PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

CosmosID unveils new tool for faster, specific and accurate testing of probiotics products

2013-05-20
(Press-News.org) Washington, D.C., May 20, 2013 –CosmosID®, a leading data mining solutions company for health and wellness, has reported as part of a collaboration results on analysis of labeling claims for the composition of probiotic products comparing speed, specificity, and accuracy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CosmosID® conducted side-by-side analysis of a number of commercially available probiotics, four of which have been reported at the American Society for Microbiology. The purpose of the tests was to compare the identity of species and strains present in the products to what was stated on their respective labels. An Illumnia® MiSeq® sequencer was utilized to produce whole genome sequence files of the mixture of bacteria contained in the probiotic. Sequencing produced DNA fragments associated with each strain contained in the sample and was the basis for analyses to determine the amount and type of active ingredients contained in the probiotics. For the side-by-side testing, the FDA used conventional k-mer approach developed in house. CosmosID® used its GENIUS® product, NmerCE. Overall, both the FDA's k-mer and CosmosID®'s NmerCE approaches were able to determine the active ingredients in each probiotic, as well as whether contaminants were present. The advantage of CosmosID®'s Genius® product over the FDA's k-mer counting was both the speed at which the CosmosID's® NmerCE was able to complete the analysis, and the ability to provide enhanced specificity in separating different species groups into specific strains. The results were summarized in an abstract submitted by the FDA at the 133rd General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), which stated "In total, we developed a package of molecular approaches that stratifies genetic depth and regulatory need for appropriate strain identification for voluntary submissions but have widely useful applications from GMP surveillance for unexpected pathogens." Results will be presented May 19 at the ASM Denver meeting. According to CosmosID®'s CTO and lead scientist, Dr. Thomas A. Cebula, and Dr. Nur A. Hasan, director, CosmosID® Genomics R&D, "Utilization of our algorithms helps remove the computational bottleneck associated with metagenomic analyses, thus facilitating rapid detection, identification, and quantification of microbes in complex samples. As probiotic bacteria are becoming increasingly important in the context of human health, CosmosID GENIUS ® product will be extremely valuable for the industry in speed of use, quality control, quality assessment, and safety evaluations." "CosmosID®'s Genius® product will enable manufacturers of probiotics to quickly and accurately validate the labeling of their products for GMP surveillance for unexpected pathogens, or aid in developing and testing new probiotic products," stated CosmosID®'s chief executive officer, Doug Brenner. "Widespread use of strain-specific analysis of probiotics and their effects on microbial populations will level the playing field in the probiotics industry to assist in documenting efficacy and support labeling claims of companies that conduct rigorous testing against those that choose not to do so." ### About CosmosID CosmosID® delivers data mining solutions for health and wellness that uncover for the first time the changing interactions between our human genes and the trillions of bacteria and viruses in and on us. CosmosID® patented technology uncovers data unseen by other methods that drive lower-cost, faster product development and better outcomes for customers in probiotics, personal health, diagnostics and BioPharma. The company's tools and data are unmatched in specificity and speed, reducing time for analysis from weeks to minutes. By eliminating the problem in analytics in big datasets, CosmosID® brings personalized medicine forward to change the paradigm of health and wellness care. Founded in 2008, the company is located in College Park, Maryland. For more information please visit http://www.cosmosID.net Media Contact: Robin Buckley (on behalf of CosmosID) END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Which women should be screened for high cholesterol?

2013-05-20
New Rochelle, NY, May 20, 2013—National guidelines recommend that at-risk women be screened for elevated cholesterol levels to reduce their chances of developing cardiovascular disease. But who is 'at risk?' The results of a study by investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to estimate the proportion of women young and old who have cholesterol levels that meet the definition of being at-risk are reported in an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free ...

