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In a recent study published in Cancer Cell, researchers combined deep microbial sequencing and targeted culturing of bacteria with in vitro assessments to investigate tumor and gut microbiome traits that impact chemoradiation therapy in patients with cervical cancer.

Study: Tumor-resident Lactobacillus iners confer chemoradiation resistance through lactate-induced metabolic rewiring. Image Credit: Prrrettty/Shutterstock.com.

Continue reading “Lactobacillus iners in tumors: Driving chemoradiation resistance via lactate-induced metabolic rewiring” »

UFMG-V4N2 proved effective in producing antibodies and making them block the passage of cocaine into the brain, which means that the vaccinated animals have a reduced perception of the drug’s effect: a very important advantage in a treatment.

This blockage occurs in the following way: we have a “protective shield” called the blood-brain barrier, which prevents toxic elements, viruses or bacteria from entering the brain, but because the cocaine molecule is very small, it manages to pass through this barrier.

The vaccine stimulates the production of antibodies, which bind to the drug molecules, increasing their weight and size and thus preventing them from getting past the protective shield. The cocaine is retained in the blood, but as it is bound to the antibody, it doesn’t act on the heart or arteries either, which means the risk of overdoses is reduced.

Continue reading “Crack vaccine research on rats could help babies of mothers who use cocaine—and reduce addiction” »

Cocaine use continues to be a public health problem, yet despite concerted efforts, no drugs have been approved to resolve cocaine addiction. Research suggests that the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) could serve as a cocaine-replacement therapy, but clinical results have been mixed. Although several labs have produced MPH derivatives for testing, parts of the molecule remained chemically inaccessible. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have cleared that hurdle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5 million Americans reported actively using cocaine in 2020, and almost 25,000 Americans died of a cocaine-related overdose in 2021. Although small-molecule drugs have proven effective in treating other drug addictions—for example, methadone as a therapy for heroin abuse—no such medication exists for cocaine abuse.

MPH has been considered a potential treatment because it behaves similarly to the illicit drug, increasing dopamine levels in the brain by blocking dopamine reuptake. Additionally, clinical studies have shown that MPH has a lower risk of abuse than cocaine.

Bacterial diversity in the gut plays an important role in health. The human microbiome has featured prominently in research, with links being made between it and cancer, personality, memory, and diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

While it’s understood that a mother’s microbiome is transferred to their baby at birth and boosted by breastfeeding, what other sources of gut bacteria are there? A new study by researchers at the Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria has confirmed, for the first time, that one source is fruits and vegetables.

The human gut microbiome has a crucial connection to our health and well-being, but it is a complex entity made up of many different organisms, which all have an effect on one another. The hundreds of different microbial species in the gut metabolize the foods we consume in different ways, and the metabolites that microbes generate are often then consumed by other microbes. It’s been suggested that the more than half of the stuff that is eaten by gut microbes are byproducts of other gut microbes. This interdependence can have profound implications for the gut microbiome, and some species become totally reliant on the presence of others.

Scientists are still learning about the various characteristics of a healthy human gut microbiome, but there are certain species that tend to be present. High diversity in the microbiome is also typically associated with good health. While some microbes can fill in the gaps if other important ones are missing, some species can’t be substituted.

It’s the day after the Baltimore Orioles clinched the American League East Championship with their 100th win of the season, and lifelong fan Tim Evans is showing his pride on his sleeve.

“It’s so great,” Evans, 62, says with a huge smile, wearing his orange O’s jersey.

The last time the Orioles won the AL East was in 2014, the same year Evans was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive nervous system disease that causes muscle weakness and loss of motor and speech functions. Evans currently has severe speech and swallowing problems. He can talk slowly, but it’s hard for most people to understand him.

A study spearheaded by Oregon State University has shown why certain polyunsaturated fatty acids work to combat a dangerous liver condition, opening a new avenue of drug research for a disease that currently has no FDA-approved medications.

Scientists led by Oregon State’s Natalia Shulzhenko, Andrey Morgun and Donald Jump used a technique known as multi-omic network analysis to identify the mechanism through which dietary omega 3 supplements alleviated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, usually abbreviated to NASH.

The mechanism involves betacellulin, a protein growth factor that plays multiple positive roles in the body but also contributes to liver fibrosis, or scarring, and the progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Magnets are magnificent. Made of iron, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and various other metals, they’re used in compasses for navigation, in medical imaging machines to see inside the human body, in kitchens to keep cabinets and refrigerators closed, in computers to store data and in new high-speed “hyperloop” trains that can travel at speeds of up to 76 miles per hour.

For environmentalists, however, the most exciting use yet for magnets might be a newly discovered application out of Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, otherwise known as RMIT University: Using magnets, researchers there have discovered a novel way of removing harmful microplastics from water.

“[Microplastics] can take up to 450 years to degrade, are not detectable and removable through conventional treatment systems, resulting in millions of tons being released into the sea every year,” co-lead research Nasir Mahmood said in a statement. “This is not only harmful for aquatic life, but also has significant negative impacts on human health.”

🦠🔬💊 https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231025/How-strep-bacteri…-treatment

Researchers discover that Group A streptococcal infections alter immunoglobulin G (IgG) homeostasis to evade the immune system, affecting the transition from local to systemic infections. The study also raises concerns about the effectiveness of antibody-based therapies, as the bacteria’s virulence factors can degrade therapeutic antibodies.