Tag: Infectious-Diseases
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Artificial intelligence algorithm to predict and prevent spread of infectious diseases
Team of researchers from USC Viterbi School of Engineering has created an algorithm that can help policymakers reduce the overall spread of disease. The algorithm is optimized to make the most of limited resources, such as advertising budgets, thus helping cash strapped public health agencies. To create the artificial intellegence algorithm, the researchers used behavioral,…
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Research suggests possibility of vaccine development against Staphylococcal skin infections
Researchers have discovered how the immune system might protect a person from recurrent bacterial skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph). The findings, publishing online this week in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, provides new opportunities to developing vaccines to prevent staph skin infections, which account for 14 million outpatient visits, nearly 500,000 hospital admissions…
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Researchers identify how Ebola virus disables the human immune system
A research study by scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston sheds light on how Ebola effectively disables the human immune system. Virologist Alex Bukreyev, UTMB professor and senior author of the study, said the research team engineered versions of the Ebola virus in order to understand its effects on immune system. The…
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Gene therapy using lipid based nanoparticles
Lipid nanoparticles (SLNs and NLCs) are regarded as highly promising systems for delivering nucleic acids in gene therapy. Literature review by researchers at PharmaNanoGene describes these systems and their main advantages in gene therapy, such as their capacity to protect the gene material against degradation, to facilitate cell and nucleus internalization and to boost the transfection process. View…
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Research shows reduced Surgical Site Infections with use of Antimicrobial Sutures
New analyses of the published clinical studies indicate that antimicrobial sutures are effective for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs), and they can result in significant cost savings. The results are published in the British Journal of Surgery. In one analysis that included 21 randomized clinical trials, investigators found a risk of 138 surgical site infections…
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Proton pump inhibitors linked with increased risk of infectious gastroenteritis
Research has found a link between proton pump inhibitors and an increase in the risk of infectious gastroenteritis. The study led by The Australian National University (ANU) and based on data from the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study, found people who take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), had a 70 per cent increase in the…
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Research unveils structure of crucial bacterial cell wall protein
Duke University researchers have provided the first close-up glimpse of a protein, called MurJ, which is crucial for building the bacterial cell wall and protecting it from outside attack. The research is published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Researchers at Duke University solved the structure of an enzyme that is crucial for helping bacteria…
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Zika virus research: Structure of immature virus revealed
Researchers at Purdue University have determined the high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus, a step toward better understanding how the virus infects host cells and spreads. Purdue researchers have determined the high-resolution structure of the immature Zika virus. This composite image of the surface (left), and cross-sectional region (right), reflect the new findings. Research into…
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New approach to tuberculosis treatment: targeting LD-transpeptidase enzyme
Researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have laid the foundation to develop novel antibiotics that work against incurable, antibiotic-resistant bacteria like tuberculosis by targeting an enzyme essential to the production and integrity of bacterial cell walls. The findings, they say, suggest that antibiotic drugs specifically targeting the recently discovered LD-transpeptidase enzyme, which is needed to…
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Polysorbate, a food additive found to be protective against E. coli poisoning
Polysorbate, a safe additive found in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, has been proven to slow the toxic effects of E. coli poisoning. The findings, featured in the current issue of the journal Biofouling, show that polysorbates attack the protective biofilm in which E. coli lives and renders the deadly bacteria harmless, said Chris…
Medical News Observer 