News by Subject Medicine & Health

Stem cells are not only key players in tissue regeneration, they are also capable of taking direct action against bacteria. This is the finding of a study conducted by researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which describes what happens during a Helicobacter pylori infection of the human stomach. By actively fighting the colonizing bacteria, gastric stem cells protect themselves against damage that can lead to cancer. Results from this study have been published in Nature Cell Biology.

As Asia and Europe battle African swine fever outbreaks, UVM research shows how farmers' risk attitudes affect the spread of infectious animal diseases and offers a first-of-its kind model for testing disease control and prevention strategies. Getting just 10% of risk tolerant farmers to adopt biosecurity measures resulted in a significant reduction of disease, but keeping the disease under control required at least 40% of risk-takers to change their behaviors.

The survey also asked Americans to choose a statement that best represented their feelings about vaccine safety and efficacy. While the vast majority (82%) chose in favor of vaccines, 8% selected responses expressing serious doubt. An additional 9% said they were unsure.

Some MRSA infections could be tackled using widely available antibiotics, suggests new research from an international collaboration led by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

A new article published today in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology shows that research built around human-mimetic tools are more likely to succeed in the search for effective treatments for and prevention of flavivirus infection as compared to research using monkeys or other animals as laboratory models.

The intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium causes frequent outbreaks in the US, and has been historically difficult to study. A novel model of infection from the University of Pennsylvania serves as a new tool to pursue a vaccine.

In 2017, the majority (58%) of the almost 27 000 newly reported hepatitis B cases in the European Union and European Economic Area were classified as chronic infections. This follows a consistent upward trend in reported chronic hepatitis B cases since 2008.

A University of Kansas researcher publishes proof-of-concept research showing artificial intelligence can recognize 12 Mexican and 39 Brazilian species of kissing bugs with high accuracy by analyzing ordinary photos -- an advantage for officials looking to cut the spread of Chagas disease.