National Infection Control Conference - Stamping Out Spread Of Deadly Infections In Hospital, UK

National Infection Control Conference - Stamping Out Spread Of Deadly Infections In Hospital, UK
The NHS and UK industry will take a giant leap towards stamping out the spread of deadly infections in hospitals at the National Infection Control Conference on 21 January. For the first time, those on the front line will be able to talk to technical innovators about their needs, their problems and the challenges to be overcome.

Standardized Test Battery To Aid Those With Down Syndrome
Researchers at The University of Arizona are developing a set of standardized tests that could improve the lives of people with Down syndrome. The condition, which occurs once in every approximately 800 to 1,000 live births, is signaled by the presence of an extra 21st chromosome. Those with Down syndrome often have mild to severe developmental disabilities, and other health issues that include heart defects and the early onset of Alzheimer's dementia.

Anthera Completes Enrollment And Dosing Of Varespladib Cardiovascular Trial
Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing anti-inflammatory drugs, announced that it has completed enrollment in its 500 patient FRANCIS (Fewer Recurrent Acute coronary events with Near-term Cardiovascular Inflammation Suppression) clinical trial designed to examine the impact of varespladib (A-002) when administered to patients within 96 hours of an Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) event.

BD Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance Of Novel Molecular Assay To Diagnose Clostridium Difficile Infections
BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the BD GeneOhm(TM) Cdiff molecular assay for the rapid detection of the Toxin B gene found in toxigenic Clostridium difficile, the bacterial pathogen responsible for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). It is the first CDI molecular diagnostic that offers sensitivity, simplicity and speed in one test procedure.

Helping To Heal Broken Hearts Using 'Smart Scaffolds'
Imagine new treatments for heart disease or muscle loss that direct the body to repair damaged tissue rather than helping it cope with a weakened condition. That's not hard to do thanks to Canadian researchers, who for the first time, have developed an organic substance that attracts and supports cells necessary for tissue repair and can be directly injected into problem areas. This development, published online in The FASEB Journal (

Researchers Find Roughly Half Of Healthy, Younger Adults Could Be At Risk For Heart Disease
Even younger adults who have few short-term risk factors for heart disease may have a higher risk of developing heart disease over their lifetimes, according to new findings by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher. The findings, based on clinical studies and appearing in the Jan.

Study Examines Burden Of Diabetes On U.S. Hospitals

A new study published in Value in Health estimates the extent of hospital admissions for individuals with diabetes and its economic burden in the U.S. The results show that, during 2005, Americans with diabetes had 3.5 times more hospital admissions than those without diabetes. Though only 7 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes, in a study of data from 2005, nearly 22 percent ($171 billion dollars) of hospital charges resulted from treating individuals with the condition. Complete news at...

Patients with dementia and diabetes appear to display a different pattern of injuries in their brains than patients with dementia but without diabetes, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the March print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "The association between diabetes mellitus and increased risk for dementia in the elderly is well documented," the authors write as background information in the article. Complete news at...

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. Complete news at...