Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers and stomach cancer, may also play a protective role against tuberculosis, according to studies in both humans and monkeys by a team from Stanford University, UC Davis, the University of Pittsburgh and Aga Khan University in Pakistan (1). One-third of the world's population is infected with TB, … Continue reading Defeating diseases of the developing world: tuberculosis and Chikungunya fever
Tag: mice
Pompe disease – a starring role for animal research
The new Harrison Ford film, Extraordinary Measures, hitting US cinemas from 22 January, is a fictionalised account of the development of a treatment for Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder. Pompe disease (glycogen storage disease type 2, acid maltase deficiency) is an enzyme deficiency with devastating effects – progressive muscle weakness and, in the severe … Continue reading Pompe disease – a starring role for animal research
Understanding migraines: The blind leading the…err…rats
Chances are that you have either suffered from migraine yourself or have a family member or close friend who have, after all about 1 in 8 of us will suffer from migraine at some stage in our lifetime, and some sufferers experience repeated debilitating episodes over many years . While headache on one side of … Continue reading Understanding migraines: The blind leading the…err…rats
Mice uncover the secrets of Congenital Heart Defect
Every time your heart beats it pumps blood through the pulmonary artery and into your lungs where it soaks up oxygen before bring returned via the pulmonary vein to the heart, where the next beat pumps it out through the aorta and on to provide oxygen to all the tissues of your body. All this … Continue reading Mice uncover the secrets of Congenital Heart Defect
Can we protect the brain against tumor metastasis?
Brain metastasis that affect at least 20% of cancer patients are a serious problem for doctors seeking to treat cancer and kill thousands of patients every year, being particularly difficult to treat because many anti-cancer drugs cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and because surgery to remove the tumor can often be difficult and risky. Patients … Continue reading Can we protect the brain against tumor metastasis?
Animal Care Staff: ‘Why animal welfare matters’
Today begins a series of posts that try and show the activities and motivations of a handful of the dedicated animal care technicians from across the country's animal laboratories who work tirelessly to ensure animal welfare remains the highest priority. [Tom] For decades the animal rights movement has worked to define those working in animal … Continue reading Animal Care Staff: ‘Why animal welfare matters’
A passive defence against the flu?
Influenza is a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year, and periodically causes global pandemics that kill many millions. There are three major types, A, B and C that can infect humans, although the A is responsible for the most cases and deaths. Within influenza A virus there are two major groups, … Continue reading A passive defence against the flu?
Fighting the scourges of humanity
The past week has seen some interesting news on efforts to combat three diseases that blight the lives of millions in the world today. The most exciting news was that in two studies (1,2) published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine the malaria vaccine RTS,S passed a major milestone in its development … Continue reading Fighting the scourges of humanity