All Middle East & Africa articles – Page 4
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NewsResearchers combine polarized light and a magnetic field to spot malaria under the microscope
Researchers have developed a new microscopy method that uses a magnetic field and polarized light to provide quantitative measurements that could enable faster and more objective detection of malaria in blood.
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NewsEarly immune responses linked to protective HIV antibodies
In a new study of broadly neutralizing antibodies and their potential for an HIV vaccine, researchers analyzed fragments of cell-free RNA and DNA circulating in the blood. This makes it possible to track immune responses, viral genetic variation, and other microbes from the same blood sample.
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CareersQ&A: Meet Letters in Applied Microbiology Junior Editor Daniel Jesuwenu Ajose
We caught up with Daniel Jesuwenu Ajose, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga in South Africa, who is one of the newest Junior Editors with Letters in Applied Microbiology.
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NewsSevere childhood malaria linked to cognitive impairment later in life
New findings suggest children who survive cases of cerebral malaria and severe malarial anemia experience cognitive and academic impairment that persists into adolescence.
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NewsTwo research projects to study immune responses to dengue and Zika viruses
Dr. James Earnest, an assistant professor at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, is leading two new research projects to examine how humans build an immune response to dengue and the Zika virus over time, in pursuit of creating better preventative measures.
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NewsResearchers explore potential link between COVID-19 and lung cancer risk
New findings have identified a potential association between COVID-19 and increased lung cancer risk, driven by underlying biological mechanisms in the lung. The study integrates human clinical data with mechanistic research in animal and cellular models.
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FeaturesClear but not clean: the hidden life of drinking water in Nigeria
In many communities across Nigeria, clear water is assumed to be safe. Transparency, both literal and visual, has become shorthand for purity. My recent research in Ede, southwestern Nigeria, began with a simple but uncomfortable question: what are people actually drinking?
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NewsAir surveillance reveals hidden reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes
The air we breathe serves as a silent vector of antimicrobial resistance, calling for the need to integrate air monitoring into global public health strategies, according to a review by an international team of researchers.
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NewsThe tumor microbiota: A new frontier in cancer biology
A new study synthesizes evidence from different types of tumors, particularly those characterized by low microbial biomass, where conclusions require particularly rigorous validation. By outlining a roadmap of experimental and analytical standards, this work provides the basis for more robust research.
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NewsTurning algae waste into powerful filters: New biochar membranes clean wastewater more efficiently
A new study has developed a sustainable filtration technology that transforms microalgae waste into high-performance membranes capable of removing pollutants and bacteria from wastewater. The innovation could offer a greener and more efficient solution for municipal water treatment.
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NewsWastewater harbors high-risk antimicrobial resistance genes
Researchers found evidence of genetic material from two major bacterial groups, commonly known to exhibit high-risk resistance profiles, in wastewater samples from a large South Africa city.
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NewsHow bacteria outsmart the immune system: Two-pronged strategy revealed
A team has uncovered how a common bacterial pathogen uses a single protein to quietly undermine the human immune system, by both shutting down key warning signals and blocking the cell’s ability to restore them.
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NewsDigital early warning systems essential as old diseases like cholera resurge in global crisis zones
A new critical analysis examines how the convergence of climate change, economic collapse, and conflict is bringing back a preventable disease once thought to be under control.
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NewsMulti-strain probiotic therapy shows promise in preventing bacterial vaginosis recurrence
A global team of experts has identified a promising new approach to prevent recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV). In a phase 1 randomized clinical trial, researchers found that a short course of a multi-strain probiotic restored protective bacteria to the vagina, significantly reducing disease recurrence.
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NewsMedicinal plants with anti-entamoeba histolytica activity: phytochemistry, efficacy, and clinical potential
Reported adverse effects associated with the current first-line treatment for amoebiasis, coupled with the evolution of resistance to it, call for the need to search for plant-based alternatives. This study systematically reviews medicinal plants with activity against Entamoeba histolytica.
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NewsNew African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms
A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world’s most widely cultivated ’magic mushroom’ – Psilocybe cubensis – may now have been settled. Scientists describe the discovery of a new species of magic mushroom from the grasslands of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
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NewsMpox immune test validated during Rwandan outbreak
An antibody test for the infectious disease Mpox was successfully developed during the new clade 1b outbreak in Rwanda, the first time that an assay of its kind has been validated within this setting.
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NewsAcoziborole Winthrop receives European Medicines Agency positive opinion as three-tablet, single-dose treatment for most common form of sleeping sickness
The European Medicines Agency has granted a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop (acoziborole) as a single-dose oral treatment for both early- and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in adults as well as in adolescents 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms.
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NewsNovel structural insights into Phytophthora effectors challenge long-held assumptions in plant pathology
How do evolutionarily conserved pathogen effectors maintain structural stability while engaging diverse host targets? In a new study, researchers define a conserved subset of Phytophthora RxLR effectors in which short linear motifs (SLiMs) are embedded within folded WY domain cores.
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NewsNovel camel antimicrobial peptides show promise against drug-resistant bacteria
Researchers have identified three novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from dromedary camels that effectively target multidrug-resistant bacteria, offering potential alternatives to conventional drugs.