Face masks may protect you from staph bacteria

Women who experience hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) face significantly higher risks of cardiovascular complications, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death, within five years of giving birth, according to a new study by Intermountain Health researchers.

Researchers have, for the first time, estimated how quickly E. coli bacteria can spread between people and one strain moves as fast as swine flu.

Gut bacteria are considered to be a key factor in many health-related issues. However, the number and variety of them are vast, as are the ways in which they interact with the body's chemistry and each other.

New research shows that the gum disease bacterium P. gingivalis can slip into the bloodstream and infiltrate the heart. There, it quietly drives scar tissue buildup -- distorting the heart's architecture, disrupting electrical signals, and raising the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Researchers have successfully demonstrated a technique for encapsulating bacteria, which can subsequently be preserved and applied to plants to promote their growth and protect them from pests and infections. The technique paves the way for a variety of crop applications that will enable farmers to use these beneficial bacteria in conjunction with agrochemicals.

In a startling discovery, a team of Boston University researchers found that bacteria exposed to microplastics became resistant to multiple types of antibiotics commonly used to treat infections.

Working towards more effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccinations, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed two strains of mycobacteria with "kill switches" that may be activated to stop the bacteria after they elicit an immune response.

According to new research, the link between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and kidney damage could be due to dysregulation of the gut microbiota, which is made up of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.

In living organisms, the membrane that encloses the cells is incredibly delicate and flexible. Many biological activities depend on how it repairs and protects itself from harm, yet this process is still poorly understood. Researchers at Forschungszentrum Julich have now used cryo-electron microscopy to uncover intriguing new information. Known from the photosynthetic system of plants, algae, and bacteria, the membrane protein Vipp1 may generate a variety of structures that may be used as instruments to reinforce and strengthen the cell membrane when needed.

Periodontal disease, which is most commonly caused by the growth and deposition of bacterial biofilm around the teeth, can eventually lead to tooth loss if not treated properly. Interestingly, the inflammatory effects of periodontal bacteria can extend well beyond the mouth, resulting in systemic consequences. Several decades of clinical research have proven that the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) is closely related to the onset and worsening of rheumatoid arthritis.