PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Virginia Tech researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder

Gut microbe in patients may tip doctors about the disease

Virginia Tech researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder
2014-09-30
(Press-News.org) Many people recognize "the bubble boy" as an unusual character from a "Seinfeld" episode or a John Travolta movie.

But in reality, a genetic disease called SCID, short for severe combined immunodeficiency, forces patients to breathe filtered air and avoid human contact because their bodies' natural defenses are too weak to fight germs.

Although it affects fewer than 2,000 new births each year worldwide, SCID is a cousin to acquired immune deficiency syndrome triggered by a human immunodeficiency virus — HIV/AIDS.

Now, using a mouse model, Virginia Tech researchers in the September issue of The ISME Journal describe a potential biomarker to detect SCID by analyzing for a microbe in the fecal matter of infants.

"If SCID is not detected, children cannot live past their first year," said Xin M. Luo, an assistant professor of immunology Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. "Now, we may have a noninvasive way to screen for this disease because this microbe may be present only in negligible amounts in healthy, young children. If larger populations of the microbe are present, quick examination is needed to prevent a potentially deadly emergency."

Luo, a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, worked with Husen Zhang, a research assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering, to compare the gut microbes in healthy mice with those in mice with a defective immune system, both before and after weaning. They found that the defective mice had a greater supply of a particular microbe called Akkermansia muciniphila.

"This is also a human intestinal microbe," said Zhang, a microbial ecologist who performed the gene sequencing in partnership with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. "Although it is rather newly discovered, it has been there for a long time. Previous reports found that the microbe increases with antibiotic use, indicating that it might thrive when other gut microbes don't survive a round of antibiotics."

When Luo performed bone marrow transplants on the defective mice to give them an adaptive immune system, the researchers found that this particular microbe returned to normal levels. The difference only occurs in younger mice and gradually subsides with age.

"This is an interesting finding because it means we can potentially screen for this microbe at an early age to find defects in the immune system," Luo said.

Although SCID affects less than 0.1 percent of the human population, the disease is typically fatal to children without diagnosis and treatment within their first year. Physicians have found success in treating the genetic disorder with bone marrow transplants.

The researchers are collaborating with a pediatrician to test samples from human infants and have filed a provisional patent for the biomarker screening. Joshua Sparks, a third-year medical student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, also assisted with the research as a part of his degree program.

Many researchers have looked into the impact of gut microbes on the immune system — with recent studies investigating the unintended effects of antibiotics on helpful bacteria or the use of probiotics to boost the immune system. But Luo and Zhang are among only a handful of researchers who have turned their attention in the opposite direction.

"There have been many studies recently on how gut microbes modulate the immune response, but we wanted to do the opposite" Luo said. "We are asking the question, 'How does our immune system affect bacteria in the gut?' "

The study is called "Host adaptive immunity alters gut microbiota."

INFORMATION:

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Virginia Tech researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NASA's TRMM satellite sees Tropical Storm Phanfone fragmented

NASAs TRMM satellite sees Tropical Storm Phanfone fragmented
2014-09-30
The bands of thunderstorms wrapping around Tropical Storm Phanfone in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean appeared fragmented to NASA's TRMM satellite. On Sept. 30, a typhoon watch remains in effect for the far northern Marianas Islands including Pagan and Alamagan. Tropical storm warnings have been cancelled for Tinian and Saipan, but remain in effect for Pagan, Alamagan and surrounding waters. A flash flood watch remains in effect for the island of Saipan. For updated forecasts for these islands, visit the U.S. National Weather Service Office's Guam website: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/guam/cyclone.php. On ...

A heartbeat away? Hybrid 'patch' could replace transplants

2014-09-30
Because heart cells cannot multiply and cardiac muscles contain few stem cells, heart tissue is unable to repair itself after a heart attack. Now Tel Aviv University researchers are literally setting a new gold standard in cardiac tissue engineering. Dr. Tal Dvir and his graduate student Michal Shevach of TAU's Department of Biotechnology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, have been developing sophisticated micro- and nanotechnological tools — ranging in size from one millionth to one billionth of a meter — ...

