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Rigorous interventions result in fewer infections, deaths associated with hospital-onset C. difficile

Rhode Island Hospital has reduced the incidence of hospital-associated Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections by 70 percent and reduced annual associated mortality in patients with hospital-associated C. difficile by 64 percent through successive implementation of five rigorous interventions , as reported in the July 2013 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

21 Jun 2013

Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II assay receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a test that identifies the genotype of hepatitis C virus that a patient is carrying. The Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II, which can differentiate genotypes 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, and 5,using a sample of an infected patient's blood plasma or serum, will aid health care professionals in determining the appropriate approach to treatment.

21 Jun 2013

Medicago produces Rotavirus VLP vaccine candidate using plant-based manufacturing platform

Medicago Inc. (TSX: MDG; OTCQX: MDCGF), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced the successful production of a Rotavirus VLP vaccine candidate comprising all four structural antigens of rotavirus (VP2, VP4, VP6 and VP7) using Medicago's plant-based manufacturing platform.

20 Jun 2013

Microfluidic devices can trap and sort bacteria and viruses in food and water

A new process for making a three-dimensional microstructure that can be used in the analysis of cells could prove useful in counterterrorism measures and in water and food safety concerns.

20 Jun 2013

Certain factors and behaviors influence sexual hookups among first-year college women

Casual, no-strings sexual encounters are increasingly common on college campuses, but are some students more likely than others to "hook up"? A new study by researchers with The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, published online by the Archives of Sexual Behavior, suggests there are certain factors and behaviors associated with sexual hookups, particularly among first-year college women.

20 Jun 2013

Genetic process that promotes cervical cancer warns about anti-viral therapies in certain cases

A new understanding of the genetic process that can lead to cervical cancer may help improve diagnosis of potentially dangerous lesions for some women, and also raises a warning flag about the use of anti-viral therapies in certain cases - suggesting they could actually trigger the cancer they are trying to cure.

20 Jun 2013

New variety of canary seeds ideal for people with celiac disease

A new variety of canary seeds bred specifically for human consumption qualifies as a gluten-free cereal that would be ideal for people with celiac disease (CD), scientists have confirmed in a study published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

20 Jun 2013

New device that measures movement of immune cells may reduce risk of septic complications

Advances in emergency medicine and trauma surgery have had a significant impact on survival of patients in the days immediately after major injuries, including burns. Patients who survive the immediate aftermath of their injuries now are at greatest risk from infections - particularly the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis - or from inflammation-induced multiorgan failure.

20 Jun 2013

HIV-derived antibacterial compounds could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections

A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has developed antibacterial compounds, derived from the outer coating of HIV, that could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections and appear to avoid generating resistance. These new agents are quite small, making them inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

20 Jun 2013

New book explores experiences of polio victims alongside medical, scientific landmarks

Thanks to vaccination, polio has been pushed to the brink of extinction - but can we finish the job? This is one of the big questions which a Bristol academic addresses in his new book, published next week.

20 Jun 2013

Moscamed introduces new programme to control dengue mosquitoes in Jacobina

Today Moscamed made the first releases of Oxitec GM mosquitoes to mark the launch of a new programme to control the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti in the town of Jacobina in the State of Bahia.

20 Jun 2013

Staph-killing compound may be effective against osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis - a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria - is particularly challenging to treat.

20 Jun 2013

Scientists discover new drug that cripples TB bug by dissolving its protective fatty coating

Most humans would like to shed their fatty exteriors, but tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacteria rely on theirs for survival. Scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School have now discovered a drug that cripples the TB bug by dissolving its protective fatty coating, a finding that could eventually be used to improve TB treatment in humans. The study has been posted online by Nature Chemical Biology.

19 Jun 2013

Scientists discover new mechanism to protect body from harmful bacteria

Scientists at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine have discovered a mechanism that is used to protect the body from harmful bacteria. Platelets, a component of blood typically associated with clotting, were discovered to actively search for specific bacteria, and upon detection, seal it off from the rest of the body. The findings, which were published in Nature Immunology this week, provide the science community with a greater understanding of immunity.

19 Jun 2013

Spinal infection at contaminated drug injection site detected using contrast-enhanced MRI screening

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the site of injection of a contaminated lot of a steroid drug to treat symptoms such as back pain resulted in earlier identification of patients with probable or confirmed fungal spinal or paraspinal infection, allowing early initiation of medical and surgical treatment, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Jun 2013

Research finds that people born during whooping cough outbreaks more likely to die prematurely

People born during whooping cough outbreaks are more likely to die prematurely even if they survive into adulthood, research at Lund University in Sweden has found.

19 Jun 2013

Scientists discover new anti-tuberculosis compound that kills drug-resistant TB bacteria

An international team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has identified a highly promising new anti-tuberculosis compound that attacks the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium in two different ways.

18 Jun 2013

Multidisciplinary health care approach can cut the rate of common airway infection among children

An initiative that combines a multidisciplinary health care approach with a range of preventive measures could cut the rate of a common airway infection among children in intensive care by more than half, a new study suggests.

18 Jun 2013

Researchers identify new virus in patients with severe brain infections

Researchers have identified a new virus in patients with severe brain infections in Vietnam. Further research is needed to determine whether the virus is responsible for the symptoms of disease.

18 Jun 2013

New technique offers potential to screen patients for viruses

In research published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Saint Louis University researchers describe a technology that can detect new, previously unknown viruses. The technique offers the potential to screen patients for viruses even when doctors have not identified a particular virus as the likely source of an infection.

18 Jun 2013

Disease/Infection News

Rigorous interventions result in fewer infections, deaths associated with hospital-onset C. difficile

Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II assay receives FDA approval

Medicago produces Rotavirus VLP vaccine candidate using plant-based manufacturing platform

Microfluidic devices can trap and sort bacteria and viruses in food and water

Certain factors and behaviors influence sexual hookups among first-year college women

Genetic process that promotes cervical cancer warns about anti-viral therapies in certain cases

New variety of canary seeds ideal for people with celiac disease

New device that measures movement of immune cells may reduce risk of septic complications

HIV-derived antibacterial compounds could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections

New book explores experiences of polio victims alongside medical, scientific landmarks

Moscamed introduces new programme to control dengue mosquitoes in Jacobina

Staph-killing compound may be effective against osteomyelitis

Scientists discover new drug that cripples TB bug by dissolving its protective fatty coating

Scientists discover new mechanism to protect body from harmful bacteria

Spinal infection at contaminated drug injection site detected using contrast-enhanced MRI screening

Research finds that people born during whooping cough outbreaks more likely to die prematurely

Scientists discover new anti-tuberculosis compound that kills drug-resistant TB bacteria

Multidisciplinary health care approach can cut the rate of common airway infection among children

Researchers identify new virus in patients with severe brain infections

New technique offers potential to screen patients for viruses

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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