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Brain parasite makes rodents unafraid of cats, other predators

Cats have the power to control the minds of rodents, through a brain parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The pathogen exerts a strange mind control on rodents that make them lose their fear of cats and become easier to catch.

15 Jan 2020

Immune system contribution to tumor heterogeneity may influence liver cancer growth

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine say the immune system might contribute to the tumor heterogeneity seen in liver cancer that can affect the rate of cancer growth.

15 Jan 2020

Study explains “Swiss-cheese” bones suspected to cause lower back pain

Researchers at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine say they have added to the evidence that age-related changes to spinal cartilage tissue could invite painful nerve overgrowth that causes lower back pain.

15 Jan 2020

HIV 'hotspots' do not necessarily fuel the epidemic

Areas of high HIV prevalence, known as 'hotspots', do not necessarily fuel the epidemic in the wider population, say researchers.

14 Jan 2020

KU Leuven researchers develop new antibacterial strategy that weakens bacteria

Bioscience engineers from KU Leuven in Belgium have developed a new antibacterial strategy that weakens bacteria by preventing them from cooperating. Unlike with antibiotics, there is no resistance to this strategy, because the non-resistant bacteria outnumber resistant ones.

14 Jan 2020

Study provides insights into how viral infection can continue to affect immunity

The strength of the immune system in response to respiratory infections is constantly changing, depending on the history of previous, unrelated infections, according to new research from the Crick.

From The Francis Crick Institute 14 Jan 2020

A New Discovery about MAIT Cells Sheds Light on Early-Phase HIV Infection

Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, have made an important discovery about a poorly understood group of immune cells (mucosa-associated invariant T [MAIT]cells) that could improve understanding of what happens during the initial stages of HIV infection.

14 Jan 2020

Increased Vegetable Intake Fails to Slow Prostate Cancer Progression, Study Finds

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study investigating whether a telephone-based interventional program encouraging an increased intake of vegetables would slow disease progression among patients with early-stage prostate cancer.

14 Jan 2020

Study delineates the dynamic MAIT cell response during acute HIV infection

In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that MAIT cells (mucosa-associated invariant T cells), part of the human immune system, respond with dynamic activity and reprogramming of gene expression during the initial phase of HIV infection.

14 Jan 2020

Important things you need to know about seasonal flu

Seasonal flu is a serious illness causing approximately 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths each year. Federal health officials are reporting that the 2019-2020 flu season could be the worst in decades.

13 Jan 2020

New bacteria-destroying technology to combat drug-resistant superbugs

Researchers have used liquid metals to develop new bacteria-destroying technology that could be the answer to the deadly problem of antibiotic resistance.

13 Jan 2020

Researchers provide first robust cell culture model for hepatitis E virus

Even though hepatitis E causes over three million infections and about 70,000 deaths each year, the virus has been little studied as yet.

13 Jan 2020

Sida continues to support IVI’s mission to accelerate vaccine research

The International Vaccine Institute, a Seoul, Korea-based international organization, announced today that the Swedish International Cooperation Agency will continue to support IVI's mission to accelerate vaccine research and development for global health with a total contribution of SEK 50 million (approximately 5.24 million USD) over the next five years as part of a longstanding partnership between the Swedish government and IVI.

13 Jan 2020

The International Consortium Claims Medical Breakthrough in Malaria Research

An international consortium led by researchers in Sweden and Switzerland has conducted a genome-wide study that the team is calling a “medical breakthrough” in malaria research.

13 Jan 2020

Patients with HPV-negative oropharynx cancer have higher risk of early death

New research indicates that there is a higher risk of early death among patients with oropharynx cancer when not caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), than those whose tumors are HPV-positive.

13 Jan 2020

Researchers refine history and origins of common pathogens in human populations

An Italian research team has refined the history and origins of two extremely common pathogens in human populations, herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2.

13 Jan 2020

Evolution of Antibiotic Tolerance Promotes Resistance to Combination Regimens

A new study suggests that the evolution of antibiotic tolerance requires further investigation if newly designed antibiotic treatments are going to be able to prevent drug-resistant infections.

10 Jan 2020

Siah2 Gene Control could Help Treat Melanomas More Effectively

To develop improved cancer immunotherapies, it is essential to understand how cancers shut down the natural immune response to foreign antigens. This current study demonstrates how mice lacking the Siah2 gene, fail to develop BRAF-mutation carrying melanoma from the corresponding cells, completely rejecting them. This could help in boosting the anticancer effect of existing specific immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 drugs.

10 Jan 2020

Rejuvenating the BCG Vaccine

A new primate study published in the journal Nature in January 2020, reports that the almost century-old BCG vaccine against tuberculosis, may be used differently to achieve better protection against lung tuberculosis. While more work remains to be carried out before the findings can be accepted as the basis for clinical practice, they are extremely promising in the fight against this killer.

10 Jan 2020