Artificial Intelligence (AI) Helps Map Intestinal Bacteria by Colleen Fleiss on January 16, 2021 at 11:31 PM
A new artificial intelligence (AI) technique helps researchers unravel some of the human intestinal bacteria s mysteries, said University of Copenhagen researchers.
Both past and present-day scientists have suspected the intestines of playing a role in various diseases. Present-day studies focus on the intestinal flora s role in physical diseases such as diabetes and overweight, while others seek to establish a connection between the intestinal flora and e.g. autism, schizophrenia and depression.
But even modern-day scientists have difficulties studying the around 500-1000 different species among the approx. 100 billion active bacteria in our intestines.
Bacteria in Gums Use Growth Molecules from Neighbors to Survive by Angela Mohan on January 6, 2021 at 12:28 PM
Veillonella parvula bacteria engage in a one-sided relationship with pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, helping the germ multiply and cause gum disease, according to a new University at Buffalo-led study.
P. gingivalis borrows growth molecules from V. parvula, a common yet harmless bacteria in the mouth whose growth is not population dependent.
In a healthy mouth, P. gingivalis makes up a miniscule amount of the bacteria in the oral microbiome and cannot replicate. But if dental plaque is allowed to grow unchecked due to poor oral hygiene, V. parvula will multiply and eventually produce enough growth molecules to also spur the reproduction of P. gingivalis.
New Group of Antibiotics Active Against Various Bacteria by Angela Mohan on December 24, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Nature, by Wistar Institute scientists. We took a creative, double-pronged strategy to develop new molecules that can kill difficult-to-treat infections while enhancing the natural host immune response, said Farokh Dotiwala, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center and lead author of the effort to identify a new generation of antimicrobials named dual-acting immuno-antibiotics (DAIAs).
Current antibiotics target nucleic acid and protein synthesis, building of the cell membrane, and metabolic pathways. But, bacteria can acquire drug resistance by modifying the bacterial target or by inactivating the drugs or pumping them out.