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MAY 19, 2016

Research Extras

 
Zika viru
Zika virus and its effects on the developing brain are the focus of a three-institution research team including Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Florida State. After initially finding how neural progenitor cells are infected, the team is continuing its research on specific impacts on brain cells in both newborns and adults.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Zika Research Shows How Virus Could Affect the Developing Brain
Emory researchers joined colleagues at Johns Hopkins and Florida State Universities in a rapidly assembled research team that showed how the Zika virus can infect neural progenitor cells critical for brain development. Their discovery is a potential explanation for the cases of microcephaly seen in Latin America during the Zika outbreak. The researchers found the Zika virus infects a type of neural stem cells that gives rise to the brain's cerebral cortex. The Emory team's role was to analyze how the patterns of gene activity in neuronal cells were altered by Zika infection. They are continuing research into Zika effects on the brain. Read more...


 
 
Measles Cases Were in Intentionally Unvaccinated
The biomarker troponin was found to predict greater mortality over the next few years, even in people without apparent heart disease.
CARDIOLOGY
Elevated troponin linked to mental stress ischemia in heart disease
Some people with heart disease experience ischemia, or restricted blood flow to the heart, in response to psychological stress. Researchers have found that these individuals have higher levels of troponin, a protein biomarker that indicates recent damage to heart muscle, and they are at greater risk of future heart attacks and death. Higher troponin levels could provide a clinical warning signal for intensive prevention. Read more...



Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
A phenomenon called heteroresistance could be allowing some deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria to elude laboratory tests.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Fooling the Test: Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria May Look Susceptible
Some potentially deadly strains of bacteria may be hiding from diagnostic tests designed to detect antibiotic-resistant organisms. This may be causing unexplained antibiotic treatment failures in many hospitals. Through a phenomenon called heteroresistance, a small group of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can lurk within a crowd of antibiotic-susceptible bacteria and elude detection. More senstive diagnostic techniques are under development. Read more...



Targeting Virus-Blocking Antibody
Researchers believe probiotics may dampen the inflammatory signals that drive immune cells in the intestine to release signals that break down bone.

ENDOCRINOLOGY
Probiotics stop menopause-like bone loss in mice
Probiotic supplements protected female mice from the loss of bone density that occurs after having their ovaries removed, mimicking the hormonal changes that occur with menopause in women. The research suggests probiotic bacteria may have potential as an inexpensive treatment for post-menopausal osteoporosis. Investigators plan to test their discovery clinically. Read more...




Editor, Holly Korschun, Executive Director of Research Communications
Managing Editor, David S. Stephens, MD, Vice President for Research