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Abbot's innovative solutions to be highlighted at AACC

A first-of-its-kind test that detects HIV infection earlier than ever before in the United States; a molecular assay for identification of two common sexually transmitted diseases; and an enhanced integrated analyzer offering significant workflow improvements; are among the many new advances Abbott will highlight at this year's American Association for Clinical Chemistry Lab Expo which starts today in Anaheim.

27 Jul 2010

Study on interactions between new antitubercular drug candidates SQ109 and TMC207

Sequella, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for treatment of life-threatening infectious diseases, announced today the publication of studies in the scientific journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy on synergy between SQ109, its lead drug candidate for the treatment of TB, and TMC207, Tibotec lead TB drug candidate:

27 Jul 2010

Scientists find MODS technique most accurate for testing tuberculosis in children

An international team of researchers comparing recently-developed methods for diagnosing tuberculosis in children in resource-poor countries has concluded that the best test for high-risk children is the microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) technique using two gastric aspirate specimens from each child tested. MODS detects the presence of bacteria causing tuberculosis using microscopes to detect typical growth patterns in culture broth.

27 Jul 2010

Study analyses anesthetic effects on surgical site infections

A study appearing in the August 2010 issue of Anesthesiology found that patients receiving a total hip or knee replacement in Taiwan had a higher incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) when general anesthesia was administered for the operation than when the same procedures were performed under epidural/spinal (regional) anesthesia.

27 Jul 2010

Neu5Gc in drugs provokes strong immune response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a kind of sugar molecule common to chimpanzees, gorillas and other mammals but not found in humans provokes a strong immune response in some people, likely worsening conditions in which chronic inflammation is a major issue.

26 Jul 2010

Scientists study Legionella's reprogramming on cells for survival, propagation

When it infects the lungs, the Legionnaire's bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes acute pneumonia. The pathogen's modus operandi is particularly ingenious: it infiltrates deliberately into cells of the human immune system and injects a host of proteins which then interfere in the normal cellular processes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund have now discovered how Legionella reprogrammes the cells to ensure its own survival and to propagate. They examined a protein used by the pathogen to divert the material transport within the cells for its own purposes.

26 Jul 2010

Scientists discover repair mechanism of photolyase in sun damaged DNA

Researchers have long known that humans lack a key enzyme one possessed by most of the animal kingdom and even plants that reverses severe sun damage.For the first time, researchers have witnessed how this enzyme works at the atomic level to repair sun-damaged DNA.The discovery holds promise for future sunburn remedies and skin cancer prevention.

26 Jul 2010

New model of inflammatory bowel disease explores interactions of cells in immune system

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have constructed a mathematical and computational model of inflammatory bowel disease that allows researchers to simulate the cellular and molecular changes underlying chronic inflammation in humans. The model allows scientists to explore different interactions of cells in the immune system, check how these cells are linked to inflammation in the colon, and identify intervention points to perhaps stop the disease in its tracks.

23 Jul 2010

Study identifies infection mechanism of disease-causing microbes

A study published in the July 23 issue of Cell identifies the mechanism used by several types of common, virulent microbes to infect plants and cause devastating blights. Microbes using this infection mechanism include fungi that are currently causing wheat rust epidemics in Africa and Asia, and a class of parasitic algae, called oomycetes, that resulted in the Irish potato blight of the 19th Century. These microbes remain an agricultural scourge today.

23 Jul 2010

hBD-3 biomarker helps early stage detection of oral cancer

Detecting oral cancer in its earliest stages can save the lives of the nearly 40,500 people diagnosed annually. But early detection has been difficult. Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers discovered a biomarker, called human beta defensin-3 (hBD-3), which may serve as an early warning. The defensin is present in all oral cancers and associated with the early stages of oral cancer.

23 Jul 2010

Researchers share nanotechnology knowledge

InForm, a AU$2.7 million EU-funded project involving world-leading research institutionsincluding the University of Sydney,hosted its first conference, 'NanoFormulation2010', in June at Stockholm University.

22 Jul 2010

New carbon nanomaterial fights disease causing bacteria

A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

22 Jul 2010

Smoking cessation effectively alter subgingival microbiome in patients on periodontal therapy: Study

Patients with chronic gum disease who quit smoking in addition to undergoing nonsurgical therapy not only demonstrated a lower abundance of harmful oral pathogens, but also an increase in health-associated bacteria. The researchers from The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, and Newcastle University, United Kingdom report their findings in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

22 Jul 2010

NovaBay reports positive results from NVC-422 Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial for impetigo

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its lead product candidate was safe and efficacious against the highly contagious skin infection impetigo in a Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial. This dose-ranging study showed that the drug cleared impetigo infections, including those in the trial caused by a drug-resistant strain of bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. Impetigo afflicts approximately 1 million people, primarily infants and children, in the United States annually.

21 Jul 2010

Preventative measures to avoid Lyme disease

Research on the population of black-legged ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease from host animals to humans, reinforces that it is important to take preventative measures when spending time outdoors.

21 Jul 2010

Ingestion of probiotic supplements prevents eczema: Study

Mothers who drank milk with a probiotic supplement during and after pregnancy were able to cut the incidence of eczema in their children by almost half,a new study published in the British Journal of Dermatology has shown.

21 Jul 2010

Researchers identify a substance that protects farm children from allergies, allergic asthma

Researchers from Bochum have isolated the substance in cowshed dust that possibly protects farm children from developing allergies and allergic asthma, namely the plant sugar molecule arabinogalactan. If high concentrations thereof are inhaled during the first year of life it inhibits the immune system from excessive defense reactions.

20 Jul 2010

DBS signs exclusive license agreement with JLB

Decas Botanical Synergies, LLC. today announced that it has signed an Exclusive License Agreement with a purchase option with JLB, Inc. developer and owner of broad-based patents covering cranberry and other vaccinium species.

20 Jul 2010

NSF awards grants to LSU researchers for oil spill impact study on fragile ecosystems

Several LSU researchers have been awarded Rapid Response Grants from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, to study a variety of pathways in which the oil spill might impact the fragile ecosystems - both wildlife and human - of the Louisiana wetlands and Gulf of Mexico region.

20 Jul 2010

Benefits of drug L-methionine for neurogenic bladder disorders unclear

It is unclear whether patients with neurogenic bladder disorders benefit from the drug L-methionine. The only study currently available provides neither proof of benefit nor proof of harm. This is the result of a report published by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) on 12 July 2010.

20 Jul 2010