Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen address the long-standing question of how benign gut microbes evade the immune system. In doing so, they also reshape our understanding of how immune receptors interact with the bacterial motility protein flagellin.

The scientists identified a new type of flagellin in the human gut, termed “silent flagellin,” that binds to the immune receptor Toll-like receptor 5 without inducing a pro-inflammatory response. The findings provide a mechanism for the immune system to tolerate beneficial microbes while remaining responsive to pathogens.

The human gut is the habitat of benign, beneficial, and sometimes harmful bacteria. In order to fight off these last-mentioned pathogens, the immune system first recognizes the presence of microbial products via various receptors. One of these is Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5): it binds flagellin, the protein that makes up the bacterial flagellum, which bacteria use to swim. Once bound to flagellin, TLR5 induces a pro-inflammatory immune response.

A data set funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative shows how research software and tools are used across disciplines — and helps developers gain credit for their work.

I had similar symptoms, and I thought it was a covid infection. I need to get myself tested for ADEM. If your child or family member has a strange rash on the back or legs, take them to the hospital to see if it is ADEM before they have seizures like I did.

The objective of this study was to provide an overview of acute disseminating encephalomyelitis, a potential and serious complication of COVID-19.

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Blood investigations and CSF analysis were done in 17 patients. Raised inflammatory markers were most commonly seen in nine (ferritin raised in four, C-reactive protein in five, and D-dimer in five), and lymphopenia was seen in four patients.

CSF analysis was not reported in four patients. The reasons for the same were traumatic tap , raised intracranial pressure (ICP) , pandemic reason , and unknown reason.

A recent study published in Viruses reviewed the characteristics of neuraminidase (NA) with emphasis on the development of NA-based universal influenza vaccines.

Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The influenza virus harbors two glycoproteins on the surface – hemagglutinin (HA) and NA. Infection-or vaccine-induced immune responses are targeted toward HA. Besides, NA-specific antibodies confer protection and can reduce infection severity.

Existing seasonal influenza vaccines confer narrow immune responses specific to the strain, and their efficacy depends on how well the vaccine strains match those in circulation. Thus, universal influenza vaccines with high breadth and potency are required. In the present study, the authors discussed the characteristics of NA, anti-NA antibodies, and recent progress in developing NA-based vaccines.

More than 30 years ago, findings from the Harvard Medical Practice Study (HMPS) helped bring public awareness to the problem of patient safety. Since the publication of the HMPS results, new strategies for preventing specific types of adverse events have been put into place, but it has been challenging to measure the impact on patient care.

To better understand what progress has been made in the last few decades, a team from Boston area hospitals conducted the SafeCare Study, which evaluated 11 hospitals in the region.

Led by investigators from Mass General Brigham and sponsored by CRICO, the medical professional liability insurer for the Harvard medical community and its affiliated organizations, the study provides an estimate of adverse events in the inpatient environment, shedding light on the progress of two decades of work focused on improving patient safety and highlighting the need for continued improvement. Results are published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

One of the most dreaded effects of the bite of the brown recluse spider (Loxosceles spp) is the appearance of a necrotic skin lesion, but a clinical study by Brazilian researchers recently reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases shows that the problem can be solved by administering antivenom, especially if this is done within 48 hours of the incident.

An antivenom produced by Butantan Institute, an arm of the São Paulo State Department of Health, was used in the study. As the authors of the paper explain, there is no consensus regarding the best treatment to avoid necrosis and ulceration in cases of brown recluse spider bites.

A 2009 study involving rabbits showed that necrotic lesions were approximately 30% smaller even when the antivenom was administered 48 hours after the animals were bitten.

High-resolution structures of CRISPR-associated transposon system.