Health Officials Fear Spread of Lung-Destroying Pneumonia
from the Los Angeles Times
 Health authorities have detected the emergence of a rare but deadly lung-destroying form of pneumonia, sparked by the combination of a skin infection and the common flu. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 22 deaths among children last year from the dual infection. More
Major Laboratory Certification Agencies Reach Agreement to Unite
from ASCP
The American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Registry and The National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel have reached an agreement on the formation of a unified credentialing agency. The respective agencies have signed a Letter of Intent that has also been ratified by the sponsoring organizations, namely, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and the Association of Genetic Technologists. More
Texas Lab with Dangerous Pathogens Secured
from CNN
Workers at a Galveston, Texas, laboratory said to contain dangerous biological agents secured the pathogens ahead of Hurricane Ike, officials said. The pathogens, which include the deadly ebola virus, were purposely destroyed before the staff left the facility in advance of the hurricane. The lab is one of the country's five biosafety labs that are Level-IV, the highest level. Such laboratories typically handle pathogens like smallpox, tularemia and anthrax to develop vaccines and antidotes. More
Infectious Heart Disease Death Rates Rising Again
from Science Daily Magazine
Infectious heart disease is still a major killer in spite of improvements in health care, but the way the disease develops has changed so much since its discovery that nineteenth century doctors would not recognise it, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. More
BSD Medical Gets FDA Nod for Microwave Ablation System
from Health Imaging News
The FDA has granted BSD Medical, a developer of microwave systems used in the treatment of cancer, a 510(k) clearance to market its MicroThermX-100 microwave ablation system (MTX-100). The system was developed to provide treatments as a standalone therapy, rather than only in combination with other therapies, according to BSD. More
Study Helps Unlock Secrets of How the Brain Sees
from Reuters
Scientists who tricked monkeys by swapping images of sailboats for teacups have figured out how the brain learns to recognize objects, a finding that could lead to robots that "see." Scientists think people do it by gathering a host of different snapshots of the same object over a short period of time. More
A Team Works to Emulate a Mosquito Bite and Design Gentler Needles
from Science News
Researchers have dissected the physics of mosquito bites, hoping to learn some of the bugs’ stealthy tricks and to gain inspiration for designing needles that hurt less. More
Older Antipsychotics May Be Better Option for Troubled Kids
from The Wall Street Journal
The use of antipsychotic medications in children keeps stirring up controversy. A study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health has found that newer drugs for schizophrenia — Lilly’s Zyprexa and J&J’s Risperdal — are no more effective than an older, cheaper drug and are more likely to cause some harmful side effects. More
NIH Funds New Wellstone Research Center for Muscular Dystrophy at Boston Biomedical Research Institute
from The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. National Institutes of Health have awarded $9 million to launch a unique collaboration of researchers, clinicians, patients, government research agencies and pharmaceutical/biomedical companies to study the causes and potential treatments for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a muscle weakening and disabling disease that affects, at the least, one in 20,000 individuals worldwide. More
Alzheimer's Biomarker Could Give People Advance Warning of Disease, Allowing for Earlier Intervention
from Medical News Today
A simple blood test to detect whether a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight and could eventually help scientists in their quest toward reversing the disease's onset in those likely to develop the debilitating neurological condition. More
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