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FDA investigates contributing factors for reported infections from reprocessed urological endoscopes

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is investigating numerous medical device reports (MDRs) describing patient infections and other possible contamination issues associated with reprocessing urological endoscopes, including cystoscopes, ureteroscopes and cystourethroscopes—devices used to view and access the urinary tract.

1 Apr 2021

New study provides the most comprehensive reviews of advancements in contact lenses

A newly-published paper represents one of the most comprehensive reviews of advancements to come in contact lenses, catapulting the commonly-used medical device to applications well beyond refractive error correction.

29 Mar 2021

INRS project receives major funding to assess the risks of well contamination in Madagascar

The project of Professor Geneviève Bordeleau, from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, received financial support from the Quebec government under the International Climate Cooperation Program, a program of the 2013-2020 Action Plan on Climate Change, which was succeeded by the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy.

25 Mar 2021

High throughput screening for COVID-19 with the VOYAGER pipette

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down research in many scientific areas, but for the Jain Lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida, the pandemic has created an exciting opportunity to repurpose their work.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 24 Mar 2021

New device set to revolutionize the resuscitation process for first responders

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, performance manufacturer Keela Outdoors, NHS Tayside and Scottish Health Innovations (SHIL), have collaborated to design and develop a device that is set to revolutionize the resuscitation process for first responders.

24 Mar 2021

DNA spike-ins increase reliability of amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes

In the interests of cost-effectiveness and rapidity, amplicon-based sequencing of the viral genome has been used to provide a sensitive means of genomic surveillance. A new preprint, which was released on the bioRxiv* server, shows how this can be tweaked to make it a reliable source of genomic data by reducing the known potential for contamination.

19 Mar 2021

Study unveils SARS-CoV-2 persistence and contamination concentration on common surfaces

A recent environmental study from the United Kingdom, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, shows that certain common surfaces could represent an infectious risk if contaminated with high concentrations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – albeit the level of viable viral particles is likely to be low.

15 Mar 2021

To extract more doses per vial, vaccinators put squeeze on FDA to relax vaccine handling advice

President Joe Biden has promised enough covid vaccine to immunize every willing adult by June 1. But right now, the gap between supply and demand is so dramatic that vaccinators are discovering ways to suck the final drops out of each vaccine vial — if federal regulators will let them.

12 Mar 2021

TraCK study says schoolchildren unlikely to transmit SARS-CoV-2

An interesting new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server reports there is little evidence to suggest the rapid transmission of the virus among school children while attending school.

10 Mar 2021

Pfizer’s newest vaccine plant has persistent mold issues, history of recalls

Pfizer's management knew last year there was "a mold issue" at the Kansas facility now slated to produce the drugmaker's urgently needed covid-19 vaccine, according to a Food and Drug Administration inspection report.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans

In a recent report made available on bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from Poland and Finland reveal a spillover event of mink-adapted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from farmed mink to humans after an extensive adaptation process.

9 Mar 2021

Paws of assistance dogs are cleaner than users' shoe soles, study shows

Over 10,000 people in Europe use an assistance dog; think of guide dogs for people with a visual impairment, hearing dogs for people with a hearing impairment, medical response service dogs and psychiatric service dogs.

8 Mar 2021

Digital technologies may underpin primary care services beyond COVID pandemic

Over the last twelve months, the NHS has been fundamentally reshaped. Plans and ideas that were bubbling away in the background for years suddenly received the green light by default. 2020 saw a huge increase in the adoption of digital technologies within modern healthcare economies.

8 Mar 2021

Federal court order requires New York-based dietary supplement manufacturer to cease operations

A dietary supplement manufacturer and two of its executives have been ordered by a federal court to stop manufacturing, holding, or distributing any articles of food, including dietary supplements, until they come into compliance with federal dietary supplement current good manufacturing practice regulations and other Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) requirements.

4 Mar 2021

Researchers assess SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination risks in hospital setting

Researchers analyzed the surface swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the infectivity in a hospital setting by both qRT-PCR and a viral culture assay. They also determined the suitability for sequence analysis and phylogenetically identifying the source of the virus.

1 Mar 2021

Texas Tech professor receives DARPA grant for developing indoor COVID-19 detector

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause headaches, dizziness and even death in certain circumstances.

25 Feb 2021

Study addresses COVID-19 pandemic concerns and guidelines for increasing food safety

A team of researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed food practices and safety protocols for workers in food-processing plants.

25 Feb 2021

After billions of dollars and dozens of wartime declarations, why are vaccines still in short supply?

The U.S. government has invested billions of dollars in manufacturing, used a wartime act dozens of times to boost supplies and yet there's still not enough covid vaccine on the way to meet demand — or even the government's own goals for national immunization.

23 Feb 2021

What are the main food safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic?

A new study deals with the main food safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 Feb 2021

Virus transmission by dental tools and prevention by antiviral agent

Researchers at the University of Ljubljana have demonstrated how a virus can spread by droplets during ultrasonic scaler (USS) operation and how this spread can be mitigated by merely substituting the irrigant with clinical virucidal agents, namely sodium hypochlorite and EOW (Electrolyzed Oxidizing Water).

16 Feb 2021