Disease/Infection News

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Engineered human cardiac tissue reveals how lupus autoantibodies damage the heart

Study demonstrates that autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients contribute to myocardial injury by binding to and impairing stressed cardiac cells, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets.

25 Aug 2024

Human gut microbiome: A source of new antibiotic peptides

Researchers identified 323 peptide-based antimicrobials from the human microbiome, with 71% showing significant antibacterial activity, and the lead peptide, prevotellin-2, matching the efficacy of polymyxin B in both in vitro and in vivo models.

25 Aug 2024

Widespread inhaler misuse in COPD patients: Need for training

Study found that 69% of hospitalized COPD patients misused inhalers, with 66% making critical errors, and 14% having insufficient Peak Inspiratory Flow (PIF), even after training.

25 Aug 2024

New $5.8 million grant aims to transform the global landscape of TB research

A $5.8 million grant led by Adrie Steyn, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Africa Health Research Institute, or AHRI, in Durban, South Africa, will provide user-requested infected human lung tissue and analytical services to tuberculosis researchers worldwide.

23 Aug 2024

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine joins new NSF-funded pandemic prediction initiative

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is proud to be part of a new initiative, supported by an $18 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), aimed at enhancing global pandemic prediction and prevention capabilities.

23 Aug 2024

Mutation in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein enhances brain infection

Scientists have discovered a mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system.

23 Aug 2024

One health approach to tackling Acanthamoeba infections at UNGA79

The session "Harnessing the Power of Nature: A One Health Approach Against Acanthamoeba" will be one of the key events at UNGA79, focusing on the urgent need to tackle Acanthamoeba infections, which pose a significant and growing threat to global health.

23 Aug 2024

Research suggests chlamydia may persist in the human intestine

People who are infected with chlamydia can transmit these bacteria to other people during unprotected sex.

23 Aug 2024

Universal flu vaccine candidate provides protection against severe infection in animal models

Annual flu vaccines protect against severe infection, but they vary in efficacy and may not match the most virulent strains of the season.

23 Aug 2024

Risankizumab outperforms ustekinumab in treating moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease

Researchers compare the therapeutic efficacy of risakizumab and ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease.

23 Aug 2024

New Mpox strain sparks global health alert

On Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, in response to the active circulation of clade 1 monkeypox virus (MPXV) in Central Africa and the recent expansion of a subtype (1b) thought to be more lethal and transmissible in East Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), paving the way for enhanced coordination between regional health systems and the active engagement of stakeholders to tackle this global outbreak. The following day, Thursday August 15, Sweden reported the first positive case of clade 1b mpox on European soil. This led the French government to place the French health system on maximum alert on Friday, August 16, and the French authorities have now begun to re-evaluate the health recommendations established in 2022 during the previous mpox outbreak in preparation for the probable emergence of cases in the country.

23 Aug 2024

Probiotic offers protection against intestinal damage

There is a critical unmet need to help tighten and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and treat a leaky gut. Researchers have now found that a unique strain of probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB1, enhances intestinal barrier function and protects against penetration of bacteria and various harmful agents in the intestine. The findings, detailed in an article in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, can help advance the development of novel, targeted, naturally occurring probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, such as fatty liver disease or alcoholic liver disease, that are associated with a leaky or disordered intestinal barrier.

23 Aug 2024

Virginia Tech leads national initiative to predict and prevent future pandemics

Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 don't respect boundaries, moving between species and continents and leaving destruction as they go. Beating the next pathogen with pandemic potential means getting good at crossing borders ourselves - between fields of study, between research universities, and between scientists and the wider community.

23 Aug 2024

Mosquitoes detect infrared radiation for host seeking

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

New NSF center to tackle pandemic expansion challenges

Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Nina Fefferman became a mathematician because she loves puzzles.

22 Aug 2024

Potential antitumoral effects of Manuka honey in breast cancer models

Researchers evaluated the antitumor activity of Manuka honey on human breast cancer cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms in both in vitro and in vivo preclinical models.

22 Aug 2024

Common fatty acid could improve treatment of recurrent bacterial vaginosis infections

Researchers investigated oleic acid as a potential treatment to inhibit Lactobacillus iners dominance in bacterial vaginosis.

22 Aug 2024

Coccidioidomycosis seasonal dynamics and their climate determinants in California

The study indicates that drought conditions suppress coccidioidomycosis seasonality. However, a transition from drought to wet conditions can lead to more pronounced seasonal peaks in California.

22 Aug 2024

The lingering mental health effects of severe COVID-19

A new study that examined health data on 18 million people reveals a higher incidence of mental illnesses for up to a year following severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Vaccination appeared to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental illnesses. The University of Bristol-led study, published in JAMA Psychiatry on August 21st, 2024, investigated associations of COVID-19 with mental illnesses according to time since diagnosis and vaccination status.

22 Aug 2024

COVID-19 masks rising homicide toll on black men

While the COVID-19 pandemic quickly reversed decades of progress in closing the gap between life expectancies for Black and white people in the United States, the disease's toll may have obscured the impact of another significant public health concern - a sharp increase in homicide rates - on the life expectancy of Black men, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

22 Aug 2024