An expert in intravital microscopy is making breakthroughs in invasive fungal infections. He has discovered a pathway by which liver macrophages capture fungi before dissemination to target organs like the brain. This not only provides an explanation as to why individuals with liver disease have enhanced risk of fungal infection, but also points to therapeutic…

The annual number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men in England is likely to have fallen dramatically, from 2,770 in 2013 to 854 in 2018, showing elimination of HIV transmission by 2030 to be within reach — suggests new work. To manage the HIV epidemic among MSM in England, enhanced…

For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host. In the United States, new cases of tick-borne diseases, such as anaplasmosis, Lyme disease and babesiosis, are on the rise. There…

A study undertaken by a molecular biologist sheds new light on the mechanisms that control the establishment of epigenetic modifications on newly synthesized histones following cell division. The classical genetic code is not the only code involved in the regulation of cell differentiation and behavior in multicellular organisms. The instructions encoded in the nucleotide sequence…

Contrary to some claims, people in the US may not be substituting cannabis for opioids, New research examined the direction and strength of association between cannabis and opioid use among adults who used non-medical opioids. The findings showed that opioid use was at least as prevalent on days when cannabis was used as on days…

Scientists have successfully treated flies displaying behavioral problems linked to newly discovered schizophrenia-associated genes in humans, using common anti-psychotics. Schizophrenia is a severe long-term mental health condition that is historically poorly understood and treated. It is relatively common, affecting one to two per cent of the population, and is known to be up to 80…

The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the nasopharynx and can cause pneumonia. Then, it can spread to the bloodstream and cause organ damage. To understand how this pathogen adapts to different locations in the body, and also how the host responds to the microbe, researchers have measured bacterial and host gene expression at five different sites…

The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of the dengue virus interacts with another viral protein called NS4A-2K-4B to enable viral replication, according to a new study. Dengue virus is one of the most prevalent mosquito-transmitted human pathogens. Despite the serious socio-economic impact of dengue-associated diseases, the only licensed vaccine has limited efficacy and an antiviral therapy…

Researchers have revealed a striking pattern following a functional screen of extracts from plants collected in Muir Woods National Monument, in coastal redwood forest land in California. They found plants with a long history of use by Native Americans as topical analgesics, were often also used as gastrointestinal aids. The study, published today in Frontiers…

Researchers have achieved patch-clamp studies of an elusive part of mammalian myelinated nerves called the Nodes of Ranvier. At the nodes, they found unexpected potassium channels that give the myelinated nerve the ability to propagate nerve impulses at very high frequencies and with high conduction speeds along the nerve. Both qualities are necessary for fast…