http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have demonstrated a more effective treatment for bacterial pneumonia following influenza. They found that the antibiotics clindamycin and azithromycin, which kill bacteria by inhibiting their protein synthesis, are more effective than a standard first-line treatment with the "beta-lactam" antibiotic ampicillin, which causes the bacteria to lyse, or burst. http://www.physorg.com/news150653601.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:13:21 EST news150653601 Scientists have identified the structure of a key component of the bacteria behind such diseases as whooping cough, peptic stomach ulcers and Legionnaires' disease. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), sheds light on how antibiotic resistance genes spread from one bacterium to another. The research may help scientists develop novel treatments for these diseases and novel ways to curtail the spread of antibiotic resistance. http://www.physorg.com/news150646319.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:11:59 EST news150646319 Masses of immune cells that form as a hallmark of tuberculosis (TB) have long been thought to be the body's way of trying to protect itself by literally walling off the bacteria. But a new study in the January 9th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, offers evidence that the TB bacteria actually sends signals that encourage the growth of those organized granuloma structures, and for good reason: each granuloma serves as a kind of hub for the infectious bugs in the early stages of infection, allowing them to expand further and spread throughout the body. http://www.physorg.com/news150643255.html Biology Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:20:55 EST news150643255 It's an age-old tradition that dates back at least 8,000 years but it seems we still have much to learn about the bacteria responsible for turning milk into cheese. http://www.physorg.com/news150469043.html Biology Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:57:23 EST news150469043 Wheat-based infant follow-on formulas are better reconstituted with fruit juice and should be stored in the fridge at 4°C to prevent growth of meningitis bacteria, according to recent research. http://www.physorg.com/news150461470.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:51:10 EST news150461470 The study of ancient microbes may not seem consequential, but such pioneering research at the University of Oklahoma has implications for the state of modern human health. Cecil Lewis, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, says results of this research raise questions about the microbes living on and within people. http://www.physorg.com/news150397619.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:06:59 EST news150397619 With cold and flu season in full swing, the fact that viruses and bacteria rapidly evolve is apparent with every sneeze, sniffle, and cough. A new report in the January 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal, explains for the first time how humans keep up with microbes by rearranging the genes that make antibodies to foreign invaders. This research fills a significant gap in our understanding of how the immune system helps us survive. http://www.physorg.com/news150373007.html Biology Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:16:47 EST news150373007 Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Yale University have made a significant advancement in understanding the cause behind why some pregnant women suffer from inflammations in the inner womb without any signs of an infection. http://www.physorg.com/news150372671.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:11:11 EST news150372671 (PhysOrg.com) -- Biological fuel cells use enzymes or whole microorganisms as biocatalysts for the direct conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. One type of microbial fuel cell uses anodes (positive electrodes) coated with a bacterial film. The fuel consists of a substrate that the bacteria can break down. The electrons released in this process must be transferred to the anode in order to be drawn off as current. But how can the electrons be efficiently conducted from the microbial metabolism that occurs inside a cell to the anode? http://www.physorg.com/news149857405.html Chemistry Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:03:25 EST news149857405 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international research team led by Newcastle University has identified a new line of bacteria they believe add flavour to some of the world`s most exclusive cheeses. It`s an age-old tradition that dates back at least 8,000 years but it seems we still have much to learn about the bacteria responsible for turning milk into cheese. http://www.physorg.com/news149259583.html Biology Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:59:43 EST news149259583 While bacterial cells tend to be rather solitary individuals, they are also known to form intricately structured communities called biofilms. But until now, no one has known the mechanisms that cause isolated bacteria to suddenly aggregate into a social network. New insights from the lab of Harvard Medical School microbial geneticist Roberto Kolter reveal previously unknown communication pathways that cause such social phenomenon. http://www.physorg.com/news149188933.html Biology Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:22:13 EST news149188933 (PhysOrg.com) -- With one in every 20,000 eggs contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, drinking homemade eggnog can be something of a gamble. But an experiment designed to test whether the alcohol in spiked eggnog can kill the deadly bugs suggests that, in general, few bacteria survive in a mixture containing both raw eggs and 20 percent rum and bourbon. http://www.physorg.com/news149188372.html Biology Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:12:52 EST news149188372 Scientists have shown that tiny crystals found inside bacteria provide a magnetic compass to help them navigate through sediment to find the best food, in research out today. http://www.physorg.com/news148708230.html Biology Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:50:30 EST news148708230 The recent emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) in Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria that causes infections primarily among seriously ill patients in the intensive care unit who may have reduced immune systems, has raised concern in health care settings worldwide. When comparing the genome sequence of three MDR A. baumannii isolates and three drug-susceptible A. baumannii isolates, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that one variation of bacteria would respond to antibiotics while another variation of the same bacteria may not. http://www.physorg.com/news148658777.html Biology Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:06:17 EST news148658777 (PhysOrg.com) -- Like firemen fighting fire with fire, researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have found a way to fool a bacteria's evolutionary machinery into programming its own death. http://www.physorg.com/news148653696.html