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.

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

Sticky gel composed of MPEG-pDHA may help seal wounds created by surgery: Study

A compound found in sunless tanning spray may help to heal wounds following surgery, according to new results published by plastic surgeons from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and biomedical engineers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where the novel compound was developed.

1 Jun 2010

Hebrew Union College honors Dr. Dean Lorich with 2010 Roger E. Joseph Prize for humanitarian efforts

Dr. Dean Lorich was honored with the 2010 Roger E. Joseph Prize by Hebrew Union College for his humanitarian efforts in treating victims of the recent Haiti earthquake and in Landstuhl, Germany treating soldiers injured in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The award recognizes individuals making lasting contributions to the causes of human rights.

29 May 2010

Advanced Life Sciences expands partnership with U.S. Government to assess Restanza against STI's

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced the expansion of its collaboration with the U.S. Government to include the evaluation of Restanza's activity against sexually transmitted infections (STI's), such as gonorrhea.

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

Weill Cornell Medical College commences construction of 18-story, $650 million Medical Research Building

Weill Cornell Medical College today celebrated the start of construction on its new Medical Research Building, a state-of-the-art facility that will more than double the institution's existing research space. The 18-story, $650 million building is the centerpiece of Weill Cornell's $1.3 billion Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign, the country's largest for a medical college. A total of $1 billion has been raised toward this goal in a record time of less than four years.

27 May 2010

Restanza shows greater efficacy against species of Plasmodium that cause malaria

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced positive results from in vitro and in vivo studies assessing the efficacy of Restanza (cethromycin), its novel oral antibiotic, against the species of Plasmodium that cause malaria.

27 May 2010

BinaxNOW PBP2a test to detect PBP2a in MRSA

AdvanDx today announced that it will offer the BinaxNOW PBP2a test from Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Waltham, MA) to customers in the United States. The test provides rapid detection of the penicillin-binding protein 2a present in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) directly from S. aureus positive blood cultures.

24 May 2010

GHESKIO awarded prestigious 2010 Gates Award for Global Health

GHESKIO, an institution in Haiti founded nearly three decades ago to fight a mysterious killer disease later identified as AIDS, has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Gates Award for Global Health for its years of groundbreaking clinical service, research and training to effectively treat and prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS and other related illnesses.

19 May 2010

Potential new drug therapies for treatment of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) has been present in humans since ancient times. The origins of the disease date back to the first domestication of cattle, and skeletal remains show prehistoric humans (4,000 B.C.) had TB. Although relatively rare in the United States, it is the single leading bacterial cause of death worldwide. Approximately 8 million people are infected each year and 2 million people die from TB.

11 May 2010

Imperial College London and McGill University expand scientific collaboration

Neurological research and clinical care received a significant boost today as Imperial College London and McGill University of Montreal entered an agreement enabling them to work more closely together in this field.

11 May 2010

Social changes spawn massive resurgence of syphilis in China

Despite the virtual elimination of syphilis in China in the 1950s, the sexually transmitted infection is currently at epidemic proportions in the country and rates of infection will continue to grow unless a more comprehensive, coordinated effort of control is implemented, according to a perspective published in the May 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

6 May 2010

Early treatment of ROP for high-risk premature babies can improve vision: ETROP study

Scientists have shown that through eye examinations, doctors can identify infants who are most likely to benefit from early treatment for a potentially blinding eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity, resulting in better vision for many children.

4 May 2010

Eliminating inherent drug resistance in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a global health problem, in part due to the exceptional drug resistance displayed by the TB-causing agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Beyond even acquired drug resistance, these bacteria are also inherently resistant to many other common antibiotics, which limits the available options in finding alternative treatments to resistant TB strains.

29 Apr 2010

Pericytes may use mechanical forces to initiate angiogenesis: Researchers

Pericytes, the contractile cells surrounding capillaries, may use mechanical forces to initiate angiogenesis, the "sprouting" of new blood vessels, according to researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

27 Apr 2010

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that mice missing a single gene developed repetitive obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. The genetically altered mice, which behaved much like people with a certain type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), could help scientists design new therapies for this debilitating condition.

27 Apr 2010

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

27 Apr 2010

Research findings may help personalize use of statins, scientists say

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered why statins -- popular drugs that lower cholesterol and appear to protect against colorectal cancer development -- work for some people, but not for all.

22 Apr 2010

Posit Science challenges BBC study on cognitive training programs

Posit Science, the leader in clinically proven brain fitness programs, contests the interpretation and methodology used in a British Broadcasting Corporation-sponsored study published in the journal Nature.

21 Apr 2010

Resistance to antibiotics on the increase in intestinal bacteria in animals: Study

Anne-Mette R. Grønvold has through her doctoral research shown that resistance to antibiotics is on the increase in intestinal bacteria in animals as a direct result of antibiotic treatments. The antibiotics also alter the composition of bacteria in the intestines.

19 Apr 2010