Queen's scientists in hospital superbugs breakthrough
2014-08-19
(Press-News.org) Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have made a breakthrough in the fight against the most resistant hospital superbugs.
The team from the School of Pharmacy at Queen's have developed the first innovative antibacterial gel that acts to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci and E. coli using natural proteins.
The gels have the ability to break down the thick jelly-like coating, known as biofilms, which cover bacteria making them highly resistant to current therapies, while leaving healthy cells unaffected.
Dr Garry Laverty, from the School of Pharmacy at Queen's University, and lead researcher, said: "When bacteria attach to surfaces, including medical implants such as hip replacements and catheters, they produce a jelly-like substance called the biofilm. This protective layer is almost impossible for current antibiotics to penetrate through. Therefore bacteria deep within this protective layer are resistant as they remain unexposed to the therapy. They grow and thrive on surfaces to cause infections that are very difficult to treat. The only option is often to remove the medical implant leading to further pain and discomfort for the patient. Our gels would prevent this.
"Our gels are unique as they target and kill the most resistant forms of hospital superbugs. It involves the use of gels composed of the building blocks of natural proteins, called peptides. The same ingredients that form human tissue. These molecules are modified slightly in the laboratory to allow them to form gels that will rapidly kill bacteria. This is further evidence of Queen's research advancing knowledge and changing lives."
The new approach, which was developed as part of an international collaboration between the School of Pharmacy at Queen's and the School of Chemistry at Brandeis University, Waltham, USA, is published in the journal Biomacromolecules next month.
The results will form part of a presentation delivered by Dr Laverty at the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UK PharmSci: The Science of Medicines conference at the University of Hertfordshire on the 8th September 2014.
INFORMATION:
The full paper can be viewed online at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bm500981y
Media inquiries to Claire O'Callaghan, Queen's University Communications Office, Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 3087 email: c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
Dr Garry Laverty is available for interview. Interview bids to Queen's Communications Office.
The research paper is available online at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bm500981y
Funding for this project included support from the Department for Employment and Learning.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Children's drawings indicate later intelligence
2014-08-19
How 4-year old children draw pictures of a child is an indicator of intelligence at age 14, according to a study by King's College London, published today in Psychological Science.
The researchers studied 7,752 pairs of identical and non-identical twins (a total of 15,504 children) from the Medical Research Council (MRC) funded Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), and found that the link between drawing and later intelligence was influenced by genes.
At the age of 4, children were asked by their parents to complete a 'Draw-a-Child' test, i.e. draw a picture of a child. ...
Vaccines can cut the spread of meningitis by nearly 40 percent
2014-08-19
Investigators at the University of Southampton have discovered that two new vaccines can prevent the transmission of meningitis bacteria from person to person.
The vaccines do this by reducing 'carriage' of the responsible bacteria in the nose and throats of the population.
Meningitis is a devastating condition and the Southampton team believe this discovery will change the way new vaccines are made in the future.
Robert Read, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton, who led the study, says: "The standard practice is to vaccinate with the ...
Neglected boys may turn into violent adolescents
2014-08-19
Parents who physically neglect their boys may increase the risk that they will raise violent adolescents, according to Penn State sociologists.
In a study of currently incarcerated male adolescents, physical neglect during childhood arose as the strongest predictor of violent behavior, said William McGuigan, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Shenango. Researchers are just beginning to acknowledge the powerful role of neglect in influencing adolescent violence, he added.
"One of the problems with studying neglect is that it is ...
Study shows that fenofibrate treatment in women with diabetes is as effective as in men with diabetes
2014-08-19
New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that the blood-fat lowering drug fenofibrate is as effective in women with type 2 diabetes as in men with type 2 diabetes. The research is by the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study investigators in Australia, New Zealand and Finland, led by Professor Anthony Keech from the Clinical Trials Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia, and Associate Professor Michael d'Emden, Endocrine Research Unit, Royal Brisbane Hospital, ...
Plastic handles on disposable acupuncture needles would curb risk of needle buckling
2014-08-19
Single use, disposable acupuncture needles were introduced in the late 1970s, prompted by concerns about the risk of infection of reusable needles. Since that time, they have gradually been adopted worldwide.
In clinical practice it is often difficult for the acupuncturist to insert a long needle into tissue, because long fine needles are prone to buckling.
Acupuncturists have therefore either resorted to larger needles, which can be more painful for the patient, or to holding the needle shaft during insertion, which poses an infection risk, and contravenes World Health ...
Good neighbors and friendly local community may curb heart attack risk
2014-08-19
Current evidence suggests that the characteristics of an area in which a person lives can negatively affect their cardiovascular health. This includes, for example, the density of fast food outlets; levels of violence, noise, and pollution; drug use; and building disrepair.
But few studies have looked at the potential health enhancing effects of positive local neighbourhood characteristics, such as perceived neighbourhood social cohesion, say the authors.
They therefore tracked the cardiovascular health of over 5000 US adults with no known heart problems over a period ...
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Aug. 19, 2014
2014-08-19
Two Ebola virus commentaries being published online first:
Opinion: Ebola-stricken American volunteers deserve special treatment
American missionary workers stricken with the deadly Ebola virus while aiding infected patients in West Africa deserve special treatment, according to a commentary being published early online in Annals of Internal Medicine. As the number of Ebola virus cases surpasses 1,600 in four African countries, public attention has focused on the two infected Americans who were airlifted out of Liberia to receive a highly experimental treatment in ...
Induced quakes rattle less than tectonic quakes, except near epicenter
2014-08-19
Induced earthquakes generate significantly lower shaking than tectonic earthquakes with comparable magnitudes, except within 10 km of the epicenter, according to a study to be published online August 19 in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA). Within 10 km of the epicenter, the reduced intensity of shaking is likely offset by the increased intensity of shaking due to the shallow source depths of injection-induced earthquakes.
Using data from the USGS "Did You Feel It?" system, Seismologist Susan Hough explored the shaking intensities of 11 earthquakes ...
Selective therapy may improve artery repair after interventional cardiovascular procedures
2014-08-19
Tampa, FL (Aug. 18, 2014) -- A new therapy developed by researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) may help reduce the life-threatening complications of interventional cardiovascular disease treatment.
The researchers demonstrated in a rat model that the novel molecular therapy could selectively inhibit blood vessel re-narrowing and simultaneously promote vessel healing following a medical procedure using a balloon catheter to open narrowed or blocked arteries.
Their preclinical study ...
Doctors worldwide should stay current on developments in ongoing Ebola epidemic
2014-08-19
Doctors in hospitals and emergency rooms around the world should be prepared to recognize Ebola virus infection and isolate patients if necessary, infectious disease specialists recommend. However, concerns that Ebola will spread beyond West Africa to Europe and North America are unfounded because of the way Ebola is transmitted and because of highly developed hospital infection control practices, they say.
A description of the virus, the current outbreak and recommendations for management of infected patients appear today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The lead ...