http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have developed a novel technique to precisely monitor and study the evolution of micro-organisms such as viruses and bacteria. This is an extremely important capability as it allows scientists to investigate if new drugs designed to kill them are working, and catch the development of resistance early on. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-lofreq-ultrafast-microbe-cancer-cell.html Medical research Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:01:55 EST news281862103 A retrovirus called HERV-H, which inserted itself into the human genome millions of years ago, may play an important role in pluripotent stem cells, according to a new study published in the journal Retrovirology by scientists at UMass Medical School. Pluripotent stem cells are capable of generating all tissue types, including blood cells, brain cells and heart cells. The discovery, which may help explain how these cells maintain a state of pluripotency and are able to differentiate into many types of cells, could have profound implications for therapies that would use pluripotent stem cells to treat a range of human diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-retrovirus-human-genome-pluripotent-stem.html Medical research Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:44:38 EST news278171020 Researchers from the MRC Centre for Virus Research at the University of Glasgow in Scotland have developed methods to synthesize and change the genome of Schmallenberg virus (SBV). SBV is a recently discovered pathogen of livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats. The researchers have laid bare important ways by which this virus causes disease. The full report about the study publishes on January 10 in the Open Access journal, PLOS Pathogens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-scientists-schmallenberg-virus-genome-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:00:04 EST news277046121 (Medical Xpress)—A new study in the US and Germany has added to our understanding of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and how it manipulates the cells it infects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-proteins-human-cytomegalovirus.html Medical research Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:01:51 EST news272883691 Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells. The researchers used cutting-edge molecular biology and electron-microscopy techniques to "see" one of influenza's essential protein complexes in unprecedented detail. The images generated in the study show flu virus proteins in the act of self-replication, highlighting the virus's vulnerabilities that are sure to be of interest to drug developers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-elusive-replication-machinery-flu-viruses.html Medical research Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:00:13 EST news272810332 When infected with influenza, the body becomes an easy target for bacteria. The flu virus alters the host's immune system and compromises its capacity to effectively fight off bacterial infections. Now, a team of immunologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and cooperation partners has discovered that an immune system molecule called TLR7 is partly to blame. The molecule recognizes the viral genome – and then signals scavenger cells of the immune system to ingest fewer bacteria. The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Innate Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-appetite-suppressant-scavenger-cells-influenza.html Immunology Thu, 15 Nov 2012 04:00:02 EST news272129982 A team of scientists led by virologists Prof. Oliver T. Fackler and Prof. Oliver T. Keppler from Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a mechanism used by the human immune system to protect itself from HIV viruses. A protein stops the replication of the virus in resting immune cells, referred to as T helper cells, by preventing the transcription of the viral genome into one that can be read by the cell. The ground-breaking results provide new insights into the molecular background of the immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS and could open up starting points for new treatments. The study has now been published – ahead of print online – in the international journal Nature Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-immune-cells-defend-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:37:34 EST news268385838 A new study by scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute shows, in cell culture, a natural compound can virtually eliminate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in infected cells. The compound defines a novel class of HIV anti-viral drugs endowed with the capacity to repress viral replication in acutely and chronically infected cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-scientists-potent-compound-virtually-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:23:11 EST news261922972 (Medical Xpress) -- Among viruses, human papilloma virus (HPV) stands out: with more than 180 distinct isotypes or variations catalogued to date, it presents an extremely difficult target for broad-range treatments. And while the HPV vaccine provides protection against the most common HPV infections, it only covers four of the 180-plus isotypes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-broad-range-hpv-therapeutics-emerges.html Cancer Tue, 22 May 2012 06:18:34 EST news256886305 Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the atomic structure of a protein that the Lassa fever virus uses to make copies of itself within infected cells. The structural data reveal an unexpected molecular crevice where the viral protein grips the viral genes, making this crevice a target for potential antiviral drugs. Lassa fever virus and other arenaviruses infect hundreds of thousands of people annually and are often deadly. Currently there is no specific therapy or vaccine against them. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-scientists-potential-achilles-heel-lassa.html Medical research Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:16:21 EST news240574574 (Medical Xpress) -- A University at Buffalo microbiologist whose lab has been studying the human papilloma virus for years, says that parents should have their children vaccinated with Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-vaccinated-hpv-expert-ub-medical.html Cancer Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:16:49 EST news237539803 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at Johns Hopkins have modified HIV in a way that makes it no longer able to suppress the immune system. Their work, they say in a report published online September 19 in the journal Blood, could remove a major hurdle in HIV vaccine development and lead to new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-hide-and-seek-hiv-evade-immune.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:39:40 EST news236425160 The influenza pandemic that began in Mexico in April 2009 rapidly spread throughout the world and arrived in Japan one month later. Now, a research team led by Toshihisa Ishikawa at the RIKEN Omics Science Center in Yokohama has revealed what a portion of the pandemic influenza virus looked like when it emerged in Japan (Fig. 1), and how it has changed over time. The findings will help to guide influenza vaccine development and will aid in preparations for future influenza pandemic outbreaks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-tracking.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:50:11 EST news229946608