Tag Archives: infection
BioID screen for bacterial virulence proteins: new tools for infectious disease research
The discovery of penicillin in the 1920s revolutionized our ability to treat bacterial infection. However despite the introduction of antibiotics, infectious bacterial pathogens remain an immense challenge for the healthcare community. The incidence of infection by antibiotic-resistant
Rapid monitoring of the impact of polymicrobial infections using electrochemical sensors
The development of bacterial infections is a major challenge as pathogenic bacteria spread through healthcare facilities where patients may come in contact with complex bacterial communities heavily colonizing on hospital surfaces. These bacteria cause internal and external
Satiated macrophages produce interferon-beta to orchestrate the resolution of bacterial infection
Acute inflammation is a localized, self-limited host defense mechanism against invading microorganism and tissue injury. Rapid recruitment of white blood cells called neutrophils (polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes) from the blood to the site of infection or injury is
Using AI to improve the quality and quantity of hand washing in hospitals
Poor quality hand hygiene has been identified as the main contributor to the spread of hospital acquired infections. In the USA, they affect 2 million patients of which nearly 90,000 die. The cost of these infections is
Novel drug treatment for human infection with H7N9- avian influenza A
The H7N9 subtype of avian influenza is an enzootic and airborne virus which caused an influenza outbreak in China. Infected individuals mostly worked with poultry, suggesting H7N9 virus-infected poultry as the primary source of human infection. Significantly
How alcohol consumption might contribute to viral liver infections?
The coexistence between excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is causative of a high death ratio annually. It is well-known that phosphoinositides (PI) not only regulate a number of physiological processes but also they
An educational programme for the control of hospital outbreaks
Healthcare associated infections due to microorganisms resistant to multiple antimicrobial drugs (Multidrug Resistant Organisms-MDROs) represent a concern for healthcare facilities worldwide. Because of the difficulties in the management of MDRO infections, various guidelines containing recommendations have been
Clostridioides difficile infections: what is new in laboratory diagnosis and clinical treatment
Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) have become a major economic issue from developing countries as well as from the Western World. Early and accurate diagnosis of CDI allows earlier treatment, which can significantly reduce the morbidity, mortality, medical
Infected stent graft behind the knee
Popliteal artery aneurysms are the commonest peripheral artery aneurysm and affect 1% of men aged 65 to 80 years. The popliteal artery in the main artery behind the knee and an aneurysm is where the blood vessels
Lung infections and the origins of rheumatoid arthritis
Five percent of individuals worldwide develop an autoimmune disease. The causes of the majority of autoimmune diseases is unknown. But it is recognised that various tissues are damaged by over-activation of our immune system in response to
Inner myeloid gene network as a nexus of hematopoiesis and infection
The immunological system is equipped with efficient and tunable mechanisms to remove immediately pathogens from our body. Invasion of microbes in the blood is an emergency state, because they can trigger inflammatory responses, leading to sepsis. Therefore,
Surgical energy in the contaminated wound: too much of a good thing?
Surgical energy has been widely used since its invention in the early 1900. Today, electrosurgery accounts for 80% of all dissections and hemostasis. For surgical energy we commonly refer to the capability of an electrosurgical unit (ESU)
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius infection: a downside to man’s best friend?
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a bacteria identified in the past decade that is increasingly recognized to cause infections in people. S. pseudintermedius colonizes ~90% of healthy dogs, and the common sites are the pharynx, nares, rectum, and skin.
Landscapes of jasmonates during flower development and leaf stresses
Hormones are small compounds which regulate many aspects of life, from organ development to environmental adaptations. Jasmonates are plant hormones controlling various biological processes including flower development and defense against insects and fungi. In order to conserve
How does fever work? As a non-specific stressor
Despite the spectacular discoveries in immunology and recent biotechnological advances, amazingly there has been no consensus on how fever functions to help control infections. Does the heat of fever act as an immune stimulant, or does it
Neonatal sepsis affects neurodevelopment in premature infants
The infancy neurological development, known like neurodevelopment, is a process influenced by multiple biological and environmental factors. Infants with birth weight less than 1500 grams _also known as very low birth weight infants (VLBW infants)_ constitute a
Discovering how treatments for emphysema might lead to infections
Smoking related lung diseases include emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smokers are also at increased risk of pneumonia – bacterial infections of the lung. Together COPD and pneumonia are ranked as the 3rd and 4th
Vaccine research on Africa’s cattle-killing East Coast fever: A short (somewhat potted but handsomely illustrated) history
Tremendous research progress has been made over the last ten years to better control the deadly African disease of cattle known as East Coast fever. This disease is caused by a single-celled organism, Theileria parva, which is carried
Infections in right-sided heart valves often leave doctors with no right answer
A normal human heart has four chambers and four valves. When these valves are working well, they stop blood from flowing backwards and are essential to good heart function. Two valves are in the right side of
Obligatory intracellular bacterium exploits evolutionarily conserved host signaling pathway to survive
In order to survive, obligately intracellular pathogens exploit host cellular signaling pathways and other cellular processes via molecular interactions between pathogen – secreted “effectors” and host target proteins to reprogram host cell functions. However, the molecular mechanisms
