All Pharmaceutical Microbiology articles
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NewsAntibiotic therapy: is shorter just as effective?
Shorter-duration antibiotic therapy shows comparable success to longer-duration treatment in children with community-acquired pneumonia. However, a general conclusion about a shortened treatment duration is not possible, Tthe authors of a new study say.
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NewsStudy identifies blood protein albumin as key defense against deadly fungal infection ‘mucormycosis’
A new study has identified albumin as a powerful and previously unrecognized defense against a rare but often fatal fungal infection. Patients with mucormycosis had markedly lower levels of albumin compared with patients suffering from other fungal infections.
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News‘Trojan horse’ may deliver toxic dose of copper to bacterial colonies, including drug-resistant MRSA infections
A research team is developing a drug that works in combination with copper to kill bacteria, including those that cause MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to usual treatments.
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NewsScientists synthesize medicarpin in baker’s yeast
Scientists have developed a way to synthesize medicarpin in yeast. Like palitaxel in the 1990s, this tumor-attacking sustance has only limited natural quantitites and is considered difficult to synthesize.
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NewsSniffing out the cause of keratoderma-associated foot odor
The distinct foot odor that comes with the skin disorder Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis (NPPK) is caused by the overgrowth of a specific bacterial strain. Topical application of benzoyl peroxide restores balance in the bacterial skin flora, reducing the odor.
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NewsMajor clinical trial provides definitive evidence of impacts of steroid treatment on severe brain infection
A major UK clinical trial has shown that adding the corticosteroid dexamethasone to standard antiviral treatment for encephalitis, caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) does not improve long-term outcomes overall, although early use may lead to better recovery.
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NewsLithium study yields insights in the fight against HIV
Lithium, a widely used treatment for bipolar disorder and other mood disorders, has shown early promise in suppressing HIV. A new study found lithium can prevent infected cells from reactivating, and that it does so through an unexpected biological mechanism.
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NewsEngineered nanobodies improved respiratory defenses in preclinical study
Engineered nanobodies improved protection against multiple viruses by bolstering respiratory mucus. The bispecific design of the nanobodies works against viruses, like influenza, which can normally evade mucosal defenses.
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NewsGame-changer for rare sugars: alkaline media unlocks high yield of rare sugars from bacteria
Bacterial EPSs (exopolysaccharides) are emerging as a sustainable source of rare sugars, offering advantages including higher yields and lower environmental impact.
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NewsProbiotics combined with antidiabetic drugs overcome the ‘drug black hole’
A new study addressing the ’microbial drug black hole’ proposes a new microbe–drug synergistic therapeutic strategy and advances the development of precision nutrition-based interventions for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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NewsBrewing a rare medicine: yeast engineered to produce a valuable astragalus isoflavonoid
By reconstructing the complete biosynthetic pathway inside Saccharomyces cerevisiae and systematically removing metabolic bottlenecks, researchers created the first yeast platform capable of producing calycosin-7-glucoside from simple carbon sources.
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NewsReconstructing nature’s oxindole factory: yeast-based biosynthesis of medicinal indole alkaloids
By identifying four key enzymes from a North American plant and reconstituting them in yeast, scientists have achieved complete de novo biosynthesis of complex oxindole molecules that are difficult to obtain from plants or chemical synthesis.
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NewsEngineered yeast delivers record levels of animal-free chondroitin sulfate
A new study establishes a robust yeast-based platform that overcomes the long-standing trade-off between yield and sulfation, enabling sustainable, high-level production of high-quality chondroitin sulfate without reliance on animal sources.
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NewsShingles vaccine linked to slower biological aging in older adults
Shingles vaccination not only protects against the disease but may also contribute to slower biological aging in older adults, according to a new study.
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NewsEngineering yeast to make rare anticancer saponins: reconstructing the complete biosynthesis of polyphyllin II
By combining plant transcriptomics, enzyme engineering, and synthetic biology, a new study demonstrates, for the first time, the full heterologous production of polyphyllin II in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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NewsA CRISPR fingerprint of pathogenic Candida auris fungi
Precision diagnostic platform integrating CRISPR and single molecule technology with AI enables rapid and accurate detection of drug-resistant Candida auris pathogens.
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NewsInfant gut bacteria may be the key to preventing asthma and allergies
A study shows that children are less likely to develop allergies and asthma if, as infants, they are colonized with certain bifidobacteria that produce a substance in the gut - a so-called metabolite - that dampens immune responses to allergens.
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NewsA bacterial toxin can counteract colorectal cancer growth
A toxin secreted by cholera bacteria can inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer without causing any measurable damage to the body. Systemic administration of the purified bacterial substance changes the immune microenvironment in tumours.
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NewsGut bacteria molecule boosts lung cancer treatment response
Researchers have discovered a small compound produced naturally by gut bacteria that doubled the response to lung cancer immunotherapy treatment in mice and can now be made into a drug for testing in humans.
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NewsPlant discovery could lead to new ways of producing medicines
Scientists studying a plant called Flueggea suffruticosa, which produces a particularly powerful alkaloid known as securinine, investigated how this chemical is made - and discovered that the process is driven by a gene that looks more like it comes from bacteria than from a plant.