infection Archives

SecurePortIV^®: The cyanoacrylate adhesive providing a new gold standard for all vascular access care

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Dr Sheng Zhang has developed SecurePortIV, a [ioneering cather-securement and catherter-insertion site sealing adhesive that could help reduce the incidence of failed catheter insertion and associated complications such as bacteria infection or rejection.

Around two billion peripheral intravenous catheters are inserted each year globally. However, a large percentage of these lead to complications, such as infections or becoming dislodged, requiring replacement in order for therapy to continue. Dr Sheng Zhang at Adhezion Biomedical, USA, has been involved in developing an adhesive, SecurePortIV®, which secures intravenous catheters by holding them in place and sealing […]

Healing with star power: Using plasma to treat skin wounds

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Drs Eric Robert and Thierry Prazuck research the use of non-thermal, or cold, plasma, for decontamination and healing in skin wounds with infections

New resistant bacteria strains and viruses are appearing all the time, making the treatment of infections increasingly difficult. Humanity is in dire need of new weapons to fight this worldwide war against emerging pathogens. Dr Eric Robert, Thierry Prazuck, and their teams at GREMI, CNRS/Université d’Orléans, and CHRO, Orléans, France, perform pioneering work using cold plasma to treat bacterial infections. […]

Long-term outcomes in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

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Dr Yamashita studies the long-term outcomes of patients post-operative ability to walk outside after surgery to deal with rheumatoid arthritis

Due to the degeneration of the knee joint in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), walking becomes difficult. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can restore the ability to walk. Several reports have been published highlighting the survival rate of TKA in RA patients, however, no study has focused on the prospect of outdoor walking. Dr Fumiharu Yamashita and his team from the […]

Clostridium difficile infection: Risk factors and potential vaccines

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Antibiotics treatment is one of the main factors of risk for developing Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection, a condition responsible for nearly 500,000 infections and 30,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. Dr Joseph Shiloach, Dr Ashish Sharma and their collaborators at the Biotechnology Core Laboratory of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) optimised […]

Pathogenic microorganisms targeted by complex cellular communications

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When the human body is challenged by infection, the defences of the immune system are called into action. Dr Malini Sen of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology is leading research into the role of a protein called Wnt5a in defending against invading pathogenic microorganisms. Wnt5a is found in macrophages, large white blood cells that form one of the first lines of defence […]