When the organisation examined microorganisms infecting people at the start of the season in October, there were no prevailing varieties. However, as time progresses, certain strains spread and contaminate more successfully, so their population grows.

Dr David Brown of the HPA has informed the public that this does not mean the virus causes more serious illness, and reminded sufferers to maintain high levels of hygiene.

According to the latest figures, there have been 4,140 confirmed cases of norovirus this season – 63 per cent higher than at the same time last year.

The winter vomiting bug affects between 600,000 and one million people in the UK annually, according to the NHS, making it the most common stomach infection.

Biological experts expect incidence rates to tail off in March, when people spend more time outdoors and the virus is less likely to spread.

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA) Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have created an accessory that could easily be attached to handsets, which the majority of people carry with them at all times. This ensures the utmost convenience for those affected by allergies.

Many prepared meals and snacks do not have associated nutritional information readily available, and so sufferers may have more difficulty determining whether foods are safe to eat while outside the home. Sufferers are better able to carefully control their consumption in their own kitchen.

A gadget to use on-the-go could therefore significantly benefit those who have these types of issues. According to the NHS, one-in-14 children below the age of three years is affected, but many of these will gradually phase out. However, many adults will have adverse reactions to peanuts, milk and seafood.

The new gadget, called the iTube, uses a mobile phone camera and application to digitally evaluate whether certain substances are present in provided samples. The process currently requires users to grind up parts of the food to be tested and mix it with water and a specialised solvent in a test tube. The person must also carefully add reactive liquids throughout the procedure, which takes approximately 20 minutes.

A measurement in parts per million will be provided, so that users can determine whether the levels are safe. It can identify some of the most common food allergens, including peanuts, almonds, eggs and gluten. Academics tested the effectiveness using regular cookies – it is vitally important that the tool is accurate before it is made available, as a misreading could cause a person to eat contaminated foods and experience an anaphylaxis shock.

Symptoms of a food allergy include an itchy sensation inside the mouth or throat and swelling of the face. Some diagnosed patients carry adrenalin syringes with them at all times, which should be administered in the event of a serious adverse reaction. People experiencing anaphylaxis shocks could have difficulty breathing, and may feel extremely dizzy.

Researchers from the John Hopkins Hospital found that specialised vaporisers could effectively spread the agent in the air and onto surrounding surfaces while another device removes the chemical’s toxic properties. The machines have already been used in Singapore healthcare facilities following a serious outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

After testing the advanced cleaning devices in a hospital room, the experimenters found that consequent superbug infections fell by 64 per cent, thus reducing problems for patients, additional workload for medical professionals and expenditure related to treatment.

Senior study investigator Trish Perl said: “Hydrogen peroxide vapour, as spread around patients’ rooms by these devices, represents a major technological advance in preventing the spread of dangerous bacteria inside hospitals and, especially, from one patient occupant to the next.”

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections are currently a huge problem in the UK, and the government and healthcare workers are taking a number of methods to try to reduce rates. Hygiene and cleanliness is extremely important, as the bacteria are easily spread around wards and between different patients.

The number of cases is falling, perhaps as hospitals have better knowledge on how to reduce superbug populations and treat patients, but there were still 17,414 reported infections in England throughout 2011, according to the NHS. Those affected may have symptoms including fever and diarrhoea, but more serious and potentially fatal complications can occur.

Using these disinfecting devices in healthcare facilities across the nation could help to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality rates. Sick people are at a higher risk of complications from C. diff, so lowering bacteria populations in hospitals is particularly important.

The researchers also believe that the infection-control vapourisers could prove extremely useful in sterilising packaging of hospital supplies. Products left in contaminated areas may need to be discarded, even if they are protected by sealed wrapping. This can be a huge expense and wastage in the healthcare system.

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infections caused by bacteria. They can do this by killing the microbes directly (bacteriocidal) or through stopping their ability to multiply and cause the infection to increase and spread (bacteriostatic).

Slightly different varieties of the medicine can be used to treat a wide range of illnesses, from acne to chest infections and pneumonia. It provides aid to the body’s immune system, which struggles to cope with an influx of the germs. They work by interfering with the bacterial cell structure.

However, the microbes can establish resistance to the drugs, especially if doctors prescribe or patients take them irresponsibly. Some people fail to take the full prescribed course of antibiotics, perhaps because they feel better sooner and believe it is unnecessary. This can cause huge problems for treatment in the future.

As soon as a person feels better, it is extremely unlikely that all of the infection has been removed. Doctors advise taking a certain number of antibiotics, which continue after patients’ symptoms have cleared, so that it is certain all of the bacterium have been killed. By stopping the course early, people are allowing those microbes which are most resistant to the drug to survive, and perhaps multiply.

