Basil Fok
- News
Impact of rapid urbanization on the emergence of zoonotic diseases
A study has looked into the rapid urbanization into the wildland-urban interface (WUI) causing the spillover of zoonotic diseases, which would help mapping for disease transmission risks.
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Mouth bacteria may hold insight into your future brain function
A study revealed that the types of bacteria in our mouths may have direct impacts to brain health, which would link mental illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
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Asthma and antibiotic use may predict nasal polyp recurrence after endoscopic sinus surgery
A recent study suggests that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, who had undergone endoscopic sinus surgery, have a higher chance of undergoing revision sinus surgery that removes nasal polyps if they have asthma and are using antibiotics.
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New study reveals how Sudan virus binds to human cells
The interaction between human NPC1 receptor and Sudan virus, closely related to Ebola virus, has been structurally characterised, and gives insight to the pathogenesis of other related filoviruses.
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Juicing may harm your health in just three days
Juicing without fibres turns out to be detrimental to both gut and oral microbiomes by disrupting their compositions, leading to the flourishing of harmful bacteria associated with inflammation.
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Rising threat of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriales (CRE) spurs urgent healthcare alert
The deteriorating epidemiological situation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriales (CRE) has spurred ECDC to alert EU/EAA countries to the importance of controlling the spread of CRE infections to safeguard their healthcare systems.
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Study uncovers how dengue virus hijacks human plasmin for infection
Scientists characterized and revealed the correct structural bindings between dengue virus and human plasmin from mosquito blood meal to allow better understanding in dengue virus pathogenesis.
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We know what you ate: Detailed protein maps assess intestinal health
A new method has been designed to map the near-exact molecular details of the human and bacterial protein regulations within the host-gut microbiome interactions. These proteins could be used for medical and dietary intervention to maintain intestinal health.
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Infant gut bacteria and food allergies: the good, the bad, and the ugly
A research study delves into the associations between neonatal gut microbiota compositions and food allergies, in order to find a way to improve infants’ immunities.
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Cultivation of microalga for food production shows that two-stage process yields best results
A new study looking into cultivating the microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica for food production shows that temperature and light are key factors in the yield of key nutrients.
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Scientists probe honeybee antiviral defense mechanisms
Scientists are investigating honeybee antiviral defense mechanisms with the goal of developing strategies to reduce honeybee colony deaths.
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Researchers in Brazil discover a gene that may afford protection against COVID-19
During the pandemic, health worker Maria Tereza Malheiros Sapienza’s curiosity was aroused by her immunity to SARS-CoV-2, even though her husband was infected twice. A new study reveals that an overexpression of IFIT3 protein was responsible.
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A new process with zero emissions for truly biodegradable plastics
A new approach to producing biodegradable plastics - polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) - was discovered as a promising alternative that requires minimal organic materials and is naturally produced by photosynthetic microorganisms.
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Precision medicine and inflammatory disease: Power of metabolic modelling to generate personalized probiotics
A research study has recently highlighted the application of large-scale computational modelling of metabolomics in the human gut microbiome to design personalised probiotics for treating gut inflammatory diseases.
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Weather change linked to increased risk of Salmonella outbreaks
A research study has shown a significant impact on Salmonella outbreaks from weather changes, which can be used as a tool to predict risk of outbreaks and implement preventative measures, under a climate change scenario.
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A novel approach to mapping and engineering enzymes for enhanced plastic recycling
Researchers have successfully engineered PETases, enzymes that are capable to depolymerize commercial plastic - polyethylene terephthalate (PET), through the innovative landscape profiling of enzymes’ genetic sequences and subsequently engineered them.
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Researchers identify genetic ‘fingerprint’ to predict drug resistance in bacteria
To avoid antibiotic overuse and allow precise bacterial infection treatment, particularly against bacteria with multidrug resistance, a diagnostic tool was developed that identifies the pattern of DNA repair deficiencies acting as the bacterial antibiotic resistance ‘fingerprint’.
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TB or not TB? A new clinician decision support tool for tuberculosis
A risk assessing tool was recently developed to evaluate the likelihood of tuberculosis (TB) infections using previous patient data with or without TB. Such clinical decision support tool would allow safer and more efficient patient deisolation procedures and ensure smoother clinician workflows.
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Could faecal microbiota transplantation help patients heal after stem cell transplantation?
A study, from a part of an ongoing clinical trial, has reported the safety of oral faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to help patients recover from the loss of gut microbiome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for blood cancers.
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A new vaccine approach could help combat future coronavirus pandemics
Researchers are able to create a mosaic nanoparticle vaccine - mosaic-8, based on the sarbecovirus receptor-binding proteins (RBDs), which would help combatting SARS-CoV-2 variants and other coronavirus subtypes.