Bochum (LabNews Media LLC) – The National Reference Centre (NRZ) for Gram-negative Hospital Pathogens at Ruhr University Bochum recorded an alarming increase in multidrug-resistant bacteria in 2024. Over 10,000 samples were analyzed, and 61.1 percent of Enterobacterales isolates contained carbapenemases – enzymes that render reserve antibiotics like carbapenems ineffective. This is an increase of 43.9 percent compared to 2021. Experts are calling for intensified monitoring, as these pathogens are life-threatening for hospital patients. Carbapenemases, which cleave beta-lactam antibiotics, drastically limit therapeutic options, especially for isolates with multiple enzymes. “The increase is real and not solely due to increased submissions,” emphasizes Dr. Niels Pfennigwerth in the NRZ annual report, published on May 15, 2025, in the Robert Koch Institute's Epidemiological Bulletin. OXA-48 remains the most common carbapenemase in Enterobacterales such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with a sharp increase in 2024. NDM-5, KPC-2, OXA-244, and VIM-1 also increased, while NDM-1 stagnated. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, VIM-2 predominated, and in Acinetobacter… 

Oklahoma (LabNewsMedia LLC) – A diet high in oleic acid, like that found in olive oil, may promote obesity more than other fats, according to a study in Cell Reports (DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115527). Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, stimulates the formation of new fat cells, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Moderation and diverse fat sources are recommended. The team led by Dr. Michael Rudolph (University of Oklahoma) fed mice diets enriched with various fatty acids from coconut, peanut, milk, lard, and soybean oil. Only oleic acid led to increased proliferation of precursor cells that form fat cells by activating the signaling protein AKT2 and inhibiting the regulatory protein LXR. "Oleic acid increases the number of fat cells, which enhances the storage capacity for excess nutrients and can promote obesity when overloaded," explains Rudolph. The study shows that the fatty acid composition of the diet plays a greater role than the total amount of fat. In modern… 

Harare (LabNews Media LLC) – A daily dose of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole could reduce premature births in pregnant women in Zimbabwe by 40 percent, according to the COMBI study led by Queen Mary University of London and the Zvitambo Institute. Women with HIV particularly benefited: their babies were heavier and premature births were less frequent. The results could offer new approaches to reducing child mortality but require further study. The randomized controlled trial involved 993 pregnant women from Shurugwi, central Zimbabwe, who received a daily dose of 960 mg of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or a placebo. While birth weight remained unchanged, the rate of premature births in the antibiotic group decreased to 6.9 percent compared to 11.5 percent in the placebo group. In 131 women with HIV, the effect was stronger: only 2 percent premature births in the antibiotic group compared to 14 percent in the placebo group, with a birth weight gain of 177 grams. Premature births, which account for 25 percent of live births worldwide, are…