protective antigen. Production of all three of these toxins is necessary to make anthrax lethal. Cavanagh and Bobay say that ...

Top biophysics award to Professor Ray Norton

... has a particular interest in the structure and function of small protein toxins that block the activity of ion channels. These toxins, isolated from ... dependence. New non-opiate pain relief drugs based on marine cone snail toxins may be able to break the link with such long-term dependence. The sea ...

Rattlesnake-type poisons used by superbug bacteria to beat our defenses

... Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. The toxins are manufactured by communities of the hospital superbug Pseudomonas ... harmful chemicals. However, the type of tissue-degrading enzymes and toxins made by the biofilm bacteria differ from those produced by free-floating ...

Plastics suspect in lobster illness

... Laufer, who began his career as an insect endocrinologist, suspected the toxins from the sprayings may have contributed to the lobster die off. In 2001, while searching for the mosquito toxins in lobsters, he instead found alkyphenols. "It's a real problem," ...

Exposure to low levels of radon appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer, new study finds

... a statistically significant hormetic effect of low-level radon exposure. toxins and other environmental stressors (including radiation) that have a ... are said to exhibit hormesis (scientists believe that the low doses of toxins may stimulate repair mechanisms in cells). Home exposure to radon, a ...

Technology uses live cells to detect food-borne pathogens, toxins

... present, Bhunia said. "This is very important," he said. "With many toxins or pathogens, there is an effective dose or threshold you must pass before ... take place on-site, he said. This technology tests for bacteria and toxins that attack cell membranes. For this reason, researchers employed cells ...

Diabetes makes it hard for blood vessels to relax

... broken down by the enzyme arginase to urea, which helps the body eliminate toxins resulting from the proteins we eat. Diabetics have a lot of arginase ... fibrosis in their lungs. In addition to helping the body turn toxins into urea that can be safely eliminated from the body, arginase also helps ...

Using carbon nanotubes to seek and destroy anthrax toxin and other harmful proteins

... process will also be able to target and deactivate specific proteins or toxins in the human body. Shining light on the conjugated carbon nanotubes ... in defense, homeland security, and laboratory settings to destroy harmful toxins and pathogens. The method could also offer a new method for the targeted ...

Decoding effects of toxins on embryo development

... patterns in zebrafish embryos resulting from exposure to environmental toxins can identify the individual toxins at work, according to research published in the online open access journal ...

Genetically engineered corn may harm stream ecosystems

... Academy of Sciences. This study provides the first evidence that toxins from Bt corn may travel long distances in streams and may harm stream ... impacts of Bt corn raised by previous studies showing that corn-grown toxins harm beneficial insects living in the soil. Licensed for use in 1996, ...

Fungus genome yielding answers to protect grains, people and animals

... that spawns the worst cereal grains disease known and also can produce toxins potentially fatal to people and livestock. The fungus, which is ... severe cases can be fatal. Some scientific evidence suggests that these toxins cause cancer. People in developing countries are at the greatest risk of ...

MIT unraveling secrets of red tide

... a jump start and conducting the reaction in water. Many red tide toxins possess a long chain of six-membered rings. However, the starting ... water may nevertheless be directly involved in the biosynthesis of the toxins or emulating an important part of it, said Jamison. Because of this ...

Carbon nanoparticles toxic to adult fruit flies but benign to young

... Rand, a co-corresponding author, said. "It may be like being in a coal mine. You get sick more from the effects of dust particles than from specific toxins in the dust." The scientists immersed adult Drosophila in a control test tube and test tubes containing four different types of carbon ...

Microbes and their hosts -- exploring the complexity of symbiosis in DNA and cell biology

... Mutualisms." Adam Silver and Joerg Graf from the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, explore the role of virulence factors and specific toxins produced by members of the Aeromonas veronii bacterial group in the article "Prevalence of Genes Encoding the Type Three Secretion System and the ...

University of Miami receives stimulus funds for study of hurricane impacts on structures, ecosystems

... for collaborations in understanding the connections between the oceans and human health including studies of harmful algal blooms, the effects of toxins in the marine environment as well as developing aquatic animal models of human diseases such as neurodegeneration. "Currently, about 60 percent ...

Toxin detection as close as an inkjet printer

... fixture, it's time to take a fresh look at it. Similar technology may soon be used to develop paper-based biosensors that can detect certain harmful toxins that can cause food poisoning or be used as bioterrorism agents. In a paper published in the July issue of Analytical Chemistry , John Brennan ...

A thirst for blood sparks toxic algal blooms

... journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ). Other factors Current theory postulates that the algae produce toxins not only in order to inhibit the growth of competing species, but also to protect themselves from predators. The strategy of inhibiting competitors, ...