Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/288551029?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, March 4, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Strains of antibiotic-resistant 'Staph' bacteria show seasonal preference; children at higher risk in summer
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Public release date: 28-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Mark Guidera
mguider1@jhmi.edu
410-502-9405
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Strains of potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria show seasonal infection preferences, putting children at greater risk in summer and seniors at greater risk in winter, according to results of a new nationwide study led by a Johns Hopkins researcher.
It's unclear why these seasonal and age preferences for infection with methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) occur, says Eili Klein, Ph.D., lead author on the study and a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Advanced Modeling in the Social, Behavioral and Health Sciences.
But he says that increased use of antibiotics in the winter may be one of the reasons. The winter strain that infects seniors at a greater rate is generally acquired in the hospital and resistant to more antibiotics. On the other hand, the summer strain of MRSA, which is seen with growing frequency in children, is largely a community-transmitted strain that is resistant to fewer antibiotics.
"Overprescribing antibiotics is not harmless," Klein notes. "Inappropriate use of these drugs to treat influenza and other respiratory infections is driving resistance throughout the community, increasing the probability that children will contract untreatable infections."
In fact, the study found that while MRSA strains exhibit a seasonal pattern, overall MRSA infections have not decreased over the last five years, despite efforts to control their spread.
A report on the study, which used sophisticated statistical models to analyze national data for 2005-2009, appears today in the online issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
As the researchers report, hospitalizations from infections tied to MRSA doubled in the United States between 1999 and 2005. The ballooning infection numbers were propelled by MRSA acquired in community settings, not hospital or other health care settings, as had been the case prior to 1999.
Specifically, the study found that a strain of MRSA typically seen in community settings is more likely to cause infection during the summer months, peaking around July/August. The authors' data analysis showed children were most at risk of becoming infected with this strain, typically from a skin or soft tissue wound or ailment.
In fact, in examining data for one year 2008 the research team found that 74 percent of those under the age of 20 who developed an infection with MRSA had a community-associated MRSA infection.
Meanwhile, the health care-associated MRSA strain, which is typically seen in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings, was found to be most prevalent in the winter months, peaking in February/March. Patients aged 65 or older are more likely to acquire a MRSA infection from this strain.
"Our analysis ... shows significant seasonality of MRSA infections and the rate at which they affect different age groups," write the authors of the report titled "The changing epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the United States: A national observational study."
Klein said additional research on seasonal patterns of MRSA infections and drug resistance may help with developing new treatment guidelines, prescription practices and infection control programs.
###
Other authors on the paper include Ramanan Laxminarayan of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington, D.C., and David L. Smith of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Read the abstract: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/02/28/aje.kws273.abstract
Media Inquiries:
Mark Guidera
mguider1@jhmi.edu
443-898-2320
Helen Jones
hjones49@jhmi.edu
410-502-4922
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 28-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Mark Guidera
mguider1@jhmi.edu
410-502-9405
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Strains of potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria show seasonal infection preferences, putting children at greater risk in summer and seniors at greater risk in winter, according to results of a new nationwide study led by a Johns Hopkins researcher.
It's unclear why these seasonal and age preferences for infection with methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) occur, says Eili Klein, Ph.D., lead author on the study and a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Advanced Modeling in the Social, Behavioral and Health Sciences.
But he says that increased use of antibiotics in the winter may be one of the reasons. The winter strain that infects seniors at a greater rate is generally acquired in the hospital and resistant to more antibiotics. On the other hand, the summer strain of MRSA, which is seen with growing frequency in children, is largely a community-transmitted strain that is resistant to fewer antibiotics.
"Overprescribing antibiotics is not harmless," Klein notes. "Inappropriate use of these drugs to treat influenza and other respiratory infections is driving resistance throughout the community, increasing the probability that children will contract untreatable infections."
In fact, the study found that while MRSA strains exhibit a seasonal pattern, overall MRSA infections have not decreased over the last five years, despite efforts to control their spread.
A report on the study, which used sophisticated statistical models to analyze national data for 2005-2009, appears today in the online issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
As the researchers report, hospitalizations from infections tied to MRSA doubled in the United States between 1999 and 2005. The ballooning infection numbers were propelled by MRSA acquired in community settings, not hospital or other health care settings, as had been the case prior to 1999.
Specifically, the study found that a strain of MRSA typically seen in community settings is more likely to cause infection during the summer months, peaking around July/August. The authors' data analysis showed children were most at risk of becoming infected with this strain, typically from a skin or soft tissue wound or ailment.
In fact, in examining data for one year 2008 the research team found that 74 percent of those under the age of 20 who developed an infection with MRSA had a community-associated MRSA infection.
Meanwhile, the health care-associated MRSA strain, which is typically seen in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings, was found to be most prevalent in the winter months, peaking in February/March. Patients aged 65 or older are more likely to acquire a MRSA infection from this strain.
"Our analysis ... shows significant seasonality of MRSA infections and the rate at which they affect different age groups," write the authors of the report titled "The changing epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the United States: A national observational study."
