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Research finds link between increased hygiene and higher rates of certain diseases in women

Little girls growing up in western society are expected to be neat and tidy - "all ribbon and curls" - and one researcher who studies science and gender differences thinks that emphasis may contribute to higher rates of certain diseases in adult women.

27 Jan 2011

NuGEN expands NGS utility for microbial transcriptome analysis with Ovation Prokaryotic RNA-Seq System

NuGEN Technologies, a leader in genomics sample preparation, expands the utility of next-generation sequencing for the analysis of microbial species and microbiome samples with its Ovation Prokaryotic RNA-Seq System.

27 Jan 2011

Mass cholera vaccination early in outbreak could stem spread of disease, studies show

"The cholera bacterium has undergone important mutations in recent years, causing longer outbreaks of the disease with increased fatalities, researchers reported on Wednesday," Reuters reports. "In a package of papers published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, they said mass vaccinations should be considered as a solution even after outbreaks have begun," the news service writes (Lyn, 1/26).

27 Jan 2011

Antibiotic use in first six months of life may result in childhood asthma

When babies are given antibiotics, their risk of developing asthma by age 6 may increase by 50 percent. This relationship between antibiotic use in babies less than six months old and risk of developing asthma was documented in a study conducted by Norwegian University of Science and Technology researcher Kari Risnes.

27 Jan 2011

MRSA screening in ICU patients can save costs for hospitals

Screening patients in the intensive care unit for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus roduces cost savings for the whole hospital, according to a study that used a statistical simulation model published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

27 Jan 2011

Researchers find food-borne bacteria can cause difficult-to-treat heart infections

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found that particular strains of a food-borne bacteria are able to invade the heart, leading to serious and difficult-to-treat heart infections.

27 Jan 2011

Research shows how pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how ‘phenotype switching’ enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

26 Jan 2011

APIC announces initiative to eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology today announced a major initiative to eliminate one of the most preventable and deadly infections that patients can acquire in healthcare facilities: central line-associated bloodstream infections, which kill 30,000 people in the U.S. every year.

25 Jan 2011

Schools have highest number of bacteria

When kids are at school, we hope for high marks in math, science and English. But what about the grades the school itself would receive in a class on cleanliness? A study conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, in partnership with The Clorox Company, found that plenty of bacteria are going to school too.

25 Jan 2011

Fixed Phage to develop products based on Strathclyde's technology for tackling infections

A new company has been launched to commercialise an award-winning technology, developed at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, for tackling bacterial infection and contamination, including superbugs such as MRSA.

25 Jan 2011

New investigative tool may explore intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity

Nongjian Tao and his colleagues at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have pioneered a new technique capable of peering into single cells and even intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity.

25 Jan 2011

Also in Global Health News: Cholera death in DR; TB vaccine study; Rising food prices

"Dominican Republic on Sunday confirmed that a 53-year-old Haitian man has become the country's first death from cholera and announced the immediate start of a broad disease control and monitoring operation" around the eastern town of Higuey where he was being treated and later died, Latin American Herald Tribune reports (1/24).

24 Jan 2011

Mystery of 'inactive' defensin solved

Under standard laboratory conditions, the human beta-defensin 1 (hBD-1), a human antibiotic naturally produced in the body, had always shown only little activity against microbes. Nevertheless the human body produces it in remarkable quantities.

24 Jan 2011

Odontoblast cells are part of immune system, protect teeth from decay: New research

It is known that teeth can protect themselves, to some extent, from attack by bacteria but that inflammation within a tooth can be damaging and, in extreme cases, lead to abscess or death of the tooth. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Immunology shows that odontoblast cells are part of the immune system and fight to protect teeth from decay.

23 Jan 2011

Vibrio cholerae kills E. coli bacteria

Just over a year after the earthquake in Haiti killed 222,000 people there's a new problem that is killing Haitians. A cholera outbreak has doctors in the area scrambling and the water-borne illness has already claimed 3600 lives according to officials with M-dicin Sans Fronti-res (Doctors without Borders).

21 Jan 2011

Opinions: GAVI; Haitian women; Clinton's foreign policy

"Vaccines are among the greatest scientific contributions to human welfare. They are also some of the largest humanitarian contributions of developed nations to the rest of the world. So it is unfortunate that a decade of vaccine controversy has overshadowed a decade of vaccine miracles," Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson writes in an opinion piece reflecting on the contributions of the GAVI Alliance over the past decade.

21 Jan 2011

New research says EPO hormone can modulate immune response

New research reveals that a hormone best known for stimulating the production of red blood cells can modulate the immune response. The study, published by Cell Press in the January 27th issue of the journal Immunity, finds that erythropoietin has contrasting influences on infectious and inflammatory diseases and may be useful in the design of new therapeutic strategies.

21 Jan 2011

Three ASM scientists to receive NAS award for excellence in microbiology field

Three members of the American Society for Microbiology are among the 13 scientists that will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences with awards recognizing extraordinary scientific achievement in the field of microbiology:

21 Jan 2011

BUSM receives NIH grant to explore how chronic inflammation can lead to systemic diseases

A team of researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $7.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to explore how chronic inflammation can lead to systemic diseases.

20 Jan 2011

Covidien launches Puritan Bennett 520 ventilator in Europe

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products and recognized innovator in mechanical ventilation and respiratory care devices, today announced that the Puritan Bennett™ 520 ventilator is now available in the European Union.

20 Jan 2011

Bacteria News and Research

Research finds link between increased hygiene and higher rates of certain diseases in women

NuGEN expands NGS utility for microbial transcriptome analysis with Ovation Prokaryotic RNA-Seq System

Mass cholera vaccination early in outbreak could stem spread of disease, studies show

Antibiotic use in first six months of life may result in childhood asthma

MRSA screening in ICU patients can save costs for hospitals

Researchers find food-borne bacteria can cause difficult-to-treat heart infections

Research shows how pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells

APIC announces initiative to eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections

Schools have highest number of bacteria

Fixed Phage to develop products based on Strathclyde's technology for tackling infections

New investigative tool may explore intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity

Also in Global Health News: Cholera death in DR; TB vaccine study; Rising food prices

Mystery of 'inactive' defensin solved

Odontoblast cells are part of immune system, protect teeth from decay: New research

Vibrio cholerae kills E. coli bacteria

Opinions: GAVI; Haitian women; Clinton's foreign policy

New research says EPO hormone can modulate immune response

Three ASM scientists to receive NAS award for excellence in microbiology field

BUSM receives NIH grant to explore how chronic inflammation can lead to systemic diseases

Covidien launches Puritan Bennett 520 ventilator in Europe

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