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

Insect brains are rich stores of new antibiotics

2010-09-07
(Press-News.org) Cockroaches could be more of a health benefit than a health hazard according to scientists from the University of Nottingham, who have discovered powerful antibiotic properties in the brains of cockroaches and locusts.

Simon Lee, a postgraduate researcher who is presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham, describes how the group identified up to nine different molecules in the insect tissues that were toxic to bacteria. These substances could lead to novel treatments for multi-drug resistant bacterial infections.

The group found that the tissues of the brain and nervous system of the insects were able to kill more than 90% of Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli, without harming human cells. Studying the specific properties of the antibacterial molecules is currently underway in the laboratory. "We hope that these molecules could eventually be developed into treatments for E. coli and MRSA infections that are increasingly resistant to current drugs," explained Mr Lee. "Also, these new antibiotics could potentially provide alternatives to currently available drugs that may be effective but have serious and unwanted side effects," he said.

The pharmaceutical industry is generating fewer and fewer new antibiotics due to lack of financial incentives, meaning that alternative sources of new drugs are much needed. Mr Lee explained why it is unsurprising that insects secrete their own antimicrobials. "Insects often live in unsanitary and unhygienic environments where they encounter many different types of bacteria. It is therefore logical that they have developed ways of protecting themselves against micro-organisms," he explained.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Blood signatures to diagnose infection

2010-09-07
Coughing and wheezing patients could someday benefit from quicker, more accurate diagnosis and treatment for respiratory infections such as flu, through a simple blood test, according to scientists. Dr. Aimee Zaas, presenting her work at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham describes how simply looking at an individuals blood 'signature' can be used to quickly diagnose and treat ill patients and could even predict the onset of a pandemic. The team, from the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and Duke University Medical Center ...

LA BioMed research finds hallucinogen can safely ease anxiety in advanced-stage cancer patients

LA BioMed research finds hallucinogen can safely ease   anxiety in advanced-stage cancer patients
2010-09-07
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 6, 2010) – In the first human study of its kind to be published in more than 35 years, researchers found psilocybin, an hallucinogen which occurs naturally in "magic mushrooms," can safely improve the moods of patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety, according to an article published online today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Patients enrolled in the study at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) demonstrated improvement of mood and reduction of anxiety up to six months after undergoing ...

Are white homosexual men still taking too many HIV risks?

2010-09-07
Risky sexual behavior among members of a subset of the gay community is still adding to the spread of HIV. Research published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases has found that young white homosexual men have an important contribution in the local spread of HIV. Despite increased education and awareness of HIV in the Western world, the number of new infections continues to rise each year. To try and understand this phenomenon, researchers from Ghent University in Belgium compared the genetic information of viruses isolated from more than 500 patients – ...

Some children with autism show a preference for geometric patterns at an early age

2010-09-07
A fixation on geometric patterns may be associated with autism in children as young as 14 months, according to a report published online today that will appear in the January 2011 print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "It is undeniable that early treatment can have a significant positive impact on the long-term outcome for children with an autism spectrum disorder," the authors write as background information in the article. "Early treatment, however, generally relies on the age at which a diagnosis can be made, thus pushing ...

Hallucinogen appears safe, may improve mood among patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety

2010-09-07
A pilot study suggests the hallucinogen psilocybin may be feasible and safe to administer to patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety, with promising effects on mood, according to a report published online today that will appear in the January 2011 print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "In recent years, there has been a growing awareness that the psychological, spiritual and existential crises often encountered by patients with cancer and their families need to be addressed more vigorously," the authors write as background ...

Study examines association between urban living and psychotic disorders

2010-09-07
The association between psychotic disorders and living in urban areas appears to be a reflection of increased social fragmentation present within cities, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "There is a substantial worldwide variation in incidence rates of schizophrenia," the authors write as background in the article. "The clearest geographic pattern within this distribution of rates is that urban areas have a higher incidence of schizophrenia than rural areas." Characteristics of neighborhoods ...

Combining medication and psychosocial treatments may benefit patients with early-stage schizophrenia

2010-09-07
Patients with early-stage schizophrenia who receive a combination of medication and a psychosocial intervention appear less likely to discontinue treatment or relapse—and may have improved insight, quality of life and social functioning—than those taking medication alone, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay of therapy for patients with schizophrenia, but long-term therapy is associated with adverse effects and poor adherence, according to background information ...

Compounds in non-stick cookware may be associated with elevated cholesterol in children and teens

2010-09-07
Children and teens with higher blood levels of chemicals used in the production of non-stick cookware and waterproof fabrics appear more likely to have elevated total and LDL cholesterol levels, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Humans are exposed to the man-made compounds known as perfluoroalkyl acids—including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS)—through drinking water, dust, food packaging, breast milk, cord blood, microwave popcorn, air and occupational ...

Short nighttime sleep duration among infants, young children associated with obesity in later life

2010-09-07
Insufficient amounts of nighttime sleep among infants and preschool-aged children may be a significant risk factor for developing childhood obesity, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Additionally, napping does not appear to be an adequate substitute for nighttime sleep in terms of preventing obesity. "Obesity – defined as having age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) at or above the 95th percentile ...

Parents at highest risk for depression in the first year after child's birth

2010-09-07
More than one-third of mothers and about one-fifth of fathers in the United Kingdom appear to experience an episode of depression between their child's birth and 12th year of age, with the highest rates in the first year after birth, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Depression in parents is associated with adverse behavioral, developmental and cognitive outcomes in their children," the authors write as background information in the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Wrong trees in the wrong place can make cities hotter at night, study reveals

New gene therapy reverses heart failure in large animal model

Young children less likely than adults to see discrimination as harmful

Tiny poops in the ocean may help solve the carbon problem

Study offers insight into chloroplast evolution

Advancing the synthesis of two-dimensional gold monolayers

Human disruption is driving ‘winner’ and ‘loser’ tree species shifts across Brazilian forests

A novel heme-model compound that treats lethal gas poisoning

Shape-changing device helps visually impaired people perform location task as well as sighted people - EMBARGO: Tuesday 10 December (10:00 UK time)

AI predicts that most of the world will see temperatures rise to 3°C much faster than previously expected

Second round of FRONTIERS Science Journalism Residency Program awards grants to ten journalists

The inequity of wildfire rescue resources in California

Aerosol pollutants from cooking may last longer in the atmosphere – new study

Breakthrough in the precision engineering of four-stranded β-sheets

Family income predicts adult problems more than neighborhood poverty

Leading stress expert Ron de Kloet on hormone's dual nature: From protection to harm

Almost half of young vapers are able to stop with quitline help

After a divisive election, most U.S. adults ready to avoid politics this holiday

Food insecurity in LA County remains well above national average, despite slight decline

People with a positive attitude are built differently

AML, sickle cell disease research among highlights of UC ASH abstracts

Dozens of presentations advance multiple myeloma research at the 2024 American Society for Hematology (ASH) meeting

ASH 2024: Study shows that genetic mutations accumulate in smokers with myelodysplastic syndromes and worsen outcomes

Nature inspires self-assembling helical polymer

Could US-style summer holiday programs boost Aussie kids’ health?

Towards safer, higher performance batteries through network topology optimization

ASH: Triplet combination regimens demonstrate high response rates in multiple leukemias

Toxoplasma gondii parasite uses unconventional method to make proteins for evasion of drug treatment

US e-scooter/e-bike injuries have tripled since 2019, fuelled by alcohol/substance use

Cost stops 1 in 6 US adults with asthma from taking meds as prescribed, study suggests

[Press-News.org] Insect brains are rich stores of new antibiotics