An Interview with Prof Aussielita L Lit from Philippines Kumar Jeetendra | March 1, 2015 Ma. Aussielita L. Lit (“Uchie”) is a registered microbiologist of the Philippine Academy for Microbiology in 1994 and became a specialist microbiologist in 2002. She is a recognized signatory for chemical and microbiological testing by the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) since 1995. She had 17 years of …
Bird Flu New Compound Protects 100 Percent of Ferrets Mice From H5N1 Kumar Jeetendra | March 3, 2015 Since 2003, the H5N1 influenza virus, more commonly known as the bird flu, has been responsible for the deaths of millions of chickens and ducks and has infected more than 650 people, leading to a 60 percent mortality rate for the latter. Luckily, this virus has yet to achieve human-to-human transmission, but a small number …
Human heart on a Chip to Aid Drug Screening Kumar Jeetendra | March 9, 2015 This organ-on-a-chip, reported in a study published today (Monday, March 9) in the journal Scientific Reports, represents a major step forward in the development of accurate, faster methods of testing for drug toxicity. The project is funded through the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening Initiative, an interagency collaboration launched by the National Institutes of Health …
Swine Flu Outbreak in India Raises Concern Kumar Jeetendra | March 11, 2015 Since December, an outbreak of swine flu in India has killed more than 1,200 people, and a new MIT study suggests that the strain has acquired mutations that make it more dangerous than previously circulating strains of H1N1 influenza.The findings, which appear in the March 11 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, contradict previous reports …
Bacteria Protection Against Viral Attack Kumar Jeetendra | March 12, 2015 Nature’s inbuilt immune defence could protect industrial bacteria from viruses Findings from a new study that set out to investigate the evolution of immune defences could boost the development of industrial bacteria that are immune to specific viral infections. The study is published today in the journal Current Biology.Bacteria have many industrial uses including the …
How Mycobacterium evade Immune System Clues provided by genetic Studies Kumar Jeetendra | March 16, 2015 "Gene discovery provides clues to how TB may evade the immune system" TB, caused by infection with the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a major global public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, in 2013 nine million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. Over 95% of TB deaths …
Antibiotic Damage Vs Bacterial Communication Kumar Jeetendra | March 19, 2015 A research team led by Karina Xavier at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC, Portugal) has shown that bacteria living in the intestine both talk and listen to each other. Using small molecules in place of words, these microbial conversations changed the numbers of certain species of bacteria in the gut and started to restore …
Co Infection significantly reduces the severity of the African cattle killing disease East Coast fever Kumar Jeetendra | March 23, 2015 When calves are infected by two parasite species at the same time, one parasite renders the other far less deadly, according to a new study published in the journal of Science Advances.The international team of scientists has quantified, for the first time, how co-infection significantly reduces the severity of the African cattle-killing disease East Coast …
EBOLA Virus Vaccines effective Protection in monkey exposed to virus Kumar Jeetendra | March 26, 2015 An Ebola whole virus vaccine, constructed using a novel experimental platform, has been shown to effectively protect monkeys exposed to the often fatal virus. The vaccine, described today (March 26, 2015) in the journal Science, was developed by a group led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert on avian influenza, Ebola and other …
Coastal Water Users @ Risk for Antibiotic resistance Kumar Jeetendra | March 30, 2015 Recreational users of coastal waters such as swimmers and surfers are at risk of exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria, according to new research published this week and presented today at the Annual Conference.In the first study of its kind, scientists at the University of Exeter Medical School assessed the amount of water ingested during different …
Technologies Helps in reducing Global Water Shortage Kumar Jeetendra | March 30, 2015 Plants living in arid, mountainous and humid regions of the planet often rely on their leaves to obtain the moisture they need for survival by pulling mist out of the air. But how exactly they manage this feat has been a bit of a mystery — until now. By studying the morphology and physiology of …
