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Aseptic Techniques in Microbiology

Aseptic techniques refer to any method used to sterilize and maintain the sterility of an object or location, such as an operating theatre or laboratory, though it may also wound care to prevent infection. PageSeven | Shutterstock What are the fundamental rules of aseptic techniques? A number of basic procedures must be followed when handling […]

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Eating elderberries can help minimize influenza symptoms

Folk medicines and herbal products have been used for millennia to combat a whole range of ailments, at times to the chagrin of modern scientists who have struggled to explain their medicinal benefits. However a recent study by researchers at the University of Sydney has determined exactly how a popular ancient remedy, the elderberry fruit, […]

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On-chip drug screening for identifying antibiotic interactions in eight hours

A KAIST research team developed a microfluidic-based drug screening chip that identifies synergistic interactions between two antibiotics in eight hours. This chip can be a cell-based drug screening platform for exploring critical pharmacological patterns of antibiotic interactions, along with potential applications in screening other cell-type agents and guidance for clinical therapies. Antibiotic susceptibility testing, which […]

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With these nanoparticles, a simple urine test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia: The results could also indicate whether antibiotics have successfully treated the infection

Pneumonia, a respiratory disease that kills about 50,000 people in the United States every year, can be caused by many different microbes, including bacteria and viruses. Rapid detection of pneumonia is critical for effective treatment, especially in hospital-acquired cases which are often more severe. However, current diagnostic approaches often take several days to return definitive […]

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A new aspect in Plasmodium falciparum life cycle revealed: ‘Express’ sexual conversion: Conversion from the asexual to the sexual phase of the malaria parasite is necessary for its transmission to the mosquito

A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) — an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation- reveals a new mechanism by which the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum converts from its asexual to its sexual form, which can be transmitted to the mosquito. The results, published in Nature Microbiology, provide important information on […]

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A novel biosensor to advance diverse high-level production of microbial cell factories

A research group at KAIST presented a novel biosensor which can produce diverse, high-level microbial cell factories. The biosensor monitors the concentration of products and even intermediates when new strains are being developed. This strategy provides a new platform for manufacturing diverse natural products from renewable resources. The team succeeded in creating four natural products […]

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How fatal biofilms form

By severely curtailing the effects of antibiotics, the formation of organized communities of bacterial cells known as biofilms can be deadly during surgeries and in urinary tract infections. Yale researchers have just come a lot closer to understanding how these biofilms develop, and potentially how to stop them. Biofilms form when bacterial cells gather and […]

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Understanding antibiotic resistance in patients with cystic fibrosis

A defective gene causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). There, it traps bacteria, causing patients to develop frequent lung infections that progressively damage these vital organs and impair patients’ ability to breathe. Most patients with this progressive genetic disorder die by the fourth decade of […]