You log on to your favorite social media account for a quick update on what’s going on. With each post that you like, you tell yourself that you’re only going to check out a few more and commit to signing off for the night in a bit. Then, out of nowhere, a tragic news headline […]
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Coronavirus: Disinfecting with UVC lamps may not be effective and potentially harmful, FDA says
Fox News Flash top headlines for August 21 During the coronavirus pandemic, some are turning to ultraviolet light to disinfect objects, but how safe are they? And are they effective at fighting the coronavirus? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned about the use of these lights during this pandemic in a statement this week. “UVC […]
Newborn immune system detects harmful skin bacteria
The immune system must learn from early in life to tolerate bacteria that normally populate healthy skin, while still defending against more dangerous “bugs,” but how immune cells make this distinction has long been a mystery. In a study of young mice, UC San Francisco scientists found that an early-life window of immune tolerance available […]
Use of antibiotics in preemies has lasting, potentially harmful effects
Nearly all premature babies receive antibiotics in their first weeks of life to ward off or treat potentially deadly bacterial infections. Such drugs are lifesavers, but they also cause long-lasting collateral damage to the developing microbial communities in the babies’ intestinal tracts, according to research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A […]
A dust-up: Microbes interact with harmful chemicals in dust
The dust that settles throughout our homes and offices almost always contains bits of chemicals that can cause problems for the human endocrine system, scientists say. But a new study indicates that the microbes we track into buildings—the microscopic bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive on our skin and outdoors—can help break those chemicals down. […]
Sinks by Toilets in ICU Patient Rooms Harbor Harmful Bacteria
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13, 2019 — Sinks next to toilets in hospital patient rooms may be reservoirs for Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase (KPC), according to a brief report published in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control. Blake W. Buchan, Ph.D., from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and colleagues collected specimens with […]
Mercury in traditional Tibetan medicine could be harmful
(HealthDay)—The high mercury (Hg) concentration contained in traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) could be harmful to humans and contribute to the environmental Hg burden in Tibet, according to a study published in the Aug. 7 issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Maodian Liu, Ph.D., from Peking University in China, and colleagues investigated elevated concentrations of total […]