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Improving Adherence To Guidelines Cut Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing By Pediatricians
Date: Oct-22-2012A study involving one of the nation's largest networks of pediatric practices was able to nearly halve the inappropriate use of antibiotics through quarterly monitoring and feedback of the physicians' prescribing patterns. The research, which was presented at IDWeek, is one of the first to look at an antimicrobial stewardship intervention in the outpatient setting. Although efforts to cut the overuse of antibiotics have made headway in hospitals, the majority of prescriptions are written by community-based clinicians - often for pediatric patients with common ailments...
New Target For Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease, The Leading Cause Of Kidney Failure
Date: Oct-22-2012About 20%-30% of patients with diabetes develop evidence of diabetic nephropathy. Researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney failure. The findings, appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), could help protect the kidney health of individuals with diabetes. While it's unclear precisely how diabetic nephropathy - kidney disease or damage that occurs in people with diabetes - develops, inflammation is likely involved...
Kidney Failure Patients' Heart Risks May Be Due To Damage To Blood Vessel Lining
Date: Oct-22-2012Individuals with kidney failure often develop heart problems, but it's not clear why. A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) provides evidence that their kidneys' inability to excrete waste products in the urine, which leads to build-up of these products in the blood, may damage the sugary lining of blood vessels and lead to heart troubles...
Engineered 'Organoids' Function Like Real Kidneys When Implanted Into Rats
Date: Oct-22-2012With a worldwide shortage of kidneys for patients who need kidney transplants, researchers are diligently working to find ways to engineer new kidney tissue from a patient's own cells or another source. They've come a step closer to realizing that goal with a breakthrough described in an upcoming Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) study. The advance could lead to more options for individuals with kidney failure, as well as better tools for understanding kidney diseases and how to treat them...
Naptime Behavior Shapes The Brain As Seen In Twitching Whiskers Of Newborn Rats
Date: Oct-22-2012The whiskers of newborn rats twitch as they sleep, and that could open the door to new understandings about the intimate connections between brain and body. The discovery reinforces the notion that such involuntary movements are a vital contributor to the development of sensorimotor systems, say researchers who report their findings in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. "We found that even whiskers twitch during sleep - and they do so in infant rats long before they move their whiskers in the coordinated fashion known as whisking," said Mark Blumberg of The University of Iowa...
Cell-Based Strategy For Treating Vascular Disorders
Date: Oct-22-2012A new approach for generating large numbers of circulatory system cells, known as vascular endothelial cells (VECs), from human amniotic-fluid-derived cells (ACs) is reported in a study published by Cell Press in the journal Cell. The strategy, which shows promise in mice, opens the door to establishing a vast inventory of VECs for promoting organ regeneration and treating diverse vascular disorders...
Researchers Unveil 3-D Structure Of 'Molecular Machine' That Initiates DNA Transcription
Date: Oct-22-2012An team of Rutgers University scientists led by Richard H. Ebright and Eddy Arnold has determined the three-dimensional structure of the transcription initiation complex, the key intermediate in the process by which cells read out genetic information in DNA...
The Power Of A Handshake
Date: Oct-21-2012New neuroscience research is confirming an old adage about the power of a handshake: strangers do form a better impression of those who proffer their hand in greeting. A firm, friendly handshake has long been recommended in the business world as a way to make a good first impression, and the greeting is thought to date to ancient times as a way of showing a stranger you had no weapons...
Fat-Burning Trigger Refocuses Obesity Research
Date: Oct-21-2012US scientists have discovered a biochemical trigger that switches on brown fat cells so the body burns calories instead of storing them. They suggest the finding brings a new focus to pharmaceutical research aimed at fighting obesity. Yuriy Kirichok, associate professor of physiology at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues, write about their findings in a paper published in the 12 October online issue of Cell...
Lives Could Be Saved By Referring Cancer Patients To More Experienced And Successful Hospitals For Surgery
Date: Oct-21-2012Researchers at Rice University report that referring cancer patients to hospitals with better track records for surgery could save lives and not raise the cost to patients. The study was reported online in the journal Forum for Health Economics and Policy. The researchers reviewed data on two cancer operations that are at "opposite ends of the spectrum" - colon and pancreatic resections, said paper author Vivian Ho, Rice University's Baker Institute Chair in Health Economics and a professor of economics...
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