In the realm of medical innovation, a new contender has emerged to tackle bacterial infections. This contender is not a traditional antibiotic but a smart polymer designed to release sulfur dioxide (SO2) in a controlled manner. These polymers, known as DAPx, are not your average materials. They are amphiphilic, meaning they love both water and oil, and they have a cl...
Skin infections caused by bacteria that don't respond to typical antibiotics are a growing problem. This is because antibiotics have been overused and misused, making bacteria stronger and more resistant. Scientists have come up with a clever solution: a special patch with tiny needles that dissolve. These patches are loaded with a mix of zinc, cerium, and an antibio...
Scratching an itch can feel really satisfying, but unfortunately, it might not be the best idea. Ever wondered why we have the urge to scratch an itch even though it makes things worse? Scientists at a university in Pittsburgh wanted to figure out this mystery. They conducted experiments with mice that had eczema-like symptoms. Mice that scratched...
Imagine you're at war with tiny invaders. Your body's immune cells, like soldiers, need to know where to strike. One key soldier here is a protein called Granzyme B (GzmB). It plays a huge role in fighting off bacterial infections by causing bacteria to self-destruct. Scientists have created a sort of glowing beacon to spot GzmB in action. This beacon helps them see ...
When people get a stem cell transplant from someone else (called allogeneic transplant), their immune system takes a big hit. This makes them super vulnerable to infections from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Even with better protection strategies, bacterial infections in the bloodstream (called BSIs) are common and can be really serious. Two viruses, cytomegalovirus ...
As COVID-19 restrictions eased, there was a surge in viral respiratory infections (VRIs). This increase might have raised the risk of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs), such as complicated pneumonia, sinusitis, and invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS). To understand these changes better, researchers examined data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C)...