Antibiotics are being overused in up to 50 percent of patients who undergo routine urological procedures, a new study shows. The study, led by Daniel Livorsi, MD, University of Iowa assistant professor of internal medicine, shows that the overuse was mostly due to extended use of antibiotics following the procedure. The findings were published Dec.… Continue reading Antibiotics Are Commonly Over-Prescribed for Urological Procedures
Tag: antibiotic
New Antibiotic Packs a Punch Against Bacterial Resistance
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, CA have given new superpowers to a lifesaving antibiotic called vancomycin, an advance that could eliminate the threat of antibiotic-resistant infections for years to come. The researchers, led by Dale Boger, co-chair of TSRI’s Department of Chemistry, discovered a way to structurally modify vancomycin to… Continue reading New Antibiotic Packs a Punch Against Bacterial Resistance
Fighting The “Nightmare Bacteria”
New research could help experts fight the so-called “nightmare bacteria” as well as other superbugs. Scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School say they have discovered more about the risk we face from one of our most dangerous microscopic foes, Klebsiella pneumoniae. They made the discovery in mice with pneumonia. K. pneumoniae has already… Continue reading Fighting The “Nightmare Bacteria”
Get Set for A Healthy Winter
Although contagious viruses are active year-round, we’re most vulnerable to them in fall and winter. That’s because, in large part, we spend more time indoors with other people when the weather gets cold. Fortunately, you can fight back with several FDA-approved medicines and vaccines. Colds and Flu Most respiratory bugs come and go within a… Continue reading Get Set for A Healthy Winter
Environment A Factor in Antibiotic Resistance?
Since the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, health officials have warned people about the dangers of overusing antibiotics. Now, though, research shows that that there may be another reason for antibiotic resistance: environmental contamination. The University of Georgia’s J. Vaun McArthur , a senior research ecologist with the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Odum School of… Continue reading Environment A Factor in Antibiotic Resistance?
A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Researchers have discovered that a new class of antimicrobials may help in the fight against the drug-resistant MRSA superbug. The Georgia State University study showed that small molecule analogs that target the functions of SecA, a central part of the general bacterial secretion system required for viability and virulence, have potent antimicrobial activities. Their findings… Continue reading A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Progress in The Battle Against Superbugs?
Infections stemming from one of the most troublesome and least understood “superbugs” are increasing at alarming rates, particularly in health-care settings, a new study says. But researchers from Washington University, in St. Louis, say it may be possible to rein in the spread of such infections without needing to develop new antibiotics. So-called “superbugs” are… Continue reading Progress in The Battle Against Superbugs?
Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients
The combination of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, frequently prescribed for urinary tract infections, with the diuretic spironolactone, widely used for heart failure, more than doubles the risk of death for older patients, reports a study published in February 2015 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). A release from CMAJ notes that more than 20 million prescriptions… Continue reading Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients
A New Antibiotic Could Conquer Superbugs
A newly discovered antibiotic eliminates pathogens without meeting any resistance – and the discovery could pave the way for treating highly resistant infections caused by tuberculosis and MRSA. The discovery, by researchers from Northeastern University, was published in the journal Nature. The antibiotic, called teixobactin, is the first for which there have been no identifiable… Continue reading A New Antibiotic Could Conquer Superbugs
A New Discovery About a Wonder Drug
Researchers have discovered a new way in which the wonder drug penicillin fights infections. Penicillin, discovered in 1928, works by attacking enzymes that build the bacterial wall cell. Once the medicine gets through that wall, the bacteria die. Over the years, though, resistance to antibiotics has developed and is now a serious health threat. But… Continue reading A New Discovery About a Wonder Drug