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Engineers use electric fields to manipulate viruses in microfluidic device

The technique uses microfluidics -- the submillimeter control of fluids within a precise, geometric structure. On what is basically a tricked-out microscope slide, chemical engineers from Michigan Technological University have been able to manipulate viruses in a microfluidic device using electric fields.

3 Nov 2020

COVID-19 patients at risk of fatal co-infection during ICU stays

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing that a high proportion of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acquire a secondary bacterial co-infection during their hospital stay.

29 Oct 2020

Scientists discern molecular mechanisms underlying plant parasitism, cross-species grafting

Using the model Orobanchaceae parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum, scientists from Nagoya University and other research institutes from Japan have discerned the molecular mechanisms underlying plant parasitism and cross-species grafting, pinpointing enzyme β-1,4-glucanase (GH9B3) as an important contributor to both phenomena.

12 Oct 2020

Anti-N-protein IgG may predict severity of COVID-19

A recent study by researchers at the University of Miami, Miami VA Healthcare System and Express Gene and published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports on the prognostic significance of the anti-N Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

28 Sep 2020

Predatory bacteria use unique tools to escape safely from prey cell

Predatory bacteria, capable of invading and consuming harmful bugs such as E .coli and Salmonella, use a unique tool to help them escape the cell they have invaded without harming themselves, according to a new study.

24 Sep 2020

Study shows how fiber shapes the structure of plant cell walls

The secret of how fibre shapes the structure of plant cell walls has been revealed, with potentially wide-ranging applications ranging from nutrition and health to agriculture.

18 Sep 2020

Study shows why bacterial cells behave differently on different types of surfaces

These results from studies in both experimental and theoretical physics may help to improve antibacterial surfaces. The research work was recently published in the journal 'Nanoscale'.

17 Sep 2020

Bacterial movement is powered by tiny protein motor

The ability to move is key for bacteria like some strains of salmonella and E. coli to efficiently spread infections. They can propel themselves forward using threads, known as flagella, powered by the flagellar rotary motor.

15 Sep 2020

Tobacco plant promotes tissue adhesion and can maintain grafts between different species

Grafting is a horticultural technique that joins plants together by means of tissue regeneration, combining desirable characteristics of both plants. Generally, grafts have been thought to be compatible only between the same or closely related species.

14 Sep 2020

Cancer cells reshape, destroy or integrate into blood vessels to spread

In laboratory studies, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins University researchers observed a key step in how cancer cells may spread from a primary tumor to a distant site within the body, a process known as metastasis.

1 Sep 2020

International researchers study the effects of pathogenic fungus Candida auris

The pathogenic fungus Candida auris, which first surfaced in 2009, is proving challenging to control. It is resistant to many fungicides and not easy to diagnose.

28 Aug 2020

Researchers reveal how bacteria adhere to cellulose fibers in the gut

Researchers have revealed a new molecular mechanism by which bacteria adhere to cellulose fibers in the human gut. Thanks to two different binding modes, they can withstand the shear forces in the body.

28 Aug 2020

Study reveals bacteria's secret weapon to evade immune responses

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute scientists have discovered a previously unknown method used by bacteria to evade immune responses.

17 Aug 2020

Researchers review scientific articles on proteins that help cancer cells enter the brain

An international team of scientists, including a researcher from Sechenov University, reviewed scientific articles on proteins (and genes encoding them) that help cancer cells enter the brain.

12 Aug 2020

Stanford study reveals immunological deviations and lapses in severe COVID-19 cases

Some people get really sick from COVID-19, and others don't. Nobody knows why.

11 Aug 2020

Synthetic peptide can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a synthetic peptide that can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again when used together with traditional antibiotics, offering hope for the prospect of a combination treatment strategy to tackle certain antibiotic-tolerant infections.

6 Aug 2020

Chlamydiae need a lot of glutamine to multiply in human cells

If chlamydiae want to multiply in a human cell, the first thing they need is a lot of glutamine. Würzburg researchers have clarified how the pathogenic bacteria obtain this substance.

3 Aug 2020

New technology could speed up drug discovery to fight tuberculosis

A new technology that combines high throughput imaging and machine learning could speed discovery of drugs to fight tuberculosis, which for generations has killed more people worldwide than any other disease caused by a single agent-;4,000 people every day.

23 Jul 2020

Study shows how plants operate on a molecular level

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals how plants create the load-bearing structures that let them grow - much like how building crews frame a house.

10 Jul 2020

Researchers discover new candidate for raw material synthesis through gene transfer

Cyanobacteria hardly need any nutrients and use the energy of sunlight. Bathers are familiar with these microorganisms - often incorrectly called "blue-green algae" - as they often occur in waters.

2 Jul 2020