Bacteria

Teens as Problem Solvers, the youth leadership project of the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County, will receive a $1,000 award to launch a service-learning project for Global Youth Service Day next weekend. TAPS is one of 100 Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award winners chosen by Youth Service America and funded by the State Farm Companies Foundation. TAPS members and other volunteers will assemble and install three rain barrels at the Chesapeake Children's Museum, 25 Silopanna Road in Annapolis, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

WASHINGTON -- The federal government isn't doing enough to protect patients from getting infected at hospitals, endangering tens of thousands of lives and costing billions of dollars, congressional researchers reported yesterday. The government has not established sufficient standards for hospitals to follow or prodded hospitals to follow those standards to reduce infections, the Government Accountability Office reported. Private groups representing doctors and hospitals demand more from hospitals, including simple steps like requiring doctors and nurses to wash their hands.

A species of bacteria discovered 22 years ago as it gobbled marsh grass along the Chesapeake Bay has become the secret weapon in a Maryland startup's bid to produce ethanol fuels from waste paper. Dubbed Saccharophagus degradans, for "sugar eater," the bacterium produces at least 70 different enzymes to digest the hard cellulose in plant matter and turn it into simple sugars. Add a little yeast, and those sugars ferment to make ethanol, a biofuel that the federal government hopes will reduce the United States' dependence on petroleum imports and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

OK, so you're hungry and rooting around in the fridge, or maybe the pantry, and find something. You think you've stumbled upon it - What's this? Chocolate? Yes! - when it dawns on you: You can't remember buying the bar. Or when you first opened it. What now? Should you eat it or toss it? What if it's milk? Or medication? How long will that stuff keep, and what's at stake after you pass that point? For many things, your budget and personal preference can dictate how often you replace them, but for others, it's a safety issue.

An increasing number of studies indicate that periodontal health - that of the gums and the bones and ligaments that support the teeth - is related to the body's overall well- being, including cardiovascular health. Some studies also have shown a relationship between a pregnant woman's periodontal health and premature birth. Although no one is claiming that there is a causal relationship between poor periodontal health and other systemic diseases, there is a great deal of research aimed at further defining these associations, says Harlan Shiau, assistant professor of periodontics at the University of Maryland Dental School.

Abusing antibiotics breeds bad bacteria The steps the editorial "Being sensible about staph" (Oct. 19) outlines for controlling methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusbacterial infections will probably be ineffective. Staph bacteria are a constant inhabitant of normal skin and are everywhere in the environment around us - they can't be easily washed away. The Sun's two recent articles on staph infections overlooked the underlying causes of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics ("Battling the bug," Oct. 18, and "Deadly staph infection spreads," Oct. 17)

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are far more widespread than scientists previously thought and might be killing more than 19,000 people a year in the United States, according to a study published today. Of the nine sites that researchers examined, Baltimore had the highest rate of infection by invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA. But health officials said the city was more urbanized than the other sites, which could account for much of the difference.

About 70 million Americans have problems sleeping, according to the National Institutes of Health. Maybe that's why the bedding industry has become big business. Mattress makers are devising all sorts of beds with the latest technology to help us get some much-needed rest. Here are some of the new standouts: 1. Dormia Cool Top Mattress Price: $1,999 Where to get it: Sleepy's, Joanne's Bed and Back, and Healthy Back retail stores in the Baltimore area, and at dormiadirect.com Why we like it: Jessup-based Dormia is the nation's leading seller of specialty mattresses and bedding products.

Maryland Department of the Environment officials said a 35-year-old, under-enforced federal regulation could now mandate that levels of fecal bacteria in a sprawling Carroll County watershed be reduced by more than 90 percent, though the state did not suggest yesterday how to improve water quality. Carroll County officials said they have anticipated costly wastewater treatment plant upgrades as the federal government starts to implement more of the 1972 Clean Water Act. It requires states to identify polluted waterways and set limits for each source of contamination.

Tests at a downtown state office building where an employee came down with Legionnaires' disease were negative for the bacteria that causes the illness, officials said yesterday. When workers arrived at the William Donald Schaefer Tower on St. Paul Street yesterday morning, they were handed a memo informing them of the lab test results, according to Dave Humphrey, a spokesman for the Department of General Services, which operates the facility. A routine annual test done on the air-conditioning system's cooling tower showed no signs of live Legionella bacteria, he said.