interesting article

[Guest guest]

Staph-Link Protein May Help Arthritis

Sun Jun 23, 2:02 PM ET By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A protein that makes staph infections more

dangerous by blocking the body's immune defenses may help point the

way to better treatments for arthritis and other diseases.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus produces a protein that inhibits

those defenses, thereby reducing the normal inflammatory response to

infection, according to Dr. Triantafyllos Chavakis of Justus Liebig

University in Giessen, Germany, and colleagues.

Reducing inflammation is crucial to combating arthritis and other

diseases. The researchers suggest the action of the staph protein

could form the basis for designing new anti-inflammatory drugs.

" Understanding the mechanisms by which bacteria avoid the host immune

response might lead to novel therapies, " Chavakis said.

The protein encourages staph to bind to host cells by connecting to

receptors. Filling those receptors makes them unavailable to immune

cells, whose movement to the site of the inflammation is then

blocked.The findings were being published Monday in the online

edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

Dr. A. Fox of the University of Michigan, who was not part of

the research team, said that substances with anti-inflammatory

properties often have applications beyond the body system in which

they are initially studied.

Joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis depends on movement of

white blood cells called leukocytes into the joint lining tissue, he

noted, so blocking this migration could be a worthwhile strategy.

Staph is an extremely troublesome bacterium that leads to a variety

of illnesses and is a major source of hospital-acquired infection.

Staph causes such things as the scalded skin disease that strikes

infants, toxic shock syndrome and systemic blood poisoning called

sepsis.

Antibiotics once controlled the bacteria, but some strains of staph

are now resistant to the drugs.

The German researchers found that while staph uses the protein known

as extracellular adherence factor to block the immune defenses, the

protein alone does not cause infection.

Reducing inflammation is a major focus of arthritis treatments. Also,

in recent years, inflammation in the bloodstream has become a suspect

in some heart disease.

Thus, the researchers suggest that it may be possible to use the

protein in the development of molecules that could block immune

system leukocytes from binding to cells, preventing the inflammation

in affected areas.The team tested that theory both in the lab and in

mice infected with peritonitis †" inflammation of the abdominal

cavity's lining †" and found that the protein reduced immune

system response that would increase inflammation.

They now plan to develop and test synthetic molecules called ICAM-1

antagonists, designed to perform the same function. They potentially

could be used in organ transplantation or rheumatoid arthritis,

Chavakis said.

" It is very hard to define the time frame for such antagonists to be

available in the clinic, " he added.

[Guest guest]

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Sep 22, 2006 8:14 AM

Subject: Fwd: Interesting article

To: anyascd@...

Brominated Vegetable Oil (also known as BVO) is banned in soft drinks in

India. BVO is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks. Well, look at all the

additives we eat. A nice article from Business week:

http://businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/aug2006/db20060807_789872.htm