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FDA clears Xpert EV test for meningitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing a test that uses molecular biology to quickly detect the presence of viral meningitis.

19 Mar 2007

FDA approves Soliris (eculizumab), first treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Soliris (eculizumab), the first product for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare type of blood disorder that can lead to disability and premature death.

19 Mar 2007

Novel pathway for antibiotic-induced cell death

Scientists have identified unforeseen mechanisms by which quinolones - a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics among the most widely prescribed - induce bacterial cell death.

13 Mar 2007

New method for identifying viruses and bacteria that cause common infections in children

Infectious disease specialists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a new method for identifying suspect viruses and bacteria that cause some of the most common acute infections in children.

13 Mar 2007

Guide to minimize microbial food safety hazards of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published a draft final guidance advising processors of fresh-cut produce how to minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which are often sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat form.

12 Mar 2007

A food supplement that could prevent the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis

The health benefits of cutting down on dietary saturated fatty acids and including higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids are well documented. Nutritional research is focusing on the effects of incorporating these healthier fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), into animal and human diets. CLA is present in dairy products and meat from ruminants and in very low amounts in our bodies.

11 Mar 2007

New technology to help hospitals prepare for disasters

Johns Hopkins emergency medicine specialists have developed a tool to help hospitals prepare for disasters with the potential to overwhelm services.

6 Mar 2007

The model for end-stage liver disease

A review of the studies on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) found that it is an accurate predictor of survival of patients with a variety of liver diseases, is particularly useful in allocating organs for liver transplants, and can also be used to help determine the course of treatment in certain cases. However, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the model and efforts at refining will continue.

5 Mar 2007

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.

4 Mar 2007

Further study of past flu pandemics key to future preparedness

Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 "Spanish Flu," for insight into pandemic planning.

28 Feb 2007

Overly anxious and driven people susceptible to irritable bowel syndrome

The researchers studied 620 people who had confirmed gastroenteritis caused by a bacterial infection. None had had IBS before, or indeed any serious bowel disorder.

27 Feb 2007

Exchange of E. coli between humans and chimps in Uganda

Scientists from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana have found that people employed in chimpanzee-focused research and tourism in a park in western Uganda are exchanging gastrointestinal bacteria - specifically Escherichia coli - with local chimpanzee populations. And some of the E. coli strains migrating to chimps are resistant to antibiotics used by humans in Uganda.

22 Feb 2007

Imaging of disease dynamics during meningococcal sepsis

Each year 170,000 people around the world die of this type of meningitis, according to the World Health Organization, (WHO).

21 Feb 2007

Provectus receives notice of allowance for acne product

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its patent application covering novel acne medications, including the Company's invisible, solid acne treatment, Pure-Stick, which is an over- the-counter (OTC) product.

21 Feb 2007

Procalcitonin helps predict prognosis among those with peritonitis

Monitoring blood levels of a compound known as procalcitonin in patients with peritonitis (a serious intra-abdominal infection) could help identify patients at increased risk of organ failure and death, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Surgery.

20 Feb 2007

More evidence that inflammation can fuel cancer

As evidence mounts that the body's normally protective inflammation response can drive some precancerous tissues to become fully malignant, UCSF scientists report discovering an apparent trigger to this potentially deadly process.

19 Feb 2007

Mathematical model predicts cholera outbreaks

In research done over the past seven years, Pascual and colleagues have found evidence that a phenomenon known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major source of climate variability from year to year, influences cycles of cholera in Bangladesh.

18 Feb 2007

Novel spray method for delivering tuberculosis vaccine

Bioengineers and public health researchers at Harvard University have developed a novel spraying method for delivering the most common tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, providing a new low-cost and scaleable technique that offers needle-free delivery and greater stability at room temperature than existing methods.

18 Feb 2007

Winter colds, over-wrapping increase risk of SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - the leading cause of death in infants under 1 year of age can happen at any time. But parents and caregivers should be extra careful during the cold winter months, when the flu and other infections and the urge to bundle up babies extra warmly increase the risk of SIDS, say experts from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

18 Feb 2007

Sugar substitute Xylitol reduces risk of cavities

The sugar substitute xylitol affects the bacterial composition of the oral cavity even in low doses. On the other hand, a relatively high intake is needed to counteract the production of acid between the teeth, according to Pernilla Lif Holgerson in the dissertation she will defend at Umea University in Sweden on February 23.

15 Feb 2007