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Mimicry allows bacteria to evade host's defense responses

Deadly bacteria may be evolving antibiotic resistance by mimicking human proteins, according to a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

3 Jun 2011

Study provides insights into evolution and origins of MRSA

A distinctly new type of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is not detected by traditional genetic screening methods has been discovered in patients in Irish hospitals according to research to be published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

3 Jun 2011

Geophagy protects stomach against toxins, parasites and pathogens

Most of us never considered eating the mud pies we made as kids, but for many people all over the world, dining on dirt is nothing out of the ordinary. Now an extensive meta-analysis forthcoming in the June issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology helps explain why.

3 Jun 2011

VisiInc and MMRGlobal announce agreement to launch MyMedicalRecords in Australia

MMRGlobal, Inc. and VisiInc PLC (VZJ) have entered into an agreement to launch MMRGlobal’s patented consumer and professional health IT products and services, including MMRPro for healthcare professionals (www.mmrprovideos.com) and the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record (PHR) (www.mmrvideos.com), on the Visi™ platform utilizing the Vistime product. Initially, the two companies will collaborate on offering products and services jointly to the health technology market in Australia, which is currently projected to be as much as $2.4 billion this year.

2 Jun 2011

MMRGlobal, VZJ to launch consumer and professional health IT products

MMRGlobal, Inc. and VisiInc PLC have entered into an agreement to launch MMRGlobal's patented consumer and professional health IT products and services, including MMRPro for healthcare professionals and the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record (PHR), on the Visi platform utilizing the Vistime product.

1 Jun 2011

New York Times examines 30 years of AIDS

The New York Times looks at the evolution of the battle against AIDS since the first federal announcement of the disease 30 years ago this week. "The epidemic has brought a new focus on the power of epidemiology to identify a disease's transmission patterns long before discovery of its cause.

1 Jun 2011

Oasis introduces touchless electronic tissue dispenser

Oasis Brands, Inc. is bringing forth the evolution of the modern washroom with the introduction of the fully-enclosed, touchless Nvi Electronic Tissue Dispenser. The industry's first standard-sized electronic tissue dispenser is designed to reduce waste and labor cost while minimizing the risk of cross-contamination, and is ideal for those with limited range of mobility.

31 May 2011

U-M researcher receives $1.3M Gates Foundation grant to study women's menstrual practices, sanitation

University of Maryland researcher Vivian Hoffmann has studied poverty, migration, and economic development in Africa and elsewhere, and she has first-hand experience with issues facing women in the developing world.

30 May 2011

New study shows that closing schools, other measures limited H1N1 spread in Mexico

The H1N1 virus was new, and most of the cases occurred among young people. Health professionals and scientists weren’t sure at the onset what the world would encounter with the virus.

24 May 2011

New technique can detect minute traces of tumoral DNA in biological fluids

It will perhaps be possible, in the near future, to detect cancer by a simple blood or urine test. In fact, biologists from CNRS, Inserm, Paris Descartes and Strasbourg universities have developed a technique capable of detecting minute traces of tumoral DNA present in the biological fluids of patients suffering from cancer.

23 May 2011

DFG to fund 60 million euros for 18 new Research Training Groups

With the aim of further strengthening early-career research in Germany, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is to establish 18 new Research Training Groups.

21 May 2011

Monitoring adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols can help stop outbreaks of C. diff bacteria

Just like intelligence agents watching for the real terrorists threatening to attack, monitoring healthcare worker adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols via hand-washing squads in hospitals can go a long way to stop outbreaks of the opportunistic C. diff bacteria, says Irena Kenneley, an infection prevention and control expert and assistant professor of nursing from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.

20 May 2011

PolyMedix's PMX-30063 compound mitigates ulcerative mucositis in pre-clinical studies

PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that its lead defensin-mimetic antibiotic compound, PMX-30063, when administered topically as an oral rinse, has shown activity against oral mucositis in an animal study.

19 May 2011

NEW Lifestyle on-line teaching modules for medical students

Obesity is an epidemic and when paired with physical inactivity it represents the second leading cause of preventable death nationally from cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. But in medical school, there is a training gap when it comes to teaching future doctors about obesity and related health problems.

19 May 2011

Endo and Bioniche present Urocidin Phase III trial preliminary results at 2011 AUA annual meeting

Endo Pharmaceuticals and Bioniche Life Sciences today presented Phase III trial results for the intravesical formulation of Mycobacterial cell wall-DNA complex (MCC), known as Urocidin, during a podium presentation at the 2011 American Urological Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

18 May 2011

Anavex comments on new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic guidelines

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex”) (OTCBB: AVXL) today commented on new diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published recently by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association, which have been updated for the first time in more than 25 years. The new guidelines discuss the importance of new technologies, including brain imaging and biomarker analysis, in research and clinical diagnosis. They describe Alzheimer’s disease at a preclinical stage, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia due to Alzheimer’s pathology.

18 May 2011

The biophysics of snakebites

For years Professor Leo von Hemmen, a biophysicist at the TU Muenchen, and Professor Bruce Young, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, have been researching the sense of hearing in snakes.

17 May 2011

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Genome Sciences have identified several sporadic or "de novo" genetic mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers applied leading edge molecular biology techniques and massively parallel sequencing to simultaneously examine all of the protein coding portions of the genome, collectively called the exome.

17 May 2011

Aperio adds ScanScope AT to line of slide scanning instruments

Aperio, the global leader in providing digital pathology solutions that improve patient care, today announced the launch of the ScanScope AT, the latest addition to Aperio's industry-leading, patented line of ScanScope slide scanning instruments.

16 May 2011

Computationally designed antiviral proteins may fight against influenza

A research article May 12 in Science demonstrates the use of computational methods to design new antiviral proteins not found in nature, but capable of targeting specific surfaces of flu virus molecules.

16 May 2011