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. Researchers have uncovered the complete genetic make-up of the cavity-causing bacterium Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1, revealing the genetic adaptations that allow this microorganism to live and cause decay in the human oral cavity. The study, led by Marco Ventura's Probiogenomics laboratory at the University of Parma, and Prof. Douwe van Sinderen and Dr Paul O'Toole of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork, is published December 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news180786938.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:00:01 EST news180786938 Insoluble dietary fibre, or roughage, not only keeps you regular, say Australian scientists, it also plays a vital role in the immune system, keeping certain diseases at bay. http://www.physorg.com/news175955468.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:32:20 EST news175955468 Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news172248175.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:10:01 EST news172248175 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers may be able to predict how people will respond to particular drugs by analysing their urine samples, suggest scientists behind a new study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news169136809.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:00:03 EST news169136809 For her doctorate, Camilla Sekse studied how viral DNA can be transmitted from pathogenic to non-pathogenic E. coli. Viruses that infect bacteria in this way are called bacteriophages. Her findings reveal that such transmission of bateriophage between bacteria can occur, and that in the case of E. coli it can transform a harmless bacterium into one capable of causing disease in man. http://www.physorg.com/news159116374.html Biology Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:00:43 EST news159116374 The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops. In a study published in the open access journal BMC Biology, researchers show that its effectiveness against a number of susceptible Lepidopteran species depends on the presence of the normally "friendly" bacteria that colonise their guts. Without these bacteria, the Bt toxin can become impotent in some species. http://www.physorg.com/news155377028.html Biology Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:20:38 EST news155377028 (PhysOrg.com) -- Bacteria naturally present in the human gut could produce substances that help to protect against colon cancer and provide therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.physorg.com/news153145784.html Biology Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:30:09 EST news153145784 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 Normal gut bacteria are thought to be involved in colon cancer but the exact mechanisms have remained unknown. Now, scientists from the USA have discovered that a molecule produced by a common gut bacterium activates signalling pathways that are associated with cancer cells. The research, published in the October issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, sheds light on the way gut bacteria can cause colon cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news141277284.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:41:24 EST news141277284 In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at Yale University and the University of Chicago showed that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of Type I diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news141219651.html Medicine & Health Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:40:51 EST news141219651