Two new studies advance Lyme disease research: anti-lipid antibodies may enable earlier diagnosis and detect persistent symptoms, while cell wall changes in Borrelia burgdorferi offer insights into Lyme arthritis pathogenesis and potential treatment targets.
Long COVID patients continue to suffer as federal research funding and support programs have been dramatically scaled back, with the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice closed and NIH grants disrupted. The chronic condition affects as many as a third of COVID-19 survivors with over 200 possible symptoms, yet experts say the disease remains difficult to research amid politicization. Medical professionals warn that reduced resources undermine diagnosis, treatment, and the professional pipeline for new research.
Three recent studies reveal connections between gut microbiome composition and health outcomes, identifying specific bacterial groups associated with recovery and disease, plus genetic variants that shape microbial communities.