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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Cacaito who wrote (7998)	12/10/1998 7:08:00 AM
From: Robert K.	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17367

Food for thought. Cacaito,bluegreen etc..> trauma is over 460 and could you comment on the potential (if any) of bpi products vs anthrax,plague, and hemorraghic fever(ebola etc.>intestinal perm). I am thinking........ defenselink.mil

To: Cacaito who wrote (7998)	12/10/1998 9:37:00 PM
From: Bluegreen	Respond to of 17367

Septic shock gene discovered NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters Health) -- The discovery of a gene that plays a critical role in the development of shock due to serious infections may help physicians identify patients at risk and lead to new ways of preventing this type of shock, according to a report this week in the journal Science. Septic shock -- circulatory collapse triggered by bacteria -- causes about 20,000 deaths each year in the US, and up to one million deaths annually worldwide. Dr. Bruce Beutler of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and colleagues report that in mice, a mutation in the ''toll-like receptor-4 (Tlr4)'' gene ''cause susceptibility to overwhelming infections caused by bacteria such as Salmonella,'' according to a university press release. The Tlr4 gene plays a vital role in the immune system's ability to respond to endotoxins -- proteins produced by gram-negative bacteria. But a mutation in the gene can impair this process. ''If the early-warning system fails, the infection continues to spread throughout the body,'' explained Beutler in a statement. ''This can result in massive overproduction of (chemical weapons against infection which)... can cause shock.'' ''It will take a while to determine if there are equivalent mutations in the gene'' in humans, Beutler told Reuters Health, but it is ''very likely'' that there are, he said. ''If it is the case that many cases of septic shock are actually attributable to mutations in the gene,'' the finding may lead to the development of a test to identify patients at risk, who could then be treated with prophylactic antibiotics, Beutler explained. Alternatively, drugs could be developed to block the process, preventing shock while the infection is controlled with antibiotics. Currently, Beutler said, ''We can treat gram-negative (bacterial) infections themselves, but we can't treat the shock that results from gram-negative infection.''