Advancing Health Worldwide Content

Developing Molecular Windows to Advance Health

Andy Fell — January 16, 2025 - 4:50pm

The image is like an abstract stained-glass window. Set against a black background, a nexus of fluorescent greens, yellows and blues mushrooms out into purples and deep reds. It’s striking — the beauty of cells when viewed through the lens of mass spectrometry.

The Hunt Narrows for Ebolavirus Hosts

Katherine E Kerlin — January 15, 2025 - 9:30am

Bats are widely recognized as the primary hosts of filoviruses, such as Ebola, yet the specific host species of ebolaviruses are not definitively known. In a study led by the University of California, Davis, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), scientists have developed a new tool to narrow down potential host species of filoviruses and better prioritize wildlife surveillance. The research is part of global efforts to prevent viral spillover between animals and humans.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Why Zika Virus Hijacks a Protein Needed for Brain Growth

Andy Fell — January 13, 2025 - 11:13am

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a smaller-than-expected head. A new study published Jan. 13 in mBio shows that the Zika virus hijacks a host protein called ANKLE2, which happens to be important for brain development, to assist its own reproduction. Because Zika, unlike most related viruses, can cross the placenta, this can have disastrous consequences in pregnancy.

Media Experts on Avian Influenza

Amy M Quinton — December 18, 2024 - 8:30am

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Nigeria Adopts Multiple Micronutrient-Fortified Bouillon Cube Standards to Reduce Malnutrition and Child Mortality

Andy Fell — December 17, 2024 - 10:48am

The Nigerian government has enacted a new industrial standard for bouillon which includes a provision for adding vital micronutrients. The new standard specifies the inclusion of iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 on a voluntary basis in nationally produced and imported bouillon cubes to reduce malnutrition and child mortality.

Agricultural Workers Reduce Hours or Move Locations to Avoid Wildfire Smoke

Amy M Quinton — December 12, 2024 - 11:02am

Wildfires forced farmworkers to move locations or reduce hours on smoky days when elevated levels of particulate matter were in the air.

A Chip to Measure Immunity

Andy Fell — December 04, 2024 - 4:16pm

Every winter, influenza returns with a new variant. People who have previously been infected with or vaccinated against flu may have some protection, but this depends on how well their immune system’s “memory” of the previous virus or vaccine cross-reacts with the new variant. At present, there is no good way to measure this. A new NIH-funded project by researchers at the University of California, Davis and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health aims to solve that problem with a new device to measure this immune system “memory” in the blood.

Transparent Worms with Glowing Proteins May Help Fertility Treatments

Andy Fell — November 21, 2024 - 2:03pm

The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival – but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage or genetic disorders like Down syndrome. Scientists have struggled to study these crucial cellular events in humans and other mammals.

Probiotics and Prebiotics: Hype or Health?

Jocelyn C Anderson — November 19, 2024 - 12:48pm

The products often say they “support a healthy gut” or “boost your immune system” by providing good microbes that are often missing from people’s diets. But how can consumers know if these products are really good for them?

Anti-Anxiety and Hallucination-Like Effects of Psychedelics Mediated by Distinct Neural Circuits

Andy Fell — November 14, 2024 - 10:06am

New research suggests that it could be possible to separate treatment from hallucinations when developing new drugs based on psychedelics. The anti-anxiety andhallucination-inducing qualities of psychedelic drugs work through different neural circuits, according to research using a mouse model. The work is published Nov. 15 in Science.