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Genetic oscillator captures changes in gut microbiome growth patterns

For all the attention the human microbiome has been getting over the last few years, one aspect of such research rarely makes headlines: the difficulty of observing how it changes over time in response to various stimuli.

11 Oct 2019

New tool records and tracks microbiome growth

Over the past years, the human microbiome has gained immense popularity due to its role in shaping one’s health. It is essential for human development, nutrition, and immunity. That’s why many studies have focused on how to improve one’s health by targeting or enhancing the microbiome.

11 Oct 2019

New liquid-cell technology provides first 3D view of life’s processes

A new liquid-cell technology allows scientists to see biological materials and systems in three dimensions under an electron microscope (EM), according to researchers at Penn State, Virginia Tech and Protochips Inc.

10 Oct 2019

Low-dose exposure to antibiotics can have major impacts on gut bacteria

An antibiotic commonly found at low concentrations in the environment can have major impacts on gut bacteria, report researchers at the University of Oregon.

10 Oct 2019

A Lego-like approach to enhance nature's own ability to attack bacteria

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers antibiotic resistance one of the most urgent public health threats, one that affects communities worldwide. The ramifications of bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics can be seen in hospitals, public places, our food supply, and our water.

10 Oct 2019

Environmental estrogen burdens babies in mothers' wombs

Xenoestrogens are absorbed through the environment, especially through food. As oestrogen-like substances, they can have a profound effect on the body's hormonal balance.

10 Oct 2019

Study pinpoints a gene that allows chlamydia to pick up DNA from host environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the U.S., totaling 1.7 million cases in 2017. Rates are highest among teenagers and young adults. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause blindness and sterility.

10 Oct 2019

Tips to manage symptoms and flare-ups in children with eczema

Atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema) is a common skin condition in babies. It affects up to 25% of children, and an estimated 60% of people with eczema develop it during their first year of life.

10 Oct 2019

Researchers show how food estrogen migrates through the placenta

The human fetus is considered to be particularly sensitive to environmental contaminants. A team led by Benedikt Warth from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna and Tina Bürki from the Swiss Materials Science and Technology Institute, Empa, has now been able to demonstrate for the first time how the widespread food estrogen zearalenone behaves in the womb.

10 Oct 2019

Nanostructured surfaces can minimize bacterial adhesion

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections. These pathogens are particularly problematic because they can form highly robust biofilms on both natural and artificial surfaces and are very difficult to remove.

10 Oct 2019

CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme programmed to destroy viruses in human cells

Many of the world's most common or deadly human pathogens are RNA-based viruses -- Ebola, Zika and flu, for example -- and most have no FDA-approved treatments.

10 Oct 2019

Compound in human breast milk inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Iowa have identified a compound in human breast milk that fights infections by harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive.

10 Oct 2019

Study shows antibiotic resistance in livestock has almost tripled since 2000

The growing appetite for animal protein in developing countries has resulted in a smorgasbord of antibiotic consumption for livestock that has nearly tripled the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria easily transmitted from animals to humans, according to a recent report in the journal Science.

10 Oct 2019

Hand sanitizers are effective, but nothing can beat traditional handwashing

Whether they dangle from keychains, spritz from pens or froth and pump out of clinic and classroom dispensers, hand sanitizers are convenient alternatives to handwashing, and they do work.

9 Oct 2019

How do gallstones form?

The human body is known to produce stones in various locations, most commonly in the kidneys, the bladder, the gallbladder and the appendix. Many of these stones appear without any obvious reason. However, a new study published in the journal Immunity shows the whole storyline for the first time: how gallstones are formed.

9 Oct 2019

Study sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods - especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes.

9 Oct 2019

Army scientists develop new weapon to combat super-bugs

Antibiotic resistance is a one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Army scientists have developed a new weapon to combat super-bugs, which could protect Soldiers and fight resistance.

9 Oct 2019

Researchers discover most virulent representatives of listeriosis pathogen

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a life-threatening infection in animals and humans. Contaminated food is a frequent source of infection. Elderly people, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women are particularly at risk with a mortality rate of up to 30 per cent.

9 Oct 2019

Study highlights potential impact of chlamydia infection on men's fertility

The potential impact of undiagnosed sexually transmitted chlamydia infection on men's fertility has been highlighted in a study led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which for the first time found chlamydia in the testicular tissue biopsies of infertile men whose infertility had no identified cause.

9 Oct 2019