Klein said additional research on seasonal patterns of MRSA infections and drug resistance may help with developing new treatment guidelines, prescription practices and infection control programs.
###
Other authors on the paper include Ramanan Laxminarayan of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington, D.C., and David L. Smith of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Read the abstract: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/02/28/aje.kws273.abstract
Media Inquiries:
Mark Guidera
mguider1@jhmi.edu
443-898-2320
Helen Jones
hjones49@jhmi.edu
410-502-4922
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/jhm-soa022713.php
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
WBB: No. 11 Cornell to play for NCAA tourney bid
NO. 11 CORNELL 73, CARROLL 52
Eleventh-ranked Cornell opened its quest for a Midwest Conference basketball championship and an NCAA tournament berth with a 73-52 victory over Carroll Friday night in women?s basketball at Small Multi-Sport Center.
The Rams, who improved to 23-1 overall, play Monmouth at 3 p.m. Saturday on their home court with that NCAA tourney berth on the line. Monmouth (20-4), which defeated St. Norbert Friday night, 66-48, handed Cornell its only loss of the season, 47-44, last month at De Pere, Wis.
Chelsea Harris led Cornell scorers last night with 16 points. Camille Marie added 14 and Taylor Dicus 13.
Cornell, which led 41-22 at halftime, held Carroll to 24.3-percent shooting.
The Rams, who are in their first season back in the Midwest Conference, have never played in an NCAA tournament.
MOUNT MERCY 76, VITERBO 53
Fourth-seeded Mount Mercy won its Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament quarterfinal at home in Cedar Rapids and advanced to play top-seeded Grand View in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Sunday in Des Moines.
The Mustangs (9-20) got a 24-point performance from Amanda Frost on 9 of 14 shooting from the field and 6 of 6 from the foul line. Brooke Quigley added 19 points, Paige Last 12.
Source: http://thegazette.com/2013/02/22/wbb-no-11-cornell-to-play-for-ncaa-tourney-bid/
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Monday, February 18, 2013
Rand Paul: Some Republicans Want Illegals 'Sent Back to Mexico'
Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 18:27 PM
Republican opponents of former Sen. Chuck Hagel's stalled bid to become defense secretary said Sunday that they'll proba?.?.?.
Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 16:04 PM
Lawmakers complained on Sunday that President Barack Obama had failed to protect Iranian dissidents from persecution by ?.?.?.
Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 15:21 PM
His arms outstretched in a symbolic embrace, Pope Benedict XVI blessed tens of thousands of cheering people on Sunday in?.?.?.
Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-Paul-Immigration/2013/02/17/id/490742
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Sunday, February 17, 2013
'Bionic proteins': Nano-machines recreate protein activities
Feb. 15, 2013 ? Physicists of the University of Vienna together with researchers from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna developed nano-machines which recreate principal activities of proteins. They present the first versatile and modular example of a fully artificial protein-mimetic model system, thanks to the Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC), a high performance computing infrastructure. These "bionic proteins" could play an important role in innovating pharmaceutical research.
Proteins are the fundamental building blocks of all living organism we currently know. Because of the large number and complexity of bio-molecular processes they are capable of, proteins are often referred to as "molecular machines." Take for instance the proteins in your muscles: At each contraction stimulated by the brain, an uncountable number of proteins change their structures to create the collective motion of the contraction. This extraordinary process is performed by molecules which have a size of only about a nanometer, a billionth of a meter.
Muscle contraction is just one of the numerous activities of proteins: There are proteins that transport cargo in the cells, proteins that construct other proteins, there are even cages in which proteins that "mis-behave" can be trapped for correction, and the list goes on and on. "Imitating these astonishing bio-mechanical properties of proteins and transferring them to a fully artificial system is our long term objective," says Ivan Coluzza from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Vienna, who works on this project together with colleagues of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna.
Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC)
In a recent paper in Physical Review Letters, the team presented the first example of a fully artificial bio-mimetic model system capable of spontaneously self-knotting into a target structure. Using computer simulations, they reverse engineered proteins by focusing on the key elements that give them the ability to execute the program written in the genetic code. The computationally very intensive simulations have been made possible by access to the powerful Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC), a high performance computing infrastructure operated jointly by the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna.
Artificial proteins in the laboratory
The team now works on realizing such artificial proteins in the laboratory using specially functionalized nanoparticles. The particles will then be connected into chains following the sequence determined by the computer simulations, such that the artificial proteins fold into the desired shapes. Such knotted nanostructures could be used as new stable drug delivery vehicles and as enzyme-like, but more stable, catalysts.
This project was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) within the SFB "Vienna Computational Materials Laboratory" (ViCoM).
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Vienna.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Ivan Coluzza, Peter D. J. van Oostrum, Barbara Capone, Erik Reimhult, Christoph Dellago. Sequence Controlled Self-Knotting Colloidal Patchy Polymers. Physical Review Letters, 2013; 110 (7) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.075501
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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White House: Leaked immigration bill draft is plan B
Leaked draft legislation reportedly authored by the White House would be used as a backup proposal should negotiations fail in Congress over comprehensive immigration reform, administration officials said today.
