Feature Channels: Microbiome

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Released: 25-Jul-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Menstrual cups can help prevent infection, improve vaginal health
University of Illinois Chicago

Kenyan teenage girls who were given menstrual cups were less likely to acquire certain kinds of vaginal infections and were more likely to have a healthy vaginal microbiome, found a study by University of Illinois Chicago researchers.

Newswise: Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
Released: 25-Jul-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

In a multi-generation experiment, researchers from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) found microbes helped plants cope with drought, but not in response to plants’ cries for help. Instead, the environment itself selected for drought-tolerant microbes. And while those hardy microbes were doing their thing, they just happened to make plants more drought-tolerant, too.

Released: 24-Jul-2023 5:20 PM EDT
How the microbiome drives the evolution of immune defenses
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Animals and humans coexist with a vast array of microorganisms known as the microbiome, forming an intricate relationship that can range from mutually beneficial to pathogenic.

Newswise: Taming Undomesticated Bacteria with a High-Efficiency Genome Engineering Tool
Released: 24-Jul-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Taming Undomesticated Bacteria with a High-Efficiency Genome Engineering Tool
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Genetic engineers use synthetic biology to provide novel functions in microbes by introducing new genes. A new method called Serine recombinase-Assisted Genome Engineering (SAGE) borrows components from bacterial viruses to aid the stable insertion of genes into bacterial chromosomes. This new tool has the potential to work well in many species of bacteria, including newly discovered bacteria that must grow outside controlled laboratory conditions. These features will help accelerate synthetic biology research for bioenergy.

Released: 24-Jul-2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wormlike animals are first amphibians shown to pass microbes to their offspring
Florida Museum of Natural History

A new study shows that skin-feeding does more than provide nutrients for young caecilians. It also helps the mother pass microbes from her skin and gut down to her young, inoculating them to jump-start a healthy microbiome. This is the first direct evidence that parental care in an amphibian plays a role in passing microbes from one generation to the next.

19-Jul-2023 10:00 AM EDT
Microbiome-Directed Therapies for Undernutrition, Big Data for Precision Medicine, Health Equity, and More to Be Explored at 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo
Association for Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM (formerly AACC))

At the 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, laboratory experts will present cutting-edge research and technology that is shaping the future of clinical testing and patient care.

17-Jul-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Scientists Name Top Five Foods Rich in Prebiotics
American Society for Nutrition (ASN)

There is growing evidence that consuming prebiotics — certain types of fiber often found in plants that stimulate beneficial bacteria in your gut — can help to maintain a healthy gut microbiome. In a new study, scientists estimated the prebiotic content of thousands of food types by using preexisting literature to find out which foods offer the highest prebiotic content.

Newswise: New algorithm helped to find thousands of repeated elements in bacterial genome
Released: 21-Jul-2023 3:55 PM EDT
New algorithm helped to find thousands of repeated elements in bacterial genome
Scientific Project Lomonosov

Scientists from The Federal Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Center of Biotechnology RAS) elaborated mathematical algorithm that enabled to find dispersed repeated elements in genome with great accuracy.

Newswise: Biosurfactants might offer an environmentally friendly solution for tackling oil spills
Released: 21-Jul-2023 3:50 PM EDT
Biosurfactants might offer an environmentally friendly solution for tackling oil spills
University of Stuttgart

Can biosurfactants increase microbiological oil degradation in North Sea seawater? An international research team from the universities of Stuttgart und Tübingen, together with the China West Normal University and the University of Georgia, have been exploring this question and the results have revealed the potential for a more effective and environmentally friendly oil spill response.

Released: 21-Jul-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Probiotic combo stops bacteria that cause toxic shock syndrome
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

The widespread, pathogenic microbe Staphylococcus aureus can colonize the skin and mucous membranes throughout the body, particularly the vagina and gastrointestinal tract.

Newswise: Engineering New Metabolic Pathways that Function Across Microbial Kingdoms
Released: 20-Jul-2023 4:30 PM EDT
Engineering New Metabolic Pathways that Function Across Microbial Kingdoms
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Microbes have enormous potential to produce metabolites with potential industrial applications. To do so, microbes use groups of genes called biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that code for the sets of necessary enzymes. Scientists have computationally predicted the products of hundreds of thousands of BGCs, but have experimentally confirmed fewer than 2,000 of them. Researchers have now developed a computational and experimental strategy to redesign BGCs and determine the natural chemical products they create.

