Probiotics in the human body are known as the “guardians” of the intestinal tract. They play a crucial role in regulating the immune system and balancing the gut microbiota, thus able to promote nutrient ingestion and maintain the health of the intestinal tract.Taking probiotics orally has long been the most direct and convenient way of supplementation. However, the effect of probiotics is often reduced in the unique microenvironment of the inflammatory intestine.To this end, Prof. MAO Zhengwe...

Vaccines are essential for protecting human from infectious disease. They contain antigens derived from pathogens or synthetically created subunits that mimic the pathogen's components. Vaccines are generally classified as live attenuated vaccines that are engineered by reducing the replication of pathogenic strains, and non-live vaccines contain only pathogen components or killed whole organisms. However, there are concerns about reduced immunogenicity, safety, and time-consuming manufactur...

The Ministry of Science and Technology’s High-Tech Research and Development Center unveiled China’s top 10 scientific advances on March 17. The groundbreaking research on femtosecond laser-induced nanophase separation and ion exchange by Prof. QIU Jianrong’s team at the Zhejiang University College of Optical Science and Engineering was included on the list.A femtosecond laser is a laser which emits optical pulses in 1-1000 femtoseconds (1 fs = 10−15s). The stable, precise and sharp femto...

On March 10, 2023, a webinar on FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, India) and Career Planning was held for the Indian MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery) students. The webinar was delivered by Indian expert Dr. Danish Salim and attracted the Indian MBBS students at The Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine (ZJU4H) and from the Hangzhou campuses.In the opening remarks, Dr. CHEN Weiying, vice dean for International Affairs, International Scho...

[Editor’s Note: Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth and is critical to the functioning of ecosystems. Biodiversity is essential for both aesthetic and cultural factors; it provides a rich heritage and a sense of identity for many places and their inhabitants, including people. In a response to obtaining more knowledge on biodiversity, a group of young eco enthusiasts residing on Zhejiang University's International Campus have established a students' club with a mission t...

“Reproductivity is a crucial factor for explaining the different germline mutation rates between species.” The scientists from China, Denmark, France, Germany and USA discovered the underlying causes and evolutionary patterns of variations in terms of the germline mutation rate across species. Their groundbreaking findings were published in Nature on March 2.As an ultimate source of genetic diversity and a major driver for evolution, DNA mutations are in the spotlight in evolutionary biol...

[Editor’s Note: The 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE in short) reportedly brought together 145 national, regional, and international (including more than 280 Fortune 500 and industry-leading) enterprises and allegedly led to significant contractual agreements and business deals back in November 2022; a lot of companies regard the CIIE as a great platform with tremendous business opportunities. In addition, the Double Eleven Shopping Festival has also brought about a spending spree; con...

Despite the rapid development of medicine in recent years, people still “turn pale” when hearing doctors mention cancer. Many draw parallels between having cancer and a death sentence.In fact, not all cancers are life-threatening with high mortality rates. For example, there is a type of cancer that progresses so slowly that some patients may never even be aware of having it and will be living a normal life. Prostate cancer ranks sixth in the list of high-incidence diseases among men in China,...

On March 8, four female members of the 28th Chinese medical team were featured on the front page of “Aujourd’hui, a leading newspaper in the African country of Mali where the medical team is providing their humanitarian services.Dr. CHEN Congcong, a senior anesthesiologist from The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SAHZU), is one of the highlighted “super women”. As a member of the Chinese Society of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesiology, Dr. C...

[Editor’s Note: The term SRDI (specialized, refinement, differential, innovation) was introduced at the press conference held in July 2011 pertaining to the Report on China’s Industrial Development and Policy. Since then, it has gradually turned into an everyday term for Chinese society. As Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are continuously growing in size and in numbers, SRDI can serve as a compass for them, providing both guidance of the universal management theory and contex...