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Computer keyboards in non-treatment areas are more contaminated with bacteria

Keyboards located in triage and registration areas were found to be more contaminated with bacteria than those in other areas of the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, according to a new study conducted by the hospital.

3 Jun 2010

Research may yield new urine test to diagnose autism

Children with autism have a different chemical fingerprint in their urine than non-autistic children, according to new research published tomorrow in the print edition of the Journal of Proteome Research.

3 Jun 2010

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

The National Institutes of Health has awarded scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $3.9 million grant to study how extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is transmitted in rural South Africa. The findings could alter public health approaches for controlling the XDR-TB epidemic in the developing world.

3 Jun 2010

Oculus launches Microcyn Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Solution

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc., a commercial medical technology company that designs, produces and markets safe and effective tissue care products based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform, today introduced the Microcyn Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Solution™ for the U.S. professional healthcare market. Within the pH ranges of 6-7.8 desired for optimum negative-pressure wound therapy, Microcyn is intended for the irrigation and management of wounds via these advanced systems.

2 Jun 2010

Research findings advance the effort to develop AIDS vaccine

In findings that contribute to efforts to design an AIDS vaccine, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has determined the structure of an immune system antibody molecule that effectively acts against most strains of human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS.

2 Jun 2010

Santarus commences enrollment in rifamycin SV MMX Phase III clinical program for travelers' diarrhea

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that is has begun to enroll patients in the first study in its Phase III clinical program to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rifamycin SV MMX® for the treatment of patients with travelers' diarrhea.

2 Jun 2010

Texas A&M uses pGAP and IBM supercomputing technology to boost tuberculosis research

IBM today announced that Texas A&M University used IBM supercomputing technology to carry out potentially life-saving tuberculosis research at a rate more than four times faster than was previously possible.

2 Jun 2010

CCL5 protein plays protective role against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: New research

Ohio scientists hope to counter the re-emerging threat of tuberculosis with help from proteins from our bodies. In a research report published in the June 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists show how the protein CCL5 plays a protective role in helping the body ward off this contagious, airborne disease in the early stages of infection.

2 Jun 2010

Azithromycin as effective as penicillin for early-stage syphilis: Study

In a clinical trial involving HIV-negative volunteers with early-stage syphilis, researchers have found that antibiotic pills (azithromycin) are as effective as penicillin injections in curing early-stage syphilis. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

2 Jun 2010

Algal blooms in India threaten access to food, livelihood

The problem of toxic algae is not just confined to the Nordic countries - in India algal blooms are threatening poor people's access to food and their livelihoods, a problem that has been exacerbated by global warming. With funding from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, researchers from the University of Gothenburg are to attempt to reduce the effects of algal blooms.

31 May 2010

DFG approves establishment of twelve new CRCs

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has approved the establishment of twelve new Collaborative Research Centres beginning 1 July 2010. This was decided by the responsible Grants Committee at its spring meeting in Bonn. The new CRCs will initially be funded for four years with a total of 112 million euros (including a 20% programme allowance for indirect project costs).

29 May 2010

Scientists offer low-cost solutions to reduce arsenic in drinking water

An estimated 60 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to unsafe levels of arsenic in their drinking water, dramatically raising their risk for cancer and other serious diseases, according to the World Health Organization.

28 May 2010

Life Technologies acquires majority stake in Geneart

Life Technologies Corporation, a provider of innovative life science solutions, announced today that it has concluded its tender offer and acquired a majority stake in Geneart AG, the global leader of the synthetic gene market segment. The combination of Geneart with Life Technologies' resources and commercial capabilities creates a well-capitalized synthetic biology company with advanced technology and production capabilities, providing products to fuel innovation in this emerging field.

28 May 2010

Helicobacter pylori's helical shape helps it colonize the stomach

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium's twisty shape is what enables it to survive - and thrive - within the stomach's acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof.

28 May 2010

Researchers see plectasin as promising lead compound for new antibiotics

An active compound from fungi and lower animals may well be suitable as an effective weapon against dangerous bacteria. We're talking about plectasin, a small protein molecule that can even destroy highly resistant bacteria . Researchers at the Universities of Bonn, Utrecht, Aalborg and of the Danish company Novozymes AS have shed light on how the substance does this.

28 May 2010

Infectious diseases specialist from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute receives Frank Fenner Award

Infectious diseases specialist Dr Marc Pellegrini from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute will today receive the Frank Fenner Award from the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, recognising Dr Pellegrini's efforts to understand human responses to chronic infections.

28 May 2010

Discovery may pave way to help reduce health hazards

A discovery that may pave the way to helping reduce health hazards such as E. coli in water could also make chemicals and drugs such as insulin cheaper to produce and their production more environmentally friendly.

28 May 2010

ACG announces release of new IBD podcast series

The American College of Gastroenterology announced the release of a new podcast series, "Audio Q&A on Inflammatory Bowel Disease," featuring ACG experts answering questions on topics of most concern to IBD patients, their caregivers and loved ones. In recognition of World Digestive Health Day—2010 the Year of IBD, the College's new podcasts emphasize helping patients live well despite their IBD, and address issues surrounding reproduction and fertility; diet and nutrition; new and emerging therapies; the importance of clinical trials; and pediatric IBD.

28 May 2010

Small molecule ramps up interferon production in host cells, launching potent immune response

Many disease-causing microbes carry pumps that expel antibiotics, making the bugs hard to kill with standard drugs. Ironically, these same pumps could be the bugs' Achilles heel.

28 May 2010

Progenics presents preclinical data on novel monoclonal antibodies against toxins produced by C. difficile

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of preclinical data on novel monoclonal antibodies against toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). The monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralized the cell-killing activities of the toxins in vitro and significantly improved survival in a stringent animal model of C. difficile infection. C. difficile is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the United States and represents a growing global public health challenge.

28 May 2010