Over time, an entire population of bacteria can become immune to the effects of antibiotics, meaning doctors have to find alternate treatments. This is expensive, inconvenient, and there may not always be other options available. Some infections are now untreatable, because the bacteria developed resistance to previously-effective drugs.

Healthcare providers also have a role to play, by avoiding misguided and over-prescription of antibiotics. Some patients receive these medicines when they have flu, although since this condition is caused by a virus so the drug is unsuccessful. It may also be administered to those with mild infections, where the risk of developing resistance may not worth the benefits.

The experts compared fraternal and identical twins. This is a method used in many experiments, as it allows researchers to analyse differences and similarities between people who share the same DNA and environment (identical) to brothers or sisters who have different genetic material but generally share the same environment (fraternal), thus exposing DNA or environment-only effects.

Identical twins share the same genetic code because they result from the splitting of a single zygote. Fraternal twins are born after two eggs are fertilised by two different sperm cells at the same time.

By using saliva samples which had been taken from these participants over the course of a decade as part of the Longitudinal Twin Study and Colorado Adoption Project, researchers were able to determine whether identical twins were consistently more likely to have similar microorganisms present. If so, this would indicate that genes play an important role in the oral microbiome.

They found that brothers or sisters with the same DNA had saliva which was no more similar than fraternal twins. This suggests that environment has the prominent, if not total, influence over what types of bacteria reside in the mouth.

Scientists plan to conduct further studies to determine whether genes have any role in microbial saliva presence.

The longitudinal study also allowed analysts to see how, if at all, the bacteria change over time. They discovered that the most drastic microbiome adaptations occur between the ages of 12 and 17; however, they did not have data from a whole lifetime.

This finding suggests that transformations of hormonal levels associated with adolescence and puberty may therefore influence oral bacteria. On the other hand, lifestyle changes at this age could also account for the differences.

Understanding more about the types of organisms inhabiting human mouths could help to shape oral and dental hygiene practices. Most of the bacteria in saliva help to protect against infection.

New Easy-to-Use Handbook Provides One-Stop Access to Comprehensive Range of Reagents and Solvents

LOUGHBOROUGH, England (October 22, 2012) – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the launch of its new Fisher Chemical and Fisher BioReagents Laboratory Reagents Handbook, an essential, easy-to-use reference guide for one-stop access to its comprehensive laboratory reagent ranges.

The new Fisher Chemical and Fisher BioReagents Laboratory Reagents Handbook features 250 new products, including an extended range of Optima™ liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) solvents and high-purity acids for trace elemental analysis, microbiology media and modifying enzymes. In addition, the Laboratory Reagents Handbook includes more than 4,400 Fisher Chemical products and solutions dedicated to analytical applications and more than 1,000 Fisher BioReagents products for molecular biology research, biochemistry and cellular biology.

Designed to be easy to navigate, the Fisher Chemical and Fisher BioReagents Laboratory Reagents Handbook allows users to quickly access product information by application or product name. The handbook provides detailed specifications and GHS-compliant hazard symbols for all products, along with grade, application, physical, chemical and transportation information. With many different product grades available, there are products to suit every analytical and life science application.

Analytical reagents and solvents are produced in an ISO 9001:2000- and ISO 14001-compliant manufacturing site. All products feature innovative, environmentally friendly packaging that is designed for quality, safety and convenience.

Customers can order the Fisher Chemical and Fisher BioReagents Laboratory Reagents Handbook from local Fisher Chemical distributors or by sending a request to info@acros.com. For more information on Fisher Chemical products, please visit www.acros.com, or view the full range available on www.fisher.co.uk.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of $12 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through three premier brands, Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity™ Lab Services, which offer a unique combination of innovative technologies, convenient purchasing options and a single solution for laboratory operations management. Our products and services help our customers solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Visit www.thermofisher.com.

When we eat, we usually assume that the food is being kept all for ourselves. But a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has found you are actually sharing it with a vast community of microbes waiting within your digestive tract.

Senior study author John Rawls, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology at UNC, said: “This study is the first to demonstrate that microbes can promote the absorption of dietary fats in the intestine and their subsequent metabolism in the body.

“The results underscore the complex relationship between microbes, diet and host physiology.”

Previous studies have revealed that gut microbes aid the breakdown of complex carbohydrates, but this is the first time research has been conducted into their role in dietary fat metabolism. The study, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, found that one group of bacteria – Firmicutes – is instrumental in increasing fat absorption.

Additionally, they revealed that the abundance of Firmicutes in the gut was influenced by diet, in that regular consumption of food leads to more Firmicutes bacteria compared to eating barely any food at all.

“Our findings indicate that the gut microbiota can increase the host’s ability to harvest calories from the diet by stimulating fat absorption,” said the study’s lead researcher, Ivana Semova, PhD, who was a graduate student at UNC at the time the study was conducted. “Another implication is that diet history could impact fat absorption by changing the abundance of certain microbes, such as Firmicutes, that promote fat absorption.”

