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. (PhysOrg.com) -- Most people need about two days to recover from being sickened by foods contaminated with what's known as staphylococcal enterotoxin A, or "SEA." Produced by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, this toxin is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States and worldwide, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research chemist Reuven Rasooly. http://www.physorg.com/news180108224.html Biology Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:20:07 EST news180108224 (AP) -- No Asian carp have been spotted so far in a Chicago canal during a massive fish kill aimed at trying to keep the giant fish out of the Great Lakes. http://www.physorg.com/news179087700.html Biology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:50:01 EST news179087700 A major obstacle to HIV research is the virus's exquisite specialisation for its human host - meaning that scientists' traditional tools, like the humble lab mouse, can deliver only limited information. Now, a team of researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Biology have made an ingenious assault on this problem by creating a mouse that has key features of HIV infection without being infected with HIV. http://www.physorg.com/news178801590.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:20:01 EST news178801590 (PhysOrg.com) -- Whitehead researchers have developed a new approach for genetics in human cells and used this technique to identify specific genes and proteins required for pathogens. http://www.physorg.com/news178454319.html Biology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:39:54 EST news178454319 (AP) -- Scientists say they think toxins from a blue-green algae plaguing lakes and rivers around the West are harming an endangered fish in the Klamath Basin, adding another obstacle to restoring species that have forced irrigation shutoffs for farmers. http://www.physorg.com/news178391924.html Biology Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:30:02 EST news178391924 (PhysOrg.com) -- Queensland scientists have developed a world-first database that catalogues the venom components from hundreds of spiders. http://www.physorg.com/news178227344.html Biology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:36:43 EST news178227344 Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news177608158.html Nanotechnology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:36:25 EST news177608158 (PhysOrg.com) -- About five years ago, Professor Janet Sawicki at the Lankenau Institute in Pennsylvania read an article about nanoparticles developed by MIT's Robert Langer for gene therapy, the insertion of genes into living cells for the treatment of disease. Sawicki was working on treating ovarian cancer by delivering -- through viruses -- the gene for the diphtheria toxin, which kills tumor cells. http://www.physorg.com/news176720244.html Nanotechnology Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:58:32 EST news176720244 (PhysOrg.com) -- A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, which could lead to methods of limiting its production. http://www.physorg.com/news175352760.html Chemistry Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:06:47 EST news175352760 Injecting botulinum toxin (botox) to treat intrinsic or allergic rhinitis may be a thing of the past as researchers have now shown that sponges soaked in botox are equally effective in treating the condition. The research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Head & Face Medicine offers a potential needle-free treatment to the millions of people who suffer from rhinitis. http://www.physorg.com/news174853459.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:00:01 EST news174853459 New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news174583624.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:29:29 EST news174583624 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Laser and Skin Cancer Center of Indiana, (Carmel, Indiana), found that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of procedures performed and patient demand for dermatologic health care since 2000. The findings, which were recently reported in Dermatologic Surgery, parallels the growth in the age of individuals between the ages of 40 to 55, who make up the "Baby Boomer" generation. http://www.physorg.com/news173968864.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:11 EST news173968864 The most effective way to prevent the deliberate misuse of biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) -- agents housed in laboratories across the U.S. considered to potentially pose a threat to human health -- is to instill a culture of trust and responsibility in the laboratory, says a new report from the National Research Council. Focusing on the laboratory environment will be critical for identifying and reducing concerns about facilities or personnel. http://www.physorg.com/news173538135.html Other Sciences Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:02:54 EST news173538135 (AP) -- Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins. http://www.physorg.com/news173077186.html Space & Earth Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:00:23 EST news173077186 A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well, according to collaborative research led by Agricultural Research Service microbiologist Paul V. Zimba and chemist Peter Moeller of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The toxin, called euglenophycin, has a molecular structure similar to that of solenopsin, an alkaloid from fire ant venom known to inhibit tumor development. http://www.physorg.com/news171732651.html Chemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:30:01 EST news171732651 A new vaccine against pneumonia may offer better protection from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients than the currently accepted vaccine, according to recent research that will be published in the September 15 issue of the American Journal of the Respiratory and Critical Care Journal, a publication of the American Thoracic Society. http://www.physorg.com/news171607245.