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Nottingham and Japanese scientists to study genetic variation of E. coli bacteria

University of Nottingham scientists will join forces with Japan in the fight against a common bacterium - thanks to an international research award.

16 Apr 2010

Coway to display Premium Bidet product line at KBIS 2010

Coway will revolutionize bathroom culture at KBIS 2010 with their Premium Bidet product line. After a year of research and development, the Coway's bidet, especially the BA13 model, has been designed with U.S. customers in mind, and is intended to change the way Americans think of bidets.

16 Apr 2010

sBioMed's anthrax killing sterilant receives EPA approval

It has been nine years since the 2001 anthrax attacks sickened twenty-three people and killed five. Since that time, the U.S. government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in remediation and billions in their search for a disinfectant that can reliably kill anthrax spores and other pathogens that might be used as weapons.

16 Apr 2010

Lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs for treating acne

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk - lauric acid -- shines as a possible new acne treatment thanks to a bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The student developed a "smart delivery system" - published in the journal ACS Nano in March - capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

15 Apr 2010

Positive results from NovaBay Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2a trial of NVC-422

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class anti-infectives for the treatment and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections, today reported positive results of an open-label Phase 2a trial of NVC-422 in chronically catheterized patients with significant bacteriuria, or bacteria in the urine. The study showed that NVC-422 was well tolerated and reduced or eliminated certain pathogens in the urine.

15 Apr 2010

Opinions: Health and living conditions; H1N1, one year later; global water shortages

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford write in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion piece about the need to "address the constant crisis families face daily in deplorable living conditions."

15 Apr 2010

Toothpaste with triclosan/copolymer kills harmful germs

The human mouth is home to an estimated 800 to 1,000 different kinds of bacteria. The warm and moist environment, along with hard tooth surfaces and soft tissues, prove to be optimal factors in boosting germ growth. Many of these bacteria are harmful and can form a film on teeth called "dental plaque," which causes cavities, gingivitis and eventually more severe kinds of gum disease.

15 Apr 2010

Excessive cleanliness can cause allergies

Allergies have become a widespread in developed countries: hay fever, eczema, hives and asthma are all increasingly prevalent. The reason? Excessive cleanliness is to blame according to Dr. Guy Delespesse, a professor at the Universit- de Montr-al Faculty of Medicine.

15 Apr 2010

Use of silver dressing in burn cases questioned

The use of expensive silver dressing in burn cases is being brought under the scanner by an editorial in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. The NHS has increased its spending from £23 million in 2005 to around £25 million in 2006/7 on such products. The author asks if expensive silver dressing is really justified when cheaper alternatives are available.

15 Apr 2010

Study: New anti-cancer agents halt cancer metastasis

ke microscopic inchworms, cancer cells slink away from tumors to travel and settle elsewhere in the body. Now, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College report in today's online edition of the journal Nature that new anti-cancer agents break down the loping gait these cells use to migrate, stopping them in their tracks.

15 Apr 2010

Antibiotic-resistant pneumococci increase rate of bacterial infections in children

In the decade since the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination, significant shifts have occurred in the bacterial strains causing serious pneumococcal infections in children, according to a pair of studies in the April issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (www.PIDJ.com). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

13 Apr 2010

Drug boosting production of immune system protein worsens TB

An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online.

13 Apr 2010

Oragenics signs distribution agreement with RICCI PHARMA

Florida-based biotechnology company Oragenics, Inc., and RICCI PHARMA, a recognized health products company with offices in Rome and Slovakia, have entered into a distribution agreement that the parties anticipate will provide Oragenics' proprietary oral care probiotic products, EvoraPlus® and EvoraKidsTM, to RICCI PHARMA. RICCI PHARMA will have exclusive distribution rights through Duc in Altum, a foundation whose humanitarian projects are inspired by the social teachings of the late Pope John Paul II.

13 Apr 2010

Automated UV radiation helps decontaminate healthcare-associated pathogens

Attendees of the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infection were offered a record 37 presentations on the critical role of contaminated environmental surfaces in the transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings.

12 Apr 2010

Combating a frequently overlooked assassin: Water

When a hurricane, earthquake or wildfire strikes, a variety of supplies and equipment is needed to respond and aid victims. But, clean water is a common denominator; its demand is chronic and ubiquitous. In fact, dirty water is one of Mother Nature's overlooked assassins. More than one million people perish each year after imbibing it, and according to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people lack access to its clean counterpart.

12 Apr 2010

Scientists identify specific mechanism that triggers resistance to vancomycin

A new study led by the scientific director of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research has uncovered for the first time how bacteria recognize and develop resistance to a powerful antibiotic used to treat superbug infections.

12 Apr 2010

Researchers investigate effects of nanoparticles on yeast

Nanoparticles are already widely used in everyday products such as cosmetics, textiles, dyes, and paints. It is quite possible that these minute fragments of matter may in future not only come to play a crucial role in medicine and pharmacology, but also in the food and biotechnology industries. The latest research currently being conducted in India has shown that nanoparticles can promote the growth of fungi and even assist plant growth.

12 Apr 2010

S. thermophilus CRL 1190-fermented milk effective in therapeutic treatment of chronic gastritis: Research

Gastritis produced by acetyl-salicylic acid consumption is a common disorder worldwide. The use of probiotics has been proposed to ameliorate different gastrointestinal tract diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. However, little attention has been paid to the use of probiotics in gastric disease.

12 Apr 2010

Cempra to make poster presentations on CEM-101 and CEM-102 at ECCMID 2010

Cempra Pharmaceuticals today announced poster presentations on its novel antibiotic CEM-101, a next-generation macrolide, and CEM-102, the company's proprietary front-loading oral dosing regimen of sodium fusidate, at the 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease, April 10 to 13, 2010, in Vienna Austria.

12 Apr 2010

Medtronic named 2010 MDEA winner for excellence in medical device design

Medtronic announced today that the company was named a 2010 Medical Device Excellence Award winner for excellence in medical device design for its Hydrodebrider System, manufactured by the company's Ear Nose and Throat business unit.

9 Apr 2010