The single most important medicine ever discovered is the antibiotic. Prior to 1930, humans died at early ages of simple infections and even childbirth was a major killer of women because of infection. The mortality rate from simple staph aureus was as high as 80%, but between 1944 and 1972 the human life expectancy jumped by 8 years because of antibiotics. By 1950 the golden age of antibiotics was already looking tarnished as organisms became resistant to the drugs. Now many medical advances that we take for granted, including cancer treatment, surgery, transplantation and neonatal care are endangered by increasing antibiotic resistance and a decline in new medications to combat the super germs.
Drug resistance is both a public health and global security threat. Resistance has emerged for all known antibiotics in use. For most antibiotics, resistant genes have created super bugs that require more combinations of antibiotics to treat and there are certain infections that we cannot effectively treat. Read more »
When using dressings to speed up the healing process of an open wound, it is necessary to periodically remove the dressing to check for infection. However, removing this protective covering creates an opportunity for bacteria to enter the wound site.
To remedy this problem, researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT have developed dressings which change color if the wound becomes infected. Early tests have shown promise, and the scientists now plan to test their invention in the field at the University of Regensburg’s dermatology clinic. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
Here’s a new video game from Zombie Cow Studios that could help educate teenagers about sexual and reproductive health in a colorful way.
Elizabeth Boskey, Ph.D., About.com’s Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) guide, writes in her blog post entitled “It’s Only A Game“:
When I first saw the announcement for Privates, I found the concept vaguely appalling — condom-hatted soldiers (privates) swarming into people’s body parts (privates) to shoot at all the nasty invaders one can find there. However, the second I watched the trailer I was instantly converted to a fan. Privates was clearly designed by people who were paying attention in sex-ed class. The epithelium looks like epithelium! There are bacteria that I can recognize from what I’ve seen under my microscope and sperm that look like sperm. The whole thing is brilliantly designed and, although it’s only a game, the amount of thought and effort put into it fills me with awe. By funding the development of games like Privates, Channel 4 is showing some amazing innovation in their commitment to educational entertainment.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
Remember “cooties” in grade school? You know, the germs or disease that girls gave boys or boys gave girls in grade school if they touched? Well, it seems they’re becoming an epidemic. Thank goodness someone checked for “cooties” on the Stanley Cup:
The NHL champion Blackhawks’ beloved trophy stopped by the Chicago Tribune newsroom, and so we took the opportunity to do something the Cup’s keeper said had never been done: We swabbed it for germs. We sent the samples to the Chicago lab EMSL Analytical, which found very little general bacteria and no signs of staph,salmonella or E. coli. “It’s surprisingly clean,” lab manager Nancy McDonald said. Just 400 counts of general bacteria were found, she said. By comparison, a desk in an office typically has more than 10,000.
No staph species detected? Hmmm. I think there was a sampling error…
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
Keeping hands clean in the hospital is a bit more complicated and much more important thing to do than doing it at home. Nosocomial organisms can easily jump from clinician to clinician to patient via faucet handles and soap dispensers. Miscea B.V., out of Augsburg, Germany, won this year’s red dot best of the best design award for its MISCEA touch-free faucet.
The touch-free operation concept of this innovative, clear and aesthetically designed hygiene system allows users to choose between water, soap and disinfectant with just one hand, thus preventing causative organisms from being accidentally transmitted and causing new infections. Operation of this faucet is self-explanatory and comfortable; choosing soap or disinfectant is interactively guided: a softly pulsating LED indicates whether the system is ready for use and each dispensing mode is accompanied by a light impulse. The design of this hygiene system thus merges a high degree of comfort with a maximum reduction of cross-contamination risk. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
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The single most important medicine ever discovered is the antibiotic. Prior to 1930, humans died at early ages of simple infections and even childbirth was a major killer of women because of infection. The mortality rate from simple staph aureus was as high as 80%, but between 1944 and 1972 the human life expectancy jumped by 8 years because of antibiotics. By 1950 the golden age of antibiotics was already looking tarnished as organisms became resistant to the drugs. Now many medical advances that we take for granted, including cancer treatment, surgery, transplantation and neonatal care are endangered by increasing antibiotic resistance and a decline in new medications to combat the super germs.
When using dressings to speed up the healing process of an open wound, it is necessary to periodically remove the dressing to check for infection. However, removing this protective covering creates an opportunity for bacteria to enter the wound site.
Keeping hands clean in the hospital is a bit more complicated and much more important thing to do than doing it at home. Nosocomial organisms can easily jump from clinician to clinician to patient via faucet handles and soap dispensers. Miscea B.V., out of Augsburg, Germany, won this year’s red dot best of the best design award for its MISCEA touch-free faucet.
