Aircraft toilets could flush out spread of global superbugs
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Sep-2025 15:11 ET (22-Sep-2025 19:11 GMT/UTC)
Wastewater from aircraft toilets could provide a critical warning system for the global spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) superbugs, a silent pandemic that threatens to kill more people than cancer by 2050.
Australian researchers have created the first detailed molecular map of the human bone marrow, revealing new insights that could reshape our thinking about how an incurable blood cancer grows and spreads.
Fucosylation, a crucial post-translational modification, has emerged as a significant factor influencing digestive inflammatory diseases and cancers. This biochemical process, which involves the attachment of fucose to glycoproteins and glycolipids, plays a fundamental role in cell adhesion, signal transduction, and immune response modulation. Understanding the mechanisms of aberrant fucosylation offers a new perspective on the development and progression of conditions affecting the intestine, stomach, liver, and pancreas.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a significant global health challenge, with high mortality rates and the potential for progression to chronic kidney disease. One promising avenue of intervention is targeting mitochondrial biogenesis (MB), a critical cellular process that promotes energy metabolism, stress resistance, and cell survival. By enhancing MB, it may be possible to restore mitochondrial function, alleviate oxidative stress, and improve renal recovery.
This newly published review article offers a comprehensive examination of the complexities of tumor angiogenesis and the origins of endothelial cells (ECs) within tumors. Tumor angiogenesis, a critical process in cancer progression, is characterized by the formation of new blood vessels that sustain tumor growth by supplying oxygen and nutrients. Understanding the diverse sources and mechanisms of endothelial cell development is essential for improving anti-angiogenic therapies, which aim to block blood vessel formation and, consequently, hinder tumor proliferation.
Emerging discoveries are reshaping the understanding of heart failure, highlighting the crucial role of gut microbiota in disease progression. The intricate relationship between gut health and cardiovascular function is becoming increasingly evident, revealing a bidirectional interaction known as the gut-heart axis. This dynamic connection suggests that imbalances in gut microbiota composition, known as gut dysbiosis, may contribute to cardiac dysfunction, inflammation, and metabolic disturbances that accelerate heart failure.
ADAMTS2, a member of the ADAMTS zinc metalloproteinase family, is widely recognized for its pivotal role as a procollagen I N-proteinase. This enzyme plays a crucial part in the maturation of fibrillar collagens, which are essential for maintaining the structural integrity of connective tissues. Beyond its traditional role, recent discoveries have revealed that ADAMTS2 is involved in a diverse range of biological processes that extend well beyond collagen maturation.
One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is that certain cancers reappear after chemotherapy—and an aggressive type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is notorious for this. Now, new research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) points to a previously unknown molecular mechanism behind that chemoresistance, and a way to potentially disarm it.
Abnormalities in tumor electrophysiology are key drivers of malignant tumor progression. This review systematically elaborates on its molecular mechanisms and clinical translation: Tumor cells regulate proliferation, maintenance of stemness, and metastasis through membrane potential depolarization and remodeling of specific "ion channel fingerprints". These electrophysiological characteristics interact with key signaling pathways to form a complex regulatory network (e.g., TRPV1 exhibits tissue-specific regulatory patterns in different tumors). Based on the above mechanisms, targeted ion channel modulators, therapeutic tumor electric fields, and nanodelivery platforms have shown significant efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies. Especially when combined with immunomodulatory strategies, they can reshape the tumor microenvironment and enhance anti-tumor immunity. Despite challenges such as treatment-related complications and the need to verify long-term efficacy, electrophysiology-targeted therapies still provide a highly promising new direction for precision oncology.