by University of Sheffield Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Credit: NIH/NIAID Scientists have discovered the mechanism which allows the superbug methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to become highly resistant to antibiotics, paving the way for new approaches to control infectious disease. MRSA is an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) superbug that causes over 120,000 deaths per year. Given the urgent need...
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Biofilm battles: storming and repurposing the bacterial fortress
Most bacteria mimic multicellular life, forming a community connected by what’s known as a biofilm.Credit: Kateryna Kon/ Science Photo Library/ Getty Images. “Biofilms can be good, but when they go bad, then we have a real problem,” says Lauren Bakaletz, director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide...
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Chemists make ‘impossible’ molecules that break 100-year-old bonding rule
Organic molecules, which contain carbon (pictured), form certain shapes because of how their atoms bond.Credit: Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/Science Photo Library For the first time, chemists have made a class of molecules previously thought too unstable to exist, and used them to generate exotic compounds. Scientists say these notorious molecules, known as anti-Bredt olefins (ABOs), offer a new...
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CELLS USE ‘COMPASS’ TO FIND THEIR WAY AROUND YOUR BODY
A new study offers important insights into how cells orchestrate complex movements through the body’s fluid environment. The new finding has the potential to lead to new medical treatments. Our cells have a remarkable ability to move through our bloodstream, organs, and tissues—all of which contain fluids. “Cells evolved in water, so they naturally operate...
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Neutrons settle 40-year debate on enzyme for cancer drug design
The scientists, working at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, used neutron scattering at the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor to identify exact atomic-scale chemistry in serine hydroxymethyltransferase, or SHMT, a metabolic enzyme necessary for cell division. Drago and Kovalevsky examine the crystal Drago grew at ORNL to learn...
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Doctors report first U.S. cases of sexually transmitted ringworm rash
by Ernie Mundell Doctors in New York City are describing the first known U.S. cases of sexually transmitted ringworm, which can cause a nasty rash that can take months to bring under control. Despite the name, ringworm isn’t any kind of worm, but instead it is a fungus called Trichophyton mentagrophytes. It’s more commonly known...
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Enzymes linked to high-fat diet’s impact on multiple sclerosis offer potential way to protect neurons
by CUNY Advanced Science Research Center The top panel shows a view of the inside of a neuron where C16 fatty acid derived from palm oil is being synthesized into ceramide C16 (CerC16), which impairs mitochondrial function and results in more severe disease course. The bottom panel shows the same scenario in a mouse with genetic...
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Closing in on Parkinson’s Disease proteins in extracellular vesicles in the blood
Precision diagnostics for diseases that affect the brain and other organs brought closer by new ability to exclusively access contents of organ-derived extracellular vesicles in blood Peer-Reviewed Publication Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard image: The team’s overall goal was to be able to compare the amounts of α-synuclein protein contained in extracellular...
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Study shows how education, occupation and wealth affect the risk of cognitive impairment
by University College London Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Socioeconomic factors such as education, occupation, and wealth influence the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment or dementia in later life and whether a person is likely to recover, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Scientific Reports, followed 8,442 adults aged 50 and above...
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Total hip replacement superior to resistance training for reducing hip pain, improving function
by Elana Gotkine Total hip replacement results in superior reduction in hip pain and improved hip function at six months compared with resistance training among patients aged 50 years or older with severe hip osteoarthritis and an indication for surgery, according to a study published in the Oct. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Thomas...