What would it be like to have clothing that killed microbes? Or paper that repelled pathogens? A research team from Rutgers University has developed a prototype out of metalized paper to zap the bad guys without being super expensive. Sound good? Read on.
Tell the truth. The bat picture creeps you out. You are not alone. But in reality, bats truly are some of our best friends. They gobble thousands of disease-spreading bugs a night. But they also carry viruses that can be deadly to humans. So, bats — friend or foe?
The office of your physician, or your local hospital, is where you go when you need medical care. But it could also be where you could pick up a life-threatening infection.
Some studies have shown that vitamin D supplements help fight respiratory infections, but some haven't. A new study published in The BMJ clarified the confusion, and identified a group of people that might be better able to fight off colds and flu with vitamin D supplements.
The bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae is a bad actor known for being antibiotic-resistant and causing a variety of serious infections in hospitals, including pneumonia, surgical site wounds, and meningitis. K. pneumoniae is something you do not want to encounter if you have a compromised immune system.
Have you ever had a burning sensation when you urinate? Low fever, back pain, and maybe cloudy urine? Male or female, it could have been a urinary tract infection. If it lasted long enough, the chances are good you went to the doctor for help. For about 20% of women, standard testing for a UTI does not reveal the presence of infection-causing bacteria, even though bacteria may be causing their symptoms. Well, a new test may provide better answers.
All fields of study have their own language. For people interested in learning about microbes, the language can sometimes be downright difficult — but it doesn't need to be. From antibiotics to xerophiles, we have you covered in an easy-to-understand glossary.
Like humans, cats can suffer infections caused by ticks, and too often, the disease is fatal. Learn about tickborne diseases that affect cats and what you can do to protect Fluffy from an untimely demise.
By looking for the mechanism that allows influenza A to invade lung cells, scientists also discovered a treatment that might block the virus from taking hold there.
Joe McKenna died when he was 30 years old. A young married man with his future ahead of him, he was cleaning up the station where he worked as a fireman. Struck by a piece of equipment fallen from a shelf, Joe complained of a sore shoulder. Over the next week, Joe worsened and ended up in the hospital. Chilled, feverish, and delirious, his organs shut down from an infection we'd now call septic shock.
You've worked hard to get your garden in shape— the tilling, the planting, the watering, so when pests and weeds threaten your garden, you'll want to take action. But if you don't want to use chemicals, there are effective organic alternatives. Lowe's has the advice you need for keeping those unwanted enemies out.
In order to grow Rhododendrens in a greenhouse, you will need the following: climate control, timers, misters, and thermostats.
If you live with pets, you know where their tongue has been, yet you let them kiss and lick you all they want without even thinking twice about it. I've heard people say that a dog's mouth is very clean, and that their saliva, delivered by licking, can help heal wounds, but is that really true?
Nick Spadaro shows how to make a fire with a fire piston. This device creates fire by compression, just like a deisel engine. You can find these online. Lubricate the gasket with just about anything, including chapstick or animal fat. Then put it in and make sure you have a nice fit. Pick your tender, preferably birch tender fungus, a nice spongy material. Put it in the piston, and put the piston on your leg. Your going to want to strike the piston sharply, straight down, so as not to break t...
This video is a tutorial on how to water your lawn in an environmentally friendly way. He begins by stating that watering your lawn in the middle of the day is the wrong time. The sun is at its highest and the lawn is already scorched. The water you are spraying around does not get absorbed into the soil, it evaporates. The best time to water your lawn is at night because you create a fungus over the soil that protects it from be sun. You can put a water timer on your hose to prevent over-wat...
Stop a bladder or urinary tract infection in its tracks by learning what to look for and how to prevent it from getting worse.
There is a reason the Amanita phalloides mushroom is called the "Death Cap." It can kill you. Mushrooms are a type of fungi, an organism that produces thread-like mycelia that often produce spores. Spores allow the fungi to reproduce. Molds, lichens, and yeast are all fungi, but the most visible fungi are mushrooms. Some fungi are delicious, but others can cause disease or, and still others, like Penicillium, can cure it.
Bioluminescence — the ability of an organism to produce and emit light — is nature's light show. Plants, insects, fish, and bacteria do it, and scientists understand how. Until now, though, we didn't know how fungi glow.
