All articles by Staff Writer
Staff Writer
A targeted diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis
Accurate diagnosis of gastroenteritis is paramount, given that it is highly infectious and poses health risks to the young and old alike. With molecular diagnostic techniques, like those in BD’s portfolio, gastroenteritis diagnosis can be performed quickly, and help allow for the prevention of its spread and the improvement of health.
Four steps to make your diagnostics a masterpiece
Although microbiology laboratories have witnessed a surge in molecular biology techniques over the last few years, bacterial culturing still offers unmatchable advantages, especially when the most advanced tools are implemented. By addressing bacteriology preanalytics in four steps, Copan’s WISE approach leads to improved diagnostics for every lab.
Stop the cascade
Sepsis is a leading cause of death in hospitals, and yet, there’s very little in the way of treatment that can dramatically increase the odds of survival. A key reason for this is that identifying the pathogen that caused the disease takes time and that’s a luxury that patients don’t have. Peter Littlejohns speaks to Donald Ingber, founding director of Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and Michael Super, senior staff scientist, Wyss Institute, to find out how a research journey spanning almost two decades resulted in technology that could lead to quicker diagnosis and treatment for patients with sepsis.
kerecis combines fish-skin graft and silicone cover for wound treatment
New product and results of clinical study announced at SAWC
Kerecis® today announced MariGen® Shield, which integrates the company’s proven fish-skin graft with a silicone contact layer for treating chronic and complex wounds. The medical-fish-skin company also announced the results of a clinical study comparing the effectiveness of the Kerecis fish-skin grafts to a standard of care for diabetic foot ulcers. Both announcements were made at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC). Kerecis, which is pioneering the use of sustainably sourced fish skin and fatty acids in cellular therapy and tissue regeneration and protection, is exhibiting at booth 225.
Combat tuberculosis
In order to assist the World Health Organisation’s ‘End TB Strategy’ with the goal of reducing the global incidence of tuberculosis by 80% in 2030, detecting latent TB infection is key. From the province of Reggio Emilia, Italy, Dr Edoardo Carretto discusses the role of Oxford Immunotec’s T-SPOT.TB test in tackling cases of LTBI to help eradicate TB in the province.
New Publication Reveals MolecuLight Imaging Significantly Improved Detection of Bacterial Burden Across Patients of All Skin Tones
Findings show that MolecuLight is an Objective and Equitable Diagnostic Technology Positioned to Help Level Racial Disparity in Wound Care Outcomes. MolecuLight Inc., the leader in point-of-care fluorescence imaging that locates and detects elevated bacterial loads in and around wounds, announced the publication of “Skin Pigmentation Impacts the Clinical Diagnosis of Wound Infection: Imaging of Bacterial Burden to Overcome Diagnostic Limitations”1 in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
Antibiotic dilemmas amid increased resistance
There are less and less antibiotics in use today and very few drugs on the horizon. This, combined with the negative impact of Covid-19, has increased the need for antibiotic stewardship. The next pandemic could be even worse with secondary bacterial infections. Jean Patel, principal scientific affairs at Beckman Coulter Microbiology, Eric Myers, system pharmacy specialist, infectious diseases at Adventist Health and Navaneeth Narayanan, clinical associate professor, infectious diseases at Rutgers University discuss the most effective antibiotic stewardship practices at their institutions.
Optimising management of viral infections
Over the last three decades, several viral infections have been shown to occur in immunocompromised hosts. A viral load test can optimise the treatment and prevention of infections. Certest Biotec’s new PCR viral load assays can enact this optimisation.
Towards a memorable breakthrough
It’s the seventh leading cause of death in the world and affects 1 in 14 people over the age of 65 – yet there’s no established test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease until symptoms begin to appear. There’s no shortage of research teams trying to get ahead of the curve to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s and some of the results look promising. Lynette Eyb looks at research that could pave the way to a simple blood test for easier and earlier diagnosis, and how that could lead to treatments in the future.
Optimising BSI workflow
Interdepartmental cooperation is key to optimising the BSI workflow. The BD consultants have been working with the nursing, ED and microbiology teams of the Madrid PDHM University hospital with the common ambition of ameliorating patient outcomes.