Delthia Ricks

Premature rupture of the amniotic sac can have devastating consequences, but scientists in Japan are studying instances when the damaged sac repairs itself—a phenomenon that requires cooperation of the developing fetus.

A study of patients with a chronic intestinal condition has helped demystify—but not totally solve—a puzzling disorder that is widespread in low-and middle-income countries, but is largely unseen in wealthier regions of the ...

More than 40 years into the HIV pandemic, scientists are still turning up clues revealing how the virus hijacks its host's cellular processes to support its own replication—and promote the long-term survival of the virus ...

New imaging of patients with Alzheimer's demonstrates how a telltale protein spreads throughout the brain based on the phenotype of the disease, i.e., whether the condition is dominated by forgetfulness, or atrophy in a specific ...

Disruptions in the gut microbiome have been linked to lower survival rates for people who have undergone kidney and liver transplants, a finding that highlights the critical importance of the vast and complex microbial communities ...

An experimental antibiotic is under development that is capable of neutralizing a wide range of drug-resistant, Gram-positive bacteria—pathogens that protect themselves in a slimy shield, called a biofilm, designed by nature ...

Just as bacteria, viruses and fungi develop strategies to outsmart antimicrobial medications, cancer cells can become resistant to chemotherapy. And among tumors, those associated with triple negative breast cancer and ovarian ...

More than 40 years into the HIV pandemic, scientists are shedding new light on how defenses are mounted against the virus, discoveries that may eventually lead to a neutralizing antibody that stops the virus before it becomes ...

Even though most viruses cause infection directly through mucosal cells, the vast majority of vaccines are administered intramuscularly in a cellular mismatch that doesn't always produce optimum immunity.

Development of a universal flu vaccine has been a long-sought goal, and as flu scientists begin to see light at the end of a decades-long tunnel, encouraging data have emerged on an experimental shot. It appears effective ...

Scientists have discovered that the body's own natural killer cells can suppress the immune benefits of therapeutic vaccines, a problem that can affect inoculations against chronic viral infections and cancer.

Scientists have engineered a synthetic biodegradable foam that can suppress inflammation, promote blood vessel growth and support the rapid healing of chronic skin wounds, an innovation that may one day improve treatment ...

Intriguing new research has pinpointed a special population of T cells—tissue-resident memory T cells—as key players in the development of chronic autoimmune disorders that affect the central nervous system, opening a new ...

In an unusual new study involving thousands of bacterial sequences across five continents, scientists have tracked Bordetella pertussis—the bacteria that cause whooping cough—covering the pathogen's evolution and spread worldwide ...

Tuberculosis is a major public health concern, an ancient bacterial disease that has claimed the lives of kings, presidents, poets and at least one star of Hollywood's silver screen-era. Yet even now in the 21st century, ...