Candida albicans is a yeast that colonizes the mucosal surfaces of most healthy humans. Under certain conditions, it can switch to a harmful form and cause infection. Researchers have now identified components of mucus that keep the pathogen from turning destructive, thus laying the foundation for a new class of drugs. Most people don’t ever notice that they carry potentially harmful pathogens. The fact that they remain ignorant of Candida albicans is in part thanks to a substance usually not…

Specific cellular, molecular and gene expression patterns in brain areas are linked to function, but their precise relationships remain largely unknown. New findings by scientists at the Human Brain Project (HBP) shed light on these relationships and enable a more comprehensive understanding of human brain organisation. The HBP researchers conducted a study that targeted three levels of cortical organisation: cytoarchitecture, neurotransmitter receptor architecture and neurotransmitter receptor gene expression. The study elucidates principles of human brain organisation across the visual, auditory,…

A University of Queensland-led study has found millions of COVID-19 patients may have undiagnosed acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is a condition where the kidneys suddenly fail to filter waste from the blood, which can lead to serious illness or even death. Existing data indicates approximately 20 per cent of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 develop AKI, rising to roughly 40 per cent for those in intensive care. But UQ PhD candidate and kidney specialist Dr Marina Wainstein said…

Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen led by Ulrich Kortz, Professor of Chemistry, have achieved a breakthrough in the field of precious metal-oxo chemistry. For the first time, researchers have synthesized cationic, meaning positively charged, metal-oxo clusters based on palladium. They report on the synthesis and properties of these compounds in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie, which classifies the article as a Hot Paper and thus as a particularly important contribution. The research project involved the working groups of four professors…

University of Tübingen research team discovers mechanism bacteria use to overcome plant cells’ immune response. Many disease-causing bacteria are able to inhibit the defense mechanisms in plants and thus escape dissolution by the plant cell, a process known as xenophagy. Animal and human cells have a similar mechanism whereby the cell’s defenses ‘eat’ invading bacteria – yet some bacteria can inhibit the process. An international research team has now described the inhibition of xenophagy in plants for the first time….

Programmed cell death is an important tool that an organism uses to keep itself healthy. When a cell does not function as it should, various stress reactions are activated. The goal of these reactions is to restore the original cell function. One example is autophagy, a process in which the cell partially digests itself to gain energy, which it can then use for its own repair. If these attempts should fail, the cell dies. This allows the body to fight…

Cancer patients are at a greater risk for developing diabetes, according to a new study. The study also concludes that cancer patients who develop diabetes die sooner than survivors without diabetes. Cancer patients are at a greater risk for developing diabetes, according to a new study by the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, and the University of Copenhagen. The study also concludes that cancer patients who develop diabetes die sooner than survivors without diabetes. Cancer is the leading cause of…

In the research project “Power density hydrogen release from LOHC systems on mobile platforms”, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) and the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg (HI ERN) have developed an efficient and stable surface catalyst for the release of hydrogen from liquid storage materials. With this catalyst, the researchers pave the way for the mobile application of Liquid-Organic-Hydrogen-Carrier (LOHC) technology using rail transport as an applied case. In correspondance, current diesel trains are replaceable by modern alternatives using low-emission hydrogen…

Researchers have developed 3D printed artificial heart valves designed to allow a patient’s own cells to form new tissue. To form these scaffolds using melt electrowriting – an advanced additive manufacturing technique – the team has created a new fabrication platform that enables them to combine different precise, customized patterns and hence to fine-tune the scaffold’s mechanical properties. Their long-term goal is to create implants for children that develop into new tissue and therefore last a lifetime. In the human…

Visible light triggers Rice’s molecular machines to treat infections. Molecular machines that kill infectious bacteria have been taught to see their mission in a new light. The latest iteration of nanoscale drills developed at Rice University are activated by visible light rather than ultraviolet (UV), as in earlier versions. These have also proven effective at killing bacteria through tests on real infections. Six variants of molecular machines were successfully tested by Rice chemist James Tour and his team. All of…

A new study indicates how deep learning can improve gene therapies and antiviral drugs. The nuclease Cas13b associated with CRISPR defense systems—also known as genetic scissors—has the potential to be used in the future in hereditary diseases to silence adverse genes. In the fight against infections, it is also being researched as an antiviral agent, as Cas13b can target the genome of viruses and render them harmless. Despite these promising features, researchers are looking for nuclease inhibitors that can control…

Viruses can make animals and humans sick – or healthy: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have succeeded in genetically modifying the herpes simplex virus type 1, which triggers painful cold sores, in such a way that it can be used in the fight against cancer in the future. Viruses are simple in structure: They consist of a small amount of genetic material wrapped in proteins and lipids. Measuring just 20 to 200 nanometers in…

Methane instead of CO2 … Biogas plants produce methane along with more than 40 percent CO2 which has been released into the atmosphere in conventional biogas plants. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM have now found a way to convert this waste product into additional methane, thus drastically increasing the methane yield from biogas plants. The process is up and running and the research team is currently scaling up the demonstration plant to five cubic meters…

An international team of scientists used retrospective radiocarbon birth dating to show that the human liver stays young throughout life and is on average less than three years old. The liver is an essential organ that takes care of clearing toxins in our bodies. Because it constantly deals with toxic substances, it is likely to be regularly injured. To overcome this, the liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate itself after damage. Because a lot of the body’s…

Infectious microbes have evolved sophisticated means to invade host cells, outwit the body’s defenses and cause disease. While researchers have tried to puzzle out the complicated interactions between microorganisms and the host cells they infect, one facet of the disease process has often been overlooked – the physical forces that impact host-pathogen interactions and disease outcomes. In a new study, corresponding authors Cheryl Nickerson, Jennifer Barrila and their colleagues demonstrate that under low fluid shear force conditions that simulate those found in microgravity…

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a film that not only protects wounds similar to the way a bandage does, but also helps wounds to heal faster, repels bacteria, dampens inflammation, releases active pharmaceutical ingredients in a targeted manner and ultimately dissolves by itself. This is all made possible by its dedicated design and the use of mucins, molecules which occur naturally in mucous membranes. Conventional bandages may be very effective for treating smaller skin abrasions,…