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EKF globally launches STAT-Site® WB β-ketone and glucose handheld analyzer

EKF obtains CE mark certification alongside CLIA waiver for easy-to-use whole blood analyzer for diabetes care programs

From EKF Diagnostics 16 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 oral vaccine booster shows promise in animal tests

In a recent study published on the pre-print bioRxiv* server, a group of Israeli researchers discusses their progress towards developing an oral multi-antigen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

15 Jun 2021

Study finds ‘widespread’ use of toxic chemicals in a range of cosmetics

Cosmetics from the United States have been found to contain high levels of polyuoroalkyl substances (PFAS), associated with a range of harmful conditions.

15 Jun 2021

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Surfaces with anionic block copolymers can inactivate different viruses within minutes by making the polymer-microbe interface very acidic. Such surfaces can continuously disinfect surfaces without the need for reapplication of disinfectant.

14 Jun 2021

Trained dogs can accurately identify COVID-19 by scent

An interesting new medRxiv* preprint reveals that with careful training, the exquisite scent sensitivity of dogs may be exploited to rule out the presence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in human beings in real-time.

9 Jun 2021

Restoration can improve mining contamination, indicates study

Mining involves moving a lot of rock, so some mess is expected. However, mining operations can continue to affect ecosystems long after activity has ended. Heavy metals and corrosive substances leach into the environment, preventing wildlife and vegetation from returning to the area.

9 Jun 2021

Novel method allows rapid, absolute quantification of viral nucleic acids

Researchers from Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine, an Interdisciplinary Research Group at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a new method for rapid and accurate detection of viral nucleic acids - a breakthrough that can be easily adapted to detect different DNA/RNA targets in viruses like the coronavirus.

7 Jun 2021

New model reveals the effectiveness of travel restrictions to slow COVID-19 transmission

More strategic and coordinated travel restrictions likely could have reduced the spread of COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic.

7 Jun 2021

Water samples collected from Baltimore’s farms and gardens contain low levels of lead, shows study

A new report that examined soil, water, and produce from urban farms and gardens in Baltimore City found low levels of lead and other metals that pose no reason for concern at the majority of growing sites.

4 Jun 2021

Increase in salmonellosis in Europe: General hygiene rules help safely prepare raw poultry

In recent months, more than three hundred cases of salmonellosis have occurred in various European countries and Canada, which are linked to each other. In the UK the cases could be partly traced back to frozen breaded poultry meat.

1 Jun 2021

Chemists use new technique to manufacture pharmaceutical cholesterol from plant-based materials

Chemists at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have, in collaboration with colleagues from CordenPharma, succeeded for the first time in manufacturing pharmaceutical cholesterol from plant-based materials using a highly-effective technique.

29 May 2021

New porous biomaterial could help in bone repair

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new biomaterial made entirely from discarded bullfrog skin and fish scales that could help in bone repair.

27 May 2021

CASdetec: new CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 detection platform detects nucleic acids with high sensitivity and specificity

To add to existing CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection protocols, a team of researchers recently established a new SARS-CoV-2 detection protocol based on their previously reported platform - CDetection (Cas12b-mediated DNA detection). They combined nucleic-acid amplification methods and sample treatment protocols with CDetection and established an integrated nucleic acid detection platform called CRISPR-assisted detection or CASdetec. CASdetec has a detection limit of 1×104 copies/mL for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, without any observed cross-reactivity.

26 May 2021

Non-droplet routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission

In a recent review article published in the Science of The Total Environment journal, a group of Polish researchers discussed the different transmission routes of the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In their work, the researchers focused on the extent of SARS-CoV-2 survival in the environment, particularly in sewages and contaminated surfaces.

26 May 2021

Research looks at viral presence around hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Researchers in Canada aimed to determine the burden of SARS-CoV-2 in the air and on surfaces in the rooms of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

25 May 2021

New method provides greater quality control and safety of heparin drug

A new method to analyze the blood thinning drug Heparin has been developed that can pinpoint contaminants more accurately and quickly, providing greater quality control and safety.

17 May 2021

New way to detect a diverse range of bacteria that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements

Monash University researchers have validated a way to successfully detect a diverse range of bacteria (pathogens) that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements.

17 May 2021

Ancient people had far different microorganisms in their guts than modern humans

Only an anthropologist would treasure millennia-old human feces found in dry caves. Just ask Dr. Meradeth Snow, a University of Montana researcher and co-chair of UM's Department of Anthropology.

13 May 2021

Study: Organic-certified meats less likely to be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria

Meat that is certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is less likely to be contaminated with bacteria that can sicken people, including dangerous, multidrug-resistant organisms, compared to conventionally produced meat, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

12 May 2021

Inexpensive test for rapid detection of COVID-19 with 90% accuracy

A low-cost, rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19 developed by Penn Medicine provides COVID-19 results within four minutes with 90 percent accuracy.