Newswise: Living together: Microbial communities are more than the sum of their parts
Released: 20-Jul-2023 4:15 PM EDT
Living together: Microbial communities are more than the sum of their parts
Delft University of Technology

Microbial communities are widely used biotechnology suppliers for processes like manufacturing biofuels and new foods, or helping crops grow better.

Released: 20-Jul-2023 4:00 PM EDT
Fueled by new chemistry, algorithm mines fungi for useful molecules
University of Wisconsin–Madison

A newly described type of chemistry in fungi is both surprisingly common and likely to involve highly reactive enzymes, two traits that make the genes involved useful signposts pointing to a potential treasure trove of biological compounds with medical and chemical applications.It was also nearly invisible to scientists until now.

Released: 19-Jul-2023 5:35 PM EDT
Molecular biologists identify framework for understanding RNA editing in a disease-causing parasite
Boston University

As molecular biologists at Boston University and as husband and wife, Ruslan Afasizhev and Inna Afasizheva, have worked together for decades.

Newswise: Scientists use ORNL’s Summit supercomputer to learn how cicada wings kill bacteria
Released: 18-Jul-2023 2:10 PM EDT
Scientists use ORNL’s Summit supercomputer to learn how cicada wings kill bacteria
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Over the past decade, teams of engineers, chemists and biologists have analyzed the physical and chemical properties of cicada wings, hoping to unlock the secret of their ability to kill microbes on contact. If this function of nature can be replicated by science, it may lead to products with inherently antibacterial surfaces that are more effective than current chemical treatments.

   
Newswise: Bacterial Protein Found in the Urogenital Tract May Contribute to Reduced Fertility, Birth Defects
12-Jul-2023 2:45 PM EDT
Bacterial Protein Found in the Urogenital Tract May Contribute to Reduced Fertility, Birth Defects
Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology published new findings that emphasize the crucial role of the urinary and genital tract microbiota in adverse pregnancy outcomes and genomic instability that originate in the womb during fetal development.

Newswise: Notre Dame researchers invent trap for capturing and comparing individual bacterial cells
Released: 12-Jul-2023 3:25 PM EDT
Notre Dame researchers invent trap for capturing and comparing individual bacterial cells
University of Notre Dame

Together, Notre Dame's Paul Bohn and Joshua Shrout are searching for new ways to observe microorganisms like P. aeruginosa, moving beyond the traditional process of observing cell cultures grown in a Petri dish.

   
Newswise: Trevor Charles appointed to the Phytobiomes Alliance Board of Directors
Released: 12-Jul-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Trevor Charles appointed to the Phytobiomes Alliance Board of Directors
International Phytobiomes Alliance

The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Trevor Charles, Professor in the Department of Biology at University of Waterloo in Canada and Director of the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, as a new Board member of the organization

Released: 11-Jul-2023 4:10 PM EDT
Bacteria in kitchen may not be as harmful as you think
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

Bacteria found in 74 kitchens spread among 5 European countries were mostly harmless according to new research published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Released: 11-Jul-2023 7:00 AM EDT
Zombie Fungus from “The Last of Us” Spurs Increased Interest in Fungal Research
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSL

Scott Baker, fungal biotechnology scientist and microbiologist Davinia Salvachúa break down the importance of fungi to the environment. They also dispel fears that fungi could affect humans as depicted in the fictional series, "The Last of Us," and if fungi are our friend or foe.

   
Released: 10-Jul-2023 12:55 PM EDT
Microbial predators cause seasonal fluctuations in wastewater treatment
University of Cologne

The community of microbial predators influences the composition of the bacterial community in wastewater. This explains seasonal variations in the microbial community that affect the efficiency of water treatment.

Newswise: A single molecule upsets symbiosis
Released: 5-Jul-2023 3:25 PM EDT
A single molecule upsets symbiosis
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology Hans-Knöll-Institute

A new study on the coexistence of bacteria and fungi shows that a mutually beneficial, functioning symbiosis can be very fragile.

Released: 29-Jun-2023 5:30 PM EDT
Alarming antibiotic resistance discovered in war-torn Ukraine
Lund University

Researchers led by Lund University in Sweden have assisted microbiologists in Ukraine in investigating bacterial resistance among the war-wounded patients treated in hospitals.