White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough was asked about the USA Todaystory on political talk shows this morning. On ABC's "This Week," McDonough told Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl lawmakers would have to "make sure that it doesn't have to be proposed."
"Let's make sure that that group up there, the ' Gang of Eight,' makes the good progress on these efforts as much as they say they want to," McDonough said, referring to efforts of the Senate's bi-partisan working group.
The president has previously stated that his administration would be prepared to offer their own bill should Congress fail to reach consensus. Some details of the draft, which has not been finalized or released to Congress, match previous White House proposals including a 2011 immigration blueprint.
Also appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," host David Gregory asked him whether the draft signaled President Obama would drive any potential reform, over ongoing bipartisan work on Capitol Hill.
"The fact of this report, David, I think all it says to me is that we're doing exactly what we said we'd do," McDonough replied. "Which is that we'll be prepared, in the event that the bipartisan talks going on on the Hill - which by the way we are very aggressively supporting - if those do not work then we'll have an option that we are ready to put out there, as the president said in Las Vegas."
The newspaper says it obtained the unfinished bill from an anonymous administration official, one not authorized to disclose the information.
Analysis: Leaked immigration proposal puts pressure on Senate.
Among its particulars, if passed, would be the creation of a "Lawful Prospective Immigrant" status, that could be applied for by the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented residents. The new visa would allow its holders to legally live and work in the United States, as well as leave the country for short periods of time. After eight years visa holders who passed the program would be allowed to apply for full citizenship.
Earlier this month Democratic Gang of Eight members Sen. Richard Durbin and Sen Bob Menendez indicated the group was weighing similar a proposal that would extend the wait to 10 years. But Saturday a leading Republican in the group, Sen. Marco Rubio, immediately lambasted the White House version as "dead on arrival" in Congress.
"This legislation is half baked and seriously flawed," he said in a statement last night. "It would actually make our immigration problems worse. If actually proposed, the president's bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come."
Rubio said Republicans had not been consulted regarding the hypothetical legislation. On ABC, McDonough denied the claim.
"We've been working with all the members up there [of the Gang of Eight.] We have our staff working this very aggressively with their staffs and with the members, and we're working this very aggressively, as you think we would with such a high priority for the country," he said.
USA Today's article states that immigrants who seek citizenship under the White House draft would first have to submit to biometric screening, pass a criminal background check, and pay fees for the visa. Successful bids could still be disqualified for crimes, including those that would equal one year in prison, or three separate 90-day sentences.
Also included in the document are undisclosed increases to the Border Patrol, expansion of Homeland Security technologies along the border, and the hiring of an additional 140 judges to handle immigration violations.
As of press time White House officials have refused to comment directly on the specifics of the report. On NBC another Republican on the Gang of Eight, Sen. John McCain, suggested the leak might have been planned as a bargaining position.
"I believe we are making progress on a bipartisan basis. I believe we can come up with a product," McCain said. "Leaks don't happen in Washington on accident. This raises the question many of us continue to worry about. Does the president want a result? Or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so that he can get political advantage in the next election?"
ABC-Univision's Jordan Fabian contributed to this report.
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Saturday, February 9, 2013
95% Chasing Ice
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (3)
Global Warming? "Seeing is believing."
The most important documentary of the year.
"Chasing Ice" is a grand adventure, a visual amazement and a powerful warning.
If you're looking for eye-popping evidence that the world's glaciers are melting, don't miss the small-scale but spectacular documentary, Chasing Ice.
The rapid disappearance of ice mountains, filmed over a period of years, is compressed through time-lapse technology into minutes and seconds. The speeded-up effect is harrowing and also, disturbingly, eerily beautiful.
The movie might have given us a bit less of Balog and a bit more of the startling sequences he produced.
While visually and emotionally stunning, "Chasing Ice" raises almost as many questions as it answers.
Chasing Ice will open your eyes to a world you've never seen before and it will make you think. But whether any of us can change anything is a different matter altogether.
While skeptics continue to doubt global warming is a man-made phenomenon - Rush Limbaugh called warnings about it "garbage science" - "Chasing Ice" leaves little doubt it is occurring.
It's an absorbing and vital watch.
It's like watching our world disappear.
A few scientists pop their heads in here, a few charts are deployed, but Chasing Ice is powered primarily by the imagery, stark, irrefutable evidence that the planet is warming, not in one or two isolated places but everywhere.
"Chasing Ice" is a beautiful film to watch, especially on the big screen. But the documentary's visual pleasures come with a heavy dose of guilt.
It's sobering stuff but the film's impact is somewhat diminished by Orlowski's reverential profile of Balog, who continues to crusade despite the toll his endeavours have taken on his body.
The documentary feels a little slight but the images speak for themselves ...
Is this about the hazards of global warming or the awesomeness of James Balog? Not entirely sure...
If any film can convert the climate-change sceptics, Chasing Ice would be it: here, seeing really is believing.
While more detailed scientific analysis and greater discussion of impacts would have been welcome, the film's visual rhetoric is solid.
National Geographic photographer James Balog illustrates climate change with time-lapsed records of glacial retreat.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chasing_ice_2012/
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