All Editorial articles
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NewsBacteria may hold a cancer treatment clue
A review argues that tumors with reproducibly poor prognosis outcomes may share an overlooked feature: bacterial infection within the tumor microenvironment. These bacteria may weaken treatment by altering local immunity, damaging tissue structure, and even inactivating chemotherapeutic drugs.
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NewsMeasuring SARS-CoV-2 diversity in wastewater improves disease surveillance
Tracking the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, rather than just viral abundance, dramatically improves the ability to monitor and predict COVID-19 outbreaks, researchers report.
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NewsInfluenza virus platforms: New hope for vaccines and cancer immunotherapy
Influenza virus is now being engineered to carry foreign genes and reduce virulence, serving not only for next-generation influenza vaccines but also as delivery vectors for heterologous antigens against other infections and cancers, supported by its ability to trigger robust mucosal and systemic immune responses.
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NewsSpecial collection explores emerging scientific evidence for land-based origins of life
A new special collection brings together leading researchers to examine growing evidence that life may have emerged within networks of terrestrial environments on early Earth.
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NewsIgG fucosylation linked to severe COVID-19 progression and traditional Chinese medicine therapy
A new study has uncovered that immunoglobulin G (IgG) fucosylation, a critical type of protein glycosylation, is closely associated with the progression of severe COVID-19, offering new insights into disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies.
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NewsTraditional dengue alerts are missing the mark as Vietnam’s climate shifts—researchers propose a one health solution
For decades, Vietnam’s dengue surveillance relied on a straightforward logic: when cases exceed the five-year average by a sufficient margin, sound the alarm. That logic is now breaking down.
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NewsProbiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus CMU-pb-7 shows promise in alleviating diabetic nephropathy via antioxidative pathway
Rats with diabetic nephropathy treated with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus CMU-pb-7 showed marked improvements in general condition and serum biochemical profiles, including significant reductions in cholesterol, triglycerides, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine.
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NewsStudy quantifies the staggering economic toll of TB
Researchers have found that TB wipes out an estimated 0.8 per cent of the world’s total economic potential every year. Losses are concentrated overwhelmingly in low- and middle-income countries, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
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NewsPublic housing mold intervention program reduces asthma-related ED visits
The New York City Housing Authority developed a mold-removal program in response to a 2013 class-action lawsuit filed by residents suffering from asthma due to mold in their apartments. Without Mold Busters, residents would have experienced 25 per cent more asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits.
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NewsResearchers find increased bacteria infection in patients with chronic lung disease
A new study has found that people with bronchiectasis and chronic sinus disease were more likely to have mucus samples that tested positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It suggests that doctors caring for patients with bronchiectasis may need to pay closer attention to sinus disease and bacterial testing.
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NewsDiseases can spread between apartments via shared ventilation, study shows
Airborne diseases like measles, influenza and COVID-19 can easily spread between units in multi-family buildings via a type of bathroom ventilation system commonly used around the world, new research suggests.
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NewsFriendly skin bacteria offer hope to beat eczema
Friendly skin bacteria could hold the key to stopping eczema in its tracks, according to researchers. A new study reveals harmless microbes living on our skin release powerful molecules that can shut down the inflammatory chaos triggered by Staphylococcus aureus, the bug long known to wreak havoc in eczema.
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NewsExperts call on WHO to revisit its approach to airborne risk in light of hantavirus outbreak
In light of the hantavirus outbreak, public health experts have called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to shift its default response to emerging respiratory viruses. The starting point should not be to downplay the risk of airborne transmission until it is definitively proven, they warned.
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NewsMarine-inspired sunscreen ingredient made by E. coli
Researchers have engineered microbial “cell factories” to sustainably produce the UV-protective compound gadusol, which could eventually serve as a sunscreen ingredient and an antioxidant additive. Gadusol, found in the eggs of various fish and other marine organisms, helps protect against ultraviolet damage.
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NewsFlawed but correctable research hindered progress in infection-triggered chronic conditions
Researchers contend that studies of infection-associated chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease and COVID-19 suffer recurring problems such as the failure to prove participants have the relevant pathogen.
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NewsWine’s leftovers could help wean chicken farms off antibiotics
Every year, millions of gallons of wine are pressed, leaving behind a mountain of pulpy residue that wineries struggle to dispose of. Now, researchers say this overlooked byproduct could serve as a replacement for the antibiotics routinely added to chicken feed.
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NewsStudy provides detailed assessment of shifts in toxin producing phytoplankton abundance
Researchers in the UK have shown how the distributions of two phytoplankton groups – known to produce natural toxins that can halt shellfish harvesting – have changed in the North East Atlantic over the last six decades.
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NewsThe liver’s immune cells might be the key to curing hepatitis B
Researchers investigated why some people with chronic hepatitis B infections went off their medications, only for the virus to start to come back — and then some of the patients were cured. It appears a certain type of T cell, some of which coordinate immune responses, spots the infection in the liver and mobilizes an attack.
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NewsResearchers develop realistic ‘mock’ samples to speed cervical cancer test development
A team of bioengineers has developed a new way to create highly realistic “mock” patient samples that could help accelerate the development of faster, more accessible cervical cancer screening tests for low-resource settings.
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NewsSunlight and PVC pipes create a hidden driver of antibiotic resistance
New research shows that chemicals leaching from everyday PVC—especially after exposure to sunlight—can dramatically speed up the spread of resistance genes between bacteria. The effect was strongest at low to moderate concentrations, where the leachate triggered bacterial stress responses without killing the microbes.