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Enterobacteriaceae, gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, part of intestinal microbiome and causative agents of different infections, 3D rendering. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and other

The microbiome in early life: Setting the stage for optimal early life health in...

Researchers at the University of South Florida Microbiomes Institute are exploring exciting new areas in microbiome research; here, they discuss the essential role that the microbiome plays in early life health.
Herb wall, plant wall, natural green wallpaper and background. nature wall. Nature background of green forest

Rethinking urban greenery: A nature-based approach to biodiversity management

This article examines the urbanLIFEcircles project as an example for integrating biodiversity management into urban planning through nature-based solutions.
Image: © Beyond Belief Brewing Co. (BBB) - brewing

The role of brewing in the emerging circular economy: A case study

Freddie Ugo from Beyond Belief Brewing Co. discusses the role of brewing in the emerging circular economy by presenting a case study.
surrealistic art, line of light, chaos of reflection, liquid forms on black. rock weathering research

Unleashing the potential of biology in mining and enhanced rock weathering by bridging the...

Martin Van Den Berghe, CEO of Cytochrome, along with Jayme Feyhl-Buska and Paul Reginato of Homeworld Collective, explore the potential of biology in mining and enhanced rock weathering by bridging the gap between academia and industry.

Microalgae as a novel, non-animal source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D

Charlotte Jacobsen and Emil Gundersen from the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark emphasize the need for new plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3, highlighting microalgae as a promising option and discussing the challenges in harnessing it.

Microbial contamination: How water activity stops costly food recalls

Microbial contamination can lead to recalls and financial losses for food manufacturers. Novasina AG emphasizes the key difference between moisture content, which measures water volume, and water activity, which indicates the energy status of water and is crucial for assessing microbial growth.
Figure 1: Microbially-assisted phytoremediation of cadmium

Microbially-assisted phytoremediation of cadmium

Arpita Bose, PhD, Associate Professor and Nida Zainab, PhD Researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, guide us through the process of microbially-assisted phytoremediation of cadmium.
Figure 1: Therapeutic relevance of GPCRs in various diseases.

AI-driven innovations in GPCR ligand synthesis for treating inflammatory diseases

This article explores the significance of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) in therapeutic drug development and strategies for advancing GPCR-targeted therapies, including the use of agonists, antagonists, biased agonism, and allosteric modulators.

Electrified (electro)catalyst production and recycling for sustainable catalyst-based chemical industries

Savitha Thayumanasundaram, Research and Development Scientist at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) & Project Coordinator of the FIREFLY consortium, explains electrified (electro)catalyst production and recycling for sustainable catalyst-based chemical industries.
close up of 3d microscopic blue bacteria

Microbiomes should be incorporated into The One Health Joint Plan of Action

The One Health Joint Plan of Action was created by major international organizations to tackle global health issues related to human, animal, plant, and environmental health. This article emphasizes the importance of integrating microbiomes into this framework to enhance health systems and prevention strategies.

Programmable iontronic neural networks

Guo-Xing Miao, Professor at the University of Waterloo, guides us through programmable iontronic neural networks.
Old roofing slate in a pile. Asbestos, harmful to humans and the environment. Close up.

Amphibole asbestos as a public health risk in 2025: Autoimmune disease

Despite efforts to minimize exposure, deaths from asbestos-related diseases remain high. A recent review emphasized the importance of evaluating different mineral groups and pointed out that exposure to amphibole asbestos is linked to higher rates of autoimmune diseases. Jean C. Pfau and Brenda J. Buck discuss the urgent need to address this public health risk more effectively.

The influence of rock type on conifer species’ nutrition and biomass partitioning

Mark Kimsey, Director of the Intermountain Forestry Cooperative, explains the influence of rock type on conifer species’ nutrition and biomass partitioning.
abs Bacteria concept - 3d rendered microbiology image. Medical research, health-care concept.

