Discovery of better treatment for bacterial pneumonia
Posted on January 13, 2009
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have demonstrated a more effective treatment for bacterial pneumonia following influenza.
They found that the antibiotics clindamycin and azithromycin, which kill bacteria by inhibiting their protein synthesis, are more effective than a standard first-line treatment with the “beta-lactam” antibiotic ampicillin, which causes the bacteria to lyse, or burst.
The finding is important because pneumonia, rather than the influenza itself, is a principal cause of death from influenza in children and the elderly. During pandemics-such as the one that may arise from avian influenza-up to 95 percent of influenza deaths are due to pneumonia. A bioterrorism attack using the influenza virus would likely result in the same high percentage of pneumonia deaths, according to the researchers.
Read moreTags: bacterial, Better, discovery, Pneumonia, treatment
Where Has All The Honey Gone?
Posted on January 13, 2009
by Sandy Powers
Louise Rossberg had nearly a thousand beehives in 2006. Today, she has 200.
In February 2005, John Miller lost almost half of his 13,000 hives, which translated into the loss of 300 million bees. Miller is an experience beekeeper. His great-grandfather began the family’s beekeeping enterprise in 1894. The West Coast of the United States is estimated to have lost 60 percent of its commercial honeybee population, while the East Coast has lost 70 percent. The devastating honeybee deaths are occurring worldwide. What is causing this “Colony Collapse Disorder?” Blame is put on mites or a “mysterious illness.” Let’s step back and take a second look.
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Superbug Rates on the Rise
Posted on January 13, 2009
- Hospitalizations for two nasty superbugs are simultaneously rising in many states, researchers say.
One is the potentially dangerous diarrhea bug known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. The other is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body, including the skin, the bloodstream, the lungs, and the urinary tract.
Schering-Plough announces European submission of fertility medicine Corifollitropin Alfa
Posted on January 13, 2009
Schering-Plough Corp. has announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has validated (accepted for review) its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for corifollitropin alfa, the company’s experimental, sustained follicle stimulant (SFS).
This application will follow the Centralized Procedure.
Corifollitropin alfa is being developed as a potential treatment in Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COS) for the development of multiple follicles and pregnancy in women participating in an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program. Corifollitropin alfa is designed as a sustained follicle stimulant with the same pharmacodynamic profile as (recombinant)Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), but with a markedly prolonged duration of FSH activity. Due to its ability to initiate and sustain multiple follicular growth for an entire week, a single subcutaneous injection of the recommended dose of corifollitropin alfa may replace the first seven injections of (recombinant)FSH preparation in a COS treatment cycle.
Read moreTags: Alfa, Announces, Corifollitropin, European, Fertility, medicine, Schering-Plough, submission
FDA Okays Combination Gel for Mild-to-Moderate Acne
Posted on January 13, 2009
FORT WORTH, Tex., Jan. 6 — For mild-to-moderate acne in patients 12 and older, the FDA has approved a once-a-day gel that combines adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel (Epiduo Gel 0.1%, 2.5%), the drug maker announced.
According to Galderma, the combination gel “treats both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions with no evidence of promoting antibiotic resistance, simplifying the management of mild-to-moderate acne.”
The approval followed a 517-patient phase II trial published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that found the gel reduced the median number of total acne lesions by more than 50% by the end of the 12-week study.
Tags: Acne, Combination, Mild-to-Moderate, Okays
First artemisinin based malaria drug may meet resistance, expert says
Posted on January 13, 2009
This year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the first malaria drug to contain artemisinin, a wormwood derivative from China that has proven effective for malaria in Africa and Asia.
Although there are only about 1,500 reported cases of malaria treated in this country each year, this approval would also make the drug available to the military and to Americans planning to go abroad. However, worldwide malaria is still one of the most serious infectious diseases, affecting 2 to 3 billion people, with up to two million deaths annually.
Read moreTags: artemisinin, based, drug, expert, First, malaria, meet, resistance, says
Chronic Yeast Infections - Cause and Cure
Posted on January 13, 2009
Do you suffer from chronic yeast infections? If so there are some things you are doing that are preventing your recovery and could actually be sabotaging your success in a severe way. In this article I will cover the main ways in which chronic yeast infections are caused and what you can do to cure them once and for all.
Chronic Yeast Infections Cause #1
Anti-Biotic Overuse: Do you currently use antibiotics on a regular basis? Have you been using acne medication possibly? Either of these will wipe out all your beneficial bacteria and allow for yeast to settle into your body unchecked. You cannot allow this to happen, stop taking the antibiotics and come off acne medication. The irony is if you eliminate Candida completely with it will go your acne and you will no longer get associated infections requiring anti-biotic use as well.
Tags: Cause, Chronic, Cure, Infections, Yeast
Rid Vaginal Odor - Is your Smelly Vagina affecting them Up Close Posted By : kacycarr
Posted on January 13, 2009
It is clear that because you are here you may have a vaginal odour that is bothering you, or heaven forbid someone else. Normally as a rule a genital smell shouldn`t affect them around you, however if it does then the vaginal odour needs to be checked out by your GP. We are all aware that the smell of “pubic hair cling on stale pee” is unpleasant, but if you know your genitals are thoroughly clean and the smell “not” like urine, then the cause may need medication instead of warm water and soap. Yes girls it`s an embarrassing problem, I agree, and because I too am a girl understand your reason for rosy cheeks, nonetheless it is a health issue and needs treating. Go along to your local clinic and face up to your problem, or better still have your doctor face up to it instead. We women were born and blessed with a lot of things in life connected to our bodies all of which seen as natural, but sadly some of life`s natural`s just isn`t fair. Natural means acceptance where we have no choice, but nevertheless we have the unnatural, which means something is not right and needs correcting. Vaginal odors are natural, but depending on the strength and of what the actual smell is about, is all the more reason to suspect the unnatural. Although the vagina itself is an odorless organ, every woman has a vaginal odour brought about by something or other, so we accept this; however what we do not have to accept is the unpleasantness of a specific odour.
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Tags: affecting, Close, kacycarr, Odor, Posted, Smelly, them, Vagina, Vaginal, Your
‘Snowbirds’ Beware the Climate Changes
Posted on January 12, 2009
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7 — Seniors who head south each winter to escape the cold often feel better just thinking about the warmer climes.
But there are adjustments to be made to make sure these “snowbirds” stay healthy.
Spending more time outdoors, as well as more time socializing, boosts mood and well being for 65-plus senior travelers, said Barbara Resnick, a board member of the American Geriatric Society and a professor of nursing at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore.
Tags: Beware, changes, Climate, Snowbirds
Teen Dies After Allergic Reaction to Acne Medication
Posted on January 8, 2009
A 14-year-old boy died after he had an allergic reaction to his first dose of acne medication, BBC News reported.
Shaun Jones, a rugby player from Rhydyfelin in Pontypridd, England, developed difficulty breathing and collapsed after he took the pills.
His family described the medication as an “antibiotic” acne treatment. The family is awaiting completion of medical tests before naming the specific drug.
The medication warned of the dangers of potential allergic respiratory tract and skin reactions, but said deaths are very rare, according to the report.
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