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Plasma torch kills surface bacteria in seconds

According to scientists a simple hand-held torch-like device can swiftly kill dangerous bacteria, offering a potential boon for emergency workers battling infection risks in wars or disaster zones. The device was created by an international team of researchers from China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Australia's CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, the University of Sydney and the City University of Hong Kong.

5 Apr 2012

Norovirus outbreak at the George Washington University campus

Officials at the university and the District of Columbia's Health Department confirmed 85 cases of the gastrointestinal illness were diagnosed since Monday. The virus was found in locations including the central Foggy Bottom campus and the Mount Vernon campus in Northwest Washington. Members of the university also reported cases off campus.

18 Feb 2012

Sandia's decontamination foam now used for meth lab cleanup

Sandia's decontamination foam, developed more than a decade ago and used to decontaminate federal office buildings and mailrooms during the 2001 anthrax attacks, is now being used to decontaminate illegal methamphetamine labs.

17 Feb 2012

U of A professor receives $542,000 from NSERC for drinking water research

Water is something people can't live without, that's why it's important that Xing Fang Li finds out what is in our tap water that may pose a disease risk. The researcher from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta just received $542,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for drinking water research.

14 Feb 2012

Whole-genome sequencing helps trace the path of European E. coli outbreak

Using whole-genome sequencing, a team led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Broad Institute has traced the path of the E. coli outbreak that sickened thousands and killed over 50 people in Germany in summer 2011 and also caused a smaller outbreak in France.

7 Feb 2012

Clorox launches new H2O2 cleaner disinfectant wipes and spray

Clorox Professional Products Company, a division of The Clorox Company announced today the introduction of Clorox Healthcare(TM) Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes and Spray, a new line of ready-to-use, one-step cleaner disinfectants engineered with a patented activated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formula.

31 Jan 2012

Bird flu detected in Victoria spurs action

A bird flu outbreak has been detected at two Victorian farms and at least 10,000 ducks will have to be destroyed. The two farms are about 25km apart in an area north of Melbourne, but officials are keeping the exact location private.

30 Jan 2012

Ivera receives new FDA clearance for Curos disinfecting port protector

Ivera Medical Corporation today announced it has received a new FDA 510(k) clearance for its Curos disinfecting port protector which reflects the company's ongoing determination to continuously improve its products to better deliver solutions designed to reduce hospital-acquired catheter related bloodstream infections.

18 Jan 2012

Decorative fountain in hospital linked to 2010 Wisconsin outbreak of Legionnaires' disease

A 2010 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Wisconsin has been linked to a decorative fountain in a hospital lobby, according to a study published in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

11 Jan 2012

Vioguard self-sanitizing computer keyboard receives FDA clearance

Vioguard today announced the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has cleared the company's first product, the Vioguard self-sanitizing computer keyboard, for use in healthcare settings.

4 Jan 2012

FDA intiates measures to reduce risks from inadequate 'reprocessing' of reusable medical devices

Some medical devices are reused many times in surgical and exploratory procedures. They include instruments used in surgery (like clamps and forceps), and endoscopes (like bronchoscopes and colonoscopes) used to visualize areas inside the body.

29 Dec 2011

New model to analyze health hazards linked with pesticides and toxic chemicals

Approximately 80,000 industrial chemicals are in use and about 700 new chemicals are introduced to commerce each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. To assess human health risks from exposure to harmful substances, James Englehardt, professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Miami, is proposing a new technique that is more efficient than current methods.

22 Dec 2011

Hi-tech dental instrument uses 'cool flame' for painless fillings

University of Missouri engineers and their research collaborators at Nanova, Inc. are one step closer to a painless way to replace fillings. After favorable results in the lab, human clinical trials are underway on the "plasma brush."

21 Dec 2011

Olympus releases Acecide-C High-Level Disinfectant and Sterilant

Olympus, a precision technology leader in designing and delivering innovative solutions in Medical and Surgical Products, among other core businesses, announces the release of Acecide-C, a new, peracetic acid-based high-level disinfectant and sterilant.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 8 Dec 2011

Medizone receives Canadian patent for AsepticSure hospital disinfection product

Medizone International, Inc. reports that the Canadian Patent Office has granted Canadian Patent No 2735739 for processes and systems relating to the platform technology of its revolutionary AsepticSure hospital disinfection product.

30 Nov 2011

Medizone, SMTC enter partnership to manufacture AsepticSure disinfection system

Medizone International, a leading-edge research and development company that specializes in decontamination and sterilization systems and SMTC Corporation, a global electronics manufacturing services provider, today jointly announce a new partnership agreement to manufacture Medizone's AsepticSure disinfection system.

21 Nov 2011

Princeton acquires Tru-D SmartUVC Room Decontamination System to improve patient care

In early September, Princeton Community Hospital added the Tru-D SmartUVC™ Room Decontamination System to its arsenal of new technology that helps disinfect environmental surfaces in patient rooms and in operating room suites.

21 Nov 2011

Potential transmission of HBV, HCV and HIV infections in nail salons and barbershops

The risk of hepatitis transmission through non-single use instruments -- such as nail files, nail brushes, finger bowls, foot basins, buffers, razors, clippers, and scissors -- during nail salon and barbershop visits cannot be excluded, according to the results of a new report unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

1 Nov 2011

Cholera epidemic in Africa: Largest yet

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced in a statement that the cholera epidemic in West and Central Africa is one of the worst the area has ever seen. So far this year more than 85,000 cases have been reported in the region, including 2,466 deaths.

12 Oct 2011

Methodist Hospital internist offers few simple suggestions to prevent cold and flu

The first few breezes of fall bring with them not only the promise of a welcome change in season, but also the threat of colds and flu. Dr. Joshua Septimus, an internist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, offers a few simple suggestions to protect you and your family this cold and flu season. "The most useful tip I can pass along is to wash your hands," says Septimus. "It sounds so simple, but it is truly the most important thing you can do to protect yourself."

27 Sep 2011