New, simpler optical method to diagnose TBOctober 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - American researchers have demonstrated a new optical technique to detect TB bacteria in fluids. The method developed by a team of scientists at the Colorado State University (CSU) uses light to identify various molecular markers to spot tuberculosis (TB) infection.
Ribosomes already showing medical importance: RamakrishnanOctober 7th, 2009 LONDON - Indian-born scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on ribosomes, Wednesday said his work has established the ribosome's medical importance, while researchers said his findings could help in the global fight against tuberculosis. Praising the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and the University of Utah for supporting his work, Ramakrishnan said, The idea of supporting long term basic research like that at LMB does lead to breakthroughs; the ribosome is already starting to show its medical importance.
Touching your toes could help gauge arterial stiffnessOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position may show how stiff your arteries really are. Among people 40 years and older, performance on the sit-and-reach test could be used to assess the flexibility of arteries.
Potential key to curing tuberculosis uncoveredOctober 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Iowa State University have discovered an enzyme that makes tuberculosis resistant to a human body's natural defense. When most infections are introduced into humans, the body defends itself with certain cells - called macrophage cells - that kill the invading microorganisms.
Novel method to quickly detect active TB in smear-negative patientsSeptember 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new method developed by European researchers can now quickly detect active tuberculosis (TB) in patients with negative sputum tests. TB is the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide, and the diagnosis of active TB can be rapidly established when the bacteria can be identified on sputum microscopy.
Patients in vegetative state can learn, say researchersSeptember 21st, 2009 LONDON - An international team of researchers have found that brains of patients in vegetative and minimally conscious state still appears to have the ability to learn. The team hopes that the finding will lead to a simple test that will enable practitioners to assess the patient's consciousness without the need of imaging.
University of Chicago: Scientist death may be linked to bacteria he researched, causes plagueSeptember 19th, 2009 Ill. scientist dies, possible plague bacteria linkCHICAGO — The University of Chicago Medical Center says the infection that killed a scientist may be connected to bacteria he researched that causes the plague. The university said Saturday that its researcher studied the genetics of harmful bacteria including Yersinia pestis, which causes the illness.
Scientists uncover new anti-TB compoundsSeptember 17th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have identified certain compounds that would inhibit the sophisticated mechanism used by tuberculosis bacteria for surviving dormant in infected cells. The researchers said most of the people infected with TB remain symptom-free because the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the disease-causing bacteria, is kept in check within immune system cells.
WHO should revise TB treatment guidelines, say scientistsSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - French and American scientists have recommended that the World Health Organization (WHO) must review, and adjust its guidelines for the fight against tuberculosis (TB). TB is a global threat that affects more than 10 million people each year.
Scientists develop tiny sensor to sniff out toxinsSeptember 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have developed a stamp-sized sensor that can sniff out some poisonous gases and toxins and can show results simply by changing colour. The sensor could be useful in detecting high exposures to toxic industrial chemicals that pose serious health risks at the workplace.
New test to detect tainted milkSeptember 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have developed a simple test that would help detect tainted milk within few hours. Amer AbuGhazaleh, from Southern Illinois University Carbondale's College of Agricultural Sciences, and Salam Ibrahim, a food microbiologist from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, have shown that the combination of certain bacteria and a common purple dye can reveal the presence of toxins in milk in just a few hours.
Novel biosensor can detect typhoid bacteria instantlySeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Tarragona have come up with a novel biosensor that can instantly detect Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. The technique uses carbon nanotubes and synthetic DNA fragments that activate an electric signal when they link up with the pathogen.
Soon, a simple blood test to predict severity of multiple sclerosisAugust 31st, 2009 LONDON - Scientists from University College London have revealed that a simple blood test may soon help predict the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS). Lead researcher Rachel Farrell says that a biological marker in blood appears to be linked to a patient's prognosis after the first MS attack.
Urine LAM-ELISA not effective as independent diagnostic test for pulmonary TBAugust 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A trial of the new diagnostic urine LAM-ELISA has indicated that it may not be useful as an independent diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Detailed in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases, the results suggest that it was only capable of identifying 50.7 per cent of TB cases.
Sniff dog finds citrus pest in Sacramento package; tests will see if they are infectedAugust 28th, 2009 Dog finds psyllids in Sacramento FedEx packageFRESNO, Calif. — Tests were under way Friday on at least 100 bugs that were found inside a FedEx package and can be carriers of a deadly citrus bacteria.
