Tag Archives: infection

Software Piracy Costs Billions in Time, Money for Consumers and Businesses

By Guest PostMarch 6, 2013Technologyadware, billions, brazil, businesses, chief information officers, China, computer users, consumers, cost, david finn, emotional strain, Germany, idc, identity theft, India, infection, it managers, john gantz, malware induced cyberattack, Mexico, microsoft corp., microsoft cybercrime center, money, pirated software, play it safe, poland, russia, software piracy, Thailand, time, trojans, unexpected malware, united kingdom, united states, website

New Microsoft-commissioned study also highlights dangers for those that use counterfeit software.

REDMOND, Wash. — Although some computer users may actively seek pirated software in hopes of saving money, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers and three in 10 for businesses, according to a new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC. As a result of these infections, the research shows that consumers will spend 1.5 billion hours and US$22 billion identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend US$114 billion to deal with the impact of a malware-induced cyberattack.

The global study analyzed 270 websites and peer-to-peer networks, 108 software downloads, and 155 CDs or DVDs, and it interviewed 2,077 consumers and 258 IT managers or chief information officers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Researchers found that of counterfeit software that does not come with the computer, 45 percent comes from the Internet, and 78 percent of this software downloaded from websites or peer-to-peer networks included some type of spyware, while 36 percent contained Trojans and adware. (more…)

Building Healthy Bones Takes Guts

By Guest PostFebruary 22, 2013Health, Scienceamericans, bacterium, balance, begins at childhood, bone density, bone fractures, bone loss, bone tissue, cellular physiology, chronic condition, coevolved with humans, female mice, food fermentation, gut, harmful effect, healthier bones, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, joint, laura mccabe, laura schaefer, male mice, mice lactobacillus reuteri, michigan state university, microorganisms, muscle pain, natural probiotic supplement, natural remodeling, negative side effects, osteoporosis, osteoporosis drugs, postmenopausal women, regina irwin, robert britton, species, treatments, type 1 diabetes

In what could be an early step toward new treatments for people with osteoporosis, scientists at Michigan State University report that a natural probiotic supplement can help male mice produce healthier bones.

Interestingly, the same can’t be said for female mice, the researchers report in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.

“We know that inflammation in the gut can cause bone loss, though it’s unclear exactly why,” said lead author Laura McCabe, a professor in MSU’s departments of Physiology and Radiology. “The neat thing we found is that a probiotic can enhance bone density.” (more…)

UCLA Findings Buck Conventional Wisdom about How Stress-Response Protein Works

By Guest PostFebruary 11, 2013Health, Scienceage related, biomarker, cell stress, cell types, chaperones, class of molecules, clouding, conventional wisdom, environmental conditions, epithelial cells, eye institute, eye lens, fibroblast cells, gene, heart muscle degeneration, heat shock factor, heat shock factor4, heat shock protein, hsf1, hsf4, infection, inflammation, jules stein, macular degeneration, monitor for diseases, multiple sclerosis, stress response protein, toxins, transcription factors, ucla researchers, zhe jing, αb crystallin

UCLA researchers, in a finding that runs counter to conventional wisdom, have discovered for the first time that a gene thought to express a stress-response protein in all cells that come under stress instead expresses the protein only in specific cell types.

The research team, from the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA and the UCLA Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, focused on αB-Crystallin, one of a class of molecules known as heat shock proteins, which are involved in the folding and unfolding of other proteins, helping them recover from stress so they can do their job. (more…)

Virus Caught in the Act of Infecting a Cell

By Guest PostJanuary 12, 2013Health, Scienceaustin, bacterium, bo hu, cryo electron tomography, ct scan, e coli, experimental evidence, feelers, fibers, genetic, genetic material, head, human hair, ian molineux, image, infect, infect a cell, infected cell membrane, infection, infection process, jun liu, protein, protein path, robot like process, structure, t7, texas, thickness, university, ut health, viral dna, virus, visualize, william margolin

About the video: watch an animation showing the changes in the structure of a T7 virus as it infects an E. coli bacterium.

