tract in Biological News

Research could lead to new non-antibiotic drugs to counter hospital infections

... infections, it is also found in the intestinal tract of 20 percent of all Americans and 50 percent of ... phosphate depletion in the stressed intestinal tract signals P. aeruginosa to become lethal. To ... a lethal pathogen when present in the intestinal tract of a stressed host," said Alexander Zaborin, lead ...

Irritable bowel syndrome can have genetic causes

... role in the complex processes in the diges-tive tract just as it affects sleep, mood, and blood ... "The signal transduction in the digestive tract may be disturbed and this may lead to ... the serotonin receptors in the intestinal tract and thus slows the movement of the bowels. ...

American Society for Microbiology honors Walter Stamm

... worked with antimicrobial resistance for urinary tract infections, chlamydia infections, and sexually ... a leader in the antimicrobial therapy of urinary tract infections and has written guidelines for the ... and 11 books, most of them about urinary tract infections and genital infections including the ...

Nitrates in vegetables protect against gastric ulcers

... damage that often occurs in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of ingestion of anti-inflammatory ... in the normal functions of the gastrointestinal tract is not entirely new. It is currently an important ... damage that often occurs in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of ingestion of anti-inflammatory ...

New evidence for female control in reproduction

... the sperms arrival in the female reproductive tract triggers a cascade of changes that leads to ... data shows that the mammalian female reproductive tract is a far more tightly regulated environment than ... environment. The female reproductive tract is a very highly organized and regulated system, ...

Cranberry sauce: good for what ails you

... the ability of cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The mechanism by which ... the bacteria from getting close to the urinary tract lining. Direct measurements show that the ... forces between E. coli and cells of the urinary tract are greatly reduced when at least a 5 percent ...

Prolonged respiratory problems for oil spill clean-up volunteers

... Prevalence rates of lower and upper respiratory tract symptoms were significantly higher in fishermen ... than others to experience lower respiratory tract symptoms. Men who participated in clean-up were ... prevalence of upper- and lower-respiratory tract symptoms persisted for more than a year following ...

UCLA/VA partners with ASU to advance biosensor technology for urinary tract infections

... Health to help rapidly diagnose and treat urinary tract infections the most common cause of ... an old problem, which is the diagnosis of urinary tract infections the second most common bacterial ... targeted treatment without the wait. Urinary tract infection is the most common urological disease ...

NIH funds work at WPI on regenerating heart tissue and preventing urinary tract infections

... two years to continue her studies of how cranberry juice prevents urinary tract infections. The grants are the first NIH awards for both Gaudette and ... of epithelial cells taken from women who suffer from chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). Camesano's lab will observe how the cells react when ...

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

... for other infections, in which the complex microbial makeup of the GI tract is altered, and C. difficile spores may germinate, grow, and produce toxins A and B. The toxins cause damage to the GI tract lining in the colon, resulting in severe diarrhea, and may lead to ...

ABC publishes monograph on scientific and clinical research of Sinupret

... of Sinupret, a clinically-tested herbal combination for upper respiratory tract health, including conditions associated with sinusitis and bronchitis. A ... overall safety and effectiveness in the area of upper respiratory tract health." "The availability of this product, particularly the version ...

New insights into a leading poultry disease and its risks to human health

... E. coli (ExPEC). They cause a number of complex brain, lung and urinary tract diseases in human, animals, and birds. There is also considerable concern ... clinical samples of ExPEC strains isolated from urinary and non-urinary tract infections by Dr. James R. Johnson of the VA Medical Center at the ...

Fewer deaths with preventive antibiotic use

... times daily, received antibiotics through a gastric tube in the intestinal tract and by intravenous drip. The third group was the control group and ... by 3.5 percent (oral antibiotic paste, and antibiotics in the intestinal tract and by intravenous drip) and 2.9 percent (oral antibiotic paste). The ...

Sulfurous ping-pong in the urinary tract

... gene combination present in strains of E. coli which cause urinary tract infections: two genes for the disulfide bond formation machinery were ... since ASST is present exclusively in E. coli strains causing urinary tract infections, a selective action against these bacteria would leave the ...

Winter brings flu, summer brings bacterial infections

... found with P. aeruginosa, a common cause of burn, external ear, urinary tract and lung infections; and A. baumannii, an opportunistic pathogen that can ... grill" season. Several of these gram-negative bacteria cause urinary tract infections, and a known risk factor for that is recent sexual intercourse ...

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

... for other infections, in which the complex microbial make up of the GI tract is altered, and C. difficile spores may germinate, grow, and produce toxins A and B. The toxins cause damage to the GI tract lining in the colon, resulting in severe diarrhea, and may lead to ...

Possible link between baby swimming and breathing problems in children

... part in baby swimming show no increased incidence of lower respiratory tract infections, ear inflammation (otitis media) or tightness and wheezing in the chest. Between 6-18 months the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections and otitis media were 13 percent and 30 percent respectively, ...

Study of sugars on cell surface identifies key factor in flu infection

... the structures of the different sugar chains coating upper respiratory tract cells. We found remarkable diversity, he said. Even though these ... shapes. According to the results, glycans of upper respiratory tract cells come in two main varieties: short and cone-shaped, and long and ...

Together we stand: bacteria organize to survive hostile zones

... called biofilms. These biofilms play key roles in cystic fibrosis, urinary tract infections and other illnesses, and the researchers say their findings ... the lungs. Patients choke on the colonys byproducts. Chronic urinary tract infections result from bacterial communities that develop inside human ...