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have found some promising results in the field, which could use ultrastable RNA nanoparticles to regulate cell function and binding to cancers without harming surrounding tissue.

The study, published in Nano Today, uses RNA (ribonucleic acid) as a building block for the bottom-up fabrication of nanostructures. Using technology pioneered by Peixuan Guo, the William S. Farish endowed chair in nanobiotechnology at the UK Markey Cancer Centre, the researchers constructed ultrastable X-shaped RNA nanoparticles using re-engineered RNA fragments to carry up to four therapeutic and diagnostic modules.

These nanoparticles can include small interfering RNA for silencing genes, micro-RNA for regulating gene expression, aptamer for targeting cancer cells, or a ribozyme that can catalyze chemical reactions.

Mr Guo said: “RNA nanotechnology is an emerging field, but the instability and degradation of RNA nanoparticles have made many scientists flinch away from the research in RNA nanotechnology.

“We have addressed these issues, and now it is possible to produce RNA nanoparticles that are highly stable both chemically and thermodynamically in the test tube or in the body with great potential as therapeutic reagents.”

There has been a lot of hype over the use of RNA nanoparticles for medical applications, and they encompass several favourable characteristics which could be ideal for use. These attributes include is its polyvalent nature, which allows simultaneous delivery of multiple functional molecules for achieving synergistic effects, its modular design, which enables controlled self-assembly with defined structure, being thermodynamically stable, which keeps the RNA nanoparticles intact in animal and human circulation systems, and being chemically stable, which makes the nanoparticles resistant to RNase (an enzyme, which cleaves RNA) digestion in the blood serum.

Dr Mark Evers, director of the UK Markey Cancer Centre, said: “A major problem with cancer treatments is the ability to more directly and specifically deliver anti-cancer drugs to cancer metastases.

“Using the nanotechnology approach that Peixuan Guo and his group have devised may allow us to more effectively treat cancer metastasis with fewer side effects compared to current chemotherapy.”

Blending optical and atomic force microscope technologies, researchers from technologies, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory have found a way to complete 3-D measurements of single molecules. Previous research efforts only allow researchers to measure single molecules on the x and y axes of a 2-D plane, but this represents a new stage for nanotechnology.

Sanjeevi Sivasankar, an Iowa State assistant professor of physics and astronomy and an associate of the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory said: ”This is a completely new type of measurement that can be used to determine the z position of molecules.”

Details of the new technology have been published in the Journal Nano Letters, with lead author professor Sivasankar saying they had two objects when commencing their research: to learn how biological cells adhere to each other and to develop new tools to study those cells.

It was for this reason that the new microscope technology – called standing wave axial nanometry (SWAN) – was developed. It works by attaching a commercial atomic force microscope to a single molecule fluorescence microscope. Positioning the tip of the atomic force microscope over a focused laser beam, the team managed to create a standing wave pattern.

A molecule which can emit light is placed within the standing wave, and the tip of the atomic force microscope moves up and down. The fluorescence emitted by the molecule then fluctuates in a way that corresponds to its distance from the surface. That distance can be compared to a marker on the surface and measured.

“We can detect the height of the molecule with nanometer accuracy and precision,” Sivasankar said.

“We hope to use this technology to move that research forward, and in doing that, we’ll continue to invent new technologies.”

Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle have found that chemo can trigger a rogue response in healthy cells which makes people resistant to the treatment. Many people with secondary cancers don’t respond to the treatment, which could be because the therapy causes wound-healing cells around tumours to make a protein that helps the cancer resist treatment.

The next step in the research goals will be finding a way to stop this effect. Chemo is currently given at intervals to ensure the body isn’t overwhelmed by its toxicity, but this time gap also allows tumour cells to recover and develop resistance.

Fibroblast cells were the main focus of the study because they usually play a central role in wound healing and the production of collagen. They found chemotherapy causes DNA damage that causes the fibroblasts to produce up to 30 times more of a protein called WNT16B than they should. This protein fuels growth in cancer cells which go onto invade surrounding tissue, and to resist chemotherapy.

It is hoped that the researcher’s findings will help find a way to stop this response, and improve the effectiveness of therapy.

Peter Nelson, who led the research, said: “Cancer therapies are increasingly evolving to be very specific, targeting key molecular engines that drive the cancer rather than more generic vulnerabilities, such as damaging DNA.

“Our findings indicate that the tumour microenvironment also can influence the success or failure of these more precise therapies.”

Prof Fran Balkwill, a Cancer Research UK expert on the microenvironment around tumours, added that the research is consistent with previous studies that showed cancer treatments don’t just affect cancer cells, but can also target cells in and around the tumour. This can have both positive and negative effects, and research goals will now be focussed on challenging the impact to just the positive responses.