Thanks to antiretroviral therapies, it is possible to grow old with HIV under control. However, this chronic infection may not leave cognitive function unscathed. That is why Alain Makinson (Translational Research on HIV and Infectious Diseases unit, Montpellier University Hospital, Université de Montpellier, Inserm, IRD) and his team were interested in exploring the development of neurocognitive impairment (NCI), such as diminished attention, memory and motor capacity, in patients living...
Bacillary dysentery caused by the intestinal bacteria Shigella is a major health problem in tropical regions and developing countries. Complications from this infection lead to several hundred thousand deaths a year, primarily among infants. Researchers from Inserm and the Institut Pasteur have studied the mechanisms of Shigella virulence. They found that these bacteria are not only able to consume the oxygen in colonic tissue in order to grow and...
Chikungunya is characterized by high fever and intense joint and muscle pain that can last for several months. The mechanisms of infection of human cells with the virus remain very poorly understood. Led by Ali Amara in collaboration with Marc Lecuit researchers from Inserm, Institut Pasteur, CNRS and Université de Paris have identified a protein that is crucial in order for the virus to replicate within its target cells.
In a recent study, researchers managed to decipher certain pathways by which Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 produces both beneficial and toxic compounds. They then successfully created a modified strain with the same probiotic properties but an unactivated version of the toxin.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a single dose of the yellow fever vaccine for individuals aged 9 months or older living in or traveling to areas at risk of disease transmission, but there is a lack of data on its long-term efficacy when administered to infants. José Enrique Mejía, Inserm researcher at Unit 1043 Center for Pathophysiology of Toulouse Purpan and Cristina Domingo from the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin...
A research group led by Matteo Serino, Inserm researcher at the Digestive Health Research Institute (Inserm/Inra/ENVT/UT3 Paul Sabatier), has recently shown three plant extracts to have prebiotic effects in obese/diabetic mice, with a shorter duration of treatment and at lower doses to the prebiotics currently in use.
Des chercheurs ont identifié un nouveau mécanisme cellulaire qui altère la formation du placenta et pourrait ainsi provoquer des complications graves pendant la grossesse. Il est lié à la production d’interféron, une molécule qui est produite en réponse à certaines infections, notamment virales.
Anaphylactic shock, an exacerbated allergic reaction that can prove fatal, is sometimes caused by the use of drugs during surgery. In most of these extreme reactions, evidence can be provided that patients have anti-drug antibodies of the IgE class. In 10 to 20% of anaphylactic cases evidence for the involvement of anti-drug IgE is lacking. Anti-drug IgE enable activation of mast cells and basophils that release histamine, a potent...
Researchers from Inserm and Université de Rennes recently identified a new bacterial toxin which they transformed into potent antibiotics active against various bacteria responsible for human infections.
The researchers discovered that not only do the allergens persist in the skin for several weeks but also that they are not alone in doing so. Indeed, immune cells – known as tissue-resident memory T cells – proliferate at the lesion sites and remain there for long periods, reactivating the onset of eczema patches in the event of re-exposure to the allergen.
