by Kumamoto University The trigger for neurodegeneration is the assembly of G4 structures driven by increased intracellular calcium ions (Ca2+) due to cellular stress. α-Synuclein binds directly to G4, shifting into an aggregate-prone structure that employs G4 as a scaffold to form harmful clusters. Therefore, inhibiting G4 assembly can prevent α-synuclein aggregation, helping to protect against...
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What you need to know about ‘walking pneumonia’
by Cynthia McCormick Hibbert, Northeastern University Credit: cottonbro studio from Pexels Do you have a runny nose and nagging cough that has persisted for weeks but you’ve still managed to drag yourself to work and school? You may be among a surging caseload of people with mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia. The Centers for Disease...
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FDA Approves Novel Treatment for UTIs
New oral antibiotic gets a nod for uncomplicated urinary tract infections by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage TodayOctober 25, 2024 The FDA approved oral sulopenem etzadroxil and probenecid (Orlynvah) to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs) caused by certain bacteria in women with limited or no alternative oral antibacterial treatment options, the agency saidopens in a new tab...
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Study reveals superbug MRSA’s double defense against antibiotics
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...