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Codex Alimentarius Commission provides new guidance to help improve food safety

The maximum amount of melamine allowed in powdered infant formula is 1 mg/kg and the amount of the chemical allowed in other foods and animal feed is 2.5 mg/kg, according to new rulings from the United Nations' food standards body, Codex Alimentarius Commission.

7 Jul 2010

Aquapharm Biodiscovery signs research agreement with AMRI

Aquapharm Biodiscovery, a leading marine biotechnology company, announced today it has signed a research agreement with Albany Molecular Research to identify novel drug-like compounds and scaffolds with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity from Aquapharm's marine natural products library derived from its extensive collection of marine micro-organisms.

7 Jul 2010

Communication between bacterial species promotes resistance to antibiotics: Study

Ear infections caused by more than one species of bacteria could be more persistent and antibiotic-resistant because one pathogen may be communicating with the other, encouraging it to bolster its defenses. Interrupting or removing that communication could be key to curing these infections. Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center publish their findings today in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

7 Jul 2010

Bacteria that will kill Dengue bearing mosquitoes on the way

Dengue is a deadly viral fever spread by mosquito bites that kills thousands around the world each year. Now researchers from James Cook University and University of Queensland are working on a bacterium called Wolbachia that can stop the spread of this virus.

6 Jul 2010

Breathing system filters used in anaesthesia allow passage of bacterial, yeast infections

Doctors have highlighted potential problems with the breathing system filters used in anaesthesia, including intensive care units, after demonstrating that they don't provide protection from harmful bacteria and yeast when they become wet.

6 Jul 2010

A20 protein plays protective role in diseases associated with chronic bowel inflammation: Scientists

Scientists associated with VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and Ghent University have discovered that A20 protein plays an important protective role in diseases associated with chronic bowel inflammation. This makes A20 into a promising therapeutic target for the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs.

5 Jul 2010

Pet reptiles can pose health risks in the young: Report

A four month old girl, the report says, contracted salmonella infection after coming in contact with an eastern bearded dragon. She was taken to an ACT hospital emergency department last year suffering from fever, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. She had to be subsequently hospitalized for four days. The infection did not spread to any other family member the doctors wrote.

4 Jul 2010

MabCent finds extraordinary life forms in the Arctic

During its short existence the Centre on Marine Bioactives and Drug Discovery (MabCent) in Tromsø has analysed some 70,000 fractions of Arctic marine organisms. Patents on two molecules have been applied for and applications for another 20 will soon follow.

3 Jul 2010

Fecal contamination on hands linked to bacterial contamination in stored water

Scientists are reporting dramatic new real-world evidence supporting the idea that hand washing can prevent the spread of water-borne disease. It appears in a new study showing a connection between fecal bacteria contamination on hands, fecal contamination of stored drinking water, and health in households in a developing country in Africa. The study is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

1 Jul 2010

Commonly used type of bone marrow stem cell may help treat sepsis, new study suggests

A new study from researchers in Ottawa and Toronto suggests that a commonly used type of bone marrow stem cell may be able to help treat sepsis, a deadly condition that can occur when an infection spreads throughout the body. The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, shows that these cells can triple survival rates in an experimental model of sepsis.

1 Jul 2010

FnBP is central to bacteria's ability to invade organs: Researchers

Scientists studying the so-called "superbug" MRSA have identified one of the components responsible for making it so deadly. Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin that is relatively harmless unless it gets into the bloodstream, where it can cause blood poisoning and create abscesses in organs such as the heart and brain.

1 Jul 2010

Twelve residents receive one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology

Twelve dermatology residents from leading medical schools around the country each received a $40,000, one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology. The fellowships, awarded by the National Psoriasis Foundation, provide support to eligible institutions to develop and enhance opportunities for physicians training for careers in medical dermatology.

1 Jul 2010

CDC issues new guidelines on detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections

Today the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new and important guidelines on the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections, the causative agent of tuberculosis. In these landmark guidelines, CDC advises that Interferon Gamma Release Assay blood tests are now preferred over the 100+-year-old tuberculin skin test for diagnosing TB infection in certain populations, including people who typically do not return for the necessary reading of TST results, and those who have received Bacille Calmette-Guerin as a vaccine or for cancer therapy

1 Jul 2010

Antibacterial ingredient in honey identified

Sweet news for those looking for new antibiotics: A new research published in the July 2010 print edition of the FASEB Journal explains for the first time how honey kills bacteria. Specifically, the research shows that bees make a protein that they add to the honey, called defensin-1, which could one day be used to treat burns and skin infections and to develop new drugs that could combat antibiotic-resistant infections.

30 Jun 2010

Epigentek develops new approach for identification of "sixth DNA base" 5-hmC

Research experts in the epigenetic field from Epigentek have developed a new, breakthrough approach for the identification of the "sixth DNA base," 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC). This technology is based on a high throughput, strip-well format and is also incorporated into the first commercially available product, the MethylFlash(TM) Hydroxymethylated DNA Quantification Kit, for rapidly quantifying hydroxymethylated DNA.

30 Jun 2010

Tray bleaching: An effective solution to improve oral health

A tooth-bleaching agent may improve the oral health of elderly and special-needs patients, say dentists at the Medical College of Georgia and Western University of Health Sciences.

29 Jun 2010

Health Canada recommends new pneumococcal vaccine for young children

In December, 2009, Health Canada approved a new vaccine for children aged six weeks through five years to prevent infections caused by the bacteria called pneumococcus or Streptococcus.

29 Jun 2010

FDA grants Abbott 510(k) clearance to market molecular diagnostic test for detection of chlamydia, gonorrhea

Abbott announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market a new, sensitive molecular diagnostic test and instrument to simultaneously detect two of the nation's most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gonorrhea and chlamydia, including a new variant strain of chlamydia recently discovered in Sweden.

28 Jun 2010

Quick-Med Technologies announces application for EPA registration of Stay Fresh technology

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc., a leader in developing innovative antimicrobial technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, today announced its application for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registration of the Company's proprietary Stay Fresh antimicrobial textiles technology.

28 Jun 2010

Cells in immune system react to stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori, identify researchers

Researchers have identified cells in the immune system that react to the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori, one of the risk factors for the development of stomach cancer. This discovery could lead to faster diagnosis and treatment as well as a better prognosis for patients with stomach cancer, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

28 Jun 2010