Postdocs need raises. But who will foot the bill?
Postdocs—the Ph.D.s who do much of the labor of science—are notoriously underpaid. But the problem has intensified over the past year as postdocs struggle to get by amid soaring inflation and professors
report problems recruiting Ph.D. graduates
to fill positions. Several institutions and states have recently implemented policies to increase their pay. But these policies haven’t always come with an increase in funding, leaving lab leaders wondering how to cover rising staff costs and what the downstream effects will be. “I think a lot of faculty feel extremely trapped,” one professor says.
“This...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 31, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
Second Phase of the NIH Preprint Pilot Launched
Today, we are pleased to announce the launch of the second phase of the NIH Preprint Pilot with the addition of more than 700 new preprint records to PubMed Central (PMC) and PubMed. This second phase expands the scope of the Pilot to include preprints resulting from all NIH-funded research. Eligible preprints are those acknowledging direct support of an NIH award or authored by NIH staff and posted to bioRxiv, medRxiv, arXiv, or Research Square, on or after January 1, 2023. NLM will automatically include the full text of the preprint (as license terms allow) and associated citation information in PMC and PubMed, respectiv...
Source: PubMed Central News - January 30, 2023 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
Plant toxin hailed as ‘new weapon’ in antibiotic war against bacteria
Scientists say albicidin has allowed them to take a giant step forward to creating a powerful new range of antibacterial drugsScientists have discovered a plant toxin whose unique method of dispatching bacteria could be used to create a powerful new range of antibiotics. The prospect of developing new antibacterial drugs this way has been hailed by doctors, who have been warning for many years that the steady rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens such asE coli now present a dangerous threat to healthcare across the planet.The new antibiotic – albicidin – attacks bacteria in a completely different way to existing drugs,...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 29, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science Editor Tags: Antibiotics Medical research Science Society E coli UK news Microbiology Source Type: news
ChatGPT is on its way to becoming a virtual doctor, lawyer, and business analyst. Here's a list of advanced exams the AI bot has passed so far
ChatGPT is making progress towards a host of professional degrees. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images ChatGPT is a chatbot launched by OpenAI that uses generative artificial intelligence to create its own content. The bot has been used to generate essays and write exams, often passing, but…#chatgpt #openai #christianterwiesch #terwiesch #matthewsschwartz #atthewsschwartz #furmanuniversity #davidhume #samaltman #microbiologyquiz (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - January 28, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Full-scale access to microbial Pathogen Detection data in the Cloud!
NCBI’s Pathogen Detection resource now provides selected data on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) allowing you better access to over 1 million bacterial isolates. Data on GCP include: The tables from the MicroBIGG-E database of anti-microbial resistance (AMR), stress response, virulence genes, and genomic elements and the Pathogen Isolates Browser that are both accessible through … Continue reading Full-scale access to microbial Pathogen Detection data in the Cloud! → (Source: NCBI Insights)
Source: NCBI Insights - January 18, 2023 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NCBI Staff Tags: What's New Antimicrobial resistance Cloud computing Microbiology NCBI Pathogen Detection Source Type: news
Africa: Why Cholera Continues to Threaten Many African Countries
[The Conversation Africa] Malawi is facing its worst cholera outbreak in two decades. The outbreak started early in 2022 and has, so far, resulted in over 18,000 cases and the loss of 750 lives. It's also forced the closure of schools and many businesses. Microbiologist Sam Kariuki, who is the director of Kenya's Medical Research Institute, explains what cholera is and why it's so hard to control in Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - January 15, 2023 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Immunity debt: does it really exist?
Some claim the rise in winter infections has been caused by the reduction of seasonal bugs during lockdowns. But experts are sceptical about these oversimplified explanationsThe deaths of at least 74 people, including 19 children, from the invasive bacterial infection group A streptococcus, orstrep A, are the most extreme consequences of a wave of winter infections that have seemingly left most of the country coughing and sneezing. The parlous state of the nation ’s health has prompted suggestions that we are now paying an “immunity debt” incurred by the reduction of common infections during theCovid-19 lockdowns of ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 14, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Philip Ball Tags: Science Coronavirus Infectious diseases UK news Technology Immunology Microbiology Medical research Vaccines and immunisation Source Type: news
NSF still won ’t track sexual orientation among scientific workforce, prompting frustration
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) says it does not plan to include a question about sexual orientation in a major national workforce survey, prompting hundreds of researchers to send a letter of protest.