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:41:19 EST news171607245 A method to detect contaminants in municipal water supplies has undergone further refinements by two Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers whose findings are published on line in Water Environment Research. http://www.physorg.com/news170676410.html Space & Earth Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:08:19 EST news170676410 (PhysOrg.com) -- Naturally occurring organic matter in water and sediment appears to play a key role in helping microbes convert tiny particles of mercury in the environment into a form that is dangerous to most living creatures. http://www.physorg.com/news169827722.html Space & Earth Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:22:45 EST news169827722 Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular "alarm bell" to alert the cell to start the repair process, but until recently little was known about how the cell detects and responds to this alarm. In a study published today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, have identified a whole family of proteins capable of a direct response to the alarm signal. http://www.physorg.com/news169403192.html Biology Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:27:06 EST news169403192 Scientists studying Staphylococcus bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), have discovered a potent staph toxin responsible for disease severity. They also found the gene for the toxin traveling with a genetic component of Staphylococcus that controls resistance to antibiotics. The study, now online in PLoS Pathogens, shows for the first time that genetic factors that affect Staphylococcus virulence and drug resistance can be transferred from one strain to another in one exchange event. http://www.physorg.com/news168266826.html Medicine & Health Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:48:19 EST news168266826 (PhysOrg.com) -- Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of manufacturing all types of blood cells. But which factors influence the production of a specific type of cell? Until now, it was thought that this was a random process. http://www.physorg.com/news168184185.html Biology Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:10:03 EST news168184185 Nanoparticle delivery of diphtheria toxin-encoding DNA selectively expressed in ovarian cancer cells reduced the burden of ovarian tumors in mice, and researchers expect this therapy could be tested in humans within 18 to 24 months, according to a report in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news168149704.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:21:34 EST news168149704 Every year, diarrhea causes around five million fatalities worldwide. Most people die due to pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, which were ingested into the gastro-intestinal tract through contaminated drinking water or food. Determining which bacterium is causing the illness in those cases is sometimes very complex. In cooperation with Chilean researchers, scientists from the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany, have now developed a fine-tuned diagnostic method. http://www.physorg.com/news165577346.html Biology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:43:48 EST news165577346 Many plants protect themselves from hungry animals by producing toxic chemicals. In turn, animals rely on detecting the presence of these harmful chemicals to avoid consuming dangerous plant material. A paper, published in this week's issue of PLoS Biology, investigates the response of an insect to a common plant weapon - the toxin L-canavanine. http://www.physorg.com/news165566601.html Biology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:20:01 EST news165566601 (PhysOrg.com) -- New structures of a botulism toxin interacting with a mimic of the nerve-cell protein it destroys suggest new ways to block this often-fatal interaction. Indeed, the mimic molecules have such high affinity for the toxin and bind to it so tightly that they themselves could possibly serve as anti-toxin drugs with further modification, the researchers said. http://www.physorg.com/news164903205.html Biology Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:28:06 EST news164903205 An Australian stroke victim paralysed for more than 20 years has walked again thanks to anti-wrinkle drug botox, in a case hailed as extraordinary by his medical team. http://www.physorg.com/news164687986.html Medicine & Health Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:40:01 EST news164687986 Researchers at Oregon State University recently completed the largest animal study ever done in the field of toxicology, and the findings challenge some basic concepts about how to determine what level of a cancer-causing compound can be considered safe. http://www.physorg.com/news164546331.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:30:01 EST news164546331 A technique that `silences,` or turns off, genes shows promise as a potential new treatment for liver fibrosis - the disease that leads to cirrhosis - scientists in Tennessee are reporting. Their study is scheduled for the June 1 issue of ACS` Molecular Pharmaceutics. Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. http://www.physorg.com/news162667470.html Chemistry Wed, 27 May 2009 18:25:02 EST news162667470 (PhysOrg.com) -- It appears that some superbugs have evolved to develop the ability to manipulate the immune system to everyone's advantage. http://www.physorg.com/news162395261.html Medicine & Health Sun, 24 May 2009 14:48:05 EST news162395261 There's a new wrinkle remover on the market. Late last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sanctioned Dysport for cosmetic and therapeutic use. Like Botox, it's an injectable drug derived from a botulinum toxin. It has been sold in Europe at a price cheaper than Botox for several years. http://www.physorg.com/news161445288.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 May 2009 14:55:42 EST news161445288