Monthly Archives: September 2013

Stanford scientists show how antibiotics enable pathogenic gut infections

Posted on by

Public release date: 1-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Bruce Goldman goldmanb@stanford.edu 650-725-2106 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. A new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine could help pinpoint ways to counter the effects of the antibiotics-driven depletion of friendly, gut-dwelling bacteria.

A number of intestinal pathogens can cause problems after antibiotic administration, said Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology and the senior author of the study, to be published online Sept. 1 in Nature. Graduate students Katharine Ng and Jessica Ferreyra shared lead authorship.

"Antibiotics open the door for these pathogens to take hold. But how, exactly, that occurs hasn't been well understood," Sonnenburg said.

In the first 24 hours after administration of oral antibiotics, a spike in carbohydrate availability takes place in the gut, the study says. This transient nutrient surplus, combined with the reduction of friendly gut-dwelling bacteria due to antibiotics, permits at least two potentially deadly pathogens to get a toehold in that otherwise more forbidding environment.

In the past decade or so, much has been learned about the complex microbial ecosystem that resides in every healthy mammal's large intestine, including ours. The thousands of distinct bacterial strains that normally inhabit this challenging but nutrient-rich niche have adapted to it so well that we have difficulty living without them. They manufacture vitamins, provide critical training to our immune systems and even guide the development of our own tissues. Antibiotics decimate this gut-microbe ecosystem, which begins bouncing back within a few days but may take a month or more to regain its former numbers. And the ecosystem appears to suffer the permanent loss of some of its constituent bacterial strains.

It is thought that our commensal, or friendly, bacteria serve as a kind of lawn that, in commandeering the rich fertilizer that courses through our gut, outcompetes the less-well-behaved pathogenic "weeds." It has also been suggested that our commensal bugs secrete pathogen-killing factors. Another theory holds that the disruption of our inner microbial ecosystem somehow impairs our immune responsiveness.

"While these hypotheses are by no means mutually exclusive, our work specifically supports the suggestion that our resident microbes hold pathogens at bay by competing for nutrients," Sonnenburg said.

When that defense falters, as it does shortly after a course of antibiotics begins, marauding micro-organisms such as salmonella or Clostridium difficile can establish beachheads. Once they reach sufficient numbers, these two parasitic invaders can mount intentional campaigns to induce inflammation, a condition that impairs the restoration of our normal gut ecosystem but in which salmonella and C. difficile have learned to prosper.

Excerpt from:
Stanford scientists show how antibiotics enable pathogenic gut infections

Stomach bacteria switch off human immune defences to cause disease

Posted on by

Public release date: 1-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Benjamin Thompson b.thompson@sgm.ac.uk 44-075-846-89611 Society for General Microbiology

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that establishes a life-long stomach infection in humans, which in some cases can lead to duodenal ulcers or stomach cancer. New research, presented at this week's Society for General Microbiology Autumn Conference, gives us a clearer understanding of how these bacteria can manipulate the human immune system to survive in the mucosal lining of the stomach.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have shown that H. pylori is able to supress the body's normal production of 'human beta defensin 1' (hD1), an antimicrobial factor present in the stomach lining that helps prevent bacterial infection. By collecting stomach tissue biopsies from 54 patients at the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, the team showed that patients infected with H. pylori had ten times less hD1 than uninfected patients. Those with the lowest amount of hD1 had the most bacteria present in their stomach lining.

The most damaging strains of H. pylori make a molecular syringe called the cagT4SS, through which bacterial products are injected into cells of the stomach lining. In vitro work using human gastric epithelial cell lines showed that this activates chemical pathways to suppress hD1 production. These activated pathways are also involved in the stimulation of an inflammatory response, meaning that these H. pylori strains are able to survive and colonise more abundantly, while continuing to cause tissue damage over many decades. Previous research suggests that chronic inflammation of the stomach lining is strongly linked to gastric cancer.

It is estimated that half of the world's population have H. pylori in the mucosal lining of their stomach. For most people the infection is asymptomatic, although 1-2 per cent of those infected will develop gastric cancer. Survival rates for this disease remain low, as diagnosis is often very late, when the cancer is at an advanced stage.

