New research reveals how trace metals mothers are exposed to during pregnancy can shape their babies’ gut bacteria, metabolic pathways, and even antibiotic resistance, potentially influencing lifelong health. Study: Prenatal exposure to trace elements impacts mother-infant gut microbiome, metabolome and resistome during the first year of life. Image Credit: Anusorn Nakdee / Shutterstock In a recent study … Read more
Efforts to reduce child mortality in Africa via mass treatment with the antibiotic azithromycin (AZM) may lead to increased drug resistance in bacteria that frequently cause pneumonia and meningitis, highlighting the need for careful monitoring, finds a new study led by UCL. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is a collaboration with researchers … Read more
We talk a lot about immunity-boosting foods, especially during the summers and monsoons. That is because if our gut is unhappy, it can lead to compromised immunity. And celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija says that about 70% of our immune cells lie in our gut; if our gut microbiome isn’t strong enough, vitamin supplements such as … Read more
Researchers at the Ragon Institute have made a significant discovery about how antibodies can directly enhance the body’s ability to fight Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB). Despite decades of research, TB remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, with about 10 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths annually. Currently, … Read more
Salivary glands play an essential role in protecting oral health by secreting saliva to aid in digestion, speech, and immunity. When these glands are irreversibly damaged—by radiotherapy or autoimmune attacks—patients often face chronic discomfort, difficulty eating, and increased risk of infection. Yet recreating salivary function in the lab remains an elusive challenge due to the … Read more
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to dominate global mortality statistics, with immune dysregulation emerging as a central feature in their pathogenesis. This review by Gareev et al. focuses on immune-derived microRNAs (immuno-miRs) as pivotal modulators of immune responses in cardiovascular settings, highlighting their roles in pathophysiology, diagnostic potential, and therapeutic promise. Introduction … Read more
In the long battle to create an effective HIV vaccine, scientists have made a major leap forward. A new study shows that a series of vaccines can coax the immune system to produce powerful antibodies capable of blocking a wide range of HIV strains-including those that are typically the hardest to stop. Published in Immunity … Read more
In a new study, University of Auckland scientist Christopher Hall and his colleagues focused on neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that play a key role in antibacterial immunity. Yi Du et al. identified a light-responsive cell-intrinsic timer that controls time-of-day variations in antibacterial activity. Image credit: Summerstock. The study authors used zebrafish as … Read more
Q: How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? Our study investigated the role of astrocytes, an abundant cell type in the brain, in regulating an immune response against glioblastoma (GBM)-a highly aggressive brain cancer. We found a subset of astrocytes that limits the immune response and can be targeted with therapeutics. Q: … Read more
Following a spike in Covid-19 in Southeast Asia, India has also seen fresh cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks, with most cases being reported from Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. However, most of the cases are mild and not associated with severity or mortality. “So far cases have been sporadic. The JN.1 sub-variant of … Read more