Study Finds Link Between Asbestos Exposure and Autoimmune Conditions
Asbestos is widely known as an occupational hazard, but emerging evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to environmental asbestos could lead to severe autoimmune conditions, according to a study by Montana State University researchers.
Microbiology and immunology research associate Dr. Jean Pfau and a team of researchers discovered the connection to a specific type of asbestos found near the once badly contaminated town of Libby, Montana, and a novel autoimmune disease. The autoimmune condition is associated with collagen thickening of the serum-producing membranes surrounding the lungs.
Pfau, chairperson for the ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - August 31, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
From botflies to eye worms, a brief history of rare parasites in humans
After a live roundworm was found in the brain of an Australian woman, we take a look at other unusual casesAftera live roundworm was found in the brain of an Australian woman, we take a look at other unusual cases of parasites turning up unexpectedly and explore how worried we should be.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 29, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Health Infectious diseases Microbiology Science Society World news Source Type: news
Private clinics cashing in by falsely diagnosing Brits with Lyme disease, doctor warns
Dr Matthew Dryden, a consultant microbiologist for the NHS in Hampshire, said patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are being told they have the tickborne disease by profit-focused clinics. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - August 29, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
‘Oh my God’: live worm found in Australian woman’s brain in world-first discovery
Woman complained of forgetfulness and depression before doctors pulled out an 8cm roundworm normally found in pythonsIt was a fairly regular day on the ward for Canberra hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, until a neurosurgeon colleague called him and said: “Oh my God, you wouldn’t believe what I just found in this lady’s brain – and it’s alive and wriggling.”The neurosurgeon, Dr Hari Priya Bandi, had pulled an 8cm-long parasitic roundworm from her patient, prompting her to call on Senanayake and other hospital colleagues for advice about what to do next.Continue reading... (Source: Gu...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Melissa Davey Medical editor Tags: Health Infectious diseases Australia news Science Microbiology Source Type: news
Researchers Dispute High-Profile Discoveries of Cancer Microbes
Three studies in elite journals found that tumors are littered with microbes. But several teams have been unable to replicate the work. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - August 25, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Carl Zimmer Tags: Microbiology Tumors Research Bacteria Fungi Tests (Medical) Cancer DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) your-feed-science Source Type: news
Lockdowns and face masks ‘unequivocally’ cut spread of Covid, report finds
Royal Society review looks at non-pharmaceutical interventions during pandemic when applied in packages of several measuresMeasures taken during the Covid pandemic such as social distancing and wearing face masks “unequivocally” reduced the spread of infections, a report has found.Experts looked at the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) – not drugs or vaccines – when applied in packages that combine a number of measures that complement one another.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 24, 2023 Category: Science Authors: PA Media Tags: Coronavirus Infectious diseases Medical research Microbiology Science World news Royal Society UK news Source Type: news
Chemists convert electricity into the fuel that powers the body ’s cells
Power plants incessantly burn fossil fuels to convert the solar energy stored by plants eons ago into electricity. But going the other direction—converting electricity into a biologically useful form of energy—has been much more difficult. Now, however, a simple chemical scheme can convert electrical energy into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical fuel used by all cells, a research team reports. With the process, electricity from renewable sources might someday power biofactories to make everything from protein supplements to medicines.
“This is really exciting,” says Michael Jewett, a bioengineer at S...
Source: ScienceNOW - August 22, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
What is legionella and what damage can it cause?
We look at the health hazard of the bacteria discovered on the Bibby Stockholm barge and who is most at riskLegionella discovery forces asylum seekers off bargeWithlegionella bacteria having been discovered in the water supply on the Bibby Stockholm barge just days after asylum seekers were moved onboard, we take a look at the health hazard.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 11, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Legionnaires' disease Health Society Bibby Stockholm Immigration and asylum Infectious diseases Microbiology UK news Science Source Type: news
News at a glance: A win for obesity drugs, NIH unionization roadblocks, and Mexican fireflies under threat
CONSERVATION
Researchers raise alarm over threat to Mexican fireflies
Scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last week delivered a letter to the Mexican government requesting it regulate tourism centered on the threatened firefly species
Photinus palaciosi
. Endemic to Mexico’s Tlaxcala forests,
P. palaciosi
is one of the few species that glow in synchrony, offering an annual spectacle that attracts thousands of visitors during summer mating season. The letter describes how littering, artificial light, and noise interfere with the insects’ ...
Source: ScienceNOW - August 10, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
WHO declares ‘Eris’ Covid strain a variant of interest as UK cases rise
Health risk of EG.5, which is related to Omicron subvariant, judged to be low but may drive larger wave of infectionsA new strain of Covid-19 that is circulating in the UK has been designated as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, although the public health risk has been judged as low.The variant, known as EG.5 or “Eris”, is related to an Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.9.2, and is growing in prevalence globally, with countries including the UK, China, and US among those affected.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 9, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Coronavirus World Health Organization Infectious diseases Science World news Microbiology UK news Source Type: news
WHO declares ‘Eris’ Covid strain a variant of interest as cases rise globally
Health risk of EG.5, which is related to Omicron subvariant, judged to be low but may drive larger wave of infectionsA new strain of Covid-19 has been designated as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, although the public health risk has been judged as low.The variant, known as EG.5 or “Eris”, is related to an Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.9.2, and is growing in prevalence globally, with countries including the UK, China and US among those affected.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 9, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Coronavirus World Health Organization Infectious diseases Science World news Microbiology UK news Source Type: news
Genetic Testing of Wastewater Now Common in Detecting New Strains of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases
Advances in genome sequencing give virologists and microbiologists new tools for tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants to their sources Wastewater surveillance has emerged as an essential tool in the detection and tracking of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus within communities. Though COVID-19 infections are decreasing in the United States—and clinical laboratories are performing fewer diagnostic tests for the disease—researchers […]
The post Genetic Testing of Wastewater Now Common in Detecting New Strains of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases appeared first on Dark Daily. (Source: Dark Daily)
Source: Dark Daily - August 9, 2023 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: swallask Tags: Laboratory News Laboratory Pathology Laboratory Resources Laboratory Testing Molecular Diagnostics, Genetic Testing, Whole Gene Sequencing Source Type: news
Burkholderia pseudomallei Laboratory Exposure, Arizona, USA Burkholderia pseudomallei Laboratory Exposure, Arizona, USA
In this report, employees of a microbiology lab were exposed to B pseudomallei from specimens, showing the increased risk for occupational exposure among laboratory staff.Emerging Infectious Diseases (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - August 8, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Infectious Diseases Journal Article Source Type: news
More than half of Earth ’s species live in the soil, study finds
Soil estimated to be home to 90% of world ’s fungi, 85% of plants and more than 50% of bacteria, making it the world’s most species-rich habitatMore than half of all species live in the soil, according to a study that has found it is the single most species-rich habitat on Earth.Soil was known to hold a wealth of life, but this new figure doubles what scientistsestimated in 2006, when they suggested 25% of life was soil-based.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 7, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Phoebe Weston Tags: Soil Environment Wildlife Insects Animals Plants Fungi Biology Microbiology World news Source Type: news
Michael W. Fanger, Renowned Immunologist Who Paved the Way to Cancer Immunotherapy, Dies
Michael W. Fanger, PhD, professor emeritus, former chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Geisel School of Medicine, and entrepreneur died Tuesday, August 1. He was 83 years old. (Source: News at Dartmouth Medical School)
Source: News at Dartmouth Medical School - August 3, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Susan Green Tags: News Michael Fanger Source Type: news
