Abstract Recently, our understanding of the elusive bacterial communities in the lower respiratory tract and their role in chronic lung disease has increased significantly. However, little is known about the respiratory microorganisms in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB), which is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by destruction of the tracheobronchial tree due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. [...]

Abstract Psychobiotics correspond to a class of probiotics, mainly of the genus Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, capable of producing neuroactive substances, such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin, which exert effects on the brain-gut axis. Evidence suggests that psychobiotics can have a beneficial effect on mood, anxiety and cognition. The present study evaluated the effects of chronic administration of two [...]

Abstract While the soil microbiome may influence pathogen survival, determining the major contributors that reduce pathogen survival is inconclusive. This research was performed to determine the survival of E. coli O157 in autoclaved and natural (unautoclaved) sandy soils. Soils were inoculated with three different E. coli O157 strains (stx1+/stx2+, stx1-/stx2-, and stx1-/stx2+), and enumerated until extinction at 30°C. There was a significant difference in [...]

Abstract Perinatal factors can shape fecal microbiome patterns among pregnant women and their infants. However, there is scarce information about the effect of maternal demographics and perinatal exposures on antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and mobile genetic element (MGE) patterns in pregnant women and infants. We examined fecal samples from pregnant women during their third trimester of [...]

Objective Male circumcision (MC) reduces acquisition of HIV-1 in heterosexual men by at least 60%, but the biological mechanism for this protection is incompletely understood. Previous studies have shown that a larger foreskin size, increased abundance of anaerobic bacteria in the sub-preputial space, and higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the penis are all prospectively associated [...]

Introduction The controversial hypothesis that microbes might trigger Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been debated for decades. Around 30 years ago, researchers in the United Kingdom discovered DNA of human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) in postmortem brain samples of AD patients at much higher levels than in healthy brains, hinting that viral infection could be somehow [...]

Abstract The new particle formation due to the use of cleaning products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments is well documented in the scientific literature. Indeed, the physical‐chemical process occurring in particle nucleation due to VOC‐ozone reactions was deepened as well as the effect of the main influencing parameters (ie, temperature, ozone).   [...]

Today during an 3-hour hearing in front of Congress on the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that it was a definitely a possibility the United States would have an effective vaccine against COVID-19 by early next year. His optimism comes on [...]

The World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 emergency committee is meeting today to review the latest pandemic developments and discuss extending the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations, amid a steady surge in hot spots and flare-ups elsewhere as restrictions are eased. Meanwhile, the world’s pandemic total climbed to 17,421,013 cases, [...]

Researchers who conducted a decision and cost-effectiveness study published today in JAMA Network Open have concluded that the safe reopening of US college campuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic this fall relies on every-other-day screening of asymptomatic students and strict compliance with physical distancing and infection-control protocols. The study involved modeling a hypothetical cohort of 4,990 healthy college students and [...]