Laboratory Equipment

X-rays Pinpoint Drug Target for Stomach Ulcers

Experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed a potential new way to attack common stomach bacteria that cause ulcers and significantly increase the odds of developing stomach cancer.

The breakthrough, made using powerful X-rays from SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), was the culmination of five years of research into the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is so tough it can live in strong stomach acid. At least half the world’s population carries H. pylori and hundreds of millions suffer health problems as a result; current treatments require a complicated regimen of stomach-acid inhibitors and antibiotics.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/12/x-rays-pinpoint-drug-target-stomach-ulcers

Mucus Fights Ulcer-Causing Bacteria

Even the tiniest microscopic organisms make waves when they swim. In fact, dealing with these waves is a fact of life for the ulcer-causing bacteria H. pylori. The bacteria are known to change their behavior in order to compensate for the waves created by other bacteria swimming around in the same aquatic neighborhood. From the relatively simple actions of these individual bacteria emerges a complex, coordinated group behavior.

A new study by engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrates how introducing certain polymers—like those found in human mucus and saliva—into the environment makes it significantly more difficult for H. pylori and other microorganisms to coordinate.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Mucus-Fights-Ulcer-Causing-Bacteria-011912.aspx