Scientists from the National University of Singapore have successfully engineered a naturally occurring beneficial gut bacterium into a programmable “living medicine” to treat hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a severe brain dysfunction linked to liver failure. The therapy combines two engineered gut-bacteria strains: one absorbs excess gut ammonia and converts it into nutrients lacking in HE patients, while the other reduces ammonia production. Compared with a standard HE antibiotic, the cocktail achieved stronger improvements in anxiety and short-term memory, while also reduced inflammation in the brain.

Cotton genome editing, especially in elite varieties, has proven difficult. Now, in a study published in The Crop Journal, researchers from China have successfully demonstrated CRISPR/Cas genome editing in nonregenerative cotton via sexual hybridization. This work opens up a novel technical avenue for the genetic improvement of elite cotton varieties that are recalcitrant to tissue culture, advancing agriculture and biotechnology.

How are bacterial pathogens able to effectively overcome plants defense mechanisms? Researchers working with Professor Şuayb Üstün at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have found a surprising answer to this question: The pathogens seize tiny compartments in plant cells, known as processing bodies or P-bodies, to selectively deactivate protein production when the plant needs it the most. The researchers describe this previously unknown strategy of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae in the journal Science Advances from April 24, 2026.

Background

Ticks are key vectors of zoonotic diseases in the Northern Hemisphere, including China, yet surveillance and public awareness remain limited. While global studies address risk perception, similar research in China, especially with spatial or longitudinal detail, is scarce. This study assesses tick-borne disease risk perception, influencing factors, and spatial variation in Northeast China and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu (also known as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) to inform targeted interventions.

Methods

In 2019, a cross-sectional questionnaire surveyed 4000 adults in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu using multi-stage sampling. Knowledge was assessed in four domains: tick biology/ecology, bite treatment, tick-borne diseases, and bite prevention, alongside socio-demographic and behavioral data. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression identified knowledge levels and associated factors.

Results

Knowledge of tick biology was relatively high (1830/4000, 45.8% with high knowledge), but awareness of bite treatment, diseases, and especially prevention was low (31.5% with high tick-borne disease knowledge; 21.6% with high prevention knowledge), even among high-risk groups. Urban residents had higher knowledge than those in rural or remote areas. Frequent woodland visits and prior tick bites increased knowledge of tick biology (regression coefficients: 0.311 and 0.387, both P < 0.001) but not prevention. Education and outdoor activity showed mixed associations with knowledge domains.

Conclusion

Major gaps exist in public knowledge of tick-borne diseases, particularly regarding prevention, with notable disparities across regions and risk groups. Targeted, region-specific interventions are urgently needed to improve awareness and protection, especially in high-risk and low-awareness areas.

A joint research group consisting of Hikaru Ichida, a doctoral student in the Division of Nano Life Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University; Kosuke Mizuno, currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Protein Research, The University of Osaka; Professor Noriyuki Kodera and Associate Professor Holger Flechsig of the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University; and Associate Professor Satoshi Toda of the Institute for Protein Research, The University of Osaka, has succeeded in visualizing the structural dynamics underlying how the serum protein Afamin stabilizes and transports Wnt3a, a lipid-modified signaling molecule. The study also showed that stable binding between these two molecules depends on both a hydrophobic pocket that accommodates Wnt3a and the structural integrity of Afamin. Wnt proteins are essential molecules that help the body develop properly and maintain healthy tissues. However, because they do not dissolve well in water and are highly hydrophobic, they tend to be unstable in the body. This study has revealed part of the mechanism by which Wnt3a is stably transported with the help of another protein. These findings are expected to deepen our understanding of biological processes involving Wnt3a and may contribute in the future to the development of ex vivo tissue engineering technologies and regenerative medicine.

Every stroke begins with a sudden interruption of blood flow in the brain. But what happens afterward—why neurons continue to lose function and die over the following days—has remained one of the most important unanswered questions in neuroscience.

A research team led by Director C. Justin LEE at the Center for Memory and Glioscience within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), in collaboration with Professor RYU Seungjun of Eulji University, has now uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that drives this delayed brain damage. Their findings show that stroke is not only caused by the initial loss of blood flow, but also by a chain reaction within the brain that unfolds over time.