Health News

Reduced Glycerin Anti-HIV Product For Both Vagina And Rectum - Tenofovir Vaginal Gel

Date: May-22-2012
An anti-HIV gel developed for vaginal use has been reformulated to make it safer to use in the rectum. Researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) found that tenofovir gel was less harmful to the lining of the rectum and just as effective in protecting cells against HIV. The study is published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Charlene Dezzutti, Ph.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and lead researcher of the MTN Network Laboratory, explained: "The lining of the rectum is much more...

Lung Cancer CT Screening Guidelines Revised

Date: May-22-2012
Older, current and former heavy smokers should receive annual, low-dose CT screening, according to revised guidelines published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Sunday. The revised guidelines follow, and in the JAMA paper are accompanied by, a systematic review of evidence on the role of CT screening for individuals at higher risk of lung cancer. CT (computerised tomography) or CAT scans are a type of x-ray that can detect early signs of lung cancer, but they can give false-positive results. They use a computer to create detailed images of the inside of the body. Regular...

How One Strain Of MRSA Becomes Resistant To Last-Line Antibiotic

Date: May-22-2012
Researchers have uncovered what makes one particular strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) so proficient at picking up resistance genes, such as the one that makes it resistant to vancomycin, the last line of defense for hospital-acquired infections. They report their findings in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on Tuesday May 22. "MRSA strains are leading causes of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, and clonal cluster 5 (CC5) is the predominant lineage responsible for these infections. Since 2002, there...

PSA Screening Benefits Few, Harms Many, Says Panel

Date: May-22-2012
A US government-sponsored panel of independent experts that reviews evidence and develops recommendations for preventive clinical services says the harms of PSA-based testing for prostate cancer outweigh the benefits. The recommendation has provoked a strong and angry response from many patient and medical groups. In a report published early online before print in the 21 May of Annals of Internal Medicine, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) writes of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer: "[it] may benefit a small number of men but will result in harm to many others". The USPSTF...

Increasing Incidence Of Clostridium difficile Infection

Date: May-22-2012
A study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers during Digestive Disease Week 2012 provides clear evidence that the number of people contracting the hard-to-control and treat bacterial infection Clostridium difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) is increasing, and that the infection is commonly contracted outside of the hospital. "We have seen C.difficile infection as a cause for diarrhea in humans for more than 30 years, and the incidence of infections has been increasing in the last decade," says Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S., Mayo Clinic Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and lead author of...

Some People Predisposed For Recurrent C. difficile Infection

Date: May-22-2012
University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have found that some patients appear to be more predisposed for recurrent infection from the bacterium Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, and that it may advance to a more serious inflammatory condition in those individuals. These findings were presented via poster during Digestive Disease Week, Monday, May 21, 2012, in San, Diego. Mary Beth Yacyshyn, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor in division of digestive diseases, says researchers found that the C. diff surface layer proteins (SLP) produced a different set of proteins (cytokines) in samples from...

Growth Factor In Stem Cells May Spur Recovery From Multiple Sclerosis

Date: May-22-2012
A substance in human mesenchymal stem cells that promotes growth appears to spur restoration of nerves and their function in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found. Their study is published in the online version of Nature Neuroscience. In animals injected with hepatocyte growth factor, inflammation declined and neural cells grew. Perhaps most important, the myelin sheath, which protects nerves and their ability to gather and send information, regrew, covering lesions caused by the disease. "The importance of this...

Judging ICU Performance By Assessing In-Hospital Mortality May Bias Quality Measurement

Date: May-22-2012
In-Hospital Mortality May Bias Quality Measurement Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice Also Included In: Public Health Article Date: 22 May 2012 - 2:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Judging ICU Performance By Assessing In-Hospital Mortality May Bias Quality Measurement' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: In-hospital mortality for ICU patients is often used as a quality measure, but discharge practices may bias results in a way that disadvantages large academic hospitals, according to a recently conducted...

Nighttime Intensivist Staffing And Mortality In The ICU

Date: May-22-2012
Nighttime Intensivist Staffing And Mortality In The ICU Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice Also Included In: Public Health Article Date: 22 May 2012 - 2:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Nighttime Intensivist Staffing And Mortality In The ICU' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: Nighttime intensivist physician staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) with a low-intensity daytime staffing model is associated with reduced mortality, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine...

Patients With COPD Likely To Suffer Comorbidities

Date: May-22-2012
The majority of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) referred for pulmonary rehabilitation have multiple extra-pulmonary comorbidities, according to a new study from the Netherlands. "Comorbidities were common in our sample of 213 COPD patients from the CIRO Comorbidity (CIROCO) study, and most patients had varying combinations of comorbidities," said Lowie Vanfleteren, MD, of CIRO+, a center of expertise in chronic organ failure in Horn, the Netherlands, which is connected to the Maastricht University Medical Center. "The presence of these comorbidities may complicate...