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Antifungal Drug Resistance: An Emergent Health Threat

Fungal infections, named mycosis, can cause severe invasive and systemic diseases that can even lead to death. In recent years, epidemiological data have recorded an increase in cases of severe fungal infections, caused mainly by a growing number of immunocompromised patients and the emergence of fungal pathogenic forms that are increasingly resistant to antimycotic drug treatments. Consequently, an increase in the incidence of mortality due to fungal infections has also been observed. Among the most drug-resistant fungal forms are those belonging to the Candida and Aspergillus spp. Some pathogens are widespread globally, while others are endemic in some areas only. In addition, some others may represent a health threat for some specific subpopulations and not for the general public. In contrast to the extensive therapeutic armamentarium available for the antimicrobial chemotherapeutic treatment of bacteria, for fungal infections there are only a few classes of antimycotic drugs on the market, such as polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and a few molecules are under trial. In this review, we focused on the systemic mycosis, highlighted the antifungal drug compounds available in the pipeline, and analyzed the main molecular mechanisms for the development of antifungal resistance to give a comprehensive overview and increase awareness on this growing health threat.

SpaceX Reveals New Cargo Starship for US Military Contract

The US military is considering SpaceX’s Starship for rapid Earth-to-Earth transportation of cargo, leveraging its high-speed capabilities to revolutionize military logistics, humanitarian missions, and commercial shipping operations.

🚀 Q: How does Starship revolutionize military transport capabilities? A: Starship can carry 150 metric tons of cargo, including heavy artillery tanks and helicopters, with a payload capacity of 1M tall and 9m in diameter, enabling transport of large military equipment in a single trip.

🌍 Q: What advantage does Starship offer for global military operations? A: Starship’s orbital velocities make it 10 times faster than commercial aircraft, allowing transport of cargo and personnel globally in under an hour, significantly enhancing military response times and operational flexibility.

How B-cell receptor types shape lymphoma cell survival and growth

A Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered new insights that may aid in understanding and potentially treating one of the most common and aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to findings published in Science Advances.

The study described critical differences in B-cell receptor (BCR) types that may influence the progression and treatment of diffuse large B-cell and other forms of B-cell leukemia and lymphomas, which affect more than 80,000 Americans each year.

“B-cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies, rely on BCRs for survival and growth. While most research has focused on the IgM variant of BCRs, this study sheds light on the lesser-understood IgG1 variant,” said Vipul Shukla, Ph.D., assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, who was co-senior author of the study.

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