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Two common antibiotic treatments equally effective against MRSA skin infections

Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that two common antibiotic treatments work equally well against bacterial skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired outside of hospital settings.

20 Mar 2015

Antech Diagnostics agrees to acquire assets of AVRL for $21 million from Abaxis

Abaxis, Inc., a medical products company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis systems, and VCA Inc., a leading animal healthcare company in the United States and Canada, today jointly announced Antech Diagnostics, Inc., VCA's laboratory division, has agreed to acquire the assets of AVRL (Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratory) from Abaxis for $21 million in cash.

19 Mar 2015

New bone marrow transplant unit launched in Bangalore, India

A bone marrow transplant can mean the difference between life and death for people with blood cancers and related disorders. But many patients in India can't afford the high treatment costs, and for them a transplant is not an option. This is changing thanks to a newly launched bone marrow transplant unit at M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore.

19 Mar 2015

IU researchers reveal how Toxoplasma parasites modify brain cells

Rodents infected with a common parasite lose their fear of cats, resulting in easy meals for the felines. Now IU School of Medicine researchers have identified a new way the parasite may modify brain cells, possibly helping explain changes in the behavior of mice -- and humans.

19 Mar 2015

New microarray-based tool provides fast, reliable assessment of vaginal health

A new microarray-based tool, called VaginArray, offers the potential to provide a fast, reliable and low-cost assessment of vaginal health and diagnoses of infections. The research is published ahead of print March 2, in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

19 Mar 2015

New research identifies promising drug therapy target for breast cancer

The genome of a cell is under constant attack, suffering DNA damage that requires an army of repair mechanisms to keep the cell healthy and alive. Understanding the behavior of the enzymes defending these assaults helps determine how - and where - cancer gets its foothold and flourishes.

18 Mar 2015

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.

17 Mar 2015

World Health Organisation (WHO) joins with ESCMID to fight global infections

The European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has been joined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch the 7th annual ‘International Day for Fighting Infection’ (April 24th, 2015).

16 Mar 2015

Two American scientists receive Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Two American scientists, James P. Allison and Carl H. June, will today receive the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. Both give the patient's own immune system the lasting ability to fight cancer, Allison against late stage melanoma, June against leukemia.

16 Mar 2015

Penn researcher named a recipient of 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV expert Carl June, MD, has been named one of two recipients of the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for his outstanding work in cancer immunotherapy. Since 1952, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made great advancements in the fields in which Paul Ehrlich worked, in particular immunology, cancer research, microbiology, and chemotherapy.

12 Mar 2015

Advanced clinical decision support tools reduce mortality for pneumonia patients

A new study by Intermountain Medical Center researchers in Salt Lake City found that using advanced clinical decision support tools reduces mortality for the 1.1 million patients in the Unites States who are treated for pneumonia each year.

11 Mar 2015

NMR screening solution specifically for the analysis of honey launched by Bruker

This new NMR screening solution specifically for the analysis of honey is the most recent module of Bruker’s well-established FoodScreener™ product line to be released in April.

From Bruker 10 Mar 2015

Wine-Profiling solution based on NMR introduced by Bruker

This substantially enhanced second-generation module of the FoodScreener™ for wine profiling allows easy and cost-efficient NMR-based wine analysis, now for the first time also for key regions in France, Italy and Spain. In addition to geographical origin, NMR Wine Profiling can determine further key authenticity parameters such as grape variety, vintage year and possible water addition. This comprehensive solution offers a quick, fully automated and cost-efficient tool to ensure wine quality and authenticity, protecting brand integrity and consumer confidence.

From Bruker 10 Mar 2015

Study shows that households can serve as reservoir for transmitting MRSA

Households can serve as a reservoir for transmitting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Once the bacteria enters a home, it can linger for years, spreading from person to person and evolving genetically to become unique to that household.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers take images of tiny molecular machine that bacteria use to infect host cells

Armed with a microscope capable of zooming in on organisms measured in billionths of a meter, scientists report they are the first to observe one of the tiny molecular machines that bacteria use to infect host cells. Findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Mar 2015

Advanced clinical decision support tools help reduce mortality for pneumonia patients

10 Mar 2015

Blood group O provides protection against severe malaria

It has long been known that people with blood type O are protected from dying of severe malaria. In a study published in Nature Medicine, a team of Scandinavian scientists explains the mechanisms behind the protection that blood type O provides, and suggest that the selective pressure imposed by malaria may contribute to the variable global distribution of ABO blood groups in the human population.

10 Mar 2015

New type of vaccine holds promise for prevention of genital herpes

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have designed a new type of vaccine that could be the first-ever for preventing genital herpes--one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, affecting some 500 million people worldwide.

9 Mar 2015

Better understanding of stomach's response to infection could lead to therapies against gastric damage

A better understanding of the stomach's immune response to Helicobater pylori (H. pylori) infection could lead to new therapies targeting damage in the stomach, report researchers in the March issue of Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the basic science journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

6 Mar 2015