Health
New surgical technology can ‘light up’ bacteria in wounds, helping to prevent infections
Up to 5% of people who have surgery can develop an infection — which can prolong healing and lead to dangerous complications, studies have shown.
Additionally, chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients in the U.S.
Some bacteria can’t be seen with the human eye, which means they may be missed by physicians when cleaning a wound.
Now, a new medical technology that uses fluorescent light has shown to be effective in detecting missed bacteria, according to new research led by University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USC).
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In a review of 26 medical studies, a handheld device using autofluorescence (AF) imaging successfully “lit up” bacteria in nine out of 10 wounds, with each different type of bacteria turning a different color, according to a press release from USC.
The findings were published recently in the medical journal Advances in Wound Care.
A new medical technology that uses fluorescent light has shown to be effective in detecting missed bacteria. (iStock)
Real-time detection
In traditional cases, surgeons take tissue samples from wounds and send them to a lab for testing to determine the types of bacteria that are present, the researchers noted.
It can take days to get the results, during which time infection can set in.
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“Bacteria can cause wounds to become infected when they enter and colonize the cut or wound,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, pulmonary and critical care specialist at Huntington Health in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital.
“If a person does not receive treatment for a wound infection, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, which may lead to serious complications.” (Dasgupta was not involved in the new study.)
In a review of 26 medical studies, a handheld device using autofluorescence imaging successfully “lit up” bacteria in nine out of 10 wounds. (iStock)
The lighting technology allows clinicians to see bacteria in real time, leading to more targeted and effective wound care, according to the study researchers.
“Fluorescence imaging, particularly with devices like MolecuLight, offers a significant advancement in the ability to detect bacterial loads in chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers,” lead study author Dr. David G. Armstrong, professor of neurological surgery and director of the USC Limb Preservation Program, told Fox News Digital.
“If a person does not receive treatment for a wound infection, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, which may lead to serious complications.”
It could also help prevent the need for antibiotics, as the bacteria can be removed before infection occurs.
“The study also explores the potential of wearable fluorescence imaging devices, which could further revolutionize surgical debridement by providing continuous visualization during the procedure,” Armstrong added.
The lighting technology allows clinicians to see bacteria in real time, leading to more targeted and effective wound care, according to the study researchers. (iStock)
One of the most surprising discoveries in the study was that high amounts of bacteria didn’t always cause symptoms, but still slowed down the healing process, the researchers stated.
This highlighted the need for “more sophisticated diagnostic tools” in wound management.
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“The big idea here is that we might be able to get out in front of an infection before having to give someone antibiotics,” said Armstrong. “This is the ultimate kind of stewardship to promote superbugs.”
Based on this study, Armstrong recommends that clinicians consider integrating fluorescence imaging into their standard wound care protocols, especially for chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers.
“The big idea here is that we might be able to get out in front of an infection before having to give someone antibiotics.”
“This technology not only improves the accuracy of debridement, but also aids in early intervention, potentially reducing the risk of complications like infections and amputations,” he told Fox News Digital.
“We also recommend that health care providers stay informed about advancements in wearable imaging technologies, which may soon provide even greater flexibility and precision in wound care.”
Fluorescence may not replace lab testing, surgeon says
Dr. Patrick Davis, a facial plastic surgeon at Davis Facial Plastics in Beverly Hills, California, emphasized the importance of preventing bacterial infections — especially for revision rhinoplasties, which he said have a higher risk of this type of complication.
“This technology not only improves the accuracy of debridement, but also aids in early intervention, potentially reducing the risk of complications like infections and amputations,” a researcher said. (iStock)
“There has been modest research with the use of fluorescence to illuminate a particular wound bed,” Davis, who was not involved in the new study, told Fox News Digital.
“The idea is that certain bacteria will emit a certain wavelength of light. Staph infections, for example, would emit a different color than another type of bacteria.”
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This can be helpful in confirming what kind of antibiotic to use for treatment, Davis noted, while also telling the surgeon the “burden of bacteria,” which indicates the level of bacteria in the wound.
The use of this technology still needs more research, according to the surgeon.
The technology could help prevent the need for antibiotics, as the bacteria can be removed before infection occurs. (iStock)
“At this time, this technology would not replace a simple swab of the area and then a laboratory test determining exactly what type of bacteria is present and what antibiotic to use,” he said.
“However, this technology can give a real-time hint at the family of bacteria that is present, although it may not be so specific — that is still reserved for a laboratory to determine.”
Dasgupta agreed that this device could be a “safe, effective, accurate and easy-to-use tool” to improve the assessment of wounds, but he noted that fluorescent light imaging has some limitations when used to detect bacterial infections.
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“The evaluation is limited to bacteria that produce fluorescent molecules on the skin’s surface and subsurface,” Dasgupta told Fox News Digital.
“The detection ability is also dependent on the number of bacteria present in the wound,” he went on. “Also, wound depth cannot be captured with this type of evaluation.”
Study limitations
The primary limitation of this study is that it depended on “controlled lighting conditions” in order for the fluorescence imaging devices to function accurately, Armstrong noted.
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“This could be a challenge in certain clinical settings, particularly in real-time surgical environments,” he said.
Chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients in the U.S.
More research is also needed to confirm the effectiveness of wearable devices compared to the existing handheld devices.
The study is partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Science Foundation’s Center to Stream Healthcare in Place.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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