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Cosmetic and cleaning products contain millions of plastic particles

Everyday cosmetic and cleaning products contain huge quantities of plastic particles, which are released to the environment and could be harmful to marine life, according to a new study.

27 Aug 2015

Agena Bioscience releases Chip prep module to automate sample handling after PCR for MassARRAY System

Agena Bioscience today introduced the Chip prep module to automate sample handling after PCR for the MassARRAY 96-well System. This enables laboratories to operate the MassARRAY System largely unattended for high-throughput, multiplex genetic analysis.

24 Aug 2015

ChilliBlock provides controlled heating and cooling of biological samples

The ChilliBlock from Asynt is a new modular system purpose designed for precise, controlled cooling and heating of biological samples in microplates, vials and Eppendorf tubes.

From Asynt 24 Aug 2015

WHO and health cluster partners cope with health needs of internally displaced persons in South Sudan

The World Health Organization and partners are racing to cope with the health needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern South Sudan where fighting continues and the humanitarian situation remains dire.

21 Aug 2015

Contact precaution use needs to be individualized to fit hospital's specific needs and resources

Contact precautions are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all patients known to be infected with or carrying multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Yet, the use of contact precautions--which require a patient to be isolated in a single hospital room and health care providers to wear a gown and gloves when caring for patients--is widely debated in the medical community.

19 Aug 2015

Sorrento, TNK Therapeutics to exclusively license NanoVelcro CTC assay from CytoLumina and FetoLumina

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it as well as its wholly-owned subsidiary TNK Therapeutics, Inc. have entered into a binding term sheet to exclusively license the NanoVelcro Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) profiling assay technology from CytoLumina Technologies Corp. and FetoLumina Technologies Corp., two privately-held sister biotechnology companies in Los Angeles, California.

11 Aug 2015

Major gaps found in existing evidence for best practices for cleaning hospital room surfaces to prevent HAIs

Tray tables, bed rails, light switches, and toilets: All are common vectors for swapping germs between patients and health care workers. While a new systematic overview in this week's Annals of Internal Medicine points to several promising cleaning tactics of these "high-touch surfaces," there's a lack of evidence as to which is the most effective at reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

11 Aug 2015

Legal-Bay reports that death toll from Legionnaires' disease outbreak in South Bronx rises to 7

Legal-Bay LLC, The Lawsuit Settlement Funding Company, reports that in the tragic Legionnaires' disease outbreak sweeping the South Bronx, 81 cases have been reported as of now, with a total of 7 people dead as a result. According to NYC health officials, 81 cases have been reported in total, with 64 of those requiring hospitalization, and the death roll has recently risen to 7.

10 Aug 2015

Potentially harmful bacteria can survive on endoscopes despite cleaning and disinfecting process

Potentially harmful bacteria can survive on endoscopes used to examine the interior of the digestive tract, despite a multi-step cleaning and disinfecting process, according to a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

6 Aug 2015

Teen scientist finds solution to tackle water quality issues

For some of us it was an exciting time of creative experimentation. For others it was a time of botched and badly displayed data. For 16-year-old Maria Elena Grimmett, it's a blast. And she isn't peddling baking soda and vinegar volcanoes. Grimmett is tackling serious water quality issues that threaten the health of rivers, streams and groundwater. When she was just 14 years old, Grimmett was the youngest person published in the Journal of Environmental Quality.

31 Jul 2015

Recycling older electronic devices increases exposure to lead, creates health concern

The disposal and recycling of electronic devices has increased exposure to lead and other toxicants and created "an emerging health concern," according to a pediatrician who directs the Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

29 Jul 2015

Sphere Medical publishes white paper discussing areas where Proxima mitigates sources of pre-analytical errors

Sphere Medical, innovator in critical care monitoring and diagnostics equipment, has published a white paper focusing on the mitigation of common pre-analytical errors associated with arterial blood gas analysis.

28 Jul 2015

Study: New material that mimics coral could help remove toxic heavy metals from the ocean

A new material that mimics coral could help remove toxic heavy metals like mercury from the ocean, according to a new study published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. The researchers, from Anhui Jianzhu University in China, say their new material could provide inspiration for other approaches to removing pollutants.

25 Jul 2015

Researchers discover first fully synthetic substrate with potential to grow billions of stem cells

If you experience a major heart attack the damage could cost you around five billion heart cells. Future stem cell treatments will require this number and more to ensure those cells are replaced and improve your chances of survival.

25 Jul 2015

EKF Diagnostics launches new clinical chemistry analyzer at AACC 2015

EKF, announces international launch of the Altair™ 240 clinical chemistry analyzer at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s.

From EKF Diagnostics 23 Jul 2015

ForeverGreen Worldwide earns BSCG's anti-doping certification for PowerStrips

ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation, a leading direct marketing company and provider of health-centered products, today announced the company has received an anti-doping certification from the Banned Substances Control Group for PowerStrips, indicating the product is free of banned substances.

14 Jul 2015

Laser microdissection microscope series with LED for transmitted light launched by Leica Microsystems

Leica Microsystems has launched two instruments of the laser microdissection microscope series, the Leica LMD6 and the LMD7, with LED illumination for transmitted light. Users can now choose between halogen and LED illumination. LEDs are an energy-efficient light source providing homogenous illumination and a constant color temperature.

From Leica Microsystems GmbH 13 Jul 2015

OBP Medical introduces CLEAR-TRAC family of disposable surgical retractors

OBP Medical, the leading global developer of single-use, self-contained, illuminating medical devices, today announced the launch of its CLEAR-TRAC family of disposable surgical retractors. The line—which includes CLEAR-TRAC SP (surgical pocket), CLEAR-TRAC V (vaginal) and new CLEAR-TRAC B (breast)—is the first on the market to offer a built-in, single-use light source.

8 Jul 2015

Unique diagnostic test could help detect world's deadliest superbugs, infectious diseases

Infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and some of the world's deadliest superbugs--C. difficile and MRSA among them--could soon be detected much earlier by a unique diagnostic test, designed to easily and quickly identify dangerous pathogens.

7 Jul 2015

Study provides insights into the cause of irritable bowel syndrome

A team comprised of scientists at VIB, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven has made significant progress in uncovering the connection between psychological factors and the immune system. Their findings are based on an investigation of a massive drinking water contamination incident in Belgium in 2010, and are now published in the leading international medical journal Gut.

2 Jul 2015