Ancient Remedy Could Be the Key to Defeating Superbugs

Medicine & Technology Apr 02, 2015

While many scientists are trying to develop new, more powerful drugs to fight the antibiotic resistant superbugs, the solution may actually rest in the past. A 1,000 year old treatment for eye infections could be the key to fighting these resistant strains of bacteria.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria—Could Swimming This Spring Break Land You In the Hospital?

Mar 30, 2015

Using coastal waters can often be quite a finicky endeavor. Working your plans around algal blooms, red tides and even the occasional sewage mishap, can often be a pretty unpleasant mess. But it turns out that swimmers and surfers may have more to fear than getting a little dirty at the beach. Aside from Giardia, a parasite that is often passed in coastal waters, it turns out that recreational swimmers at local beaches may also be at a significantly higher risk of transmitting deadly antibiotic resistant bacteria—landing them in the hospital or worse.

The Connection Between Autism and Gut Bacteria May Be Real

Mar 25, 2015

Parents of autistic children all understand what to expect with their children, and John Rodakis is no different. Like so many, he was familiar with many of the symptoms that include lack of energy, delayed speech, the strict need to routine and more. However, when John's son came down with strep throat and placed on antibiotics, his son's symptoms began to decrease dramatically.

Superbug Breaks Out at UCLA Medical Center, Causing Concern for Safety of Endoscopic Procedures

Feb 19, 2015

While all may seem fine in endoscopic outpatient procedures, with an easy check-in and virtually no down-time at all, it turns out that an antibiotic-resistant superbug may be waiting in the OR. Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the California health department are on high alert this week as news of two deaths in a local Los Angeles hospital have researchers wondering whether the superbug will claim more lives in its wake.

When It Comes to Pandemics and Outbreaks, Could Climate Change Be to Blame?

Feb 18, 2015

While many factors play into the development of a viral or bacterial outbreak, including herd immunity and preexisting healthcare practices, current outbreaks of the Ebola virus and the measles have many wondering exactly what’s causing the reemergence of such lethal diseases. Well, the obvious answers of vaccinations and poor sanitation conditions are readily available, but many may not consider an even more significant culprit—climate change.

Extra Funding Sought to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Jan 27, 2015

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a growing problem around the country for both doctors and hospitals, causing an estimated 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths around the United States each year. And in an effort to combat these resistant forms of bacteria, the Obama administration wants to double the amount of federal funding dedicated to fighting these superbugs.

Caramel Apples May Not Be So Sweet—Listeria Outbreak Across US

Dec 19, 2014

This holiday season you may want to steer clear of the sweets—or at least caramel apples. Though the caramel sweets are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Reporting this morning, Dec. 19, on the condition of the outbreak, the CDC says that at least 28 individuals spanning the states of Arizona, Texas and Minnesota have been infected and are facing the life-threatening illness.

Good Bacteria in Stomach May Aid in Weight Loss, Study Says

Nov 07, 2014

Stomach bacteria could be the solution to obesity, Cornell University researchers say.

How A Parasite Became a Power House—The Tale of Mitochondria

Oct 17, 2014

Through the use of simple components, sugar, oxygen and transfer molecules, the mitochondria are able to create and store energy through the simple movement of electrons from one bond to another. And in spite of conflicting theories describing their possible origins, a new study at the University of Virginia is proving that the energy creators weren’t always self-sustaining components.