The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a new antibiotic tracking system allowing hospitals to monitor antibiotic use electronically, make better decisions about how to improve use, and compare themselves to other hospitals. Before now, CDC was only able to track antibiotic use in doctors′ offices. Each year, millions of Americans take antibiotics [...]
A new research report contributes to the increasing evidence that repeated occupational exposure to certain chemical solvents raises the risk for Parkinson’s disease. Researchers analyzed the occupational histories of twins in which one of the pair developed the neurodegenerative disorder, and assessed that twin’s likelihood of exposure to six chemicals previously linked to Parkinson’s. Of [...]
Diabetics with kidney failure shouldn’t lower their blood glucose as much as diabetics without kidney failure Highlights Diabetic patients with kidney failure benefit the most when their hemoglobin A1C levels, which reflect blood glucose levels, are between 7% and 8%. For diabetics who need dialysis, hemoglobin A1C levels of 8% or greater or less than [...]
Hirano bodies are almost indescribably tiny objects found in nerve cells of people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer’s, mad cow and Lou Gehrig’s diseases. Yet for decades, researchers weren’t sure if these structures helped cause the conditions or appeared after onset of the disease and had some other role. Now, in research at the [...]
During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, many previously healthy children became critically ill, developing severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, sometimes fatal. The largest nationwide investigation to date of influenza in critically ill children, led by Children’s Hospital Boston, found one key risk factor: Simultaneous infection with methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the risk for flu-related mortality 8-fold [...]
A new study has confirmed that the drug, ivacaftor (VX-770), significantly improves lung function in some people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The results of the phase III clinical trial study, “A CFTR Potentiator in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis and the G551D Mutation,” led by Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD of Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the [...]
Researchers have identified a potential drug therapy for a premature ageing disease that affects children causing them to age up to eight times as fast as the usual rate. The study is the first to outline how to limit and repair DNA damage defects in cells and could provide a model for understanding processes that [...]
Cigarette smoking appears to impair pancreatic duct cell function–even for those who quit–putting all smokers at risk of compromised digestive function regardless of age, gender and alcohol intake, according to the results of a study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC. In a separate smoking-related [...]
eople carrying extra pounds may need extra protection from influenza. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that obesity may make annual flu shots less effective. The findings, published online Oct. 25, 2011, in he International Journal of Obesity, provide evidence explaining a phenomenon that was noticed for the first time [...]