In stickleback fish, dads influence offspring behavior and gene expression

In stickleback fish, dads influence offspring behavior and gene expression
2014-09-30
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report that some stickleback fish fathers can have long-term effects on the behavior of their offspring: The most attentive fish dads cause their offspring to behave in a way that makes them less susceptible to predators. These behavioral changes are accompanied by changes in gene expression, the researchers report. The findings appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. "There is lots of evidence that moms are very important for their offspring," said University of Illinois animal biology professor Alison Bell, ...

How career dreams are born

2014-09-30
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study shows just what it takes to convince a person that she is qualified to achieve the career of her dreams. Researchers found that it's not enough to tell people they have the skills or the grades to make their goal a reality. Instead, many people need a more vivid and detailed description of just how pursuing their dream career will help make them successful. This is especially important for people who have the skills and potential to pursue a particular career, but lack the self-confidence, said Patrick Carroll, author of the study and ...

Chemical interactions between silver nanoparticles and thiols: A comparison of mercaptohexanol again

Chemical interactions between silver nanoparticles and thiols: A comparison of mercaptohexanol again
2014-09-30
Silver nanoparticles are well known for their anti-bacteria properties[1-4]. One of the main routes by which they may act as an anti-bacteria agent, is through attaching themselves to the thiol group present on the cellular membrane surface and hence disrupting the membrane's function[5]. Hence, it is crucial to gain a greater understanding of this complex silver-thiol interaction to determine silver nanoparticles' role in biological systems. With thiols, silver nanoparticles have been proposed to form various types of compounds with different structures[6-8]. One of the ...

Gender equality leads to more Olympic medals for men and women

2014-09-30
Gender equality boosts a country's Olympic medal count for both women and men, shows a new study from the University of British Columbia. Drawing data from the World Economic Forum's 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, researchers compared a country's tendency toward sexual equality with its medal counts from the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Countries with greater parity – particularly for measures of educational equality – had more women and men reach the podium. "Our study makes apparent that gender equality has a tendency to lift ...

New learning mechanism for individual nerve cells

2014-09-30
The traditional view is that learning is based on the strengthening or weakening of the contacts between the nerve cells in the brain. However, this has been challenged by new research findings from Lund University in Sweden. These indicate that there is also a third mechanism – a kind of clock function that gives individual nerve cells the ability to time their reactions. "This means a dramatic increase in the brain's learning capacity. The cells we have studied control the blink reflex, but there are many cells of the same type that control entirely different processes. ...

Erectile dysfunction drugs could affect vision of genetically susceptible users

2014-09-30
Sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra®, could cause unusual visual responses in people who carry a common mutation for eye disease and may have long-term detrimental effects on their vision, UNSW Australia researchers warn. Sildenafil can inhibit an enzyme which is important for transmitting light signals from the retina to the brain, and it is already known from clinical trials of Viagra® that its use in high doses can cause transient disturbances in the vision of some healthy people. "Side effects can include sensitivity to bright ...

First mapping that reveals the molecular pathway for MDSC cancer progression

2014-09-30
Scientists from InSilico Medicine and its partners successfully established a visual mapping of the molecular pathway cancer progression originating from myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC). The damage and immune suppression the cells cause are not fully understood, however this is a major stepping stone in creating necessary transparency. Highly cited MetaCoreTM was the primary interactome analysis tool used for mapping, providing these promising results. "MDSCs are elicited by tumor-derived factors from precursors present in hematopoietic organs such as the bone ...

Benzodiazepine sedatives linked to higher rates of mortality compared to propofol

Benzodiazepine sedatives linked to higher rates of mortality compared to propofol
2014-09-30
AUDIO: Sedation is commonly used in the intensive care unit (ICU) to make patients that require mechanical ventilation more comfortable, and less anxious. What many don't realize is that sedation can... Click here for more information. Sedation is frequently required for mechanically ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients to reduce anxiety, provide comfort, and assist in providing optimal respiratory support. It is estimated that each year, there are nearly 1 million U.S. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

Andrew Siemion to receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

New study shows how the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy proves effective for locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma

Study flips treatment paradigm in bilateral Wilms tumor, shows resistance to chemotherapy may point toward favorable outcomes

Doctors received approximately $12.1 billion from drug and device makers between 2013-2022

Discovery suggests new strategy against follicular lymphoma

Making the future too bright: how wishful thinking can point us in the wrong direction

[Press-News.org] Virginia Tech researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder
Gut microbe in patients may tip doctors about the disease