A research team from the University of Bristol has combined the innovation of synthetic biology with chemistry to create a brand-new platform that will lead to the production of new antibiotics that are the derivatives of pleuromutilin, with the core pleuromutilin isolated from the mushroom Clitopilus passeckerianus. Pleuromutilin derivatives are potent antibacterial drugs, but require difficult [...]
An innovative approach is being initiated by the Department of Defense, which will accelerate MCM delivery by leveraging platform technologies that can be applied to a broad range of threats, and that has the potential to significantly reduce risk in all stages of development. The Platforms for Rapid Integrated Solutions for Medical Countermeasures (PRISM) team [...]
When it comes to indoor air quality in schools, hospitals, government offices, private businesses and other commercial buildings, the standards are different from those of residential homes. Commercial buildings are generally much larger and may house a great number of people at one time. This means that the indoor air quality may be affected by [...]
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increases the risk of death for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Studies reveal a dramatic increase in the number of individuals with CF living with MRSA infection, now comprising 25 percent of the CF population in the United States. These findings have led to active research by my group and others, as well as enhanced [...]
Madagascar’s unprecedented outbreak of pneumonic plague is slowing down but the response must be sustained, WHO cautioned on Monday. Watch here... “The worst of the outbreak is over, but we must stand ready to detect and respond to new infections until the end of the plague season in April 2018,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. According to [...]
Despite overall reductions in ambient air pollution in Massachusetts, exposure continues to fall unequally along racial/ethnic, income, and education lines, according to a new study led by a School of Public Health researcher. Watch here... The study, published in Environmental Research, found concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased across the state between 2003 [...]
In the latest Zika developments, Japan-based Takeda today announced the launch of a phase 1 trial of its Zika virus vaccine, and Chembio Diagnostics, based in New York City, said it has been awarded a contract from UNICEF for the purchase of its Zika point-of-care testing system. Also, in the latest Zika research developments, one [...]
Flu activity in the United States continues to rise, and several markers are higher than normally seen this early in the flu season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday in its weekly update. Three southeastern states are reporting high or widespread flu activity, and the CDC said it received reports [...]
Canadian researchers report that delivering fecal transplants by capsule may be as effective a method as colonoscopy delivery for treating patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (RCDI), according to a study today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In a randomized clinical trial conducted in three academic medical centers in Alberta, Canada, the researchers found that [...]
When it comes to predicting the severity of each flu season, the forecast may be unclear, but vaccination is still the best defense for patients of all ages. In this exclusive MedPage Today video, William Schaffner, MD, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, explained how Australia had a severe flu [...]
