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Addressing the global challenge of bacterial STIs

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hundreds of millions of new cases of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are reported worldwide each year. Many infections go undiagnosed due to their often silent symptoms, contributing to transmission, disease and complications such as infertility and miscarriage.

14 Feb 2025

Could yogurt help prevent certain colorectal cancers? New study explores the link

Regular yogurt intake may lower the risk of Bifidobacterium-positive colorectal cancer, particularly in the proximal colon, but does not reduce the risk of Bifidobacterium-negative tumors. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand yogurt’s role in gut health and cancer prevention.

13 Feb 2025

How immune cells and neurons secretly shape brain health, behavior, and disease

Scientists explore how the immune and nervous systems constantly communicate, influencing brain diseases, behavior, and repair while shaping responses to environmental factors like sleep, diet, and pollution.

13 Feb 2025

Gut bacteria could one day serve as microscopic in-house pharmacists

Hundreds of different species of microbes live, laugh, and love in your gut. In the future, one of these might serve a new function: microscopic in-house pharmacist.

13 Feb 2025

Protein shuttling mechanism enables bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics

A Cornell University-led collaboration has uncovered the equipment that enables bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics: a shuttling mechanism that helps a complex of proteins pump out a wide spectrum of antibiotics along with other physiological substrates from the cell.

13 Feb 2025

Brain aging linked to neuronal hyperactivation, not decline, study finds

A study of nematodes by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has found that aging-related decline in brain function is caused by the excessive activation of certain neurons over time, rather than a decline in neuronal activity.

13 Feb 2025

Diabetes plays key role in the emergence and expansion of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics are powerful, fast-acting medications designed to eradicate bacterial infections. However, in recent years, their dependability has waned as antibiotic resistant bacteria continues to evolve and spread.

12 Feb 2025

Long-term yogurt intake linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer

Yogurt, which contains live strains of bacteria, is thought to protect against many types of diseases, with some reports indicating it could reduce risk of colorectal cancer.

12 Feb 2025

New discovery could overcome immune therapy failure in ovarian cancer

University of Virginia Cancer Center researchers have explained the failure of immune checkpoint therapy for ovarian cancer by discovering how gut bacteria interfere with the treatment.

12 Feb 2025

Inhaled antibody therapy shows promise for COVID-19 treatment

The inhaled monoclonal antibody IN-006 shows promise in COVID-19 treatment, with high airway antibody levels and a favorable safety profile in healthy adults.

12 Feb 2025

Global study reveals diversity in healthy vaginal microbiomes

Seeking to understand what constitutes a healthy vaginal microbiome, a global research collaboration that includes a Rutgers-New Brunswick scientist has reported a series of findings, including identifying which bacteria thwart vaginal disease and determining that microbiomes vary significantly across human populations.

11 Feb 2025

Duke engineers develop synthetic approach to boost bacterial protein synthesis

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a new synthetic approach that turbocharges bacteria into producing more of a specific protein, even proteins that would normally destroy them, such as antibiotics.

11 Feb 2025

Study shows a clear causal relationship between gut microbiota and vagal nerve activity

A new study in an animal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication, addressing a critical gap in the field.

11 Feb 2025

Gut microbes influence how well cancer patients respond to immunotherapy

Researchers discovered that gut microbiota-derived hexa-acylated LPS enhances the effectiveness of anti-PD-1 cancer immunotherapy, while penta-acylated LPS may suppress immune responses.

11 Feb 2025

Broccoli sprouts may help prediabetes, but only with the right gut bacteria

Broccoli sprout extract (BSE) modestly lowered fasting blood glucose in prediabetes, but its effectiveness depended on gut microbiota, particularly the BT2160 operon.

11 Feb 2025

Study explores microbiome reboot to prolong effect of Crohn's disease therapy

A special liquid diet, known as exclusive enteral nutrition, is an essential therapy for Crohn's disease. Patients consume only this formula for six to eight weeks, completely avoiding solid foods. However, the exact reasons why this is helpful were previously unclear.

11 Feb 2025