Released: 29-Jun-2023 5:20 PM EDT
Sponges and their microbiome: Interacting for millions of years
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Munich)

For a number of years, mounting evidence has shown that the microbiome – the totality of all microorganisms that inhabit a living being – interacts with its host in various ways and can influence key life processes.

Newswise: When It Comes to Immunity, You Are What You Eat
Released: 28-Jun-2023 2:00 PM EDT
When It Comes to Immunity, You Are What You Eat
Harvard Medical School

Research in mice shows gut bacteria feed on common fatty acids, and the byproduct of this process stimulates the rise of immune cells in the gut.

Released: 27-Jun-2023 4:30 PM EDT
Magnetic bacteria point the way
University of Tokyo

Magnetotactic bacteria, which can align with the Earth’s magnetic field, have been discovered in a new location.

Newswise: Host Genetics Play a Significant Role in the Composition of Switchgrass Root Microbiomes
Released: 27-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Host Genetics Play a Significant Role in the Composition of Switchgrass Root Microbiomes
Department of Energy, Office of Science

A new study investigated the role of the genes in individual switchgrass plants in determining the composition of the bacterial communities associated with the plants’ roots.

2-Jun-2023 7:05 PM EDT
Differences in alcohol metabolism play a role in the severity of alcohol hangovers
Research Society on Alcoholism

Hangovers are common among people who drink alcohol. Previous research showing that a hangover’s combination of both mental and physical misery can occur after a single episode of alcohol consumption also revealed that a rapid breakdown of alcohol into acetaldehyde is associated with less severe hangovers. Findings from an investigation of the metabolic influence of oral microbiota on hangover severity will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

   
16-Jun-2023 8:00 AM EDT
Helping ‘good’ gut bacteria and clearing out the ‘bad’ — all in one treatment
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Probiotics could be used as an effective treatment strategy for certain intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease. Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a microgel delivery system for probiotics that keeps “good” bacteria safe while actively clearing out “bad” ones.

   
Released: 19-Jun-2023 2:55 PM EDT
An oral probiotic can treat dry eye disease
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

In a study by a research group at Baylor College of Medicine, oral administration of a commercially available probiotic bacterial strain was found to improve dry eye disease in an animal model.

Released: 19-Jun-2023 12:45 PM EDT
A probiotic could help mitigate mercury absorption in the gut
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

New research by a team at Pennsylvania State University suggests that microbes in the human gut could be harnessed to block absorption of toxic metals like mercury and help the body absorb useful nutritional ones, like iron.

Released: 15-Jun-2023 11:40 AM EDT
Linking Gut Microbiome to Health Conditions
Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences

Associations between the human microbiome and health outcomes are facilitating the development of microbiome-targeted recommendations and treatments to help prevent and treat disease.

Newswise: To Advance Microbiome Research, the National Microbiome Data Collaborative Ambassador Program Promotes Microbiome Data Standards
Released: 14-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
To Advance Microbiome Research, the National Microbiome Data Collaborative Ambassador Program Promotes Microbiome Data Standards
Department of Energy, Office of Science

To study microbes, scientists need to collect, process, and share data in a standardized way. The National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC) Ambassador Program launched in 2021 to increase awareness and adoption of microbiome metadata standards. During the program’s year-long term in 2021 and 2022, more than 800 researchers attended 23 Ambassador-hosted presentations.

12-Jun-2023 6:35 PM EDT
Altered gut bacteria may be early sign of Alzheimer’s disease
Washington University in St. Louis

Alzheimer’s disease causes changes to the brain that begin two decades or more before symptoms appear. A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that the bacteria that live in the gut also change before Alzheimer’s symptoms arise, a discovery that could lead to diagnostics or treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that target the gut microbiome.

Released: 14-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Technique Restores Healthy Bacterial Balance in C-Section Babies
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Newborns delivered by cesarean section who are swabbed with the vaginal fluid of their mothers after birth have beneficial bacteria restored to their skin surface and stools, according to a new study. In the first randomized study of its kind, published in the science journal mBio, a team of researchers found the process, known as vaginal seeding, definitively engrafted new strains of maternal bacteria in the babies’ bodies.

