Author: vulgavis

  • BMC Medicine at the 6th International Conference on Nutrition & Growth (N&G)

    BMC Medicine at the 6th International Conference on Nutrition & Growth (N&G)

    © Diana Samuel Feeding practices A number of talks discussed the benefits of breast milk, such as the protective effects of breastfeeding against obesity. However, they also called attention to the lower protein content of breast milk compared to formula milk. This protein deficit is particularly problematic for low birthweight preterm infants as breast milk…

  • Can we treat leishmaniasis with tiny magnets?

    Can we treat leishmaniasis with tiny magnets?

    Cutaneous leishmaniasis in a man from French Guiana (Image: Creative Commons). Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) remains one of the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases or NTDs. CL is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania which is spread by the bite of an infected sand fly and resides inside human macrophages. The disease…

  • Childhood trauma in patients with severe mental disorders linked to shorter telomeres

    Childhood trauma in patients with severe mental disorders linked to shorter telomeres

    Telomere length represents a ‘molecular clock’ that contributes to aging © wildpixel / Getty Images / iStock Telomeres are DNA-protein structures at the tails of chromosomes that shorten with increasing age in most human tissues. When a cell divides, the end of the chromosomes is not replicated. The telomeres will thus become a little bit…

  • What does the data tell us about trends in workplace homicides?

    What does the data tell us about trends in workplace homicides?

    © AGphotographer / Fotolia On February 15th, 2019, a worker, about to be fired from his job in Aurora, IL, brought a firearm into his meeting with human resources and killed five employees. At a press conference later that day, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman describing the crime, stated, “I hate that we have to…

  • Can maternal exposure to carbon black nanoparticles affect male fertility?

    Can maternal exposure to carbon black nanoparticles affect male fertility?

    Car Exhaust (via flickr/Simone Ramella) What made you want to research this issue? Our group has conducted research on fetal programming by maternal occupational exposures for more than two decades, in order to study whether these may pose a risk for women working during pregnancy. The fetal programming hypothesis proposes that environmental factors may affect…

  • Using real-time modeling to inform the response to a diphtheria outbreak

    Using real-time modeling to inform the response to a diphtheria outbreak

    © Sara Creta, taken from https://f1000research.com/slides/7-631, which is under CC BY 4.0 licence. Diphtheria is a bacterial infection and was a major cause of childhood illness and death in the early 20th Century, before a vaccine was developed in the 1920s. It was later included in the WHO’s Expanded Programme on Immunization in the 1970s.…

  • Kidney Cancer Awareness Month: Highlighting our open access kidney cancer research

    Kidney Cancer Awareness Month: Highlighting our open access kidney cancer research

    © hywards / Fotolia March marks the beginning of Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, and today is World Kidney Day. In recognition of these, we are proud to present some of our kidney cancer research that has published within the open access oncology journal portfolio. Kidney cancer, also referred to as renal cancer, is a global health problem…

  • The song and dance of mating in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

    The song and dance of mating in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

    Yellow Fever Mosquitoes mating Mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of a multitude of deadly pathogens that affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the world each year. Due to the limited availability of specific vaccines and preventative medications for many of these diseases, vector control is often seen as the most…

  • How can advances in computerized decision support systems best be used to improve antimicrobial stewardship?

    How can advances in computerized decision support systems best be used to improve antimicrobial stewardship?

    © chagpg / stock.adobe.com We all probably agree that a successful antimicrobial stewardship program (AMS) should aim to improve patient treatment outcomes, improve patient safety, and reduce the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in patients and the wider society. Yet how to implement a successful, resilient, AMS program is less well understood. Programs to restrict…

  • Gut microbiome patterns associated with post-surgery complication risk

    Gut microbiome patterns associated with post-surgery complication risk

    Scanning electron micrograph of various bacteria found in a sample of human faeces. Steve Gschmeissner / Science Photo Library Despite the constant improvement in operation techniques, intensive care and standardized antibiotic use, postoperative complications are still a significant problem in daily clinical practice. Knowing which patients are at the most risk of developing these is…