All USA & Canada articles – Page 8
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NewsStudy calls for better measures of poverty to strengthen tuberculosis research
A new review examines existing methods for assessing socioeconomic status in TB studies and highlights their shortcomings. The authors call for better, standardized poverty metrics to improve research and policy.
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NewsChlorine plus UV light degrades toxins caused by harmful algae blooms
Scientists examining the combination of ultraviolet light and chlorine to detoxify water laden with toxins from cyanobacteria have demonstrated that this combination significantly enhanced the degradation of toxins compared to chlorine alone.
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NewsPaxlovid’s impact on hospitalization and death in COVID-vaccinated older adults far weaker than previously thought
A new study overturns the assumption that Paxlovid’s effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in unvaccinated adults also applies to vaccinated adults.
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NewsMachine learning framework can decipher immune system’s record of past infections
A novel machine learning framework can decipher an individual’s immune system’s record of past infections and diseases, providing a powerful tool with the potential for diagnosing autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and vaccine responses with precision.
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NewsNeonatal HSV infections may lead to long-term cognitive impairment
A study has demonstrated that maternal vaccination against herpes simplex virus (HSV) could ameliorate neurological impairment from infected offspring in mice, providing insights for human clinical trials and other neurodegenerative disorders.
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NewsDigging into a decades-old hepatitis B mystery suggests a new potential treatment
In their effort to answer a decades-old biological question about how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is able to establish infection of liver cells, researchers have identified a vulnerability that opens the door to new treatments.
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NewsCoffee grounds and Reishi mushroom spores can be 3D printed into a compostable alternative to plastics
Researchers have developed a new system for turning coffee grounds into a paste, which is inoculated with Reishi mushroom spores to form a mycelial skin. The skin turns the coffee grounds into a resilient, fully compostable 3D printable alternative to plastics.
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News1 in 5 older adults get infections after heart surgery, and women have a 60% higher risk
One in five older adults gets an infection up to six months after heart surgery, with women far more likely to develop one, according to two studies which examined thousands of cases of coronary artery bypass grafting.
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NewsTransforming HIV diagnosis: a low-cost, point-of-care detection solution
A team of researchers has developed an innovative handheld device for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) detection that combines paper-based sample preparation with real-time isothermal amplification.
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NewsFungal compound could help protect against influenza
A preclinical trial uncovers how beta-glucan, a compound found in all fungal cell wall, can ‘reprogram’ immune cells to prevent lung inflammation from influenza and lower the risk of death by the host immune responses.
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NewsScientists develop new natural killer cell strategy to target HIV
Scientists have successfully identified a new approach using natural killer (NK) cells to target and kill the HIV-positive cells that allow the virus to persist. They genetically modified NK cells to express CD64, a protein not normally expressed by NK cells.
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NewsMonitoring approach could help snuff out Legionella outbreaks
Routine, relatively low-cost monitoring of several factors influencing water safety could ward off Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings, a new study suggests.
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NewsProfessor awarded NSF grant to advance research on silica-scaled chrysophytes
A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will support a major effort to synthesize decades of research on protists. The project will integrate findings from Professor Peter Siver’s lifelong study of silica-scaled chrysophytes, a group of protists found in freshwater environments.
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NewsUsing population-level characteristics for the surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhea
As the antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) gonorrhea poses a major threat to public health, there is an urgent need for expanding the surveillance of its prevalance to control the spread of the pathogen, through monitoring its association with the population density and HIV prevalence in cities.
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NewsThe hidden battle in your gut: How one bacterium outsmarts its rivals
Scientists have undertaken a deep dive into the inner workings of the ‘microbial arms race’ in your gut, revealing an elegant strategy that gut microbes use to stay a step ahead of their neighbors.
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NewsEliminating HIV funding program would lead to >600k deaths in South Africa alone: warning
A new analysis finds that eliminating PEPFAR would lead to 601,000 HIV-related deaths, 565,000 new HIV infections, and would increase population-level healthcare expenditure by $1.7 billion over the next decade in South Africa alone.
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NewsOpen water swimmer contracts Legionnaires’ disease from lake dip
Swimming in some lakes with still water can lead to infection with Legionella, bacteria that can cause pneumonia, and people who engage in open water swimming should be aware of this risk, a new paper warns.
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NewsResearch team identifies carbonate-dissolving microorganisms
Researchers have identified new microscopic players in the global carbon cycle, a discovery that paints a clearer picture of carbon flow through the environment and provides key information for the sustainable development of bioenergy sources.
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NewsStalled microbiomes: cystic fibrosis disrupts early gut development in infants
A new study highlights key differences in the gut microbiome (communities of bacteria) of infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) compared to that of healthy infants, and how these alterations may adversely affect their health.
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NewsEvolutionary tradeoffs: Research explores the role of iron levels in COVID-19 infections
Iron has been found to be essential to both human physiology and pathogen replication. The richer the iron availability, the more likely to be susceptible to infections, such as COVID-19. A balance of iron levels is thus critical for homeostasis and preventing pathogenic infections.