Medicine

The new biofilm-specific vaccine, developed by researchers from the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Northern Arizona University and the University of Zurich, was more than 80% effective in protecting mice from succumbing to Staphylococcus aureus infection. This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicts a number of mustard-colored, spheroid-shaped Staphylococcus aureus bacteria …

Avocatin B, a fat molecule found only in avocados (Persea americana), can inhibit cellular processes that normally lead to diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. Avocatin B is a lipid derived from avocado. Image credit: Robert Owen-Wahl. “Eating avocados alone would likely …

According to a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal, fatty tissue accumulates within the airway walls of people who are overweight or obese; it also alters the structure of airways and could be the reason behind the increased risk of asthma. Elliot et al show that fatty tissue …

An international team of researchers from Brazil, the United States and Sweden has found that polyphenols found in berries of the açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea) can reduce malaria parasites in the blood of infected mice and prolong their survival. Açaí palms (Euterpe oleracea) in Summit Park, Panama. Image credit: Dick …

‘Special occasion drinking’ during pregnancy could cause insulin resistance, which increases the likelihood of diabetes, in male offspring, suggests a new study conducted in rats. Nguyen et al examined the effect of an acute but moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on glucose metabolism, lipid levels and dietary preference in adolescent and/or …

According to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, cartilage in our joints can repair itself through a process similar to that used by highly regenerative animals such as axolotl, zebrafish, and bichir. Hsueh et al studied cartilage from the hip, knee and ankle and discovered a pattern …

Increasing nut consumption by just half a serving (14 g) a day may help mitigate the gradual weight gain common during adulthood, and beneficially contribute to the prevention of obesity, according to a new study in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention Health. Increasing daily consumption of nuts is associated with …

Dr. Jonathan Betts from the University of Surrey and colleagues have found that the green-tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can restore the activity of aztreonam, an antibiotic commonly used to treat infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative pathogen that is intrinsically multidrug-resistant and frequently associated with healthcare-associated outbreaks. Epigallocatechin …

A team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania has developed a new vaccine candidate to protect against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the most common sexually-transmitted disease. Using a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated immunoglobulin staining technique, and under direct immunofluorescence (DIF), this tissue sample extracted from a vesicle …

A new study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, shows that humans and other bony vertebrates need a hormone called osteocalcin to develop an acute stress response, a function critical to survival in the wild; when they encounter an immediate danger, a brain-derived signal stimulates the release of osteocalcin from …