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The Role Of Mitochondria In Neurodegenerative Diseases

A longstanding question in science has the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases. Mitochondria are organelles – compartments contained inside cells – that serve several functions, including making ATP, a nucleotide that cells convert into chemical energy to stay alive. For this reason mitochondria often are called "cellular power plants." They also play a critical role in preventing too much calcium from building up in cells, which can cause apoptosis, or cell death. For mitochondria to perform its functions, it must be distributed to cells throughout the body, which is accomplished with the help of small protein "motors" that transport the organelles along axons. Researchers led by Janet Shaw, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, found that when healthy, functioning mitochondria was prevented from moving along axons – nerve fibers that conduct electricity away from neurons – mice developed symptoms of neurodegenerati...
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Composition of Complex Sugars in Breast Milk May Prevent Future Food Allergies

The unique composition of a mother’s breastmilk may help to reduce food sensitization in her infant, report researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine with colleagues in Canada. The findings, publishing in the June 15 issue of Allergy , further highlight the health role of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are not found in infant formula, and underscore their potential for therapeutic interventions. HMOs are structurally complicated sugar molecules unique to human breast milk. They are the third most abundant solid component in human milk after lactose (a different type of sugar) and fat. They are not actually digestible by infants, but act as a prebiotic, helping to guide development of the infant gut microbiota, which previous research suggests is a key influencer of allergic disease. Past research has shown that breastfed infants have a lower risk for a variety of medical conditions, such as wheezing, infections, asthma and ob...
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How to Make It in the Urinary Tract: A Tutorial by Escherichia coli

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Introduction Extra-intestinal E. coli (ExPEC) may transition from benign colonization of the enteric and vaginal tracts to cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), septicemia, and meningitis. ExPEC colonization of the lower urinary tract leads to an acute infection of the superficial bladder urothelial cells, termed cystitis. Notably, 50% of all women will experience at least one UTI during their lifetime [1] . Even though ExPEC UTI induces a robust innate immune response, 25% of women with acute cystitis experience a second UTI within 6 months [2] . This failure to mount a protective immune response may be due to host genetic factors, antibiotic use, heterogeneity among ExPEC strains, active suppression of innate and adaptive immunity by ExPEC, and the ability of ExPEC to reside within protected, quiescent reservoirs. This review highlights the different stages of the ExPEC developmental cycle in the host bladder tissue, and describes the strategies employed by both p...
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