Narrow Results

In this paper, we proposed and analyzed a five-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations modeling the competition of two competing bacteria in a chemostat under the influence of the leachate recirculation and in the presence of a pathogen associated only with the bacteria 1. We suppose that the nutriment is present into two forms, soluble and insoluble nutriment, and both two forms are continuously added to the chemostat. The proposed model takes the form of an “SI” epidemic model and uses general increasing growth functions and general increasing incidence rate. It admits multiple equilibria that we give the conditions under which we assure both the existence and the local stability of each equilibrium point. The possibility of periodic trajectory was excluded, and the uniform persistence of both types of bacteria was proved. Finally, several numerical examples confirming the theoretical findings are given.

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the effect of environmental toxicant on the immune response of the body. Criteria for local stability, instability and global stability are obtained. It is shown that the immune response of the body decreases as the concentration of environmental toxicant increases, and certain criteria are obtained under which it settles down at its equilibrium level. In the absence of toxicant, an oscillatory behavior of immune system and pathogenic growth is observed. However, in the presence of toxicant, oscillatory behavior is not observed. These studies show that the toxicant may have a grave effect on our body's defense mechanism.

In order to understand, in terms of the epidemiology of a disease, the consequences of having a population which can recover from the disease back to a state of susceptibility and the additional effects of recovery to immunity, we have formulated and compared a series of models; each includes a biological feature known to occur in a real host-pathogen system. For example, vertical transmission of the disease or free living infective stages of the pathogen. Taken together, these models, in general, follow predictable patterns of behaviour. There are exceptions, but these can be explained in terms of some sort of density dependence or time delay written into the framework of the model.

INDIA – Rice diplomacy in South Asia.

INDIA – Indian court's Novartis ruling keeps door to cheap drugs open.

INDONESIA – A blueprint for changing diabetes in Indonesia.

SINGAPORE – Understanding abnormal proteins in degenerative diseases.

SINGAPORE – Singapore scientist wins coveted Chen New Investigator Award 2013.

SINGAPORE – Singapore single-cell research center opens door for Asian biological discoveries.

THE PHILIPPINES – Wild parent spawns super salt-tolerant rice.

AUSTRALIA – Women: Hormone therapy won't harm your head.

AUSTRALIA – QLD government's removal of "green tape" will achieve results for all.

AUSTRALIA – Chinese herbs help cut diabetes symptoms.

AUSTRALIA – iSonea launches new Asthmasense™ cloud technology.

EUROPE – Bone Therapeutics and Erasme University Hospital start Phase IIa trial in osteoporosis.

NORTH AMERICA – Medicago and IDRI reports positive results for its Phase I clinical trial for an H5N1 vaccine.

NORTH AMERICA – Civitas Therapeutics announces positive Phase II clinical results an inhaled L-dopa for Parkinson's disease.

NORTH AMERICA – Impel NeuroPharma completes industry's first nose-to-brain human imaging study.

NORTH AMERICA – A new treatment option for alcohol dependence: Reduced consumption rather than abstinence.

NORTH AMERICA – Targacept completes recruitment in Phase IIb schizophrenia trial.

UNITED KINGDOM – ID deadly pathogens without growing bacteria.

INDIA – Oral chlorea vaccine ‘offers protection for five years’.

JAPAN – Gene discovery leads way to more rice.

MALAYSIA – Top international hospitals to hold summit in Asia to address efficiency, patient safety issues.

SINGAPORE – Study led by NUS scientists provides new insights into cause of human neurodegenerative disease.

SINGAPORE – Recycled plastic proves effective in killing drug-resistant fungi.

SINGAPORE – Singapore scientists engineer human stem cells and move closer to mastering regenerative medicine.

SINGAPORE – A*STAR scientists discover novel hormone essential for heart development.

SINGAPORE – New discovery on how skin cells form “bridges” paves the way for advances in wound healing and tissue engineering.

AUSTRALIA – Pathogen study explores blocking effect of E. coli protein on immune system.

CANADA – Alzheimer's risk gene may begin to affect brains as early as childhood.

EUROPE – Simple blood test detects 85% of colorectal cancers and over 50% of polyps.

JERUSALEM – New compound for slowing the aging process can lead to novel treatments for brain diseases.

US – Older mice fed wolfberries show reduced risk for flu virus with vaccine diseases.

US – Molecular sensor detects early signs of multiple sclerosis, Gladstone study finds.

US – Scripps Research Institute scientists achieve detailed picture of key part of Hepatitis C virus.

US – Researchers discover promising new treatment to help people with spine injuries walk better.

US – Personalized vaccine for most lethal type of brain tumor shows promise.

The following topics are under this section:

• Fastest or Most Precise?
• The Viral Solution
• The Modern-Day Nostradamus: George Yuan Xianzhi
• CORONAVIRUSES: A PRIMER PART 2

The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is one of the most aggressive invasive species globally, and it has spread widely in Asia and Europe. Its unique morphological and physiological characteristics enable it to survive in high-temperature and hypersaline environments. The invasion of the Chinese mitten crab can damage the local aquatic ecology, including flora and fauna, necessitating the implementation of monitoring and control measures. Consuming the invasive crab is a potential strategy to prevent its further spread worldwide. This chapter documents the success of transforming this invasive species into a valuable food source in China. Notably, there is a significant demand for Chinese mitten crabs in China, with potential markets in several other Asian countries. However, natural Chinese mitten crabs often grow in polluted water, accumulating undesirable substances (e.g., pathogens and heavy metals). These substances could pose significant health hazards when consumed by humans. Therefore, adhering to proper cultivation techniques is essential to ensuring the safety of the crabs for human consumption.

Evidence is mounting to suggest a causal role of cellular or humoral mediated immune response arising from anti-myelin of peripheral nerve antibodies, for example anti-ganglioside antibodies, in a variety of neurological disorders. These disorders include the acute inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating and axonal forms of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). The origin of the auto-antibodies is discussed in light of the recent circumstantial evidence pointing to a molecular mimicry mechanism with infectious agents in GBS and MFS, but not in CIDP. Recent studies on the roles of anti-ganglioside and non-ganglioside in the pathogenesis of GBS, MFS and CIDP are summarized in this review. With a better understanding of the immunopathogenic mechanisms of these diseases, it will then be possible to devise rational and effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these neurological disorders.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) produces several small, highly homologous, disulfide-rich proteins (Sp-AMPs) in response to fungal pathogenic attacks. We report here the expression, structure and function of these proteins. One of the Sp-AMPs was cloned into and over-expressed in Pichia pastoris. The purified protein shows antifungal activity against Heterobasidion annosum, causing morphological changes in spores and hyphae. Binding studies revealed that it binds to soluble and insoluble β-(1,3)-glucans, major components of the fungal cell wall, with high affinity. Homology modeling studies suggest a Greek-key-β-barrel fold having a conserved patch on the surface that can accommodate at least 4 sugar units. We conclude that these proteins represent a new class of antimicrobial proteins that can be classified as pathogenesis related (PR) protein family 18.