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

Flu helps spread pneumonia

2011-04-11
(Press-News.org) Bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with flu, says a scientist reporting at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. The work could have implications for the management of influenza pandemics and could help reduce incidence of pneumococcal infections in very young children, who are more susceptible to disease.

Streptococcus pneumoniae normally lives harmlessly in the nasal passage. Up to 80% of young children carry the bacterium in their nose. It is already known that if a colonized individual is infected with influenza virus, the bacterium is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and may cause potentially life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis. Young children, the elderly and the immunocompromised are most vulnerable to these secondary bacterial infections. S. pneumoniae kills more than one million children under the age of five each year.

Dr Dimitri Diavatopoulos from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands explains how infection with the flu virus is also necessary for transmitting S. pneumoniae between individuals. His work has shown that in infant mice, all mice had to be infected with flu for pneumococcal bacteria to efficiently spread between them. Blocking influenza infection in these mice effectively prevented the spread of the bacterium.

Viral infection is likely to encourage the spread of pneumonia through a combination of factors, suggested Dr Diavatopoulos. "We think that the flu virus increases the bacterial load in the nose of colonized individuals but also makes uncolonized individuals more susceptible to pneumococcal infection by altering host immunity."

Dr Diavatopoulos believes that learning how viral infections affect not only the development but also the spread of bacterial pathogens will be clinically beneficial. "If we know that the flu virus - and potentially other respiratory viruses – allows the transmission of S. pneumoniae, then targeting these viruses may represent a novel therapeutic strategy to reduce pneumococcal diseases," he said. "During influenza pandemic planning, when a high proportion of the population is infected with the virus, this is important. The findings are particularly relevant to childcare centres as up to 80% of children are asymptomatic carriers of S. pneumonia and are more vulnerable to developing serious infections such as pneumonia or meningitis."

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Yachting Exclusive: Fraser Yachts Presents Six New Luxury Yachts for Sale

Yachting Exclusive: Fraser Yachts Presents Six New Luxury Yachts for Sale
2011-04-11
Fresh out of the Cobra Sultan shipyard this year the S/Y INFINITY & 46.00m (150'00") is a stunning luxury yacht with impeccable internal fittings and furnishings. With construction overseen by David Legrand of Fraser Yachts, Monaco, she can accommodate 12 guests, 7 crew members and has a cruising speed of 11 knots. Asking Price: $13,299,000 The luxury mega yacht for sale ROB ROY & 41.15m (135'00") was built by the Horizon Yachts shipyard in 2009 with the joint central agent Thorsten Giesbert of Fraser Yachts, Spain. Her entire bridge has been reserved for her owner's ...

Ozone reduces fungal spoilage of fruits and vegetables

Ozone reduces fungal spoilage of fruits and vegetables
2011-04-11
Storing fruits and vegetables in ozone-enriched environments reduces spoilage explains a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. Dr Ian Singleton explains how ozone treatment could be a safe, effective replacement for pesticides as it leaves no residue on foods. It is estimated that up to 30% of fresh produce can be lost due to microbial spoilage. Dr Singleton from Newcastle University explains that low levels of gaseous ozone are able to prevent fungal spoilage in a wide range of stored fresh produce, including strawberries, ...

Mapping the brain: New technique poised to untangle the complexity of the brain

2011-04-11
Scientists have moved a step closer to being able to develop a computer model of the brain after developing a technique to map both the connections and functions of nerve cells in the brain together for the first time. A new area of research is emerging in the neuroscience known as 'connectomics'. With parallels to genomics, which maps the our genetic make-up, connectomics aims to map the brain's connections (known as 'synapses'). By mapping these connections – and hence how information flows through the circuits of the brain – scientists hope to understand how perceptions, ...

Blueberries may inhibit development of fat cells

2011-04-11
The benefits of blueberry consumption have been demonstrated in several nutrition studies, more specifically the cardio-protective benefits derived from their high polyphenol content. Blueberries have shown potential to have a positive effect on everything from aging to metabolic syndrome. Recently, a researcher from Texas Woman's University (TWU) in Denton, TX, examined whether blueberries could play a role in reducing one of the world's greatest health challenges: obesity. Shiwani Moghe, MS, a graduate student at TWU, decided to evaluate whether blueberry polyphenols ...