AUSTIN, Texas — The detailed changes in the structure of a virus as it infects an E. coli bacterium have been observed for the first time, report researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) Medical School this week in Science Express. (more…)

Multiple Sclerosis Study Reveals How Killer T Cells Learn to Recognize Nerve Fiber Insulators

By Guest PostJanuary 12, 2013Healtharsenal, autoimmune disorders, autoimmune encephalitis, autoimmune reactivity, axons, blood vessels, body, brain, branched tentacles, cancer, cd4+ t cell, cd8 t cells, central nervous system, chronic multiple sclerosis, corticosteroids, cytoxic t cells, degeneration of axons, electrical impulse conductors, electrical wire, fight disease, generalized immunosuppressants, humans, infection, inflamed lesions, inflammatory response, inflammatory situation, insulation, joan goverman, killer t cells, laboratory models, lesions, luca castelli, methotrexate, mouse model, multiple sclerosis, myelin protein, myelin sheath, nerve cell projections, nerve fibers, no cells, oligodendrocytes, pathogens, peptides, proteins, qingyong ji, spines, support cells, symptoms, tip dendritic cells, tissue damage, transmit signals, university of washington, white blood cells

Misguided killer T cells may be the missing link in sustained tissue damage in the brains and spines of people with multiple sclerosis, findings from the University of Washington reveal. Cytoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, are white blood cells that normally are in the body’s arsenal to fight disease.

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflamed lesions that damage the insulation surrounding nerve fibers and destroy the axons, electrical impulse conductors that look like long, branching projections. Affected nerves fail to transmit signals effectively. (more…)

Germs in Space: Preventing Infection on Long Flights

By Guest PostOctober 22, 2012Health, Scienceair filtration, antimicrobial resistance, astronaut, brown university, charles hobaugh, deep space, duane pierson, earth, energy budget, Environment, environmental cleaning, germs, harmful pathogen, hazardous vapors, hepa, hospital disinfectants, hygiene product, immune system, infection, infectious disease, janet kavandi, Johnson Space Center, leonard mermel, long spaceflight, mars, meningococcus, microbiologist, microgravity, microorganisms, NASA, outbreak, pneumoccocus, pneumococcus, purell, rhode island hospital, salmonella, Science, space life, spacecraft, steven lindsey, vaccinating astronauts, vitamin

On a long spaceflight unique conditions including microgravity could give microbes the upper hand, but not if astronauts and their spacecrafts are properly prepared. In a new paper, infectious disease expert Dr. Leonard Mermel brings together a broad base of research to come up with specific recommendations for keeping astronauts safe in deep space.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The cabin of a spacecraft halfway to Mars would be the least convenient place — one cannot say “on earth” — for a Salmonella or Pneumococcus outbreak, but a wide-ranging new paper suggests that microgravity and prolonged space flight could give unique advantages to germs. What’s a space agency to do? Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital infectious disease expert Dr. Leonard Mermel offers several ideas.

And no, they are not to add more Vitamin C to the Tang, or to give each crew member a bottle of Purell. It’s a lot more complicated than that. (more…)

UCLA Scientists Discover ‘Missing Link’ Between Blood Stem Cells, Immune System

By Guest PostSeptember 5, 2012Health, Scienceblood, blood lineage, bone marrow, cell, diseases, gay crooks, gene, haystack, human, immune deficiency, immune function, immune system, infection, leukemia, lisa kohn, lymphocytes, missing link, needle, platelets, post natal life, progenitors, red blood cell, researcher, set, stem cell, type, ucla

UCLA researchers have discovered a type of cell that is the “missing link” between bone marrow stem cells and all the cells of the human immune system, a finding that will lead to a greater understanding of how a healthy immune system is produced and how disease can lead to poor immune function.

The research was done using human bone marrow, which contains all the stem cells that produce blood during post-natal life. (more…)

Parents and Readers Beware of Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Culture, Generalabnormal, adolescents, breaking bad, emotional development, friday night lights, gender roles, genre, glee, harry potter, heterosexual relationship, homophobia, hunger games, infection, julie passanante elman, literature, medical dramas, negative stereotype, racism, realm, romantic relationship, sexual attractiveness, sexuality, taboo, teen, teen sick lit, twilight, university of missouri

Newly described teen literature genre propagates negative portrayals of the sick and disabled

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A newly defined genre of literature, “teen sick-lit,” features tear-jerking stories of ill adolescents developing romantic relationships. Although “teen sick-lit” tends to adhere to negative stereotypes of the ill and traditional gender roles, it also explores the taboo realm of sexuality, sickness and youth, says the University of Missouri researcher who named the genre in a recent study. Readers and their parents should be aware of how the presentation of disease and disability in these stories can instill prejudices and enforce societal norms in young adults, notes the researcher.

“Teen sick-lit depicts its chronically ill protagonists, who are usually white middle-class females, merely as vehicles for well people’s emotional development rather than as self-actualized women with their own experiences, perspectives, and emotional needs,” said Julie Passanante Elman, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Science. “As the popularity of fiction aimed at young adults, such as the Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, continues to grow, it is important for readers and parents to note the ethical subtexts of the books. Similarly, the proliferation of sick or disabled characters on such television shows as “Glee,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Breaking Bad” doesn’t always equate to positive portrayals of those characters.” (more…)