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Cesarean delivery has little impact on development of childhood allergic diseases

A cesarean birth had little impact on whether a child would go onto develop allergies, a new study led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute has shown.

4 Mar 2020

Researchers take a close look at invisible communities of microbes in the mouth

Most people know that good oral hygiene - brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits - is linked to good health. Colorado State University microbiome researchers offer fresh evidence to support that conventional wisdom, by taking a close look at invisible communities of microbes that live in every mouth.

2 Mar 2020

Researchers elucidate structure and function of enzyme that builds complex sugar trees

Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate for the first time the structure and function of a very small enzyme embedded in cell membranes.

27 Feb 2020

Study finds no benefit in using broad-spectrum antibiotics as initial pneumonia treatment

Doctors who use drugs that target antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a first-line defense against pneumonia should probably reconsider this approach, according to a new study of more than 88,000 veterans hospitalized with the disease.

26 Feb 2020

Study sheds new light on the immune system’s ability to deal with co-infection

The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time.

26 Feb 2020

As the coronavirus spreads, Americans lose ground against other health threats

Antibiotics revolutionized the care of infections. Vaccines turned deadly childhood diseases into distant memories. Americans lived longer, healthier lives than their parents.

26 Feb 2020

Scientists discover new biological mechanism of insulin signaling

In a discovery that may further the understanding of diabetes and human longevity, scientists at Scripps Research have found a new biological mechanism of insulin signaling.

25 Feb 2020

Researchers develop novel therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant superbug infections

There may be a solution on the horizon to combating superbug infections resistant to antibiotics. The tenacious bacteria and fungi sicken more than 2.8 million people and lead to more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year.

20 Feb 2020

Live-cell imaging provides new insights into dynamic structure of mitochondria

As power plants and energy stores, mitochondria are essential components of almost all cells in plants, fungi and animals. Until now, it has been assumed that these functions underlie a static structure of mitochondrial membranes.

18 Feb 2020

Swansea University drug resistance research highlighted in two prestigious journals

Swansea University research into the threat posed by antifungal drug resistance has been highlighted in two prestigious international journals.

14 Feb 2020

New therapeutic compounds could fight against brain-eating amoebae

Brain-eating amoebae can cause particularly harmful forms of encephalitis, and more than 95% of people who develop these rare but devastating infections die.

12 Feb 2020

Rhizosphere microbiome can systemically shape and control root exudation

Roots are plant organs, that typically absorb water and minerals from soil. It is lesser known that roots also secrete metabolites, so-called root exudates, which impact the properties of soil directly around the root.

9 Feb 2020

Gut microbes in wasps help overcome pesticides

An intriguing study published in February 2020 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe reports that when wasps are exposed to atrazine, a commonly used pesticide, the gut microbiome undergoes changes that help them overcome the ill-effects of the exposure. In addition, the changes are passed on to the offspring, which means that the next generation will also inherit atrazine resistance even without being exposed to the chemical.

4 Feb 2020

Scientists reveal clinical features of Wuhan coronavirus patients

The Wuhan coronavirus, or the 2019-nCoV, which originated in Wuhan City in Hubei province infected more than 7,700 people with the death toll topping more than 170. China reports 38 deaths in just 24 hours, making the outbreak one of the deadliest ones the country has faced.

30 Jan 2020

The challenge of new antibiotic discovery

It is important to discover antibiotic drugs and to bring them to clinical use, a task made all the more urgent by the increase in the number of infections that are resistant to existing antibiotics. However, this task is a formidable one.

28 Jan 2020

UMD entomologists recognized by AAAS with 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded its 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize to University of Maryland entomologists Raymond St. Leger, Brian Lovett and their seven West African collaborators.

24 Jan 2020

Early vaping illness cases linked to vaping products containing vitamin E acetate

A new study published in January 2020 in the journal Toxics reports that a complete analysis of the products used by patients who fell ill after using vaping products shows one component standing out – vitamin E acetate (VEA). This was the outstanding component found in e-cigarette liquids containing cannabis compounds, but not in the nicotine-containing vaping liquids.

23 Jan 2020

Lung microbes could help predict outcomes in the seriously ill

A new study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine shows that recording the way the organisms living within the lungs change in type and numbers could reflect the response of the critically ill patient to medical care. Though changes in the lung microbiome have been known to exist even before this study, this research shows the clinical importance of this test.

23 Jan 2020

Combination of two immune defense strategies could afford alternative approach to treating sepsis

The human immune system uses two pre-programmed strategies to tackle infection. One is fever, a resistance mechanism that tries to eliminate a pathogen by raising the body's temperature.

23 Jan 2020

Bioactive peptide helps prevent new cavities, heal existing ones

Cavities, or dental caries, are the most widespread non-communicable disease globally, according to the World Health Organization. Having a cavity drilled and filled at the dentist's office can be painful, but untreated caries could lead to worse pain, tooth loss, infection, and even illness or death.

22 Jan 2020