Probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host".
Researchers, including from NTNU, are breeding bacteria-free fish fry. This pursuit is more important than you might think.
Researchers with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History have discovered the first effective bacterial probiotic for treating and preventing stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a mysterious ailment that has devastated Florida's coral reefs since 2014 and is rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean.
Numerous bacterium types have taken up residence in humans. Currently, research is concentrated on genetically modifying these bacteria to increase their inherent therapeutic qualities.
Researchers have succeeded for the first time in adding a highly purified form of curcumin to yogurt in a way that ensures it remains dissolved in the dairy product and preserves it, while tasting good.
Bacteria have thousands of genes and functions that we, the human host, do not have. For instance, bacteria can help us digest fiber, provide support to our immune systems, and absorb important nutrients. But reaping the benefits of "good bacteria" is easier said than done.
In experiments with mice and humans, a team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers says it has identified a particular intestinal immune cell that impacts the gut microbiome, which in turn may affect brain functions linked to stress-induced disorders such as depression.
A new mechanism by which “good” bacteria colonize the gut was unraveled by scientists at Yale University. The finding could aid spur the development of new probiotic therapies.
Not all probiotics are created equal. In a new study, researchers found that certain enzymes within a class known as bile salt hydrolases (BSHs) can restrict Clostridioides difficile (C. diff.) colonization by both altering existing bile acids and by creating a new class of bile acids within the gut's microbial environment.
Combining discoveries in cancer immunology with sophisticated genetic engineering, Columbia University researchers have created a sort of "bacterial suicide squad" that targets tumors, attracting the host's own immune cells to the cancer to destroy it. The new work, published today in Science Advances, marks a major step forward in efforts to enlist non-pathogenic bacteria to combat cancer.
This study is led by Prof. Heping Zhang (Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University).
Maintenance of sulfomucin is a key end point in the treatment of diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanism underlying the microbial sense to sulfomucin are poorly understood, and to date, there are no therapies targeting the secretion and maturation of sulfomucin in IBD. Considering the important role of gut microbiota in host immune regulation, maintain sulfomucin by modulating the gut microbiota is inspired.
Researchers from Northumbria University have found that swapping red and processed meat for Quorn's mycoprotein, a fungi-based meat alternative, leads to a significant reduction in intestinal genotoxins - which can cause bowel cancer - and increases healthy gut bacteria.
Fish farming is a crucial industry in Norway, and salmon is by far the most important species. So it's alarming that bacterial diseases are on the rise at the massive sea farms where salmon are raised.
Rutgers researchers examined the impact of COVID-19 on patients’ microbiomes, the group of microbes that live in and on the human body.
Tagbo Niepa, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, is inspired by this possibility in his research. His work on using the microbiome to enhance human health was recognized with a $2 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health, which funds “exceptionally creative scientists proposing high-risk, high-impact research.”
Several factors, such as the type of bacteria that naturally colonize the reproductive tract, can influence pregnancy chances in IVF. “Good” bacteria in the form of probiotics are gaining popularity in the treatment of vaginal microbiota imbalances in women.
According to a recent study from the University of East Anglia, a mother’s gut microbes can aid in the formation of the placenta and the healthy development of the baby.
Indiana University researchers have identified a specific bacterial microbe that, when fed to honey bee larvae, can reduce the effects of nutritional stress on developing bees -- one of the leading causes of honey bee decline.
A new study presented at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga., suggests that probiotic bacteria may improve the anti-cancer actions of the breast cancer drug tamoxifen as well as other endocrine-targeted therapies, potentially lowering the risk of estrogen receptive positive (ER+) breast cancer.
A new procedure for controlling directed evolution in bacteria is developed and demonstrated by scientists at North Carolina State University.