Posts Tagged ‘antibiotic’

New technologies developed after studying shark skin will soon be appearing at a hospital near you. Scientists at Sharklet Technologies, a Florida-based biotech company, have been studying shark skin for the interesting fact that bacteria just doesn’t seen to stick to it. Under the microscope, it appears that shark skin is composed of diamond-shaped bumps that give it this unique property. Hospital tests using plastic tubing (as used in intravenous lines and catheters) printed with this shark skin pattern showed that microorganisms which can cause potentially serious harm, such as E. coli and Staphylococcus Aureus, were unable to establish colonies large enough to infect humans. The technology is currently pending FDA approval for medical use, but in the interim look out for Sharklet to appear on high-touch surfaces like restroom door handles later this year. [via Popular Science]

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The Science Museum of London has compiled a list of what they consider to be their top ten possessions, three of which have revolutionized the world of medicine. In the museum’s collection rests one of the world’s oldest x-ray machines, the original DNA double helix model created by Watson and Crick in 1953, and the original penicillin mold owned by Alexander Fleming that eventually led to the discovery of the penicillin antibiotic. Can you imagine medicine today without x-rays or antibiotics? Or what it must feel like to not know that DNA is the code to all life on Earth? The museum is currently displaying these items as part of their 100 Anniversary celebration. Visit the museum’s website to vote for your top scientific discovery.

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Turmeric powder has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for its various medicinal properties, including as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic. Because of these purported effects, scientists have been studying the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin. Reporting in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, University of Michigan researchers have discovered that molecules of curcumin can actually insert themselves into the membranes of our cells, thus making the membranes more stable. This may have effects on the way our cells respond to inflammation and infections. For now, the mechanism of action of curcumin, in its entirety, remains a mystery but we are one step closer because of this discovery.

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Antibiotics are one of the most important discoveries of modern medicine. However, indiscriminate usage can lead to the rise of antibiotics-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and VRE. Now, physicians are talking about infections due to the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, which has been steadily rising in the last three decades. Currently, multidrug resistant A. baumannii has been reported to be around 30%. Risk factors for infection with this bacteria include an extended hospitalization, advanced age, serious comorbid conditions, suppressed immune system, major trauma, invasive procedures (including catheters), and mechanical ventilation.

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