Mostly Microbes and Infection

Highlights • Mice spleen contained a diverse array of microbiotas • Different intensities exercise alters the compositions of the spleen microbiome • Lactobacillus johnsonii  may contribute to the production of Treg cells  

"What's my Research?", organized by David Ojcius. Interdisciplinary presentation at  University of the Pacific  by  chemistry  professor Skylar Carlson and  conservatory  professor Eric Dudley.  Skylar spoke on understanding the role molecules play in nature. Through teamwork and undergraduate research, her team screens natural products for molecules with biological activity, looking for anticancer, antibiotic, or other activity. Eric spoke (and sung) on poly-stylistic practices in singing and the exploration of new musical works at the boundaries of genre, including some work that was nominated recently for a Grammy.

Increasing incidence of fungal infections of recent times requires immediate intervention. Fungal infections are seldom construed at initial stages that intensify the severity of infections and complicate the treatment procedures. Fungal pathogens employ various mechanisms to evade the host immune system and to progress the severity of infections. For the treatment of diverse superficial and systemic infections, antifungal drugs from the available repertoire are administered. However, well documented evidence of fungal resistance to most of the antifungal drugs hampers disease control and poses challenges in antifungal therapy. Several physiological adaptations and genetic mutations followed by their selection in presence of antifungal agents drive the resistance development in fungi. The availability of limited antifungal arsenal, emergence of resistance and biofilm-conferred resistance drives the need for development of novel drugs and alternate approaches for the better treatment ou...

by Jan Martel, David M. Ojcius and John D. Young   Human health requires homeostasis and coherence to respond to stress and synchronize physiological functions. This state of balance is gradually lost during aging when senescent cells accumulate and persistently secrete cytokines that promote systemic inflammation and affect various organs. The immune system is well trained to track and kill senescent cells, but immune cells become old and eventually fail to keep up. In this special issue on senescence, seven original contributions present recent advances related to the roles and characteristics of senescent cells and how senescence, aging and longevity are influenced by cancer, gut dysbiosis, immune cells, lifestyle and diet .

Ce numéro spécial apporte des éléments de réflexion sur l’accès à la santé dans les pays du Sud. Un premier chapitre est consacré à l’épidémie Ebola qui frappe l’Afrique de l’Ouest depuis décembre 2013. Michel Brugière nous explique pourquoi cette nouvelle poussée épidémique a pris beaucoup plus d'ampleur que les précédentes, alors que la maladie au virus Ebola est connue depuis 1976 et que nous savons comment la contenir. Dans leur article, Sophia Hafner et David Ojcius analysent les conséquences d’Ebola sur les économies d’Afrique Occidentale. Tous trois nous invitent à tirer des leçons de ces événements tragiques, notamment en termes de prévention et de solidarité. Des actions de solidarité sont mises en œuvre depuis des années sur le terrain, et permettent d’améliorer l’accès à la santé des populations dans les pays pauvres. Les huit témoignages regroupés dans ce numéro spécial en attestent. Ces initiatives peuvent être des sources d’apprentissage précieuses.

Life extension  is the concept of extending the human  lifespan , either modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by increasing the  maximum lifespan  beyond its generally-settled  limit of 125 years . [1]  Several researchers in the area, along with "life extensionists", "immortalists", or "longevists" (those who wish to achieve longer lives themselves), postulate that future breakthroughs in tissue  rejuvenation ,  stem cells ,  regenerative medicine ,  molecular  repair,  gene therapy , pharmaceuticals, and  organ  replacement (such as with artificial organs or  xenotransplantations ) will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition (agerasia [2] ). The ethical ramifications, if life extension becomes a possibility, are debated by  bioethicists . The sale of purported anti-aging products such as supplements and hormon...

by  Jarrod Cortez   ,  Ignacio Romero   ,  Jason Ngo   ,  Md Sayed Tanveer Azam   ,  Chuang Niu   ,  Cássio Luiz Coutinho Almeida-da-Silva   ,  Leticia Ferreira Cabido   ,  David M Ojcius   ,  Wei-Chun Chin   ,  Ge Wang   ,  Changqing Li   Background:  Periodontal disease affects over 50% of the global population and is characterized by gingivitis as the initial sign. One dental health issue that may contribute to the development of periodontal disease is foreign body gingivitis (FBG), which can result from exposure to some kinds of foreign metal particles from dental products or food. Objective:  We design a novel, portable, affordable, multispectral X-ray and fluorescence optical microscopic imaging system dedicated to detecting and differentiating metal oxide particles in dental pathological tissues. A novel denoising algorithm is applied. We verify the feasibility ...