Author Archives: Francisco Fernandez, MD

Antibiotic-Resistance Bacteria Use Mirror Images

Antimicrobial resistance is a major healthcare crisis. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the leading causes of healthcare associated infections, pneumonia and skin and soft tissue infections.  Antifolates such as trimethoprim (TMP) exhibit potent activity as antibacterial agents against many MRSA clinical isolates, and due to structural and sequence differences between human and prokaryotic […]

Umbilical Cord Stem Cells for Corneal Epithelial Regeneration

The WHO estimates about 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide; 39 million people are blind and 246 million have low vision from severe or moderate visual impairment. Corneal disorder is the fourth most common cause of blindness after cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration and it affects more than 10 million people worldwide. What […]

New Study Finds Link Between Nut Consumption and Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity

Achieving greater longevity should be understood not only as the maximum possible length of human life, but it also indicates a higher quality of life in terms of good health. Healthy ageing, as proposed by the WHO in 2015 is defined as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional capacity that enables well-being in […]

Ebola Vaccine Provides Long Lasting Protection

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals (such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates) and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other […]

New Study Finds Causal Link Between Blood Type and COVID-19 Severity

More than 5 million people have died due to COVID-19. Although vaccines have provided good protection, it is important to fully understand the biology behind the severe forms of COVID-19.  Severe COVID-19 commonly requires hospitalization and intensive care with assisted respiratory support, and respiratory failure is the most common reason for COVID-19 associated mortality  New […]

Machine Learning For Antibiotic Prescriptions To Decrease Resistance

Antibiotics can be a double-edged sword, they are essential to curing bacterial infections but their use also promotes the appearance and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  In a recently published study, researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology used genomic sequencing techniques and machine learning analysis of patient records to develop an antibiotic prescribing algorithm that […]

According to a New Study Drinking Alcohol Can Shrink The Brain

Alcohol consumption is one of the leading contributors to the global burden of disease and to high healthcare and economic costs. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, with harmful effects on physical, cognitive, and social functioning.  Chronic excessive alcohol consumption is associated with direct and indirect adverse […]

What Are The Health Benefits of Chinese Foxglove?

Chinese Traditional Medicine  According to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, rehmannia glutinosa, a wild herb also known as Chinese foxglove, can balance the yin. The herb grows in parts of northern and northeastern China, and has been used in medicine for over 2,000 years.  Its thick brownish-black roots are usually harvested in the fall and […]

Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Addiction Related Hippocampal Damages

Addiction is defined as a chronic disease with obligation to take drugs or alcohol, no control on restraining intake, and having negative emotional feelings during withdrawal period. Addiction doesn’t just affect the addict’s life, but also it has a huge burden on the society and economy. It has been revealed that the addictive agents have […]

Higher Education and Language Skills Could Help Prevent Dementia

There is not much research about the effect of education or other indicators of cognitive reserve on the rate of reversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognition.  In a recently published study, researchers at the University of Waterloo found that people with mild cognitive impairment may not inevitably develop dementia and, in fact, […]