In the mid-80s, the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, and it not only revitalized, but also revolutionized the video game industry. With games such as Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, the NES went on to become the best-selling gaming console of its time. Even though the console is several decades old, it is immortalized in the world of gaming and will forever be known as the standard for gaming consoles. As if that isn't enough, Instructables user fungus amungus has ...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, otherwise known as MRSA, is a bacterial staph
More prescriptions for antibiotics are written for ear infections than any other type of infection. A new study comparing the incidence and causes of ear infections in children between the ages of six months and three years found that the incidence of ear infections over the last decade has dropped significantly since the 1980s.
For once there is good news — surprising news, but good news — in the fight against antibiotic-resistant organisms. A recent study found that Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is becoming more sensitive to some key drugs used to treat it.
On October 17, 1943, a story in the New York Herald Tribune read "Many laymen — husbands, wives, parents, brothers, sisters, friends — beg Dr. Keefer for penicillin," according to the American Chemical Society. Dr. Chester Keefer of Boston was responsible for rationing the new miracle drug, penicillin.
A new study confirms that antibiotics can prevent surgical intervention if your child's appendix becomes inflamed, potentially saving his or her life.
More and more, young athletes are developing staph infections. It's a serious topic and every coach or parent should know the basics of staph infections and preventative methods to make sure young athletes stay safe and healthy. Staph infection is MRSA — Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a staph bacteria that, overtime, has developed resistance to antibiotics like penicillins (methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin) and cephalosporins. Learn more about staph infectio...
Antibiotics are one of our main weapons against infections. The problem is that many bacteria are becoming resistant to most of the antibiotics we use to treat them, and those 'superbugs' have created an urgent threat to our global health. A research group found a new way to hit a well known bacterial target and have developed a drug to hit it.
Staphylococcus aureus is a widespread bacteria — about a third of us have it on our body right now — usually in our nose or on our skin. And it probably isn't causing an infection. But, about 1% of people who have Staphylococcus aureus present have a type that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin.
Despite longer live spans, almost half a million people die of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) each year, many of them preventable.
Having a Clostridium difficile infection means stomach pains, diarrhea, fever, and loss of appetite, and if the symptoms weren't bad enough, the disease often reoccurs. Now, new research has found an increased risk of recurrence in people who take medication to treat their stomach acid, gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer disease, or stomach discomfort.
Learn how to start seeds for planting. Start your own seeds to save money, grow different plant varieties, and extend your growing season.
Antibiotic-resistant infections that usually occur only in hospital settings are spreading in communities, increasing hospital stays—and danger—for young children.
This video illustrate us how to deal with broken tree branches and problems with grapes. Here are the following steps:Step 1: First of all clean the broken branch with water.Step 2; Now apply some tree primer or tree paint on the exposed area for quick healing and to prevent any infection.Step 3: To deal with problems in grapes first of all look for any infection on the leaf, stalk or the fruit.Step 4: If in case there is some infection ,identify the problem and sprinkle the pesticide for tha...
Infections with group A streptococcus, like Streptococcus pyogenes, claim over a half million lives a year globally, with about 163,000 due to invasive strep infections, like flesh-eating necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
Wound infections don't usually enter the blood and become systemic, spreading the infection throughout our bodies, and there's a good reason for that: Our bodies actively work to prevent it, according to research that discovered a new use for a protein first discovered decades ago.
It's not the bacteria itself that takes lives and limbs during invasive flesh-eating bacteria infections. It's the toxins secreted by the group A Streptococcus bacteria invading the body that causes the most damage.
The culprit probably wasn't what doctors were expecting when a 57-year-old man in Hong Kong came to the hospital. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition. A clue to the cause of the infection would lie in the man's profession—he was a butcher.
Antibiotic use in infants has been associated with a host of childhood conditions later in life. Yet when an infection is suspected in a newborn, usually a sample of their blood is drawn to check for the presence of bacteria and 5 to 8 percent of them receive antibiotics while the diagnosis is pending.
Maternal infection with genital herpes, or other pathogens, during early pregnancy could increase risk of autism, or other neurodevelopmental disorders, says a new study.
In this video, we learn how to pierce your own lip and avoid infection. First, mark the spot on your lip where you want to pierce it and then check it in the mirror. After this, grab your needle and clean it off with antiseptic or mouth wash that has alcohol in it. Push the needle all the way through the spot on your lip and then place the jewelry into your lip. Once finished, you will need to rinse your mouth out with mouth wash that has alcohol in it. Make sure to clean this regularly so yo...
Suspect that your bundle of joy is suffering from an ear infection? This video guide from Health Guru will teach you everything you'll need to know. For all of the details, watch this video guide for new parents.
