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    Category Health/Medical

    New Sensor could help fight deadly Bacterial infections

    September 7, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Schematic diagram of the sensor structure

    Schematic diagram of the sensor structure

    The sensor can detect E. coli bacteria in 15-20 minutes, much faster than traditional lab tests, over a wide temperature range . E.coli can be transmitted in contaminated food and water, posing particular risks to children and the elderly. In the late spring of 2011 a serious outbreak of E.coli bacteria sickened thousands of people in Germany and killed more than 50. “Using currently available technologies, which are mostly based on amplification of the sample, it takes several hours to days to detect the presence of bacteria. A fast and accurate detection alternative is, therefore, preferable over the existing technology,” said Saurabh Mani Tripathi, a physicist at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

    The new sensor uses bacteriophages – viru...

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    The fruit of ‘Asam Keping’ tree can be used to Prevent Atherosclerosis according to research

    September 6, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Asam keping fruit

    Asam keping

    Dr Suraya A. Sani, recent PhD graduate from The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC), has been working with a tropical fruit, locally called asam keping, under the supervision of Dr Teng-Jin Khoo at UNMC’s School of Pharmacy. Funded by the Sarawak Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship, she was able to spend her time on research work for the first two years at UNMC and a year working on her research at the Centre for BioMolecular Sciences at University Park, The University of Nottingham, UK under the co-supervision of Professor Dr Jonas Emsley.

    Dr Suraya A. Sani conducts research on the medicinal properties of the Garcinia plant species; a plant species which is largely available in Malaysia and throughout Southeast Asia...

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    Common Bacteria show promise for treating Celiac disease

    September 6, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    (A) Image of Rothia mucilaginosa grown on a blood agar plate showing mucoid, grayish colonies after incubation at 37℃ for 48 hr. (B) Microscopic image of the cultured isolates showing clusters of gram-positive cocci (Gram stain, ×1,000).

    (A) Image of Rothia mucilaginosa grown on a blood agar plate showing mucoid, grayish colonies after incubation at 37℃ for 48 hr. (B) Microscopic image of the cultured isolates showing clusters of gram-positive cocci (Gram stain, ×1,000).

    Researchers have isolated an enzyme from bacteria present in human saliva that has potential as a therapy for celiac disease (CD). An estimated 3 million people in the U.S. have celiac disease. Currently, the main course of treatment for people with CD is adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. “Gluten are proline- and glutamine-rich proteins present in wheat, barley and rye, and contain the immunogenic sequences that drive celiac disease (CD),” the researchers wrote...

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    Infants with Asthma risk Genetic Profile could be Protected against Respiratory symptoms if Breastfeed

    September 5, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Childhood asthma. Mother helping her baby son to use an inhaler. The inhaler is attached to a spacer. The spacer acts as a reservoir, retaining the vapour from the inhaler and allowing the patient to inhale it at their chosen rate.

    Childhood asthma. Mother helping her baby son to use an inhaler. The inhaler is attached to a spacer. The spacer acts as a reservoir, retaining the vapour from the inhaler and allowing the patient to inhale it at their chosen rate.

    “Our study is the first to show that breastfeeding can modify the effect of asthma-related genetic profiles on respiratory symptoms in the first year of life,” commented Dr Olga Gorlanova, from the University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB), and the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Genes that are associated with asthma risk are located on chromosome 17 and called 17q21. A recent study reported that children who possessed genetic variants on chromosome 17q21 had an increased risk of developing wheeze, when combined with certain environmental exposures.

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