Katie Cook, who is presenting this work says, "To identify people who are likely to suffer from stomach cancer we need to understand how H. pylori interacts with the cells of the stomach lining. Because our research is patient-focused we know that our findings are directly relevant.

"We hope to combine this work with that being carried out by our colleagues in order to develop a diagnostic test to predict the future risk of gastric cancer development."

###

Read the rest here:
Stomach bacteria switch off human immune defences to cause disease

Artificial Intelligence Revolutionizes Anti-Aging Industry

Posted on by

Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) August 28, 2013

Cutting-edge age reversal techniques, steeped in technology and formerly unavailable to the general public, are now introduced at http://www.MaxLifeSolution.com.

Our aim is to be the go-to source for anyone interested in adding breakthrough technologies to their personal anti-aging arsenal, says David Kekich, one of the websites Founders and a longtime advocate of all things that help to NUKE AGING. Kekich is the Founder of Maximum Life Foundation, a Director of Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club and author of Smart, Strong and Sexy at 100?

He adds, Our team of scientific advisors and formula developers are pioneers in their respective fields. Their synergistic approach created wellness products based upon decades of research and clinical trials.

http://www.MaxLifeSolution.com features these few products as they emerge, and current articles designed to inform health conscious people about cutting-edge advances in longevity research. It offers unique solutions to the issues of aging. The website will also offer advice, interviews, personality profiles, workouts and recipes.

An exclusive feature of this new web resource will be the nutritional supplement formulations based upon Artificial Intelligence, the ultimate in Information Technology. It also integrates ancient Traditional Chinese Herbals Medicine.

We are the first to capitalize on the use of Artificial Intelligence, and the first to combine it with tried and true remedies proven as efficacious through centuries of use. Think Sci-Fi meets Ancient Tradition in a powerful synergy never before seen, Kekich explains. A visit to this website will provide a wealth of practical longevity and wellness tips and information while entertaining and engaging the visitor.

There are standouts in the field of life sciences today, people like Ray Kurzweil (author of The Singularity is Near), Dr. Aubrey de Grey the worlds most well-known gerontologist) and J. Craig Venter (the first scientist to sequence the human genome).

As they contribute to progressive science, we will contribute the benefits to the user friendly website, offering emerging health information, says Greta Blackburn. You may know Greta as Co-author of The Immortality Edge, a prescriptive book based upon Telomere Biology, an ardent spokesperson for longevity initiatives and now a regular contributor to the site.

Other distinctions that set this website apart are its relationship to Maximum Life Foundation and access to developments from MaxLifes world renowned Advisory Board members. It focuses on emerging technologies and discoveries made available due to the core teams background and VIP access to leaders in the industry, as well as its teams merging of the latest technologies with age-old solutions.

Link:
Artificial Intelligence Revolutionizes Anti-Aging Industry

Summer Health-Related Volunteering Opportunity in Nicaragua

Posted on by

GLOBAL STUDENT EMBASSY (GSE)
There is an opportunity for a leadership position (and volunteer positions) with an organization that works to bring healthcare and sustainable agriculture to communities in Nicaragua. If you are interested in a holistic approach to global health and learning more about this specific opportunity, there are more details below. Don't hesitate to contact me if you want to be involved either in the leadership role or simply to participate as a volunteer next summer!

What:
(1) Work side-by-side with doctors and nurses at Clinca Verde (http://clinicaverde.org/) in Boaco, Nicaragua,
(2) build a bio-intensive, demonstration farm with Global Student Embassy (www.globalstudentembassy.org).
(3) help develop and implement a public health survey to evaluate perceptions of agriculture, nutrition and health and
(4) explore the beauty of the land of lakes, beaches and volcanoes in Nicaragua.

When: 10-14 day service learning trip in March (spring break), June or July (summer).

How:
(1) We are looking for a passionate individual to serve as the leader for a group of 10-20 undergraduate, medical and public health students for the 10-14 day trip.
(2) Join the GSE group and help develop the structure and implementation of the pilot program.

Email Ben Gordon at GSE (bengordon06@gmail.com) if you are interested in finding out more about a leadership position with this service trip or if you are interested in working in Nicaragua with this organization as a volunteer this upcoming spring/summer and working toward innovative approaches to clinical, environmental, and social change.

Source:
http://physiologynews.blogspot.com/2013/08/summer-health-related-volunteering.html