Acinetobacter baumannii found growing in nearly half of infected patient rooms

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) was found in the environment of 48 percent of the rooms of patients colonized or infected with the pathogen, according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC – the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

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Targeted antibiotic drug safest among recommended treatments for irritable bowel disease

Among the most commonly used treatments for irritable bowel syndrome – which affects as many as 20 percent of the United States population – a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers, based on an analysis of 26 large-scale clinical trials.

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Starving prostate cancer

Each year about 3300 Australian men die of prostate cancer. It’s Australia’s second worst cancer killer for men, matching the impact of breast cancer on women.

Current therapies for prostate cancer include surgical removal of the prostate, radiation, freezing the tumour or cutting off the supply of the hormone testosterone—but there are often side-effects including incontinence and impotence.

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Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease

The research group headed by Professor Atsushi Nambu (The National Institute for Physiological Sciences) and Professor Masahiko Takada (Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University) has shown that the ‘oscillatory’ nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. The group also found that chemical inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus (a structure of the basal ganglia) in parkinsonian monkeys improved the motor impairments by reducing the ‘oscillations.’ The results of this study were reported in European Journal of Neuroscience, November 2011 issue.

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Researchers pinpoint possible new cause for unexplained miscarriages

—Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital have identified a potential new cause for unexplained miscarriages in mice.

They also identified two possible treatments to prevent these miscarriages and their work has broader implications for the development of new drugs to treat heart attacks and strokes.

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New drug shows promise against multiple sclerosis

An experimental drug called Ocrelizumab has shown promise in a Phase 2 clinical trial involving 220 people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an often debilitating, chronic autoimmune disease that affects an increasing number of people in North America. It usually strikes young adults and is more common in women than in men.

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Cellular repair could reduce premature aging

Researchers have identified a potential drug therapy for a premature ageing disease that affects children causing them to age up to eight times as fast as the usual rate.

The study is the first to outline how to limit and repair DNA damage defects in cells and could provide a model for understanding processes that cause us to age.

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More years to life and life to years through increased motivation for an active life

Regular physical activity is associated with a lower risk of suffering depression in old age. This is shown by one of the largest studies on elderly Europeans to have been carried out, by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, among others. Research also shows that self-determined motivation and perceived competence are important factors in persuading elderly people to exercise more.

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Novel approach to treat proliferative vitreoretinopathy shows promise

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), or the formation of scar tissue within the eye, is a serious, sight-threatening complication in patients recovering surgical repair of retinal detachment. A new study conducted by investigators at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, published in the December issue of the American Journal of Pathology, suggests that a cocktail containing reagents to neutralize a relatively small subset of vitreal growth factors and cytokines may be an effective treatment.

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Psychological traumas experienced over lifetime linked to adult irritable bowel syndrome

The psychological and emotional traumas experienced over a lifetime — such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disaster, house fire or car accident, physical or mental abuse — may contribute to adult irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to the results of a study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

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