Protein in Breast Milk Reduces Infection Risk in Premature Infants

breast milk

Full-term babies receive natural protection from their mothers that helps them fight off dangerous infections. However, babies born prematurely lack protective intestinal bacteria and often are unable to be nursed, causing their infection-fighting capabilities to be underdeveloped. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that a manufactured form of lactoferrin,…

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No, I Can’t Sit Down: What It’s Like Having an Open Wound that Will Never Heal

There I was, taking my final bow after 10 years of medical hurdles. I had done it. I actually wrote a one-woman musical about how I literally lost my stomach (when it ruptured in the operating room) and gained a story, appropriately titled, “Gutless and Grateful.” It was a big deal to finally compile all of…

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Beware! Antibiotic-Resistant Infections – 5 Combative Trends In Antimicrobial Medical Device Design

Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

In the U.S., an average of two million people become ill with antibiotic-resistant infections each year, many of which have high mortality rates. On top of that startling statistic, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provisions that financially penalize facilities with high infection rates, and increasingly informed, connected healthcare consumers are using tools like Medicare’s Hospital…

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3-D “Smart” Sutures for Real-Time Diagnostic Data

Real-Time Diagnostic

The field of smart wearable systems has just gotten a boost thanks to researchers from Tufts University.  A team of engineers has developed a novel 3-dimensional thread-based diagnostic platform that, when sutured into tissue, collects a range of real-time diagnostic data wirelessly, including pH, glucose levels, temperature, stress, strain, and pressure.  Physical and chemical nanosensors,…

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FDA Approval for Polymer Molding in Medical Devices 101 

FDA Approval

The recent FDA approval of Abbott’s Absorb GT1 Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) System is designed with a poly(L-lactide) polymer to fully dissolve in the patient’s body over about three years. Another FDA-approved offering in the coronary stent market is Boston Scientific’s Synergy bioabsorbable polymer drug-eluting stent, which has a drug coating and polymer used to elute…

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New Hydrogel Can Carry Hard-to-Deliver Drugs

New Hydrogel

The new hydrogel was created in the lab of Rice University bioengineer Jeffrey Hartgerink, where bioengineers create custom peptides that can promote healing and tissue growth. This hydrogel aims to take advantage of the gaps in peptide nanofibers, enabling it to hide drugs that have hydrophobic properties. I-Che Li, graduate student at Rice and lead…

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Inovio and GeneOne Life Science Approved for Human Trial of Zika DNA Vaccine

Zika DNA Vaccine

Inovio and GeneOne Life Science have received approval to initiate a Phase I human trial to evaluate Inovio’s Zika DNA vaccine (GLS-5700) to prevent infection from the Zika virus. In preclinical testing this synthetic vaccine induced robust antibody and T cell responses in small and large animal models, demonstrating the product’s potential to prevent infection from…

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Seven Areas in a Hospital that Could Cause Healthcare Acquired Infections

Healthcare Acquired Infections

Healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) are the third leading cause of death in the US, behind heart disease and cancer. One in every 25 inpatients will acquire an infection while being treated. These infections lead to the loss of tens of thousands of lives and cost billions of dollars every year. Since these infections are largely…

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Bionic Skin, Science Fiction or Real?

Bionic Skin

As the intersection of medicine and technology continues to blur the line between science fiction and real world science, a recent innovation in Tokyo has stirred excitement among medical professionals around the world. Takao Someya, a scientist at the University of Tokyo, has created a bionic skin, or an e-skin, that could revolutionize the field of…

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B Braun to Pay $7.8M for Selling Contaminated Syringes

B Braun

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania drug and medical device manufacturer has agreed to pay up to $7.8 million for selling contaminated syringes, federal prosecutors say. B. Braun will avoid criminal charges in exchange for implementing procedures to improve oversight of its suppliers, authorities said Wednesday. The company will pay $4.8 million in penalties and…

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