Biology Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:41:36 EST news148653696 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have shown in mice how and under what circumstances the gut activates its defensive mechanisms to prevent illness. http://www.physorg.com/news147980625.html Biology Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:43:45 EST news147980625 (PhysOrg.com) -- To protect themselves from human defenses, disease-causing bacteria have evolved a cell wall made from a nearly impenetrable tangle of tightly woven strands. That`s made it difficult for scientists to see what goes on inside these potentially deadly organisms. But that era is now over. http://www.physorg.com/news147706559.html Biology Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:35:59 EST news147706559 An international team of biochemists has discovered how an experimental drug unleashes its destructive force inside the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB). The finding could help scientists develop ways to treat dormant TB infections, and suggests a strategy for drug development against other bacteria as well. http://www.physorg.com/news147015355.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:35:55 EST news147015355 (PhysOrg.com) -- In less than an hour, the immune system of the beetle Tenebrio molitor neutralizes most of the bacteria infecting its hemolymph (the equivalent to blood in vertebrates); this is rendered possible by a cascade of ready-to-use cells and enzymes. Bacteria that resist these "front-line" defenses are then dealt with by antimicrobial peptides - a sort of natural antibiotic - which halt their proliferation. http://www.physorg.com/news146925795.html Biology Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:43:15 EST news146925795 Bacterial decay was once viewed as fossilization's mortal enemy, but new research suggests bacterial biofilms may have actually helped preserve the fossil record's most vulnerable stuff -- animal embryos and soft tissues. http://www.physorg.com/news146768881.html Biology Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:08:01 EST news146768881 A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as Escherichia Coli, from humans. The study, published in Conservation Biology, examines the exchange of digestive system bacteria between humans, mountain gorillas and domestic animals with overlapping habitats. http://www.physorg.com/news146765673.html Biology Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:14:33 EST news146765673 The vacancy sign is on, but the lowlifes who check in never check out. Scientists at the University of Florida and the University of New Mexico have created tiny microscopic spheres that trap and kill harmful bacteria in a manner the scientists liken to "roach motels" snaring and killing cockroaches. http://www.physorg.com/news146759049.html Chemistry Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:24:09 EST news146759049 Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found evidence of a novel pathway for potential human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from intensively raised poultry -driving behind the trucks transporting broiler chickens from farm to slaughterhouse. A study by the Hopkins researchers found increased levels of pathogenic bacteria, both susceptible and drug-resistant, on surfaces and in the air inside cars traveling behind trucks that carry broiler chickens. The study is the first to look at exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the transportation of poultry. The findings are published in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health. http://www.physorg.com/news146745980.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:46:20 EST news146745980 Bacteria that can cause serious heart disease in humans are being spread by rat fleas, sparking concern that the infections could become a bigger problem in humans. Research published in the December issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology suggests that brown rats, the biggest and most common rats in Europe, may now be carrying the bacteria. http://www.physorg.com/news146723086.html Biology Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:24:46 EST news146723086 Bacteria that cause stomach ulcers and cancer could also be giving us bad breath, according to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology. For the first time, scientists have found Helicobacter pylori living in the mouths of people who are not showing signs of stomach disease. http://www.physorg.com/news146723056.html Biology Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:24:16 EST news146723056 We are always being told by marketers of healthy yogurts that the human gut contains a bustling community of different bacteria, both good and bad, and that this balance is vital to keeping you healthy. But if you target the disease-causing bacteria with medicine, what might be the collateral damage to their health-associated cousins that call the human body home? http://www.physorg.com/news146220165.html Biology Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:42:45 EST news146220165 One of the most important developments in human civilisation was the practice of sustainable agriculture. But we were not the first - ants have been doing it for over 50 million years. Just as farming helped humans become a dominant species, it has also helped leaf-cutter ants become dominant herbivores, and one of the most successful social insects in nature. According to an article in the November issue of Microbiology Today, leaf-cutter ants have developed a system to try and keep their gardens pest-free; an impressive feat which has evaded even human agriculturalists. http://www.physorg.com/news146117796.html Biology Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:16:36 EST news146117796 Raw milk is illegal in many countries as it can be contaminated with potentially harmful microbes. Contamination can also spoil the milk, making it taste bitter and turn thick and sticky. Now scientists have discovered new species of bacteria that can grow at low temperatures, spoiling raw milk even when it is refrigerated. According to research published in the November issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, the microbial population of raw milk is much more complex than previously thought. http://www.physorg.com/news146114826.html Biology Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:27:06 EST news146114826 Despite the fact that household bleach is commonly used as a disinfectant, exactly how it works to fight bacteria remained an open question. Now, a report in the November 14th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, provides an answer. http://www.physorg.com/news145799281.html Biology Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:48:01 EST news145799281 (PhysOrg.com) -- Soy is a staple of the Asian diet. Here in America, soy is considered a healthy addition to a diet, but sometimes it is not so easy on the stomach. Now, a University of Missouri researcher believes she has the answer: freeze-dried probiotic microcapsules. http://www.physorg.com/news145717763.html Other Sciences Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:09:23 EST news145717763