Newswise: UW Medicine launches a new center to study microbiomes
Released: 13-Jun-2023 5:25 PM EDT
UW Medicine launches a new center to study microbiomes
University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine

Director Joseph Mougous notes that interbacterial interactions affect humans in many ways, such as whether certain pathogens succeed in invading the gastrointestinal tract. Mougous has published findings about the bacterial battles that occur even amongst the beneficial microbes in our gut, where the outcome can ultimately also influence health.

Newswise: The American Association of Immunologists Appoints Gail A. Bishop as Incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Immunology
Released: 12-Jun-2023 9:00 AM EDT
The American Association of Immunologists Appoints Gail A. Bishop as Incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Immunology
American Association of Immunologists (AAI)

The American Association of Immunologists Appoints Gail A. Bishop as Incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Immunology

Released: 6-Jun-2023 6:50 PM EDT
How the gut microbiome responds to antibiotics
German Center for Infection Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung - DZIF)

In a comprehensive metagenomic study, DZIF scientists Prof. Bärbel Stecher and Prof. Alice McHardy, together with an international research team, investigated the evolution of intestinal bacteria exposed to repeated disruptions by antibiotics.

Released: 6-Jun-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Meeting Preview: Hot Topics at NUTRITION 2023
American Society for Nutrition (ASN)

Reporters and bloggers are invited to join top nutrition experts for a dynamic program at NUTRITION 2023. The annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition runs July 22-25 at the Sheraton Boston and features research announcements, expert discussions, and more.

Released: 5-Jun-2023 1:15 PM EDT
Previously unknown antibiotic resistance widespread among bacteria
Chalmers University of Technology

Genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics are much more widespread in our environment than was previously realised.

   
Released: 5-Jun-2023 10:55 AM EDT
Microbes key to sequestering carbon in soil
Cornell University

Microbes are by far the most important factor in determining how much carbon is stored in the soil, according to a new study with implications for mitigating climate change and improving soil health for agriculture and food production.

Newswise: Machine Learning-Based Protein Annotation Tool Predicts Protein Function
Released: 1-Jun-2023 9:25 AM EDT
Machine Learning-Based Protein Annotation Tool Predicts Protein Function
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Microbes drive key processes of life on Earth. Research constantly expands the database of microbial DNA sequences but does not provide full biological information about proteins. To engineer microbes, scientists need a fuller understanding of protein function. Scientists currently infer protein function by comparing it with reference databases, but this process is slow. To address this challenge, scientists developed Snekmer, a machine learning-based tool for modeling protein function.

23-May-2023 10:05 AM EDT
CHOP Researchers Show that IgA Fine Tunes the Body’s Interactions with Microbes
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A new study by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has demonstrated that IgA acts as a “tuner” that regulates the number of microbes the body sees every day, restraining the systemic immune response to these commensal microbes and limiting the development of systemic immune dysregulation.

Newswise: Scientists use AI to find promising new antibiotic to fight evasive hospital superbug
22-May-2023 1:10 PM EDT
Scientists use AI to find promising new antibiotic to fight evasive hospital superbug
McMaster University

Scientists at McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used artificial intelligence to discover a new antibiotic which could be used to fight a deadly, drug-resistant pathogen that strikes vulnerable hospital patients.

   
Released: 25-May-2023 10:50 AM EDT
Gene editing tool could help reduce spread of antimicrobial resistance
University of Exeter

A new tool which could help reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance is showing early promise, through exploiting a bacterial immune system as a gene editing tool.

Newswise: Short-chain Fatty Acids Reduce Inflammation in the Lungs of Older Mice
Released: 23-May-2023 11:00 AM EDT
Short-chain Fatty Acids Reduce Inflammation in the Lungs of Older Mice
American Physiological Society (APS)

The gut microbial community structure—communities of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the intestines—influences the inflammatory response in the lungs of aging mice, according to researchers from the Institute of Functional Anatomy at Charité, the Medical University of Berlin in Germany.

   
Released: 22-May-2023 12:20 PM EDT
Microorganisms' climate adaptation can slow down global warming
Lund University

A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.

Newswise: A New Strategy to Break Through Bacterial Barriers in Chronic Treatment-Resistant Wounds
Released: 22-May-2023 9:45 AM EDT
A New Strategy to Break Through Bacterial Barriers in Chronic Treatment-Resistant Wounds
University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Researchers in UNC’s School of Medicine’s department of Microbiology and Immunology and the UNC-NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering have developed a new strategy to improve drug-delivery into chronic wounds infections.



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