A new study by researchers at Kiel University and MPI-EvolBio describes how more efficient protein production drives the adaptation of fungi to the human body, potentially turning previously harmless species into emerging pathogens. In the wake of global change and the associated rise in temperatures, fungal infections are on the increase worldwide, threatening crops, wildlife and, also, human health. Many fungal species are completely harmless and fulfill important ecological functions, such as decomposing organic matter and releasing nutrients into the soil.
As symbionts of multicellular organisms, they perform useful functions for their host. On the other hand, some species are so-called opportunistic human pathogens: particularly in a weakened immune system, such fungi can colonize the body and cause serious and even life-threatening infections.
While fungi are often studied as pathogens of crops at institutions such as Kiel University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön (MPI-EvolBio), researchers are increasingly turning their attention to their harmful effects on humans. A research team led by Professor Eva Stukenbrock, head of the Environmental Genomics group at Kiel University and MPI-EvolBio, has conducted a new study to investigate why certain fungi might become human pathogens in the course of global change. To this end, the researchers analyzed various fungal species of the order Trichosporonales, which includes both harmless and dangerous species for humans.
In this nonrandomized clinical trial, the MUTTON-HF intervention incorporating Indigenous recipes and locally sourced Native food was feasible and acceptable for patients with heart failure in rural Navajo Nation.
Question Among Navajo patients with heart failure living rurally on the reservation, is a medically tailored meal delivery program incorporating Indigenous foods and recipes feasible and acceptable?
Findings This nonrandomized clinical trial included 20 American Indian patients with heart failure receiving care at 2 Indian Health Service sites in rural Navajo Nation. A community-designed, Indigenous, medically tailored meal program was implemented; the intervention was deemed both feasible (90% of weekly meal boxes received by patients) and acceptable (mean Acceptability of Intervention Measure score, 17 of 20).
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of EDI initiatives in health care institutions, programs were associated with an increased workforce diversity.
This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives in health care institutions that aimed to promote a more inclusive and equitable health care culture for individuals who beloing to racial and ethnic minority groups.
Antibiotic resistance (AR) has steadily accelerated in recent years to become a global health crisis. As deadly bacteria evolve new ways to elude drug treatments for a variety of illnesses, a growing number of “superbugs” have emerged, ramping up estimates of more than 10 million worldwide deaths per year by 2050.
Scientists are looking to recently developed technologies to address the pressing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are known to flourish in hospital settings, sewage treatment areas, animal husbandry locations, and fish farms. University of California San Diego scientists have now applied cutting-edge genetics tools to counteract antibiotic resistance.
The laboratories of UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences Professors Ethan Bier and Justin Meyer have collaborated on a novel method of removing antibiotic-resistant elements from populations of bacteria. The researchers developed a new CRISPR-based technology similar to gene drives, which are being applied in insect populations to disrupt the spread of harmful properties, such as parasites that cause malaria. The new Pro-Active Genetics (Pro-AG) tool called pPro-MobV is a second-generation technology that uses a similar approach to disable drug resistance in populations of bacteria.
RCT: Daily oxytocin administration combined with positive physical intimacy was linked to improved wound healing and reduced cortisol. Oxytocin alone or positive interactions without physical intimacy did not enhance healing, suggesting the neurohormone acts to amplify the health effects of social behaviors.
This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested whether intranasal oxytocin, instructed positive interaction (PAT), and naturally occurring intimacy influence wound healing. Oxytocin enhanced wound healing only in interaction with social behaviors, by tendency with PAT and significantly with affectionate touch and sexual activity, whereas oxytocin or PAT alone showed no effect. These findings suggest that oxytocin amplifies the benefits of intimacy rather than exerting direct effects.
Previous animal data on this topic are mixed, with oxytocin alone showing no effect on healing,31 but synergistic effects with social interaction in hamsters29 and with social housing in mice.30 Human evidence remains scarce, limited to 1 study linking endogenous oxytocin with partner communication and faster healing.33
Despite early enthusiasm in oxytocin administration studies, more recent reviews have highlighted that findings from intranasal oxytocin research are inconsistent and studies are often underpowered.47-49 Several large-scale replications have failed to reproduce key effects, such as the link between oxytocin and trust,50 and null results have been reported in both healthy and clinical populations.51 Given these limitations, researchers have increasingly called for a shift from testing general main effects of oxytocin toward examining interactions that consider individual and contextual factors.48,52 As summarized by Yao and Kendrick,53 oxytocin effects in romantic contexts vary depending on factors like relationship type and perceived partner characteristics; for example, oxytocin enhances partner attractiveness, especially when the partner is seen as trustworthy.
Can surface charge reversal boost AgNP efficacy? 🧫Functionalizing silica-coated silver nanoparticles with amine groups significantly enhances activity against Salmonella and E. coli in polyurethane films.
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The global increase in multidrug-resistant bacteria poses a challenge to public health and requires the development of new antibacterial materials.
Chronic sleep disruption doesn’t just leave people tired and irritable. It may quietly undermine the gut’s ability to repair itself, increasing vulnerability to serious digestive diseases. A new study from the University of California, Irvine, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Agricultural University reveals, step by step, how disturbed sleep causes the brain to send harmful signals to the intestines, ultimately damaging the stem cells responsible for maintaining a healthy gut lining.
The research uncovers a previously unknown biological chain reaction linking the brain’s sleep center to intestinal health. The findings are published in Cell Stem Cell and offer new insight into why people with chronic sleep problems are more likely to develop gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes-related gut complications and chronic inflammation.
Physicians have long known that irregular or insufficient sleep is associated with a wide range of health problems, from mood disorders to high blood pressure. Yet how changes in sleep can directly harm organs that do not sleep themselves, such as the intestines, has remained largely elusive. This study answers that question by tracing the damage from its neurological origins all the way to the gut’s regenerative machinery.
An AI-powered model developed at the University of Michigan can read a brain MRI and diagnose a person in seconds, a study suggests. The model detected neurological conditions with up to 97.5% accuracy and predicted how urgently a patient required treatment.
Researchers say the first-of-its-kind technology could transform neuroimaging at health systems across the United States. The results are published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
“As the global demand for MRI rises and places significant strain on our physicians and health systems, our AI model has the potential to reduce burden by improving diagnosis and treatment with fast, accurate information,” said senior author Todd Hollon, M.D., a neurosurgeon at University of Michigan Health and assistant professor of neurosurgery at U-M Medical School.
