infectious-disease

Nature Communications, Published online: 22 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-77068-0 A large international study found that certain diabetes drugs (GLP-1 receptor agonists) may link to a lower risk of tuberculosis than other common treatments. These medications may offer added protection against tuberculosis in type 2 diabetes.

Nature Communications, Published online: 22 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-77089-9 Alcohol consumption and high fat diet can drive liver cancer through distinct pathways. Here, the authors characterize three murine models of steatohepatitis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis that recapitulate metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), and their…

A small 2026 study links severe sleep apnea and hypertension with altered gut metabolites, intestinal-barrier injury markers and more bacterial endotoxin in blood, without proving causation.

Welcome to "Ask the Expert," a UTHealth Houston newsroom series in which leading experts examine pressing health challenges. In this edition, we address opioid overdoses and substance use.

Scientific Reports, Published online: 22 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-68143-z Paeoniflorin inhibited macrophage polarization via glycolysis pathway to protect against sepsis-induced intestinal injury

Scientific Reports, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-67463-4 Weight reduction intervention effectively reduce weight compared with standard care in people living with HIV gaining weight after dolutegravir initiation

A study suggests that combining the two compounds with conventional treatment could reduce the need for antibiotics. For people with severe periodontitis, controlling the disease can require more than the standard removal of bacterial buildup beneath the gums. A study involving 109 patients found that adding omega-3 and low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) to conventional treatment [...]

U.S. poison centers have recorded a sharp long-term rise in liver injuries linked to medications and other foreign substances, with most severe enough to require inpatient care. Reports to U.S. poison centers involving liver damage from medications, supplements, alcohol, and other substances rose nearly 400% between 2000 and 2024, according to research from UVA Health. [...]

Polymicrobial periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is often defined by recovery of two or more microorganisms from the same clinical episode, but this numerical definition is biologically incomplete. A second organism may represent a true co-pathogen, colonization, contamination, reagent background, nonviable DNA after antimicrobial exposure, or an analytically plausible signal of uncertain clini…

Anti-staphylococcal lytic agents, such as lysostaphin (LSN), a glycyl-glycyl (Gly-Gly) peptidase, have long been considered for the management of chronic and complicated bacterial infections typically resistant to conventional antibiotics, but their use is restricted by poor pharmacokinetic properties. We generated half-life extended lysostaphin constructs by fusing the lysin - either alone or ch…

Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC), a severe complication of sepsis, is strongly associated with significantly increased patient mortality, yet targeted therapeutic strategies remain lacking. Emerging evidence has established ferroptosis, an iron-dependent, lipid peroxidation-mediated regulated cell death pathway, as a critical pathogenic mechanism underlying SIC. Iron metabolism dysregulation p…

As we approach August 22, the FDA’s current Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date for Capricor Therapeutics’ Biologics License Application (BLA) for Deramiocel, PPMD recognizes how closely the Duchenne community is watching for... The post Deramiocel: Where We Are Today appeared first on Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy .

Cancer patients often face more than the disease itself. Their treatment is frequently complicated by infections and other health conditions, meaning they may need to take several different medications at once.

In a new study, scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine report that an experimental mRNA-based platform has the potential to help deliver next-generation mRNA therapeutics, including vaccines fighting against infectious disease, cancer and autoimmune conditions, faster and more efficiently than the industry standard.