Penicillin News and Research

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Penicillin (sometimes abbreviated PCN or pen) is a group of antibiotics derived from ''Penicillium'' fungi. Penicillin antibiotics are historically significant because they are the first drugs that were effective against many previously serious diseases such as syphilis and Staphylococcus infections.

Discovery of potent class of anti-cancer compounds by Scripps Research and MIT scientists

Working as part of a public program to screen compounds to find potential medicines and other biologically useful molecules, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered an extremely potent class of potential anti-cancer and anti-neurodegenerative disorder compounds.

8 Mar 2011

Study uncovers 13 new genes that increase risk of heart attacks

The largest-ever study of its type into coronary heart disease, involving scientists from the University of Leicester, has uncovered 13 new genes that increase risk of heart attacks.

7 Mar 2011

Honey for wound healing: Study

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Government have found honey from an Australian native myrtle to be effective as an anti-bacterial agent that can be used to treat wounds and viruses.

3 Mar 2011

Positive results from Trius torezolid Phase 1 lung study

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. today announced results from its Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the ability of torezolid to penetrate into the lung for potential use to treat lung infections. In this study a 200 mg dose of torezolid phosphate was administered orally once-daily for three days to healthy adult volunteers. The trial achieved its primary goal of establishing the steady-state plasma pharmacokinetics and distribution of active drug into epithelial lining fluid (ELF).

28 Feb 2011

Well-being in adolescence linked to life satisfaction in adulthood

Being a 'happy' teenager is linked to increased well-being in adulthood, new research finds.

25 Feb 2011

fMRI reveals complexity of consciousness

Using a sophisticated imaging test to probe for higher-level cognitive functioning in severely brain-injured patients provides a window into consciousness -- but the view it presents is one that is blurred in fascinating ways, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Feb. 25 online edition of the journal Brain.

25 Feb 2011

Scientists discover evidence linking brain function variations to birth size, weight of placenta

Scientists have discovered the first evidence linking brain function variations between the left and right sides of the brain to size at birth and the weight of the placenta. The finding could shed new light on the causes of mental health problems in later life.

18 Feb 2011

New clinical trial to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes

A new clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is among the first to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to understand whether surgery can control diabetes, as well or even better than the best medical treatment available today. This is the first study of its kind open to patients who are overweight or mildly obese.

14 Feb 2011

New trial tests surgery for Type 2 diabetes

11 Feb 2011

Full genetic blueprint of multiple prostate tumors laid bare

For the first time, researchers have laid bare the full genetic blueprint of multiple prostate tumors, uncovering alterations that have never before been detected and offering a deep view of the genetic missteps that underlie the disease. The study, made possible by key advances in whole genome sequencing and analysis, points to several new prostate cancer genes and a critical category of genomic changes as important drivers of prostate cancer growth.

10 Feb 2011

Dermatologists urge athletes to be aware of most common skin infections

Team sports have a long history of fostering cooperation, camaraderie and a healthy competitive spirit among athletes. But the closeness that brings athletes together also can create an environment for a host of contagious skin infections. Now, dermatologists are urging teammates and coaches to be aware of the most common skin conditions caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi that occur in athletes and educating them on how to prevent a widespread outbreak.

5 Feb 2011

More careful regulation of FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption in psychiatric patients needed

Warning that patients could be at risk, an interdisciplinary group of multinational investigators is calling on the U.S. Congress and federal regulators to tighten a law that permits use of brain devices to treat rare neuropsychiatric disorders without supporting clinical trials or stringent patient oversight.

4 Feb 2011

Inovio announces regulatory approval for Phase 2 trial to treat leukemia using new vaccine delivery device

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the regulatory approval of a Phase 2 clinical trial to treat leukemia utilizing Inovio's new ELGEN 1000 automated vaccine delivery device.

31 Jan 2011

Scientists use full genome sequencing to identify precise steps in molecular evolution of S. pneumoniae

Despite penicillin and the dozens of antibiotics that followed it, streptococcus bacteria have remained a major threat to health throughout the world. The reason: the superb evolutionary skills of this pathogen to rapidly alter its genetic makeup.

29 Jan 2011

Contagious cancer repairs own genetic mutations

A curious contagious cancer, found in dogs, wolves and coyotes, can repair its own genetic mutations by adopting genes from its host animal, according to a new study in the journal Science.

24 Jan 2011

5 easy steps to improve heart health

Did you know that a good night's sleep can help prevent heart disease? There are many simple ways to lower your risk.

12 Jan 2011

Safe vaccine protects mice against effects of cocaine

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Neuroscientists say that general anesthesia is a reversible coma

The brain under general anesthesia isn't "asleep" as surgery patients are often told -- it is placed into a state that is a reversible coma, according to three neuroscientists who have published an extensive review of general anesthesia, sleep and coma, in the Dec. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Dec 2010

FDA approves Impax's ANDA for generic Doryx 75 and 100mg tablets

Impax Laboratories, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval of the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application for the generic version of Doryx® (doxycyline hyclate delayed-release) 75 and 100mg tablets. The Company is preparing for product launch through Global Pharmaceuticals, Impax's generic division.

29 Dec 2010

Today's opinions: Ariz. hospital and abortion; Wall Street Journal's issues with PolitiFact; Calif.'s anti-smoking success

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix announced on Tuesday that it will continue to provide life-saving abortion care to patients even though it means losing its affiliation with the local Roman Catholic Diocese (12/23).

24 Dec 2010