GM chickens that don’t transmit bird flu developed – Breakthrough could prevent future bird flu epidemics – Chickens genetically modified to prevent them spreading bird flu have been produced by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. They developed a new gene coding that controls bird flu virus progress.
Clostridium Bacteria Infecting Increasing Numbers of Hospitalized Children – Hospitalized children in the United States are more frequently becoming infected with the bacteria Clostridium difficile. A report about this study will appear in the May print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Private room intensive care units associated with lower infection rates – Converting hospital intensive care units (ICUs) to private rooms is associated with a reduction in the rate at which patients acquire infections, according to a report in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
FDA: Don?t Eat Tiny Greens Brand Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts – US FDA is advising consumers not to eat Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts (which contain alfalfa sprouts mixed with radish and clover sprouts) from Tiny Greens Organic Farm of Urbana, Ill.
FDA: Gardasil approved to prevent anal cancer – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people ages 9 through 26 years.
Newborns with low vitamin D levels at increased risk for respiratory infections – The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma.
Expansion of HIV screening cost-effective in reducing spread of AIDS, Stanford study shows – An expanded U.S. program of HIV screening and treatment could prevent as many as 212,000 new infections over the next 20 years and prove to be very cost-effective, according to a new study by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.
University of Minnesota engineering researcher finds new way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria — Treating municipal wastewater solids at higher temperatures proves effective – Treating municipal wastewater solids at higher temperatures may be an effective tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, says researchers from the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering.
Physical fitness curbs frequency and severity of colds — Upper respiratory tract infection is reduced in physically fit and active adults – People who are physically fit and active have fewer and milder colds, indicates research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
UN estimates reveal fewer women dying from pregnancy-related causes, but 1000 still die a day and more needs to be done to achieve set targets – The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34% from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, Trends in maternal mortality, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.
New genomic marker for tuberculosis may help identify patients who will develop the disease — Study highlights how blood profiling techniques could change patient care – It may soon be possible to identify patients who will develop tuberculosis, as scientists have identified changes in the blood specific to the disease.
The skin of certain frogs, including this foothill yellow-legged frog, contains secretions that may lead to new antibiotics to fight infections that shrug off the effects of existing antibiotics. – Frog skin contains natural substances that could be the basis for a powerful new genre of antibiotics, revealed by researchers.
