Researchers from the University of Michigan found that an ingredient applied in sunscreens (zinc oxide) can be used as an effective antibacterial coating for implants such as replacement joints and pacemakers. About one million implanted medical devices are infected each year with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other bacterial species. Layering such devices with zinc oxide severely disrupts the growth of MRSA. Thus, antibiotic treatments or even surgically replacements of implants might be superseded soon. Read more