Alternative therapies for antibiotic resistance

Drug development strategies have focused on replacing antibiotics in extreme infections, such as sepsis, where every minute without an effective drug increases the risk of death. But the evolutionary process that brings forth antibiotic resistance doesn't happen nearly as often in those big infections as it does in the multitude of small ones like sinusitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, and bladder infections.

 Antibiotic prescriptions against those smaller ailments account for about 90 percent of antibiotic use, and so are likely to be the major driver of resistance evolution. Bacteria that survive these many small battles against antibiotics grow in strength and numbers to become formidable armies in big infections, like those that strike after surgery.  It is advisable to give antibiotics less often and preserve their effectiveness for when they're really needed.

E. coli is widespread in the human gut, and some strains secrete enzymes that thwart antibiotics, while other strains don't.
 A broad-spectrum antibiotic can kill off more of the vulnerable, less dangerous bacteria, leaving the more dangerous and robust bacteria to propagate. Much too often, superbugs have made their way into hospitals in someone's intestines, where they had evolved high resistance through years of occasional treatment with antibiotics for small infections. Then those bacteria have infected patients with weak immune systems.

Drug developers facing dwindling antibiotic effectiveness against evolved bacteria have looked for multiple alternate treatments. Developing non-antibiotic therapies for strep throat, bladder infections, and bronchitis could prove easier, thus encouraging pharmaceutical investment and research.

For example, one particular kind of strep bacteria , group A streptococci, is responsible for the vast majority of bacterial upper respiratory infections. People often carry it without it breaking out. Strep bacteria secrete compounds that promote inflammation and bacterial spread. If an anti-virulence drug could fight the secretions, the drug could knock back the strep into being present but not sickening.

Strep infection can lead to rheumatic heart disease, a deadly condition that is very rare in the industrialized world. Some push-back against virulent bacteria until the body's immune system can take care of it. Developing a spray-on treatment with bacteriophages, viruses that attack bacteria can prevent the resistance.
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Activation of immune T cells changes behavior

Researchers have discovered that T cells immune cells that protect the body from infections and cancer change the body's metabolism when they are activated, and that this activation leads to changes in behavior.

It is currently known that individual T cells change their metabolism to meet their energy needs after being activated, but the systemic metabolic effect of sustained activation of the immune system has remained unexplored.

 To understand the systemic effects, the group looked at T cell activation in mice designed to lack a surface receptor called PD-1, which is necessary for inhibiting the activity of T cells. T cells remain activated in mice without the receptor, similar to those in the immune systems of people with certain types of autoimmune disease.

In these mice, they found that amino acids molecules that are used to build proteins were depleted in the blood, and that they were increased in the T cells themselves, implicating the T cells in the change. The team tracked and imaged amino acids in many organs, and found that the depletion of amino acids from the blood was taking place due to the accumulation of amino acids in activated T cells in the lymph nodes, showing that strong or long lasting immune responses can cause metabolic changes elsewhere in the body.

Researchers analyzed the biochemistry of the brain, they found that the systemic decrease in the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine in blood led to lower amounts available in the brain, limiting production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters affect emotions, motivation and fear.

Serotonin is often a target of drugs that combat depression. The researchers found that their depletion in mice without PD-1 resulted in behavioral changes dominated by anxiety and exacerbated fear responses, which could be remedied by providing a diet rich in an essential amino acid.
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Link between immune systems and drinking behaviour

Alcohol is the world's most commonly consumed drug, human body's circadian rhythms affect the reward signals we receive in the brain from drug-related behaviour, and the peak time for this reward occurs in the evening.

There is a link between the brain's immune system and the desire to drink alcohol in the evening. Researchers were able to switch off the impulse to drink alcohol in mice by giving them a drug that blocks a specific response from the immune system in the brain.

The researchers focused their attention on the immune receptor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). They administered the drug (+)-Naltrexone, which is known to block TLR4, to mice. Naltrexo is used to reduce the amount and frequency of drinking.

