What Role do Microbiomes Play in Urinary Tract Infections?

Gut and urinary bacteria Vaginal microbiomeThe urinary microbiomeConclusionsResourcesFurther reading Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are bacterial infections of the urinary tract that cause painful urination. They affect at least 150 million people annually, making them among the most common bacterial infections. They are treated with antibiotics, but at least 25% of women get a second infection within […]

Blood Lightning’s Electrifying Violence Tells Us When “The Dying Starts” (Video Premiere)

Blood Lightning doesn’t just have a great name–they’ve got the heavy metal to back it up. Formed out of a desire to create straightforward heavy metal, their debut self-titled album delivers classic material that while not entirely subgenre-less, mostly finds a sweet spot in the same primordial space as genre progenitors Black Sabbath, executing stomping […]

Estradiol and Estrogen: Why Hormone Levels Matter

Estrogen is a major sex hormone in people born with a female reproductive system. There are three main forms of estrogen, and estradiol is one of them. Estradiol (medically known as E2) is important for the reproductive system, bone health, and weight distribution. It’s considered to be the strongest type of estrogen in the body. This […]

Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below: as mainstream as you can get

Review at a glance S o this is rock music, apparently. For the uninitiated, that’s a style of music making that has been wildly popular since the middle of the last century, involving electric guitars, heavy drums and a sneering attitude towards anyone who dares to prefer other genres. Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher of […]

Reducing Damage when Storing and Thawing Blood Plasma

Image Credits: shutterstock.com/vladm The ability to freeze blood and its constituents is very important to preserve them for a long time. However, freezing and thawing blood can cause damage to its components, resulting in reduced integrity and unreliable biochemical measurements. This article provides the best practice methods for reducing the damage caused to blood products […]

She competed in Tough Mudder; a pustular rash was her prize. Hundreds got ill

When Nicole Villagran signed up to do her first Tough Mudder course, she thought she’d be getting an entertaining, if messy, workout. She got that — and much more. Villagran has spent the last 10 days dealing with a pustular rash covering her arms, legs and torso. The El Sobrante resident was one of thousands […]

New Curriculum Advances Cardiovascular Genetics Education

As genetic and genomic research continues to rapidly evolve, scientists and researchers are gaining a deeper understanding of the role of genetics in health and disease. However, integrating genetics and genomics into routine clinical care has been a much slower process, hampered, in part, by the lack of comprehensive knowledge of the latest genetic testing […]