The World Health Organization says a yellow fever booster vaccination given 10 years after the initial shot isn’t necessary.
The U.N.’s global health agency said today that its expert group on immunization believes a single dose of vaccination is sufficient to confer lifelong immunity against the disease.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/one-yellow-fever-shot-enough
Injected Nanogel Can Help Fight Diabetes
Injectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin.
The nanoparticles were designed to sense glucose levels in the body and respond by secreting the appropriate amount of insulin, thereby replacing the function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in patients with Type 1 diabetes. Ultimately, this type of system could ensure that blood-sugar levels remain balanced and improve patients’ quality of life, according to the researchers.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/injected-nanogel-can-help-fight-diabetes
Frogs Used for Pregnancy Tests Carry Deadly Fungus
African frogs once imported to laboratories and hospitals around the world may have carried with them a devastating fungal infection thought to be responsible for a rapid, global, decline in amphibians, according to new research.
The fungus is called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd for short. Amphibians have been dying in large numbers in every continent except Antarctica since the late 1980s and this fungus has been blamed as a large contributing factor since the late 1990s. But researchers haven’t proven how Bd could have spread so quickly from Africa, where it was first found in the wild in the 1930s.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/frogs-used-pregnancy-tests-carry-deadly-fungus
Speech Valve with Zirconia Lasts Longer
Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC) worked with the UK-based Univ. of Hull to develop a new valve used to restore vocal function for patients with throat cancer. The new tracheo-oesophageal fistula speech valve uses Zyranox bio-compatible Yttria partially-stabilized Zirconia, specifically developed for surgical implant devices.
The iterative design process for this innovative valve included a close collaboration, featuring consultation on materials, prototyping to test the design and precision manufacturing to meet the extremely tight tolerances required.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/articles/2013/05/speech-valve-zirconia-lasts-longer
Health Workers Catch SARS-Like Virus from Patients
A deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS has apparently spread from patients to health care workers in eastern Saudi Arabia, health officials say.
The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia told world health officials that two health care workers became ill this month after being exposed to patients with the virus. One is critically ill.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/health-workers-catch-sars-virus-patients
Stem Cells Recovered from Cloned Human Embryos
Scientists have finally recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, a longstanding goal that could lead to new treatments for such illnesses as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.
A prominent expert calls the work a landmark, but notes that a different, simpler technique now under development may prove more useful.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/stem-cells-recovered-cloned-human-embryos
Colorful vegetables are promoted as key to a healthy diet, but white vegetables, especially potatoes, shouldn’t be forgotten, according to a Purdue Univ. expert.
“Potatoes are a great source for potassium, and only three percent of American adults consume the recommended daily intake for this mineral that’s essential to healthy blood pressure,” says Connie Weaver, distinguished professor of nutrition science. “Potatoes are often discounted from being healthy because of how they are cooked, topped or the amount consumed, but, when prepared in a healthy way, potatoes are nutritious. People need to remember that white veggies have a place at the table, too.”
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/focus-color-means-white-veggies-are-overlooked
Paper-Thin Flexible ‘Skin’ Monitors Heart Health
Most of us don’t ponder our pulses outside of the gym. But doctors use the human pulse as a diagnostic tool to monitor heart health.
Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, has developed a heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill and no wider than a postage stamp. The flexible skin-like monitor, worn under an adhesive bandage on the wrist, is sensitive enough to help doctors detect stiff arteries and cardiovascular problems.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/paper-thin-flexible-skin-monitors-heart-health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a new tool to help bolster the food industry’s defense measures against an act of intentional food contamination. The Food Defense Plan Builder is a comprehensive, easy-to-use software program designed to help owners and operators of food facilities — ranging from primary production and manufacturing to retail and transportation — develop customized plans to minimize the risk of intentional contamination at their individual food facilities.
The FDA does not require food facilities to implement food defense plans, but many facilities have voluntarily put such plans into place to safeguard their products.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/fda-launches-contamination-prevention-software
Today in Lab History: May 15, 1923- Listerine introduced
In 1923, Listerine was registered as a trademark. The modern Listerine is a mouthwash, but the original amber-colored product was a disinfectant for surgical procedures, dating back to its formulation in 1879 by Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Lambert. The name they chose incorporated the name of the English surgeon, Joseph Lister, famous for performing the first antiseptic surgical procedure on Aug 12, 1865 and pioneering wider use of antiseptics by surgeons.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/09/today-lab-history
New Options for Breast Cancer Surgery
Treating breast cancer almost always involves surgery, and for years the choice was just having the lump or the whole breast removed. Now, new approaches are dramatically changing the way these operations are done, giving women more options, faster treatment, smaller scars, fewer long-term side effects and better cosmetic results.
It has led to a new specialty — “oncoplastic” surgery — combining oncology, which focuses on cancer treatment, and plastic surgery to restore appearance.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/new-options-breast-cancer-surgery
How Sharply Should U.S. Cut Salt?
A surprising new report questions public health efforts to get Americans to sharply cut back on salt, saying it’s not clear whether eating super-low levels is worth the struggle.
Make no mistake: most Americans eat way too much salt, not just from salt shakers but because of sodium hidden inside processed foods and restaurant meals. The report stresses that, overall, the nation needs to ease back on the sodium for better heart health.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/how-sharply-should-us-cut-salt
New research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center finds that suicide, while strongly associated with psychiatric conditions, also correlates with environmental pollution. Lead researcher John Spangler, a professor of family medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, looked specifically at the relationship between air pollution and emissions from coal-fired electricity plants.
“This study raises interesting questions about suicide rates in counties where coal-fired electrical plants operate and suggests that the quality of air can affect people suffering from different mood disorders,” Spangler says.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/coal-plant-emissions-may-increase-suicides
Depressed People’s Body Clocks are Altered at Cell Level
Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods and much more.
But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression – even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/depressed-peoples-body-clocks-are-altered-cell-level
New research is raising fresh concern that an age-old treatment for troubled pregnancies — bed rest — doesn’t seem to prevent premature birth, and might even worsen that risk.
Doctors have known for years that there’s no good evidence that bed rest offers any benefit for certain pregnancy complications, and it can cause side effects in the mother, not to mention emotional and financial strain. Yet estimates suggest nearly one in five moms-to-be is told to cut her activity — ranging from quitting work to actually staying in bed all day — at some point during pregnancy.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/bed-rest-may-be-detrimental-pregnancy
