Look, Ma! No pneumococcus!

Pneumococcal diseases, caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, include pneumonia and otitis media, which accounts for some 12 million doctor visits per year in the United States alone. Each year around the world, pneumococcus causes 1.2 million deaths due to pneumonia, 39% of which are in children under the age of five. In a three-year Phase III clinical trial involving 38,000 children, in which half of the infants received a new pneumococcal vaccine and half received a placebo vaccine, the new vaccine demonstrated an efficacy rate of 100% against bacterial meningitis and bacteremia, the two most deadly pneumococcal afflictions

Smelling in color: a rainbow of possibilities.

A sensor that detects dangerous odors better than the human nose may be able to "smell" dangerous air pollutants, soil contaminants, insecticides, food pathogens, biological warfare neurotoxins, and body odors associated with illness and disease. Called "smell-seeing" by its inventors, the method relies on color changes that occur in an array of vapor-sensitive dyes in response to exposure. By measuring the color change pattern, the researchers can identify a contaminant both qualitatively and quantitatively. This newest version of an artificial nose is simple, fast, and inexpensive. It can also eliminate the subjectivity associated with the human sense of smell and the perception of odors