Category: Regulations
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Tattoo Infections Traced to Bacteria in Premixed Ink
Medical researchers and clinicians at University of Rochester with public health officials from local, state, and federal agencies discovered a manufactured tattoo ink caused rashes from bacterial infections among tattoo customers in Rochester, New York. The results of their investigation appear online in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study reports 19 cases in…
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Report: U.S. Health Care Needs to Adopt Learning Culture
A new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academies of Science, says the U.S. health care system pays too much for outcomes that fall short on quality, but can learn from other industries to continuously improve the quality of care at lower cost. The committee that prepared the report for…
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LED Bulbs Edge CFLs for Environmental Friendliness
A report from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington says today’s bulbs made with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a bit more friendly to the environment than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), but both types of bulbs far outpace traditional incandescent lights. As LED technology advances in the next five years, the environmental advantage for LED bulbs…
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Stem Cell Therapy Results Reported for Spinal Cord Injury
Researchers for StemCells Inc. in Newark, California reported interim, largely positive, results from a clinical trial of stem cell therapy to treat spinal cord injury. The findings were reported yesterday at a meeting of the International Spinal Cord Society in London. The trial tests StemCells’ therapy to treat disorders of the central nervous system, called…
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Clinical Eye Testing Simulation Software Developed
Physicists at University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma developed a computer model to simulate human eye behavior for testing potential eye treatments. The system written by space institute physics faculty member Ying-Ling Chen (pictured left) aims to improve the efficiency and reduce the time needed by clinical trials involving human eyes. Clinical trials of…
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Carbon Nanotubes Found Toxic to Aquatic Animals
Engineers at University of Missouri and U.S. Geological Survey in Columbia found carbon nanotubes — sub-microscopic structures increasingly used for their strength and conductivity to create innovative new materials — to be toxic to several species of aquatic animals. The research led by Baolin Deng, professor and chair of chemical engineering at Missouri, appears in…
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Trial to Test Cardiac Potential of Anti-Inflammatory Drug
A clinical trial led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston will test the ability of a common anti-inflammatory drug to reduce rates of heart disease in high-risk patients. The trial is funded by grants from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of National Institutes of Health. Over 2 million people in the United…
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Effects Assessed of Manufactured Nanoparticles on Soybeans
Researchers from University of California in Santa Barbara found manufactured nanoparticles disposed after manufacturing or customer use can end up in agricultural soil and eventually affect soybean crops. Findings of the team that includes academic, government, and corporate researchers from elsewhere in California, Texas, Iowa, New York, and Korea appear online today in the Proceedings…
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New Methods Developed to Combat Drug Counterfeiting
Two presentations at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia highlight new methods for combating counterfeit drugs, particularly in developing countries. Toni Barstis of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana (pictured right) discussed a paper-strip test for Panadol, a pain killer based on acetaminophen, and Facundo Fernández at Georgia Tech in…
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FDA Approves Clinical Trial for H5N1 Vaccine
Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) in Seattle and Medicago Inc. in Quebec City, Canada say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved their request to start a clinical trial of a vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu. The early stage — phase 1 — trial will test the safety and ability to generate an immune…