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Genetic mechanism shields bacterial communities from viral threats

Like humans struggling to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, bacterial cells need social distancing to thwart viruses.

16 Feb 2024

HBO's 'The Last of Us' fungal apocalypse, science fiction, not future reality

Researchers in "Emerging Infectious Diseases" debunk the scenario of a global fungal pandemic as depicted in HBO's 'The Last of Us,' citing slow fungal evolution and current pathologies as barriers to such an event.

15 Feb 2024

Fluid-filled lung sac found to be the hub for virus-eating cells

Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu infections.

14 Feb 2024

Fungicide resistance: A global threat to human, animal, and plant health

Fungi can cause disease in both humans, animals, and plants. Every year, 1.5 million people die from fungal infections, and fungal attacks in food crops threaten food production.

9 Feb 2024

Recycled food waste may be contaminated with pharmaceutical residues, research reveals

New research reveals that recycled food waste may be contaminated with pharmaceutical residues. The good news is that fungi cultivated in biogas digestate show minimal absorption of these contaminants.

9 Feb 2024

IU surgeon-scientist investigates the role of sinus microbiome in chronic rhinosinusitis

An Indiana University School of Medicine surgeon-scientist is leading a multi-institutional grant investigating the role of the sinus microbiome in chronic rhinosinusitis, an inflammatory disease that causes the lining of the sinuses to swell.

1 Feb 2024

Microgravity may make space veggies more prone to bacteria

Lettuce and other leafy green vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet -; even for astronauts on a mission.

22 Jan 2024

RecA protein skips "unwinding" step in DNA repair

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have been studying DNA repair by homologous recombination, where the RecA protein repairs breaks in double-stranded DNA by incorporating a dangling single-strand end into intact double strands, and repairing the break based on the undamaged sequence.

20 Jan 2024

New research center seeks to harness the positive powers of fungi

A new research center focused on harnessing the positive powers of fungi is being established at Cranfield University with a £7.2 million injection of funding from Research England.

19 Jan 2024

New device rapidly provides white blood cell count with a single drop of blood

A Rutgers researcher, through his spinoff company, has led a team to design and test a device that quickly counts a person's white blood cells with a single drop of blood, similar to the way glucometers rapidly scan for blood sugar levels.

18 Jan 2024

The role of glucose in inducing tolerance to amphotericin B for fungal meningitis treatment

Researchers investigate the mechanism responsible for amphotericin B tolerance of Cryptococcus neoformans.

18 Jan 2024

New study shows how brain glucose affects fungal disease treatment

Metabolite-drug-fungal interactions in the fungal meningitis pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

16 Jan 2024

Gut microbiota: the new frontier in Alzheimer’s disease research and therapy

The current evidence of the role of gut microbiota in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis.

8 Jan 2024

New method illuminates intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in nematodes

We have two copies of each chromosome in every cell in our bodies except in our reproductive cells. Sperm and egg cells contain a single copy of each chromosome with a unique mix of genes from our parents, an evolutionary trick to give our offspring genetic variability.

3 Jan 2024

Autopsy study provides new insights into yellow fever's impact on the heart

To fill gaps in knowledge of yellow fever (YF), a group of researchers in Brazil affiliated with the Department of Pathology at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP), Hospital das Clínicas (HC, the hospital complex run by FM-USP), the Heart Institute (InCor, linked to HC) and Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases (IIER) decided to study the pathogenesis of YF-associated heart injury.

19 Dec 2023

Immunoregulatory nanomedicines for the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases

Study explores immunoregulatory nanomedicines for respiratory infections, highlighting their potential in enhancing treatment outcomes and vaccine efficacy.

7 Dec 2023

UVA researchers discover how Lactobacillus may help prevent depression and anxiety

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety. The findings open the door to new therapies to treat anxiety, depression and other mental-health conditions.

4 Dec 2023

Machine learning unlocks secrets of antimicrobial resistance, identifying over 900 key genes

Researchers employed advanced techniques like gene annotation, pangenomics, and machine learning to identify over 900 genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance in 12 bacterial species, outperforming traditional identification methods. This breakthrough approach offers new insights into the genetic basis of resistance, potentially guiding the development of more effective antibiotics

27 Nov 2023

Novel method can detect contaminants in T-cell cultures within 24 hours

Researchers from Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed a novel method capable of identifying contaminants in T-cell cultures within 24 hours.