Natural peptides against dengue, visualizing your QIIME .biom OTU table, and exposure to cockroaches and dust to babies. And Da Picks!

 
Dengue

Identification of natural antimicrobial agents to treat dengue infection: In vitro analysis of latarcin peptide activity against dengue virus – Rothan HA – BMC Microbiology

“The Ltc 1 peptide exhibited significant inhibitory effects against dengue NS2B-NS3pro and virus replication in the infected cells. “

Bioinformatics

Visualizing millions of DNA sequences – in your web browser! – Featuring Phinch, developed by Holly Bik in the Eisen Lab

“The idea is to take your QIIME outputs – .biom OTU table files with taxonomy and embedded metadata – directly into a data visualization framework for assessment.”

Infection, immunity, host response

A novel, nested, multiplex, real-time PCR for detection of bacteria and fungi in blood – Gosiewski, T – BMC Microbiology

“ The designed primers correctly typed the studied species as belonging to the groups of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, yeast fungi, or filamentous fungi.”

Effects of early-life exposure to allergens and bacteria on recurrent wheeze and atopy in urban children – Susan V. Lynch – The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

“….first-year exposure to cockroach, mouse, and cat allergens was negatively associated with recurrent wheeze…. House dust microbiome composition is associated with clinical outcomes. ”

Implementation and impact of ultraviolet environmental disinfection in an acute care setting – Janet P. Haas – AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control

“During the time period UVD was in use, there was a significant decrease in overall hospital-acquired MDRO plus CD in spite of missing 24% of opportunities to disinfect contact precautions rooms. This technology was feasible to use in our acute care setting and appeared to have a beneficial effect.”

Dr. Bik’s Picks

Cool video of a scientist uncovering a whale in an old painting: Whale tale: a Dutch seascape and its lost Leviathan – University of Cambridge

“When art conservators peeled back a layer of varnish on a 17th-century Dutch painting, they uncovered an image of a beached whale that had been hidden for at least 150 years. “

Looking for the best strategy? Ask a chimp – Science Daily

“If you’re trying to outwit the competition, it might be better to have been born a chimpanzee, according to a study by researchers at Caltech, which found that chimps at the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute consistently outperform humans in simple contests drawn from game theory.”

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