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Researchers at Amsterdam UMC have developed a new diagnostic test that can quickly and accurately diagnose bacterial meningitis. The test measures the CRP protein in cerebrospinal fluid, a protein that is already often tested in blood to detect bacterial infections. Currently, it often takes a long time before meningitis is diagnosed, which delays the start of adequate treatment.

The study is published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe.

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening condition in which one in six patients die and half of the survivors have residual symptoms. Thus, prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

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Vaccines save millions of lives every year, but there is still an urgent need for more efficient vaccines. Strategies to combat serious outbreaks of viral infections are particularly important. Such infections are initiated at mucosal surfaces, where there is a close association between polarized epithelial cells and immune effector cells. However, vaccines are usually given intramuscularly or subcutaneously, and often do not provide sufficient protection at the actual site of infection.

In Nature Communications, the laboratory of Professor Jan Terje Andersen and collaborators report on a novel vaccine technology platform, in which the subunit antigen is genetically fused to albumin.

Albumin was chosen as a carrier as it is actively transported across the mucosal barrier by FcRn, a receptor found on mucosal epithelial cells.

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A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has developed an advanced tool for analyzing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, including how they evolve during manufacturing and which ones are most effective at killing cancer. Using the platform, which leverages a laser-based technology known as spectral flow cytometry, researchers have already found one key insight: CAR T cells are better equipped to fight cancer after a shorter five-day expansion process than at the 10-day mark.

The study was just published in the 25th anniversary special issue of Molecular Therapy.

CAR T cell therapies, which reprogram a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer, represent a major advance in treating blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. But not all patients respond equally well, and researchers believe one key to optimizing treatment is to understand how various T-cell features relate to patient outcomes down the line.

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AUSTIN, Texas — Editor’s note: A previous version of this story stated an incorrect percentage in one of the quotes from State Rep. Jared Patterson. This article has been updated to reflect the correct information.

The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would restrict the access of minors to social media.

State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), who authored House Bill 186, said the legislation was born out of concerns over the mental health and safety of young users.

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This extensive catalog spanning 11 billion years of cosmic history allows scientists to compare ancient galaxy structures with more recent ones, revealing evolutionary patterns in galaxy groups and their brightest central galaxies. The observations show a dramatic transformation: distant galaxies from the early universe appear irregular with active star formation, while those closer to our time have “quenched” star formation and developed more organised elliptical or spiral structures.

This groundbreaking JWST survey marks the beginning of a new era in understanding galactic evolution. With 1,700 galaxy groups identified across nearly the entire history of our universe, astronomers now have an unprecedented roadmap for further investigation. Future studies will explore the physics driving these transformations—from dark matter’s role in structural formation to how supermassive black holes influence their host galaxies. As researchers analyze this rich data, we can expect significant revisions to existing theories about galaxy formation and evolution.

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Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent calorie restriction leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.

Researchers from China studied 25 volunteers classed as obese over a period of 62 days, during which they took part in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program – a regime that involves careful control of calorie intake and relative fasting on some days.

Not only did the participants in the study lose weight – 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average – there was also evidence of shifts in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, and in the make-up of gut bacteria.

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