They discovered reduction in alcohol drinking behaviour in mice that had been given (+)-Naltrexone, specifically at night when the reward for drug-related behaviour is high. Blocking a specific part of the brain's immune system substantially decrease the motivation of mice to drink alcohol in the evening.
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Cancer cells suppress the immune system

Human immune systems prevents different diseases including cancer, for cancer to spread and multiply, they must find a way to avoid the body's immune system.

Degenerated cells in the body cause an inflammatory reaction and influence other blood cells to the extent that the immune system is suppressed.

Tumor cells influence their environment in order to avoid an immune response and to facilitate their growth. Solid tumors manipulate macrophages of the immune system.

The relationship between leukemia cells and monocytes becomes a catalyst for cancer development. Programmed death-ligand 1PD-L1 also known as cluster receptor occurs more frequently on the surface of these nourishing cells, and suppresses the immune response for cancer to grow.

The immune response is suppressed so much that the cancer cells can multiply without any hindrance. The monocytes send out semiochemicals, which belong to the inflammation response of the immune system and support the growth and multiplication of the cancer cells.

Scientists treated monocytes and macrophages of humans and mice with suspect exosomes, as well as purified Y RNA from those exosomes, in a culture dish. In both cases, the cells changed similarly to how they would in chronic lymphatic leukemia CLL patients.

They carry more PD-L1 receptors to their surface and emit semiochemicals that accelerate the immune response and create favorable growth conditions for leukemia cells.

Adding Toll-like receptors TLR inhibitors such as Chloroquin, a medication used for malaria and rheumatic inflammation can inhibit YRNA.

CLL cells was able to suppress the reproduction of cancer cells markedly.
This makes Chloroquin a good substance for a combination therapy along with other agents for cancer treatment.
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Avoid antibiotics during pregnancy

Taking common antibiotics during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, premature birth or low birth weight.

Anttibiotics like Clindamycin, doxycycline, quinolones, macrolides, and phenoxymethylpenicillin were all linked to organ-specific malformations.

Infections like urinary tract infection UTI and pulmonary infection are common during pregnancy. Amoxicillin, cephalosporins, and nitrofurantoin may be considered.

Drugs used to control infections can interfere with a fetus' immune systems and affects good bacteria that are very important for fetus development.
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Foods that cause cancer

Exposure to different chemicals and radiation in the atmosphere can increase risk of cancer. We are exposed to chemicals and radiation through foods, drugs, cosmetic and using of electrical and electronic devices.

We can reduce risk of cancer by what we eat to strengthen our immune systems against the daily chemical and  radiation exposure. We must prevent cancer causing foods to prevent overload of cancerous cells in our body system.

Common foods that cause cancer
Genetically modified foods.
Microwave Popcorn.
Canned foods.
Grilled red meat.
Refined sugar.
Salted, pickled and smoked foods.
White flour.
Hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Cancer can be prevented by eating raw, fresh and organic foods and regular consumption of non-starchy vegetables.
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HIV positive women with cytomegalovirus may infect their babies with the virus

HIV-positive women with cytomegalovirus CMV, in their urine at the time of delivery may pass the virus to their babies.

Women who had gonorrhea when they gave birth may also infect their babies with CMV. Babies infected through their mothers and those with weakened immune systems will experience serious health problems.

CMV can impair fetal growth, cause birth defects and babies born with the virus can have damage to their brain, liver, lung and spleen.

 Researchers examined 260 pairs of mothers and 222 babies from who were enrolled in a perinatal study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

After testing the mothers' and infants' urine for detectable CMV, the researchers discovered that- 2 percent of the women had detectable CMV and 3.8 percent of babies had the virus.

Eight percent of women with detectable CMV had babies with the virus, as opposed to 2.1 percent of women who did not have CMV.

Two percent of women with detectable CMV transmitted the virus to their babies compared with 8.1 of those who did not have CMV.

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