Probiotics typically aim to rebalance bacteria populations in the gut, but new research suggests they may also help break apart stubborn biofilms. Biofilms are living microbial communities — they provide a haven for microbes and are often resistant to antibiotics. A new study describes a specific probiotic mix that could help patients with gastrointestinal diseases…

The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham, The Pirbright Institute and University College London, sheds fresh light on…

Breakthrough infections greatly enhance immune response to variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research. The study is the first to use live SARS-CoV-2 variants to measure cross-neutralization of blood serum from breakthrough cases, portending an eventual ‘end game’ to the pandemic. The laboratory results, published online ahead of print today in…

Researchers have discovered a biomarker that can detect autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool-aged children. The new study found that levels of the protein FABP4 were much lower in four- to six-year-old children with ASD than they were in other typically developing children. Experiments in mice that lacked FABP4 revealed changes in neurons that resemble…

A new study has produced evidence of the source of chronic pain in humans, revealing several new targets for pain treatment. The paper examined human dorsal root ganglia, specialized nerve cells clustered near the base of the spine removed from cancer patients undergoing surgery. The paper — published March 19 in Brain, one of the…

Investigators found elevated levels of tau and a phosphorylated form of the tau protein in brain tissue from deceased people who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and carried a mutation in the C9orf72 gene. The team also identified new genetic mutations in the tau gene that may exacerbate ALS onset or progression. Tau in the…

Scientists have discover that ‘elite controllers’ have myeloid dendritic cells that display characteristics of trained innate immune cells. In the past few years, however, scientists have found that certain parts of the innate immune response can, in some instances, also be trained in response to infectious pathogens, such as HIV. Xu Yu, MD, a Core…

In a mouse model, brain regions involved in working memory present a modular network organization that is critical for persistent neural activity. At Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Nuo Li, assistant professor of neuroscience and a McNair Scholar, and his colleagues investigated the nature of the communication between brain regions involved in working memory and…

A multidisciplinary research team has developed a technique to replicate bone tissue complexity and bone-remodeling processes. This breakthrough could help researchers further their study of bone biology and assist in improving development of drugs for osteoporosis. Published in Science Advances, the researchers developed a new biomaterial they call demineralized bone paper. The team includes Jungwoo…

Researchers have identified a subpopulation of mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow that express the marker CD73. These cells have a higher potential for proliferation and differentiation, and play a significant role in bone healing, migrating to the site of a fracture and developing into cartilage and bone cells as part of the repair…