http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. There's new hope for development of an antibiotic that can put down a lethal bacteria or superbug linked to the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients around the world. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-weakness-armor-killer-hospital-bacteria.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:00:14 EST news258306056 (Medical Xpress) -- Neutrophil granulocytes comprise important defences for the immune system. When pathogenic bacteria penetrate the body, they are the first on the scene to mobilise other immune cells via signal molecules, thereby containing the risk. To this end, they release serine proteases – enzymes that cut up other proteins to activate signal molecules. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now discovered a new serine protease: neutrophil serine protease 4, or NSP4. This enzyme could provide a new target for the treatment of diseases that involve an overactive immune system, such as rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-immune-defence-enzyme.html Immunology Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:27:13 EST news252649590 Proteins belonging to the large and important family of ABC transporters have been associated with metabolic diseases and can cause resistance to antibiotics. Biochemists from the University of Zurich and the NCCR Structural Biology have succeeded in determining the atomic structure of a new ABC transporter. The insights gained could give rise to new therapies to treat multi-resistant bacteria, cystic fibrosis or gout, for instance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-hot-trail-metabolic-diseases-resistance.html Medical research Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:06:56 EST news252148005 It seems that hardly a week goes by without another reported case of some food being blamed for causing people to get sick. Most recently, a national restaurant chain's clover sprouts were linked to a Midwestern outbreak of pathogenic E. coli, and dozens of cases of Campylobacter in four states have been linked to the consumption of raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-high-risk-foods-food-safety-expert.html Health Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:30:53 EST news249651040 The bacterium that causes tuberculosis has a unique molecule on its outer cell surface that blocks a key part of the body's defense. New research suggests this represents a novel mechanism in the microbe's evolving efforts to remain hidden from the human immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-tuberculosis-bacterium-outer-cell-wall.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:16:03 EST news236880900 After floods strike, people try to salvage what they can from their affected homes, shops and gardens. However, they should play it safe when it comes to food, according to a food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cautious-food-expert.html Health Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:25:58 EST news235311947 Graduations are a celebration of achievement and growth, but could all the pomp and circumstance increase your risk of exposure to harmful bacteria? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examined the risk of acquiring pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through shaking hands at graduation ceremonies across Maryland. A handshake, a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other's opposite hands, dates back as far as the 5th century BCE. This gesture has become ingrained in modern society as a standard greeting and part of the traditional graduation ceremony. Researchers swabbed participants' hands before and immediately following graduation to identify any pathogenic bacteria and found 93 percent of samples contained nonpathogenic bacteria. Their results are featured in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of School Nursing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-contamination-germs-handshake.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 16 May 2011 12:39:37 EST news224768361