Green tea and tai chi enhance bone health and reduce inflammation in postmenopausal women

2011-04-11
C.S. Lewis, the famous author and Oxford academic, once proclaimed "You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." We sip it with toast in the morning, enjoy it with sweets and biscuits in the afternoon, and relax with it at the end of the day. Tea has for generations been an integral infusion worldwide, carrying both epicurean and economic significance. But, does it impart honest-to-goodness health benefits? In other words, is its persistence in the human diet perhaps coincident with enhanced quality (or quantity) of life? Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) ...

The health halo effect: Don't judge a food by its organic label

2011-04-11
Jenny Wan-chen Lee, a graduate student in Cornell University's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, has been fascinated with a phenomenon known as "the halo effect" for some time. Psychologists have long recognized that how we perceive a particular trait of a person can be influenced by how we perceive other traits of the same individual. In other words, the fact that a person has a positive attribute can radiate a "halo", resulting in the perception that other characteristics associated with that person are also positive. An example of this would be judging ...

Accelerated lab evolution of biomolecules could yield new generation of medicines

2011-04-11
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Scientists at Harvard University have harnessed the prowess of fast-replicating bacterial viruses, also known as phages, to accelerate the evolution of biomolecules in the laboratory. The work, reported this week in the journal Nature, could ultimately allow the tailoring of custom pharmaceuticals and research tools from lab-grown proteins, nucleic acids, and other such compounds. The researchers, led by Professor David R. Liu, say their approach -- dubbed phage-assisted continuous evolution, or PACE -- is roughly 100 times faster than conventional ...

Drinking during pregnancy increases risk of premature birth

2011-04-11
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. But there are conflicting reports about how much alcohol, if any, it is safe for a pregnant woman to drink. New research published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth looked at the amounts of alcohol women drank during their early pregnancy and showed the effect this had on their babies. Researchers in Dublin questioned more than 60,000 pregnant women during their hospital booking interview, which usually occurred ...

Sensitivity and Words - Robert Lauri Announces His New Album "Power In Heaven"

Sensitivity and Words - Robert Lauri Announces His New Album Power In Heaven
2011-04-11
Robert Lauri, an eclectic international musician, controls a wide variety of musical genres and the extent of his musical creativity truly characterizes him as an artist. He knows how to build a melody into a unique musical work of art, a true canvas of harmonies and color variations that, upon hearing, will remain etched in the listener's memory. He always operates with the same mastery in terms of harmonies and musical arrangements. He is a melodic visionary, a unique creator within his genre in all musical styles that he offers his listeners. He literally puts ...

Scripps Research scientists uncover new DNA role in modifying gene function

2011-04-11
JUPITER, FL, April 10, 2010 – For years, scientists have thought of DNA as a passive blueprint capable only of producing specific proteins through RNA transcription. Now, research led by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has shown DNA can also act to fine-tune the activity of certain proteins known as nuclear receptors. These new findings may make it possible to design therapies that could activate specific genes in a highly targeted manner in a number of important diseases including osteoporosis, obesity, autoimmune disease, and cancer. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet for October 2025

Three science and technology leaders elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

McGill research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

A lightweight and rapid bidirectional search algorithm

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

MIT invents human brain model with six major cell types to enable personalized disease research, drug discovery

Health and economic air quality co-benefits of stringent climate policies

How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo

How the brain becomes a better listener: How focus enhances sound processing

Processed fats found in margarines unlikely to affect heart health

Scientists discover how leukemia cells evade treatment

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Treating liver disease with microscopic nanoparticles

Chemicals might be hitching a ride on nanoplastics to enter your skin

Pregnant patients with preexisting high cholesterol may have elevated CV risk

UC stroke experts discuss current and future use of AI tools in research and treatment

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

Most users cannot identify AI bias, even in training data

Hurricane outages: Analysis details the where, and who, of increased future power cuts

Craters on surface of melanoma cells found to serve as sites for tumor killing

Research Spotlight: Mapping overlooked challenges in stroke recovery

Geographic and temporal patterns of screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer in the US

Cannabis laws and opioid use among commercially insured patients with cancer diagnoses

Research Spotlight: Surprising gene mutation in brain’s immune cells linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk

Missing molecule may explain Down syndrome

Donor diabetes and 1-year Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty success rate

[Press-News.org] Flu helps spread pneumonia