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Selenium is an inexpensive element that naturally belongs in the body. It is also known to combat bacteria. Still, it had not been tried as an antibiotic coating on a medical device material. In a new study, Brown University engineers report that when they used selenium nanoparticles to coat polycarbonate, the material of catheters and endotracheal tubes, the results were significant reductions in cultured populations of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, sometimes by as much as 90 percent.

In today's ever-changing healthcare environment, patients demand more advanced procedures and equipment that take the pain and recovery time out of surgery. While they seek these advancements, they have forget how complicated it is to clean, inspect and test this advanced equipment. However, navigating a path through our consumer marketplace, we cannot go for a drive without seeing billboards advertising the latest and greatest robotic 3D surgery. The consumer demand for more advanced surgery has transitioned into an expectation.

Each year, approximately 5 percent to 20 percent of Americans get infected with the influenza virus. With more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year for flu-related complications, it is a wonder that less than 50 percent of eligible citizens take preventive action by getting a flu shot (CDC, 2011b). Vaccination rates have been shown to vary greatly between age groups and demographics, but one particularly interesting cohort to examine is that of healthcare workers.