Women who develop bacterial vaginosis (BV) often later acquire chlamydia, a common and potentially serious sexually transmitted bacterial infection. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that BV actually consists of two subtypes—one of which significantly increases the risk of developing chlamydia infections. The findings were made in a population of young Black and Hispanic women, who are disproportionately affected by both BV and chlamydia, but are historically understudied. The study, one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, was published online today in the journal Cell. BV is caused by imbalances in the cervicovaginal microbiome—the collection of bacteria naturally found in the genital tract. Common symptoms include vaginal discharge, itching or irritation, and burning sensation during urination, although many cases… 

A team of doctors and researchers from the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan and of bioengineers from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, has obtained promising results in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, thanks to an innovative protocol based on high-frequency, epidural electric stimulation. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, has shown that this technique significantly reduces muscle spasticity and improves motor functions in patients with spinal cord injury. The research has focused on two patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries that during 2023 had recovered their motor skills. This was possible thanks to the implantation of the spinal cord neurostimulator, a device already used in pain therapy. Researchers have applied targeted, high-frequency stimulations that, together with specific rehabilitation programs, have significantly improved muscular strength, walking ability and motor control of the… 

Die Umweltbelastung in den Städten der EU zählt nach wie vor zu den größten Risikofaktoren für die Gesundheit. Dies geht aus einem heute veröffentlichten Bericht des Europäischen Rechnungshofs hervor. Europäische Städte seien zu laut. Zudem sei die Luftverschmutzung nach wie vor zu hoch, auch wenn sich die Lage verbessert habe. Dies gebe besonderen Anlass zur Sorge, da die EU und ihre Mitgliedstaaten ihre Anstrengungen in den kommenden Jahren weiter verstärken müssten, um die künftig strengeren Grenzwerte für Luftschadstoffe einhalten zu können. Drei Viertel der Bürgerinnen und Bürger in der EU leben in Ballungsräumen und sind daher in besonderem Maße von Luftverschmutzung und Lärmbelastung betroffen. Nach Angaben der Europäischen Umweltagentur sterben in Europa jährlich mindestens 250 000 Menschen als Folge der Luftverschmutzung. Auch eine langfristige Lärmbelastung kann der Gesundheit schaden und beispielsweise zu Schlafstörungen, Angstzuständen, kognitiven Beeinträchtigungen und psychischen Erkrankungen führen.… 

Chromatin Bioscience is pleased to announce its ongoing collaboration with EsoBiotec, which has successfully advanced its ESO-T01 in vivo CAR-T candidate into clinical trials. ESO-T01 is the first in vivo B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR-T candidate to reach the clinical stage and utilises a synthetic promoter designed using Chromatin Bio’s proprietary promoter design platform, chromatinLENS, exclusively for EsoBiotec as part of its innovative approach to immunotherapy. EsoBiotec’s ESO-T01, developed using its ENaBL platform, is a T cell targeted lentiviral vector expressing a BCMA-targeted CAR construct for the treatment of multiple myeloma. This construct is regulated by a Treg-specific synthetic promoter developed in collaboration with Chromatin Bioscience. Early studies demonstrated highly effective in vivo transduction, with the BCMA CAR transgene expressed specifically in T cells, leading to the generation of a large population of circulating BCMA CAR-T cells that persisted throughout…