Meningitis :: FDA clears rapid test for meningitis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for marketing a test that uses molecular biology to quickly detect the presence of viral meningitis.
Bacterial
Fruits :: Guidance For Safe Production of Fresh-Cut Fruits And Vegetables
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a draft final guidance advising processors of fresh-cut produce how to minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which are often sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat form.
Antibiotic :: Bacterial walls come tumbling down
The first detailed images of an elusive drug target on the outer wall of bacteria may provide scientists with enough new information to aid design of novel antibiotics. The drugs are much needed to treat deadly infections initiated by Staphylococcus aureus and other bacterial pathogens.
Dental :: Photodynamic therapy for periodontal diseases may be beneficial
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may be an effective way to treat the bacteria associated with periodontal diseases, and could provide a better option than antibiotics or other mechanical methods for treating periodontal diseases, according to a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of Periodontology.
Lung Cancer :: Lung cancer risk reduced in female textile workers exposed to endotoxin
Long-term, high-level exposure to bacterial endotoxin — a contaminant found in raw cotton fiber and cotton dust — is associated with a 40 percent decrease in lung cancer risk among female Chinese textile workers, according to a new study in the March 7 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Tuberculosis :: UA researchers identify new adherence factor, Pili, produced by tuberculosis
Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine?s Department of Immunobiology have discovered that the agent that causes tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, produces a new type of virulence factor called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Pili (MTP). Their findings suggest that MTP could be a promising, new TB-vaccine candidate. Worldwide, three million people die each year from tuberculosis and an estimated 1.2 billion are infected with the bacteria.
Gum Disease :: Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart
Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.
Drinking Water :: Monochloramine treatment not as effective in protecting drinking water
The results of what may be the most extensive comparison of two common disinfectants used by municipal water systems suggest that, from a security standpoint, traditional chlorination may be more effective than treatment with monochloramine.
Liver :: Predicting survival in liver patients has many applications but could be refined further
A review of the studies on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) found that it is an accurate predictor of survival of patients with a variety of liver diseases, is particularly useful in allocating organs for liver transplants, and can also be used to help determine the course of treatment in certain cases.
Genome :: Genome sequence shows what makes bacteria dangerous for troops in Iraq
Researchers at Yale have identified multiple pathogenic “alien islands” in the genome of the A. baumannii, bacteria that has been responsible for new and highly drug-resistant infections in combat troops in the Middle East, according to a report in the March 1 issue of Genes and Development.