All Research News articles – Page 53
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NewsHow a single gene shapes gut health and IBD risk
Two recent studies highlight the role of a gene called PTPN2 in protecting the gut from harmful bacteria linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). When PTPN2 does not function properly, the gut becomes more vulnerable to infection and inflammation.
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NewsMethane eating microbes turn a powerful greenhouse gas into green plastics, feed, and fuel
Methane eating microbes could help turn a powerful greenhouse gas into everyday products like animal feed, green plastics, and cleaner fuels, according to a new scientific review of fast moving research on these unusual bacteria.
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NewsHow a potential antibiotics ban could affect apple growers
Antibiotic resistance in human and animal health is on the forefront of public debate, but it’s a less well-known issue in plant agriculture. However, antibiotics are important tools in fruit production, and their efficacy hinges on avoiding resistance in disease-causing bacteria. Source: Tianna DuPont, WSU Extension Apple ...
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NewsEndogenous retroviruses promote early human zygotic development
New findings offer insight into why some embryos fail to develop past zygotic genome activation (ZGA), pointing to an unexpected root of human infertility.
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NewsSecret of youth: New study shows gut microbiota directly regulates intestinal stem cell aging
A new study reveals that age-related changes in the gut microbiota directly impair intestinal stem cell (ISC) function and that restoring a youthful microbial environment can reverse this decline.
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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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NewsBreath carries clues to gut microbiome health
Researchers have shown that disease-associated bacteria in the gut can be detected through exhaled breath. They found that chemicals released by gut microbes and captured from the breath of children and mice can reveal the composition of the bacteria living in the intestines.
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NewsThe hidden microbial communities that shape health in space
A new Perspective article sets out a path to uncover the role of biofilms in health during long-duration spaceflight, and how spaceflight research can reshape our understanding of these microbial communities on Earth.
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NewsChemotherapy rewires gut bacteria to curb metastasis
Researchers report that chemotherapy-induced damage to the intestinal lining alters nutrient availability for gut bacteria, reshaping the microbiota and increasing the production of indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a tryptophan-derived microbial metabolite.
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NewsEvidence of ‘lightning-fast’ evolution found after dino-killing asteroid impact
The asteroid that struck the Earth 66 million years ago devastated life across the planet, wiping out the dinosaurs and other organisms. But new research shows new species of plankton appeared fewer than 2,000 years after the world-altering event.
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NewsBacteria use wrapping flagella to tunnel through microscopic passages
A new study shows that certain symbiotic bacteria wrap their rotating flagella around their cell bodies to form a “screw thread.” This configuration lets them propel forward through one-micrometer-wide passages, such as those inside insect guts, that would otherwise trap or immobilize them.
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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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NewsLow vitamin D levels shown to raise risk of hospitalization with potentially fatal respiratory tract infections by 33%
Severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with a higher rate of hospitalisation for respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Scientists found that those with a severe deficiency (below 15 nnmol/L) were 33 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
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NewsScientists solve 66 million-year-old mystery of how Earth’s greenhouse age ended
Experts studying foraminifera fossils have discovered that concentrations of calcium in the sea dropped by more than half across the last 66 million years, which likely caused Earth’s massive drop in temperature.
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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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NewsOral bacterium may promote breast cancer development and spread
Researchers found that Fusobacterium nucleatum, an oral bacterium commonly associated with periodontal disease, can promote breast cancer initiation, tumor growth and spread by inducing DNA damage and altering cancer cell behavior.
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NewsResearch team identifies species of brucellosis-causing bacteria in Cameroon
Researchers have identified the specific species of the Brucella bacterium that causes illness in animals in Cameroon. A study of more than 4,600 livestock animals found that the only Brucella species present was Brucella abortus, a species primarily associated with cattle that causes pregnancy loss and infertility.
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NewsGrowing together, bacterium after bacterium
Social interaction among babies in their first year of life influences and enriches the diversity of their gut microbial strains, based on the findings of a study on microbiome transmission.
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NewsScientists discover novel immune ‘traffic controller’ hijacked by virus
Researchers have discovered a tissue protein that acts as a central ‘traffic controller’ for immune cells and can be hijacked by a virus to weaken immune responses. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can hijack this system by producing a protein that blocks CD44 function on stromal cells.
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NewsPositive interactions dominate among marine microbes, six-year study reveals
Researchers have found that marine microbes interact in ways that benefit one another more often than they eat each other or compete. Periods of elevated ocean temperatures, usually times of stress for these microbes because of a dearth of nutrients, resulted in even more of these positive interactions.