Bioinformatics into TB surveillance: A new approach to an ancient foe

David Ussery, a Professor in the Department of BioMedical Informatics at UAMS, and his Ph.D. student Brian Delavan discuss bioinformatics into TB surveillance, presenting a new approach to tackling this ancient foe.
Figure 1. Landmarks of the peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation (PICC). LC = lamina cribrosa. BM = Bruch’s membrane (dashed red arrow). SF = scleral flange, the sclera between the dura and the pia mater. D = dura mater. PICC (red star) is in front of the subarachnoid space (yellow star). It is a suprachoroidal detachment. It is suggested to be promoted by a direct traction force (blue arrow) of the dura mater during eye movements. A tangential component of this traction force squeezes the choroid at the end of the posterior outpouching (red arrowheads). The device used is the Spectral Domain OCT Spectralis® HRA-OCT, model S3300 (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg Germany). Note: Reprinted from Peripapillary Intrachoroidal Cavitation. Adèle Ehongo et al. ‘J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 4712’ Originally published by and used with permission from MDPI.

Understanding the link between PICC and myopic complications

Dr Adèle Ehongo discusses the pathogenesis of peripapillary intra-choroidal cavitation and its implications for myopic complications.
Fig. 1. Measuring surface tension with a) surface waves and b) in vapour channels

Does surface tension above boiling temperature still exist?

It remains unclear whether boiling metal surfaces can still show surface tension, says Prof Dr-Ing. Jörg Volpp, Associate Professor at University West, Trollhättan in Sweden.
Figure: Top left & right: Depiction of an epigenetic Waddington landscape with various cell types illustrating the hierarchical process of differentiation (left) and how this process is altered in cancer (right). Top middle: diagram to illustrate how the normal multipotent cell suppresses tissue-specific transcription factors via an easily reversible epigenetic modification called H3K27me3. These H3K27me3 marks are removed once a cell differentiates into one that carries out a specific function in the tissue/organ (‘differentiated cells’). In cancer, the suppression by H3K27me3 is replaced by promoter DNA methylation, which is stable and leads to irreversible and increased suppression of tissue-specific transcription factors. CancerStemID can estimate the transcription factor inactivation load (TFIL) for any given cell. Bottom left: Illustration of how TFIL could identify the cells that are more stem-like and which drive cancer progression. Bottom middle: Heatmap of inactivation events of esophageal specific transcription factors in single cells from a precursor cancer lesion (low and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia-LGIN/HGIN) in the human esophagus, with cells sorted by the TFIL. Bottom right: Violin plots displaying the significant association between TFIL and dedifferentiation, and between TFIL and a cancer risk score computed as relative similarity between a precancerous cell and those found in invasive cancer.

Predicting cancer risk with computational biology

Andrew Teschendorff, Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is developing computational systems-biological tools to identify cells at risk of turning cancerous.
Macro shot of Colorful fluid acrylic paint

The microbiome and aging: Unlocking new frontiers in healthy longevity

Research conducted by the USF Microbiomes Institute and the MiaGB Consortium is uncovering the significant link between microbial communities and host biology. This understanding could lead to new therapies for age-related conditions. Shalini Jain, Christian Brechot, and Hariom Yadav provide further insights.
Figure 1. Systemic immune responses elicited by oral dmLT-saponin combinations compared to injected vaccines (A) Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image of the dmLT and saponin formulation demonstrating the formation of acid-stable micelle particles upon the addition of saponin to dmLT. (B) Preclinical evaluation of systemic serum IgG and IgA antibody responses following prime/boost vaccination. Antibody levels against the microbial protein antigen included in the vaccination were assessed two weeks post-final vaccination in immunized mice. Groups were stratified by vaccination route (intramuscular [IM] or sublingual [SL]) and adjuvant formulation (dmLT [D] and/or saponin [S]). Comparisons with unvaccinated controls (white bars) are shown. Statistical significance between groups is indicated (*P < 0.05), with the SL D+S group achieving the best IgG and IgA responses to vaccine antigen.

New strategies for an old problem – Oral vaccines research

Despite their advantages, oral vaccines encounter several challenges. Professor Elizabeth Norton from Tulane University discusses how her team is addressing these issues and their research on developing and testing dmLT and saponin combination adjuvants.
FIGURE 1 shows the basic steps required to obtain genetic phase or haplotyping for the HLA system in a potential bone marrow transplant recipient without resorting to family studies. Studies to date have shown superior outcomes in haplotype-matched recipient/donor pairs compared to those matched for individual alleles at multiple HLA loci. (Kitcharoen, Petersdorf, Maskalana)

Single chromosome sequencing to obtain genetic phase (haplotyping)

Brian Tait, Chief Scientific Officer at Haplomic Technologies Pty Ltd, examines single chromosome sequencing to obtain genetic phase (haplotyping).

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