Extremophils in your gut

Scientists from the Japanese Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology publish their findings online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The helicobacter, which causes ulcers, and campylobacter, which causes food-borne diarrhoea, share many similar genes
with two harmless proteobacteria -- sulfurovum and nitratiruptor -- found deep on the ocean bed

They grow in extreme environments.

They also have few DNA repair genes, allowing frequent mutations to occur -- they can therefore adapt quickly to changing conditions and to the immune response of a symbiotic host.

Such characteristics suggest that these pathogens evolved from a deep-sea ancestor, and acquired further virulence factors while living in symbiosis with humans

How to stop diabetes wreaking lasting havoc

Hyperglycemia continues to do harm long afterwards.
It causes mitochondrial proteins to become attached to glycans. This impaired their function and makes them produce reactive oxygen species.

The changes to the cellular proteins are not reversible, and they continue to pump out these molecules even when glucose levels have returned to normal.

The reactive molecules could be neutralised by antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid, or injections of vitamin C, or a blood-pressure-lowering drug called telmisartan.

These compounds can counteract the 'memory' because they work inside cells to block free-radical production.

Patients would have to take such antioxidants for life, to mop up the continuous production of free radicals