USF researchers find far-reaching, microvascular damage in uninjured side of brain after stroke

2013-05-20
Tampa, FL (May 20, 2013) -- While the effects of acute stroke have been widely studied, brain damage during the subacute phase of stroke has been a neglected area of research. Now, a new study by the University of South Florida reports that within a week of a stroke caused by a blood clot in one side of the brain, the opposite side of the brain shows signs of microvascular injury. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, and increases the risk for dementia. "Approximately 80 percent of strokes are ischemic strokes, in which the blood ...

Breakup of physician, drug company relationship could improve health care, cut cost

2013-05-20
PORTLAND, Ore. – A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, more costly and often unnecessary prescription drugs. This system, which has been in place for decades, at one time benefitted doctors by keeping them up to date on new medications, and always provided generous amounts of "free" samples to get patients started on the newest drugs, as well as other supplies and gifts. But it's actually ...

New study finds blind people have the potential to use their 'inner bat' to locate objects

2013-05-20
New research from the University of Southampton has shown that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. The study, which is published in the journal Hearing Research, examined how hearing, and particularly the hearing of echoes, could help blind people with spatial awareness and navigation. The study also examined the possible effects of hearing impairment and how to optimise echolocation ability in order to help improve the independence and quality of ...

Study supports 'aggressive' treatment for posterior fossa hematoma in newborns

2013-05-20
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 20, 2013) – Posterior fossa subdural hematoma (PFSDH) is a serious and rare condition in newborns, generally occurring after difficult deliveries. But with appropriate treatment, there's an excellent chance of good long-term outcomes even in severe cases of PFSDH, reports a study in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The results support an "aggressive" approach to evaluation and treatment—including surgery, ...

Penn research makes advance in nanotech gene sequencing technique

2013-05-20
The allure of personalized medicine has made new, more efficient ways of sequencing genes a top research priority. One promising technique involves reading DNA bases using changes in electrical current as they are threaded through a nanoscopic hole. Now, a team led by University of Pennsylvania physicists has used solid-state nanopores to differentiate single-stranded DNA molecules containing sequences of a single repeating base. The study was led by Marija Drndić, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences, ...

Hospital emergency departments gaining in importance, study finds

2013-05-20
Hospital emergency departments play a growing role in the U.S. health care system, accounting for a rising proportion of hospital admissions and serving increasingly as an advanced diagnostic center for primary care physicians, according to a new RAND Corporation study. While often targeted as the most expensive place to get medical care, emergency rooms remain an important safety net for Americans who cannot get care elsewhere and may play a role in slowing the growth of health care costs, according to the study. Emergency departments are now responsible for about ...

New American Chemical Society video: Why toothpaste + orange juice = yuk!

2013-05-20
What is it about toothpaste that transforms the sweet flavor of orange juice into something so bitter? For the solution to that mysterious sensory phenomenon — in colorful, animated detail — check the latest episode of the American Chemical Society's award-winning Bytesize Science video series at http://www.BytesizeScience.com The video, from the world's largest scientific society, explains that the mainstay ingredients in toothpaste include a detergent called sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS for short. When you brush your teeth, SLS produces the foamy suds and gives toothpaste ...

1 in 10 teens using 'study drugs,' but parents aren't paying attention

2013-05-20
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – As high schoolers prepare for final exams, teens nationwide may be tempted to use a "study drug" -- a prescription stimulant or amphetamine -- to gain an academic edge. But a new University of Michigan poll shows only one in 100 parents of teens 13-17 years old believes that their teen has used a study drug. Study drugs refer to stimulant medications typically prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); commonly prescribed medicines in this category include Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, and Vyvanse. Among parents ...

Commonly used catheters double risk of blood clots in ICU and cancer patients

2013-05-20
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Touted for safety, ease and patient convenience, peripherally inserted central catheters have become many clinicians' go-to for IV delivery of antibiotics, nutrition, chemotherapy, and other medications. But compared to other central venous catheters (CVCs), these commonly-used catheters (known as PICCs) more than double the risk of dangerous blood clots – especially among patients who are critically ill or who have cancer, according to a new University of Michigan Health System study published in The Lancet. In recent years, PICCs have become the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] CosmosID unveils new tool for faster, specific and accurate testing of probiotics products