Antibiotic News and Research

RSS

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms.

Top 10 diseases by cost

Bladder, prostate and other urinary tract diseases cost Americans nearly $11 billion a year, according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health.

2 May 2007

Zinc salts can provide an effective treatment for Verneuil's disease

Verneuil's disease is a chronic, suppurative dermatosis involving the apocrine glands with a severe impact on the quality of life.

30 Apr 2007

Small-molecule macroarray helps tackle MRSA

In 1928, Alexander Fleming opened the door to treating bacterial infections when he stumbled upon the first known antibiotic in a Penicillium mold growing in a discarded experiment.

30 Apr 2007

Nasal spray of virus enzymes for ear infections

Parents might one day give their children a weekly treatment with a nasal spray of virus enzymes to prevent them from getting severe middle ear infections, based on results of a study done in mice by investigators from St. Jude and The Rockefeller University.

27 Apr 2007

First online models of biological molecules

A University of Massachusetts Amherst biochemist is creating the first online models of biological molecules like enzymes and proteins customized to figures in scientific research articles.

26 Apr 2007

Evaluation of primary urinary tract infection in infants

They reviewed the clinical and laboratory findings as well as the diagnosis and treatment. This study is important since urinary tract infection is one of the most common causes of unexplained fevers in infants with an overall reported prevalence of approximately 10%. infection.

25 Apr 2007

Surprising new theory on antibiotic resistance

A surprising new theory developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska, suggests that some bacterial cells act as "suicide bombers" in cell communities, with the altruistic intention of dying for the common good - and in the process, strengthening other cells that then become resistant to antibiotic drugs.

25 Apr 2007

Researchers find way to kill cystic fibrosis superbug, Burkholderia cenocepacia

Researchers from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario , working with a group from Edinburgh, have discovered a way to kill the cystic fibrosis superbug, Burkholderia cenocepacia.

25 Apr 2007

Chitin compound causes allergic inflammation

The beetle's back and the crab's shell owe their toughness to a common compound called chitin that now appears to trigger airway inflammation and possibly asthma, UCSF scientists have found.

24 Apr 2007

Study links Helicobacter pylori to asthma prevention

The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach cancer and peptic ulcers, may not be all bad.

24 Apr 2007

Probiotics for the prevention of pediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhea

Probiotics, the "good" bacteria in many dietary supplements, might counteract an unpleasant side effect for children on antibiotics, according to a new systematic review.

20 Apr 2007

Antibiotics before dental procedures may do more harm than good

Taking a precautionary antibiotic before a trip to the dentist isn't necessary for most people, and in fact, might create more harm than good, according to updated recommendations from the American Heart Association.

20 Apr 2007

Fewer heart patients need antibiotics before dental procedures to prevent infective endocarditis

Based on a review of new and existing scientific evidence, most dental patients with heart disease do not need antibiotics before dental procedures to prevent infective endocarditis (IE), a rare, but life-threatening heart infection.

20 Apr 2007

Steroids for acute sinusitis

Every year, nearly 37 million Americans suffer from the sinus pressure, nasal congestion, cough and postnasal drip that accompany sinusitis.

19 Apr 2007

New approach to cystic fibrosis treatment

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme produced by lung-infecting bacteria further shuts down a protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis patients.

19 Apr 2007

Researchers use bacterium to obtain biopreservatives from food

The research group "Estudio de sustancias antagonistas producidas por microorganismos" (Antagonistic substances produced by microorganisms), part of the Microbiology Department of the University of Granada, has succeeded in isolating enterocin AS-48, which could have a medium-term use as food biopreservative.

18 Apr 2007

Tests predict outcome of antibiotic therapy for infections in persons with diabetes

Researchers from the University of Washington, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Merck Laboratories, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine have released a study suggesting that specific laboratory and clinical tests can predict outcome of antibiotic therapy for infections in persons with diabetes.

18 Apr 2007

Clioquinol shows promise in fighting cancer

Researchers from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, MI presented strong evidence today that an antibiotic typically prescribed for Alzheimer's patients could be effective in eventually treating certain types of cancers.

18 Apr 2007

Staph infections among hospitalized patients are on the rise

The study, conducted by Gary Noskin, MD, infectious disease specialist and associate chief medical officer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, also revealed that the increase in staph infections is resulting in millions of dollars of excess healthcare costs due to longer hospitalizations.

17 Apr 2007

Most-at-risk nursing home residents to be tested for superbugs

A Johns Hopkins study of adult patients admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital showed that patients who resided in nursing homes or other kinds of long-term care facilities at any time within the last six months were far more likely than other adult patients to carry or be infected with a drug-resistant superbug.

17 Apr 2007