Researchers at the University of Maine found that when Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) interacts with Candida albicans (C. albicans), GBS is more likely to spread disease and become harder to treat in newborns. This may significantly increase the risk of severe and potentially fatal infections in newborns, while also making standard treatments less effective. GBS cells grow faster when they reside in the same environment as C. albicans. When combined with C. albicans, GBS is also more resistant to antibiotic treatments. 

Erik Katovich, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, published a study in The Economic Journal proving the validity of a common belief: large landowners use their money to influence local politics to benefit their operations. Katovich’s study showed that large landholders in the Amazon who donate to winning municipal politicians, like a mayor, are more likely to develop soybean farming on their properties than those who donate to a losing candidate.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai an $8.5 million renewal grant to continue groundbreaking work aimed at understanding and improving long-term outcomes for children with congenital heart disease—the most common type of birth defect in the United States.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and SOPHiA GENETICS today announced a strategic collaboration that unites SOPHiA GENETICS’ AI-powered analytics with MD Anderson’s clinical and scientific expertise to accelerate data-driven cancer care through new tools that can accurately analyze, interpret and translate diagnostic results into clinical practice.