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Review: Even very low radiation levels are harmful to life

Even the very lowest levels of radiation are harmful to life, scientists have concluded in the Cambridge Philosophical Society's journal Biological Reviews.

14 Nov 2012

Topically applied DMPS not effective in children with autism

Metal-binding agents rubbed into the skin, prescribed by some alternative practitioners for the treatment of autism, are not absorbed and therefore are unlikely to be effective at helping the body excrete excess mercury. The study by Jennifer Cohen and Michelle Ruha from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in the US, and their colleagues, provides evidence against the use of these treatments in children with autism.

14 Nov 2012

High family income, hygiene habits can increase risk of peanut allergies in children

Peanut allergies are rising among American children and one reason might be due to economic status. According to a new study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, greater rates of peanut allergy are found in families with higher economic status. This supports the "hygiene hypothesis" of many allergists.

9 Nov 2012

Corneal limbal stromal cells could lead to new treatments for eye conditions

Eye experts and scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered specific cells in the eye which could lead to a new procedure to treat and cure blinding eye conditions.

8 Nov 2012

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in US wastewater treatment plants

Researchers have found methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a significant number of wastewater samples taken from four US wastewater treatment plants.

8 Nov 2012

Mass. adopts stricter rules, penalties for compounding pharmacies

The emergency regulations will allow the state to monitor contamination and the volume of medicines being made.

3 Nov 2012

Critical safety hints for post-hurricane Sandy recovery

UL, a world leader in advancing safety, offers critical safety information for post-hurricane Sandy recovery

3 Nov 2012

Xenex offers room disinfection devices to hospitals hit by Hurricane Sandy

Xenex Healthcare Services, the world leader in UV room disinfection systems, today announced it is making its room disinfection devices available to hospitals affected by Hurricane Sandy.

3 Nov 2012

State roundup: Hurricane Sandy has east coast hospitals scrambling

Healthcare providers on the East Coast have spent the weekend preparing for Hurricane Sandy, with hospitals canceling elective surgeries and discharging patients to free up beds.

30 Oct 2012

FDA report says pharmacy knew about contamination problems

A federal inspection of a company whose tainted pain medicine has caused one of the worst public health drug disasters since the 1930s found greenish-yellow residue on sterilization equipment, surfaces coated with levels of mold and bacteria that exceeded the company's own environmental limits, and an air-conditioner that was shut off nightly despite the importance of controlling temperature and humidity.

29 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 29, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how the presidential election's outcome could impact the insurance industry as well as the fate of people who are sick or uninsured.

29 Oct 2012

Simple tricks to keep mold and dust mites at bay during winter

Spring and summer are not the only seasons that bring misery to those with allergies. The winter months can be brutal for people sensitive to mold spores and dust mites.

25 Oct 2012

Lessons can be learnt from US fungal meningitis outbreak

As the current outbreak of fungal meningitis caused by contaminated methylprednisolone acetate injections continues to spread across the USA, past experience suggests that lessons can be learnt, says a US researcher.

24 Oct 2012

Physician shares lessons learned from fungal meningitis outbreak

In a new perspective piece being published Online First tonight in Annals of Internal Medicine, a physician recalls lessons learned from treating patients affected by the 2002 outbreak of Exophiala (Wangiella) dermatitidis meningitis or arthritis related to contaminated, injectable coticosteroids prepared from a compounding pharmacy.

20 Oct 2012

Lack of 'fiscal cliff' talk offers proof that the urgent issue is frozen until after election

The fact that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and President Barack Obama have not discussed looming automatic spending cuts leads this roundup of Capitol Hill news.

19 Oct 2012

Hospital superbugs can float on air currents and contaminate surfaces

Hospital superbugs can float on air currents and contaminate surfaces far from infected patients' beds, according to University of Leeds researchers.

12 Oct 2012

Xenex Healthcare Services receives GSA contract to purchase room disinfection systems

Xenex Healthcare Services, the world leader in UV room disinfection systems, today announced it has been awarded a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) contract, making it even easier for federal agencies (including Veterans Affairs hospital systems) to purchase Xenex's room disinfection systems.

11 Oct 2012

More toilets would help save lives in India

The controversy in India over "a self-evident statement by the rural development minister that India needs toilets more than it does temples ... is a perfect example of the stupidity that too often dominates Indian politics," GlobalPost senior correspondent Jason Overdorf writes in his blog "On India."

8 Oct 2012

NCI awards Cellerant SBIR contract to develop Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cell therapy for thrombocytopenia

Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 contract and a Phase 2 option from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) valued up to $1,683,503.

8 Oct 2012