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Aspergillus antigen regulates asthma
The authors of this paper hypothesise that the development of allergic senstitivity in lung tissue begins at a young age when mite allergens (widespread in bedding) are inhaled, or even in utero. Subsequent exposures to airborne allergens such as Aspergillus fumigatus conidia continue the process, so in order to understand the process in full we need to study the activity of allergens in combination. It now seems that when co-administered with mite allergen, live A. fumigatus conidia (not heat inactivated conidia) can markedly reduce the inflammation caused by dendritic cells in lung tissue - at least in the mouse model system used here. The mechanism is demonstrated to act via pathogen recognition receptors e.g. Toll-like receptor & Dectin. Fungi have a well documented tendency to make asthma much worse so this is obviously not a simple system - if dendritic cell mediation was the only mechanism contributing to asthma then this result would not make sense. Other hypotheses focus on proteinases produced by fungi, rather than live fungi, as drivers for asthma, so the interaction may be very complex The authors of this paper propose that their findings form the basis for new therapy targets as the modulating effect of A. fumigatus is active against both acquired and innate immunity. This MonthWe continue to work on the Metabolic Pathways software to make it run more quickly as it can be very slow. We have launched a new download service for some of our videos. We are making them available as podcasts using Apple's iTunes service, which can be downloaded and run on Windows or Apple computers Latest News and ArticlesArticles: There have been a 95 additions to the Articles section, of which 7 are reviews. NOTE we have rearranged the Articles index page to make it easier to look at recent articles as well as those that were added recently but were written some time ago. We have picked out a few of the highlights here: Itraconazole, a Commonly Used Antifungal that Inhibits Hedgehog Pathway Activity and Cancer Growth The hedgehog signalling pathway is very widely present across the animal kingdom. It is important for embryonic development in animals ranging from insects to mammals. It is also known to be inappropriately active in many different types of tumour and there are many ongoing efforts to develop drugs that will inhibit the Hedgehog pathway in the hope that they will attack tumour development. This paper shows that itraconazole - an important antifungal drug - has an entirely unrelated ability to inhibit the Hedgehog pathway and may thus be a ready made antitumour drug for those tumour that have abnormal hedgehog components. Its ability to inhibit tumour growth in a mouse model is demonstrated.. An Acidic (no added caffeine) beverage is shown to enhance uptake of itraconazole in a similar way to the cola drinks recommended by the manufacturer. There is no specific activity attributed to vitamin C - uptake enhancement likely to be due to the acidic nature of the drink.. Around 2% of patients on the antifngal voriconazole develop skin reactions such as photosensitivity, a few of which are severely photosensitive. A picture is emerging that a small number of those patients go on to develop cancerous melanoma. Vigilance is recommended for all patients who suffer from severe photosensitivity while on long term treatment with voriconazole. ReviewsGenetic susceptibility to infections with Aspergillus fumigatus This review summarizes the current knowledge about the growing number of genetic markers and their relevance for the course and outcome of infections with A. fumigatus. Advances in molecular detection of Aspergillus: an update A minireview of current techniques to detect Aspergillus, mainly in food and feed. Methods like RSIC, C-probe, and inversion probe
with pyrosequencing or direct ss/dsDNA detection
have been used for the identification of fungal or bacterial Lab ProtocolsWe have added a series of Standard Operating Procedures for labs working with pathogenic Aspergillus isolates, as used by the National Aspergillosis Centre. The centre undertakes research as well as diagnostic duties. Medical Images (Registration required)
A chest X-ray from a patient with CPA and childhood TB who responds well to posaconazole treatment. EducationThe first slide presentations from the recent 20th ECCMID meeting in Vienna are now available. The conference 'Focus on Fungal Infections 20' has been made available to watch on video as CME (Continued Medical Education). PatientsA new monthly patient meeting will begin in June 2010 based in Manchester, UK. This is intended for UK patients but we will trial access via computer for overseas patients. For more details email admin@aspergillus.org.uk It has just been suggested that our first meeting outside of Manchester will take place in Edinburgh in October - watch this space! A patient volunteer is making & selling handmade cards for birthdays in aid of the Fungal Research Trust. 6 cards for £6 and 75% of that goes to the FRT. Order here. There is a newly designed Patients website now entitled 'Aspergillosis Patient Support'. Much more comprehensive than before and easier to navigate but with the same successful support group and Q & A board Jobs6 new jobs currently being advertised: View Two PhD positions on ARIADNE - a new Initial Training Network focussed on the field of fungal signalling and pathogenesis. University of Aberdeen. Closing date 18th May 2010 Staff Specialist - Infectious Diseases at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW, Australia. To provide a clinical service in Infectious Diseases. Closing date 28 May 2010. Advanced Training Infectious Diseases Registrar at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Closing date 4th June 2010. Two postdoctoral positions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre are advertised to study fungal pathogenesis and immunology using Aspergillus fumigatus. Seattle, Washington. Closing date 17th June 2010 Advertise your vacancy free of charge on the Aspergillus Website here. Optional donation to the Fungal Research Trust to cover costs incurred in providing this newsletter. Courses and WorkshopsWe keep a listing of courses and workshops including 'one off' events and courses that repeat regularly. Course subjects are wide ranging and include medical mycology, lab ID, young scientists symposia and much more. Those coming up next are:
If you know of a course that should be added to this list please add it by contacting us here. VeterinaryAdverse Neurologic Events Associated with Voriconazole Use in 3 Cats. Blog
DonateSpecialist Aspergillosis Nurse Georgina Powell (National Aspergillosis Centre) has run the BUPA Great Manchester 10K Run in aid of the Fungal Research Trust. Many patients at the Centre will know the valuable work Georgina does for the clinic. Please donate here.
Her mum and her friend have decided to walk the West Highland Way (96 miles) in June 2010 in order to raise funds for the Fungal Research Trust in her memory. The appeal has raised around £1000 so far thanks to their fantastic efforts Read more of her story in her blog and how to donate here. Technical TipsOur discussion group (email and/or website) designed to promote discussion on technical issues for laboratory workers. Searching the websiteThere is now a third facility to search for information on Aspergillus. Covering all the information in the Aspergillus Website and including a series of websites we feel contain useful information NOT currently available on the Aspergillus Website, the Aspergillus World search engine contains large amounts of focussed information from all over the world. If you can suggest more (particularly keen to access information on industrial applications) then let us know at admin@aspergillus.org.uk. RSSDownload our updates and articles automatically every time we add to those pages- no need to wait for the next newsletter. 40 000 pages accesses per month. Use RSS. You can now receive notification of updates to the Aspergillus Website on your mobile phone via SMS texting free of charge. Go to http://twitter.com/AspergillusWeb and open a Twitter account. Follow AspergillusWeb. Join the Aspergillus & Aspergillosis group to get in touch and keep in touch with your professional colleagues working in this field. All free of charge. Thanks for reading!Visit our website again soon. The Aspergillus Team. |
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