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Reducing Otolaryngic Surgical Infection Rates By Pre-Screening For MRSA
Pre-operative screening of patients for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be an effective way to reduce infection rates following otolaryngic surgeries, according to new research published in the January 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. The study, conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Ear & Eye Infirmary, is the first to review otolaryngic procedures, and reviewed the medical records of 420 patients.

MRSA At Record Low For The Chesterfield Royal Hospital, England
The Chesterfield Royal Hospital has recorded its lowest yearly MRSA rates since records began. The latest statistics have been released by the Health Protection Agency with just ten cases recorded at the Royal in the year between April 2007 and March 2008. And the news gets better with the hospital on course to do even better this year with only five recorded cases since April 1st.

Preventive Antibiotic Use Reduced ICU Deaths
Researchers studying nearly 6,000 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) in 13 hospitals throughout the Netherlands, found that giving antibiotics as a preventive measure to ICU patients increased their chances of survival. The study was the work of first author Dr.

UT Public Health Researchers Find Link To Severe Staph Infections
Researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health recently described studies that support the link between the severity of community-acquired antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA MRSA) infections and the Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL). The Panton Valentine leukocidin is made up of two components - LukF-PV and LukS-PV - and is typically produced by community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA MRSA).

E. coli Engineered To Produce Important Class Of Antibiotic, Anti-cancer Drugs
Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have taken a major step forward in the field of metabolic engineering, successfully using the bacterium Escherichia coli to synthesize a class of natural products known bacterial aromatic polyketides, which include important antibiotic and anticancer drugs.

Prozac: Not Just For Depression
Prozac is regularly prescribed to ease the emotional pain of patients who are being treated for cancer. But can this common anti-depressant help to fight cancer itself? Dr. Dan Peer of the Department of Cell Research and Immunology at Tel Aviv University is proving that it can. A study he and his colleagues recently completed validates that Prozac (chemical name fluoxetine) dramatically enhances the effectiveness of a widely used anti-cancer drug.

MRSA Infections Continue To Fall, UK
MRSA bloodstream infections in England are continuing to fall, the latest quarterly statistics from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed today. There were 725 MRSA bloodstream infections in England between July and September. This represents a 13% decrease on the previous quarter (April to June) when there were 837 cases and a 33% reduction in the corresponding quarter of 2007.

Blocking The Spread Of Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria
It's as simple as A, T, G, C. Northwestern University scientists have exploited the Watson-Crick base pairing of DNA to provide a defensive tool that could be used to fight the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria - one of the world's most pressing public health problems. The resistant nasty pathogens cause thousands of deaths each year in the United States.

MRSA Bloodstream Infections Continue To Fall
Quarterly figures for July to September 2008 published by Health Protection Agency The Health Protection Agency has today published its latest quarterly report on MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ) bloodstream infections. The latest figures from the Agency's mandatory surveillance of MRSA bloodstream infections show that there were 725 cases reported in England during the July to September quarter of 2008.

Genes Involved In Antibiotic Resistance Vary Within A Species
The recent emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) in Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria that causes infections primarily among seriously ill patients in the intensive care unit who may have reduced immune systems, has raised concern in health care settings worldwide. When comparing the genome sequence of three MDR A. baumannii isolates and three drug-susceptible A.

Hand Hygiene Is More Important Than You Think! - Oklahoma State Department Of Health
Did you know that most of the time, it's your own hands that make you sick? Germs on your hands cause most contagious illnesses. Your hands can pick up germs from coughing and sneezing onto them, from touching other persons' unclean hands, and from surfaces or substances that have disease-causing germs.

Retrovirology Prize Awarded To Dr. Ben Berkhout For His Contribution To HIV Research
Dr Ben Berkhout, a retrovirologist from the Netherlands, has been awarded the 2008 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize. He was honoured for his multi-disciplinary approach to RNA research which has provided additional important building blocks for many aspects of our current knowledge on HIV-1 replication. Dr Berkhout's research has extended our insights into the mechanisms of transcription, reverse transcription, drug-resistance, and RNA interference.

China Experiencing Twice The Global Average Of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Levels of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in China are nearly twice the global average. Nationwide research published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases has shown that almost 10% of Chinese TB cases are resistant to the most effective first-line drugs. Susan van den Hof, from the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation in The Netherlands is one of the authors on a Chinese study into the prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

Report Examines ADAP Waiting Lists, Other Cost-Containment Measures
"ADAP Watch," National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors: The report finds that as of Nov. 25, there were 53 people on AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting lists in Indiana, Montana and Nebraska. In May, 35 people were on ADAP waiting lists.

Characteristics Of Hospitals With Low Rates Of Surgical Site Infections Identified By Study
New research published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) suggests that surgical procedures that are shorter in duration and the use of fewer blood transfusions characterize hospitals that have a lower incidence of surgical site infections (SSI). Furthermore, the study concludes that strategies to reduce the length of operations and the number of blood transfusions should complement basic aseptic techniques in the operating room.