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New Online 3-D Tool Seeks Possible Targets to Disable Ebola Virus

Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers have developed a free, browser-based online tool that could speed up the creation of new drugs to treat or prevent Ebola virus infections. The software, called MuPIT Ebola Edition, enables a researcher to visualize Ebola gene mutations in the context of three-dimensional protein structures. It also offers views of antibody binding sites called epitopes that are situated on protein surfaces. These sites may give researchers new targets for preventive vaccines and serums to treat those who are already infected. MuPIT is short for Mutation Position Imaging Toolkit.

Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection in the Long-Term Care Facility

Proper and rigorous environmental cleaning in the long-term care facility (LTCF) can reap multiple benefits – it can help prevent infections, but it also can help ensure fewer environmental deficiencies during state and federal inspections and improve CMS ratings which helps make the facility a provider of choice. This Pulse summarizes cleaning and disinfection best practices in long-term care facilities.

WHO Director-General Visits Mali to Bolster UN Response to the Ebola Outbreak

Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) visited an Ebola treatment center in Bamako, Mali. She met with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Prime Minister Moussa Mara, and other government leaders to discuss Mali’s ongoing Ebola outbreak response and ways United Nations organizations could enhance their support. The visit occurred as the government announced a new case of Ebola and said two more suspected patients were being tested.

Archaea May Be an Untapped Source of Antibacterial Drugs

One of the most mysterious forms of life may turn out to be a rich and untapped source of antibacterial drugs. The mysterious life form is Archaea, a family of single-celled organisms that thrive in environments like boiling hydrothermal pools and smoking deep sea vents which are too extreme for most other species to survive.