IBA

Hepatitis C responds best to combo of ribavirin and interferon, study concludes

A combination of the drugs ribavirin and interferon is more effective in treating hepatitis C than using interferon alone, but it also increases the risk of side effects, according to a new systematic review of recent evidence. "Adding ribavirin to any type of interferon should be considered the treatment of choice for patients with hepatitis C," conclude Jesper Brok, M.D., and colleagues...

Antibacterial coatings cut infection rates

Putting antibacterial coatings on hip and knee implants and biomedical devices such as catheters could cut infection rates following surgery and significantly reduce health care costs and improve quality of life for patients, researchers at the University of South Australia have found. A significant number of hip and knee implants are prone to infection after surgery and in many cases are...

History of human cannibalism eats away at researchers

In a new study published by the journal , a team of scientists reports that 'mad cow'-like diseases have not been a major force in human history, nor have been cannibalistic rituals that are known to be associated with disease transmission. Prof. Jaume Bertranpetit, a scientist at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and his colleagues used a fresh set of genetic data to show that...

First human trial of antibacterial contact lens

Biotechnology company Biosignal Ltd and the Institute for Eye Research have received ethics approval for the first human clinical trial of an antibacterial extended-wear contact lens. The trial beginning on June 29 will...

OHSU researchers demonstrate how white blood cells cannibalize virus-infected cells

Researchers at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) at Oregon Health & Science University have demonstrated how certain white blood cells literally eat virus-infected cells while fighting disease at the microscopic level. The research not only helps provide a clearer understanding of the body's immune system, it also offers hope of a new method for gauging vaccine effectiveness. The...

ASU researchers test antibacterial effects of healing clays

Clay is most commonly associated with the sublime experience of the European spa where visitors have been masked, soaked and basted with this touted curative since the Romans ruled. If ASU geochemist Lynda Williams and microbiologist Shelley Haydel's research on the antibacterial properties of clays realizes its full potential, smectite clay could one day rise above cosmetic use to take its place...

Gallium: A new antibacterial agent?

New antibacterial strategies are needed because more and more bacteria are antibiotic resistant and because antibiotics are not effective at eradicating chronic bacterial infections. One approach to developing new antibacterial strategies, taken by researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, is to limit the amount of iron (Fe), which is critical for bacterial growth, to which bacteria...

New antibacterials being developed to tackle MRSA superbug

A novel antibacterial medicine that kills the superbug MRSA is being developed under a new scheme launched by the Wellcome Trust. The Seeding Drug Discovery initiative is aimed at catalysing the development of new drugs in areas of unmet need. Prolysis, an R&D company based in Oxford, has received one of three inaugural Seeding Drug Discovery awards for its new antibacterial compounds...