Last month, the agency submitted its plans for the 2023 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), a biennial survey of more than 160,000 U.S. bachelor’s degree holders with a focus on the science and engineering workforce, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. Many LGBTQ scientists were pleased that the survey will, for the first time, include a question about gender identity for al...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 13, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
Next Phase of NIH Preprint Pilot Launching Soon
Last month, the National Library of Medicine (NLM)announced plans to extend its NIH Preprint Pilot in PubMed Central (PMC) and PubMed beyond COVID-19 to encompass all preprints reporting on NIH-funded research. The second phase of the pilot, launching later this month, will include preprints supported by an NIH award, contract, or intramural program and posted to aneligible preprint server on or after January 1, 2023.In preparation for the launch of this second phase, we have updated PMC and PubMed site features to help users of these databases incorporate the increased volume of preprints into their discovery workflows. S...
Source: PubMed Central News - January 10, 2023 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
Interaction Between Altered Gut Microbiota and Sepsis: A Hypothesis or an Authentic Fact?.
Sepsis, as an important public health concern, is one of the leading causes of death in hospitals around the world, accounting for 25% of all deaths. Nowadays, several factors contribute to the development of sepsis. The role of the gut microbiota and the response state of the aberrant immune system is dominant. The effect of the human microbiome on health is undeniable, and gut microbiota is even considered a body organ. It is now clear that the alteration in the normal balance of the microbiota (dysbiosis) is associated with a change in the status of immune system responses. Owing to the strong association between the gu...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - January 3, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Pill for Covid does not reduce risk of hospitalisation or death, UK study finds
Oxford University ’s Panoramic trial suggests molnupiravir can speed up recovery in vaccinated but vulnerable patientsAn oral antiviral pill for Covid speeds up recovery among vaccinated yet vulnerable patients, but does not reduce their likelihood of needing hospital care or dying, research has suggested.The UK became the first country in the world in November 2021to approve molnupiravir for Covid, with the pill – which can be taken twice a day at home – given to patients through the Panoramic (Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of Covid-19 In the Community) trial.Continue reading... (So...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 22, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Coronavirus Infectious diseases Drugs Medical research Science Microbiology World news University of Oxford UK news Source Type: news
China rushes to boost intensive care beds, doctors and stocks of medicine as Covid surges
State media reports on increased efforts to boost health infrastructure, staffing and suppliesChinese authorities are rushing to boost the number of intensive care beds and health workers and increase medication supplies as Covid-19 surges through the country.Since the abrupt dismantling of the stringent zero-Covid regime,cases have skyrocketed in China. A full picture of the impact is difficult to gauge. Authorities have conceded it is “impossible” for the testing system to keep track, and the narrow parameters for attributing deaths to the virus mean the official count – fewer than 10 this week – is at odds with ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 20, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Helen Davidson in Taipei Tags: China Coronavirus Asia Pacific Infectious diseases Microbiology Medical research Source Type: news
Africa: Nasal Vaccines Promise to Stop the Covid-19 Virus Before It Gets to the Lungs - an Immunologist Explains How They Work
[The Conversation Africa] The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines have played a large role in preventing deaths and severe infections from COVID-19. But researchers are still in the process of developing alternative approaches to vaccines to improve their effectiveness, including how they're administered. Immunologist and microbiologist Michael W. Russell of the University at Buffalo explains how nasal vaccines work, and where they are in the development pipeline. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - December 15, 2022 Category: African Health Source Type: news
European survey on the current surveillance practices, management guidelines, treatment pathways, and heterogeneity of testing of Clostridioides difficile
Conclusion
Good awareness of guidelines for the management of CDI was observed across the surveyed European hospital sites. However, low compliance with diagnostic testing guidelines, infection control measures for suspected CDI, and insufficient awareness of treatment guidelines were still reported in some countries. (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - December 14, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Multiple infections could make us much sicker – strep A, RSV and flu are a dangerous mix | Daniela Ferreira
The pandemic has changed the seasonal pattern of infectious diseases, and risky, little-understood blends are the resultAround this time last year, my young daughter caught chickenpox. I thought it was a standard case of a normal childhood illness – we’d manage it by trying to ease the itching and everything would be fine.Instead, my daughter got worse. She developed a sore throat, then a body rash, and struggled to drink liquids. Again, I thought this was a normal progression of her infection and she would eventually get better. It was only after I started talking to my colleagues that I learned that group A strep cas...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 12, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Daniela Ferreira Tags: Strep A Infectious diseases Microbiology Coronavirus Children Flu UK news Source Type: news
