http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Chinese and U.S. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian model in influenza research, and efficient transmission of influenza virus between ferrets can provide clues as to how well the same process might occur in people. The research was supported, in part, by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-ferrets-pigs-susceptible-h7n9-avian.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 23 May 2013 15:16:52 EST news288540994 Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin are also commonly resistant to antimicrobial substances made by the human body, according to a study in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Cross-resistance to colistin and host antimicrobials LL-37 and lysozyme, which help defend the body against bacterial attack, could mean that patients with life-threatening multi-drug resistant infections are also saddled with a crippled immune response. Colistin is a last-line drug for treating several kinds of drug-resistant infections, but colistin resistance and the drug's newfound impacts on bacterial resistance to immune attack underscore the need for newer, better antibiotics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-resistance-last-line-antibiotic-bacteria-resistant.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news288291710 Study in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology addresses critical component of problem affecting infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-probiotic-derived-treatment-premature-babies.html Medical research Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:40:06 EST news279994337 (HealthDay)—Use of the injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), common in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa with high HIV-1 prevalence, is associated with suppression of the immune response, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in Endocrinology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-medroxyprogesterone-acetate-linked-immune-suppression.html Immunology Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:25:46 EST news278943933 Exposure to school-age children raises the odds that a person with lung disease who catches a cold will actually suffer symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat and cough, according to a study just published in the Journal of Clinical Virology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-exposure-snot-nosed-kids-ups-severity.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:20:47 EST news267884437 A new study that identifies ways to reduce the factors that lead to an asthma attack gives hope to asthma sufferers. A UCSF researcher and his colleagues believe they have found a way to help asthma sufferers by impeding the two most significant biological responses that lead to an asthma attack. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-physiological-factors-asthma.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:36:39 EST news267118573 (Medical Xpress)—They haven't cured the common cold yet, but a nationwide "big science" team aims to identify new strategies for orchestrating immune responses to better fight disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-immunological-genome-probe-immune-cell.html Immunology Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:52:22 EST news265539122 A novel technique for measuring tiny, rapid-fire secretions in the brains and mouthparts of fruit flies (drosophila) is providing insights into the beneficial effects of eating less — information that ultimately could help people suffering from neuromuscular disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-low-calorie-diet-effects-brain-mouthpart.html Medical research Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:35:02 EST news261664494 (Medical Xpress) -- Endoscopic therapy was found to be effective for patients with chronic pancreatitis, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, whose findings appear in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-endoscopic-therapy-effective-treatment-chronic.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:09:13 EST news261652059 Cancers are notorious for secreting chemicals that confuse the immune system and thwarting biological defenses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-technique-multiple-cancer-treatments-hurdle.html Cancer Sun, 15 Jul 2012 13:00:01 EST news261572869 International travellers, shift workers and even people suffering from obesity-related conditions stand to benefit from a key discovery about the functioning of the body's internal clock. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-body-clock-genes-unravelled.html Genetics Thu, 03 May 2012 05:26:40 EST news255241577 Researchers at the University of Tokyo's School of Medicine have shown for the first time that caffeine intake can significantly increase the eye's ability to produce tears, a finding that could improve treatment of dry eye syndrome. This common eye condition affects about four million people age 50 and older in the United States. For many, dry eye syndrome is simply uncomfortable and annoying, but for others it escalates into a vision-threatening disease. All of the 78 participants in the new study produced significantly more tears after consuming caffeine than after taking a placebo. The study is available in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-caffeine-relief-millions-eye.html Ophthalmology Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:09:40 EST news253876156 Higher concentrations of the AIDS virus in genital secretions are linked to a greater risk of virus transmission between opposite-sex couples. The effect is independent of blood level of the virus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-amount-aids-virus-genital-secretions.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:23:05 EST news221318557