Heaps of climate gas

... the fact that methane-producing micro-organisms from the gastro-intestinal tract of the animals can be established in the soil while, simultaneously, the ... further that methane producing micro-organisms from the gastro-intestinal tract of the cattle could survive in the soil and suppress parts of the ...

Brain difference in psychopaths identified

... with emotions, fear and aggression, and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the region which deals with decision making. There is a white matter tract that connects the amygdala and OFC, which is called the uncinate fasciculus (UF). However, nobody had ever studied the UF in psychopaths. The team ...

Sticky protein helps reinforce fragile muscle membranes

... "Considering how essential cell membranes are for life, these barriers are remarkably fragile. In addition, many tissues, including muscle, GI tract and skin, are constantly under mechanical stress, which can rupture cell membranes," Campbell said. "Our findings support the idea that reinforcement ...

New theory on why male, female lemurs same size

... with females, male lemurs have evolved to passively guard their mates. They do this by depositing a solid plug inside the female's reproductive tract just as they finish mating. The plug is deposited as a liquid protein but quickly hardens and stays in place for a day or two. Since many female ...

New lab test offers better prediction of HIV microbicide safety

... circulating T cells. To test this theory, Pedro Mesquita, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Herold's lab, developed a model that mimicked the genital tract environment. It was composed of two chambers separated by a barrier of cultured human cells that form tight junctions. After treating the epithelial ...

Fruit and vegetable intake in pregnant women reduces risk of upper respiratory tract infection

... women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The BUSM study appears online in the journal Public Health Nutrition. URTIs include the common cold and sinus infections, ...

Key to evolutionary fitness: Cut the calories

... are operating at below their maximum capacity and shows that this is not due to any kind of physiological constraint, such as length of digestive tract or maximum capacity of mammary glands. Also, as the hares were provided with plentiful food, there could be no limitation of energy turnover due to ...

NIH expands Human Microbiome Project; funds sequencing centers and disease projects

... patients suffer from immunodeficiency syndromes. Gregory A. Storch, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis Nose, digestive tract and blood: Febrile Illness $950,000 This team of investigators will examine if there is a relationship between the immune system and viral ...

NIH funds $9.5 million for research on HIV and the human innate immune system

... oral complications, such as a quadrupled rate of contracting human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus is more frequently associated with the genital tract and is now being seen in the mouth. Warts produced by HPV can lead to cancer and increased oral infections. "What is resolving one problem is ...

American Chemical Society weekly presspac -- June 10, 2009

... absorbed into the bloodstream. One promising approach is to use live bacteria, which can survive those harsh conditions and pass easily from the GI tract into the blood. The scientists describe development of a new strain of Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria that normally cause food poisoning, but ...

Harvard scientist says we are what we eat -- and what we cook

... today (June 1) by Basic Books. In it, he makes the case that the ability to harness fire and cook food allowed the brain to grow and the digestive tract to shrink, giving rise to our ancestor Homo erectus some 1.8 million years ago. "Cooking is the signature feature of the human diet, and indeed, ...

The evolution of gene regulation

... and external conditions even in microorganisms. It is known, for example, that the intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli in the digestive tract of young mammals can break down lactose, the sugar abundant in mother's milk. To do this, the bacterium produces the enzyme lactase but only if ...

Mothers give interloper's offspring a head start in life

... in fertilizing eggs if it is of higher quality (e.g. swims faster), or gets stored in a more advantageous position within the female's reproductive tract such as closer to the site of fertilization. "The differential success of sperm from different males is a fascinating possibility but remains ...

Breakthrough in the treatment of bacterial meningitis

... for meningitis and could save the lives of hundreds of children. Bacterial meningitis in childhood is almost exclusively caused by the respiratory tract pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae , Neisseria meningitidis , and Haemophilus influenzae . The mechanism used by these lethal germs to break ...

Climate change driving Michigan mammals north

... sampled over the past 100 years." One study area proved especially valuable for long-term comparisons. The Huron Mountain Club, an 18,000-acre tract of pristine forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula owned by a private association, includes a 6,400- acre research area where scientists are allowed to ...

New findings in taste and smell

... placode Odor discrimination in mouse models of schizophrenia Taste responsive multipolar and elongated neurons in hamster nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) project differentially to targets in the brainstem: an in-vivo intracellular recording, labeling, and tracing study Pregnancy and olfactory ...

Translating the conversation between the brain and blood vessels

... brain uses hormones to orchestrate blood flow to different parts of the body. This helped explain how the brain sends blood to the gastrointestinal tract after eating, but redirects it to the heart and muscles if we start running, for example. Recently, his team has been looking at which genes ...

Gutsy germs succumb to baby broccoli

... H. pylori -induced inflammation and gastritis. Classified a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, H. pylori is a gastrointestinal tract germ that manages to thrive in the lining of the stomach despite the strength of natural acids there that rival that of car batteries. Afflicting ...

Smithsonian scientist warns that palm oil development may threaten Amazon

... agricultural activities in Brazilian Amazon. Furthermore, oil palm producers will benefit from a "logging subsidy," whereby timber harvested from a tract of land helps to offset the cost of establishing a plantation. Before the recent run-up in palm oil prices, logging had been a factor in the ...

Penn medicine draws road map for elimination of central line-associated bloodstream infections

... system has used this model to attack other hospital-acquired infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonias and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. More recently, several HUP units implemented the Toyota Production System, which applies processes honed in the auto manufacturing ...

NIH funds research center for women's reproductive health at Einstein

... diabetes, and metabolic syndrome are especially common here in the local community. Each of these conditions is strongly associated with reproductive tract diseases particularly infertility, endometriosis, and endometrial cancer." Endometriosis, the abnormal growth of endometrial tissue outside the ...