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NPL-led studies explore bacteria-destroying proteins for more efficient antibiotics
Date: Sep-25-2013A research team, led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), has carried out studies into how protein fragments found in our bodies destroy harmful bacteria - potentially moving us a step closer to a new generation of antibiotic treatment that is less prone to bacterial resistance. The protein fragments, known as antimicrobial peptides, have fought bacteria in the human body for thousands of years by identifying and disrupting the structure of the bacterial membrane. But little is still known about the precise mechanisms they use to carry out this process...
Long-term hormonal therapy in intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients does not improve overall survival
Date: Sep-25-2013A secondary analysis of the historic RTOG 9202 prostate cancer trial examined results of men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer who had received long-term hormonal therapy after radiation therapy, and concluded that there were no additional benefits when compared to short-term hormonal therapy, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. Men with advanced prostate cancer typically receive hormonal therapy to reduce the level of androgens, or male hormones, in their bodies...
Digoxin use associated with higher risk of death for patients diagnosed with heart failure
Date: Sep-25-2013Digoxin, a drug commonly used to treat heart conditions, was associated with a 72 percent higher rate of death among adults with newly diagnosed systolic heart failure, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Digoxin is a drug derived from digitalis, a plant that has been used for more than 200 years to treat heart failure. "These findings suggest that the use of digoxin should be reevaluated for the treatment of systolic heart failure in contemporary clinical practice" said Alan S...
Recommendations guide physicians in treatment of systemic juvenile arthritis
Date: Sep-25-2013In the U.S., there are nearly 300,000 children with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic illnesses according to estimates from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). For pediatric patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), effective treatment for this disabling disease is imperative. New treatment recommendations that guide physicians caring for children with systemic JIA are now published in the ACR journals, Arthritis & Rheumatism and Arthritis Care & Research...
Better pain management for patients with dementia
Date: Sep-25-2013Health care systems need to manage chronic pain better in people with dementia and dispel the notion that people with dementia feel less pain, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). "Any notion that people with dementia feel pain less should be dismissed," writes Dr. Ken Flegel, Senior Editor, CMAJ. "Chronic pain is at least as prevalent among people with dementia (up to half) as it is among other elderly people." Chronic pain among people with dementia is often undetected and therefore poorly managed...
Should we carry out mental health screening on schoolchildren?
Date: Sep-25-2013On bmj.com, a visiting scholar at the Feinberg School of Medicine suggests that mental health screening is carried out in primary schools to enable early identification and potentially save money. In a personal view, Dr Simon Williams agrees with a recent BMJ study which suggests that further research of cognitive behavioural therapy programmes in schools is required. He also believes that school is the most appropriate setting for the identification of mental health problems in younger children...
Two-item questionnaire proves to be a valid depression screening tool for radiation therapy patients
Date: Sep-25-2013Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) who are potentially suffering from depression can be effectively identified by a two-item questionnaire, according to research presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. The Radiation Oncology Therapy Group (RTOG) Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP)-supported multi-institutional study screened 455 patients receiving radiation treatment at 37 centers around the U.S...
Should hospitals offer all patients single rooms?
Date: Sep-25-2013The Scottish government has decided that all new hospitals should have 100% single rooms to offer privacy and reduce hospital acquired infections. On bmj.com, two experts debate the issue. Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, argues that single rooms in hospitals "are important in preventing and controlling healthcare associated infections." They also increase patients' privacy dignity, and confidentiality, as well as facilitating family involvement in patient care and increasing the opportunities for treatment at the bedside, he adds...
'Traffic light' test could prevent hundreds of people developing alcohol-related cirrhosis
Date: Sep-25-2013A simple 'traffic light' test that detects hidden liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in high risk populations could reduce harmful drinking rates and potentially prevent hundreds of alcohol-related deaths a year. Devised by Dr Nick Sheron and colleagues at University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital, the Southampton Traffic Light (STL) test, which costs about £50, could be used by GPs in the community...
EU marketing authorization granted for three new type 2 diabetes therapies, Vipidia, Vipdomet and Incresync
Date: Sep-25-2013Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) today announced that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorization (MA) for Vipidia[TM] (alogliptin), a dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) inhibitor, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes patients who are uncontrolled on existing therapies[1]-[3]and for the fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapies Vipdomet[TM] (alogliptin with metformin) and Incresync[TM] (alogliptin with pioglitazone)...
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