All USA & Canada articles – Page 20
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NewsInfected bacteria fight back with ‘hidden’ genes that halt cell growth, slow viral spread
Researchers have uncovered a surprising way bacteria defend themselves: when a bacterium is infected, bacterial enzymes that copy genetic information from RNA into DNA synthesize genes whose protein products help shut down cell growth.
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NewsMarine algae use massive enzymes of unprecedented size to biosynthesize fish-killing toxins
Marine algae Prymnesium parvum use massive enzymes dubbed PKZILLAs – some of the largest proteins ever to be identified in nature – to make large and complex prymnesin neurotoxins responsible for mass fish kills during harmful algal blooms worldwide.
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NewsFungi elude antifungal treatments by restructuring cell walls
A new multi-institutional study has characterized how fungi adapt to restructure their cell walls, effectively thwarting current antifungal medications. This new information opens opportunities to devise more effective use of antifungal drugs.
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NewsDo smells prime our gut to fight off infection?
A recent study shows that the nematode C. elegans reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its intestinal cells to withstand a potential onslaught.
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NewsScientists get to the bottom of COVID’s worst pediatric complication
Scientists investigating multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) found their immune systems had latched onto a part of the coronavirus that closely resembles a protein found in their bodies, launching an attack on their own tissues.
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NewsAttitudes such as distrust of government can cause swine farmers to resist animal biosecurity
The first study of how swine farmers’ attitudes affect biosecurity shows that farmers attending just one biosecurity education event led to improved farm biosecurity.
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NewsSuperbugs spread to family members of recently hospitalized patients
Family members of patients recently discharged from hospital may have a higher risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection, even if the patient was not diagnosed with the same infection, suggesting hospitals play a role in community spread of resistant bacteria.
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NewsScientists probe molecular cause of COVID-19 related diarrhea, revealing potential treatments
Working with human stem cells that form a kind of ’mini intestine-in-a-dish’, scientists say they have found several molecular mechanisms for COVID-19-related diarrhea, suggesting potential ways to control it.
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NewsResearchers create new treatment and vaccine for flu and various coronaviruses
A team of researchers has discovered two new ways of preventing and treating respiratory viruses using nasal sprays.
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NewsIncreased ventilation not effective in reducing influenza virus spread in play-based model
Increasing ventilation in child-care settings may not always be effective at preventing flu virus spread, according to a new study.
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NewsFuture enterovirus outbreaks could be exacerbated by climate change
A common set of drivers can explain the timing of outbreaks of both hand, foot and mouth disease and polio, according to a recent study which suggests these summertime outbreaks may hint at implications for climate change.
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NewsCarbohydrate produced by bacteria triggers marine biofouling
The carbohydrate portion of a complex molecule, called lipopolysaccharide, produced by specific bacteria is responsible for inducing settlement and metamorphosis in larval marine tubeworms, Hydroides elegans - establishing biofouling.
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NewsHoney added to yogurt supports probiotic cultures for digestive health
If you enjoy a bowl of plain yogurt in the morning, adding a spoonful of honey is a delicious way to sweeten your favorite breakfast food. It also supports the probiotic cultures in the popular fermented dairy product, according to two new studies.
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NewsResearchers receive 9.5 million grant to study relationship between polyphenol intake, Alzheimer’s and the brain-gut-microbiome system
UCLA Health researchers, in collaboration with researchers from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, have received a $9.5 million award to study the effects of polyphenols on cognitive health and the brain-gut microbiome system.
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NewsFAU lands $1.3M NSF grant to boost dryland soil quality amid climate stressors
To enhance understanding of climate resistance of individual microbes and improve microbial remediations to reduce soil degradation under climate change, Florida Atlantic University has received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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NewsStudy analyzes potato-pathogen ‘arms race’ after Irish famine
In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish potato famine.
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NewsResearchers discover source of deadly fungal infections in bone marrow transplant patients
Scientists have found that heteroresistance is the reason a small number of transplant patients developed bloodstream infections, despite receiving prophylaxis with the antifungal drug micafungin.
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NewsNew study highlights scale and impact of long COVID
A wide range of biological mechanisms are involved in long Covid, including persistence of the original virus in the body, disruption of the normal immune response, and microscopic blood clotting, even in some people who had only mild initial infections.
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NewsStudy highlights factors associated with higher tuberculosis risk in South Africa
Tuberculosis is the world’s top infectious killer. About 10 million people fall ill with the disease every year, and roughly 1.5 million people die because of it, according to the World Health Organization. Additionally, about one-quarter of the world’s population is infected with the disease’s causative agent Myctuberobacterium tuberculosis. ...
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NewsCoinfecting viruses impede each other’s ability to enter cells
Scientists researching phage infection at the level of a single cell investigated whether the number of infecting phages that bind to the bacterial surface corresponds to the amount of viral genetic material that is injected into the cell.
