News for Health Professionals

CDC: First U.S. Case of Rat-Borne Andes Virus Diagnosed

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- The first confirmed U.S. case of a virus carried by South American rodents occurred earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Doctors at a Delaware hospital diagnosed Andes virus in a 29-year-old woman in January after she developed fever, malaise, and muscle pain. She spent five days in the hospital before recovering and being... Read more

Physical Therapy an Option for Nonobstructive Meniscal Tears

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Physical therapy (PT) is non-inferior to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) for patients with nonobstructive meniscal tears, according to a study published in the Oct. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Victor A. van de Graaf, M.D., from OLVG in Amsterdam, and colleagues examined whether PT is non-inferior to APM in a randomized trial... Read more

Limited Success for Changing Diet and Exercise Among Nurses

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Implementation of a workplace intervention to change diet and physical activity (PA) behavior was partially successful among nurses, with the ability to change both diet and PA at the same time described as challenging, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Luciana Torquati, Ph.D., from the University of Queensland in... Read more

CDC: Vaccination Rates More Than 95 Percent for Kindergartners

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Overall vaccination coverage is high among the nation's kindergarten students, according to research published in the Oct. 12 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Jenelle L. Mellerson, from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues assessed vaccination coverage and exemption estimates collected by state and local... Read more

Variability in Geographic Availability of New Antibiotics

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- There is considerable variability in the geographic availability of antibiotics, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in PLOS ONE. Cecilia Kållberg, from the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues examined geographic availability and market introduction of antibiotics, considered new chemical entities (NCEs) for systemic use, approved globally between 1999 ... Read more

Triple Combo Regimens May Address Cause of Cystic Fibrosis

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Triple therapy with VX-659 or VX-445 combined with tezacaftor-ivacaftor shows promise for the treatment of adult patients with cystic fibrosis who have mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), according to two studies published online Oct. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The studies were published to coincide with... Read more

2014 to 2016 Saw 470 Percent Increase in HIV PrEP Use in U.S.

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- From 2014 to 2016 there was an increase in the annual number of HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users in the United States, although only about 7 percent of those with indications for PrEP were prescribed PrEP in 2016, according to research published in the Oct. 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Read more

Light Use of Topical Skin Tx Before Radiotherapy Seems Safe

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Contrary to the advice most cancer patients receive, light or moderate use of topical agents before radiation treatment does not appear to increase the radiation dose to the skin, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in JAMA Oncology. Brian C. Baumann, M.D., from Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues surveyed 133 patients and 108 clinicians to... Read more

Asthma May Raise Obesity Risk Later in Childhood

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Early-onset asthma and wheezing may contribute to an increased risk of developing obesity later in childhood, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of the European Respiratory Journal. Zuelma A. Contreras, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined whether early-onset asthma and related phenotypes are associated with... Read more

Bioinformatics Tool Can ID Source of Bloodstream Pathogens

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- A streamlined bioinformatics tool can match bloodstream pathogens to a candidate source, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in Nature Medicine. Fiona B. Tamburini, from Stanford University in California, and colleagues developed and applied a streamlined bioinformatics tool to match bloodstream pathogens to a candidate source. The approach was then leveraged to... Read more

Aspirin, Anticoagulants Similarly Prevent VTE After TKA

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Among patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), aspirin alone may provide protection against postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) that is similar to that of other anticoagulants, according to a study published online Oct. 17 in JAMA Surgery. Brandon R. Hood, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues retrospectively assessed the... Read more

ASA: Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation Disrupts Back Pain

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurostimulation therapy may reduce pain and disability in patients with chronic lower extremity and back pain, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held from Oct. 13 to 17 in San Francisco. Robert J. McCarthy, Pharm.D., and Timothy R. Lubenow, M.D., from Rush University Medical... Read more

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Benefits Some With Heart Failure

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Transcatheter mitral-valve repair results in a lower rate of hospitalization and lower all-cause mortality than medical therapy alone among patients with heart failure and moderate-to-severe secondary mitral regurgitation who remain symptomatic despite the use of guideline-directed medical therapy, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in the New England Journal... Read more

Poor Experience With PCP Linked to Hospitalization in CKD

Posted 2 days ago in News for Health Professionals

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- For Hispanic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), lower perceived quality of the patient experience with their primary care physician is associated with increased risk of hospitalization, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Esteban A. Cedillo-Couvert, M.D., from the University of Illinois at... Read more

HPV Vaccination Not Tied to Risky Sexual Behavior in Teen Girls

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- Implementation of a school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program in Canada did not lead to an increase in sexual risk-taking behaviors among adolescent girls, according to a study published in the Oct. 15 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association. Gina S. Ogilvie, M.D., Dr.P.H., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,... Read more

Mortality Due to Suicide, Alcohol, Accidents Up in Diabetes

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- Patients with diabetes have increased mortality due to suicide, alcohol-related causes, and accidents than those without diabetes, according to a study published in the November issue of the European Journal of Endocrinology. Leo Niskanen, M.D., from Helsinki University Hospital, and colleagues characterized the burden of external causes of death due to alcohol-related... Read more

WHO: Congo Ebola Outbreak Not a Global Emergency

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- The latest Ebola outbreak in Congo is not yet severe enough to be declared a global emergency, the World Health Organization decided after a meeting of experts yesterday. The U.N. health agency said it is "deeply concerned" about the outbreak and that "response activities need to be intensified and ongoing vigilance is critical," the Associated Press reported. There... Read more

Sharp Drop in U.S. Life Expectancy Rankings by 2040

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- The United States will have the largest drop in life expectancy rankings of all high-income countries by 2040, a new study says. The U.S. will fall from 43rd in 2016 to 64th by 2040, with an average life expectancy of 79.8, and will be overtaken by China, which will rise 29 places to 39th, CNN reported. Compared to 2016, Americans will live only an average of 1.1 years... Read more

Model Identifies Adolescents at Risk for Smoking Initiation

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- A novel prognostic tool can be used to accurately identify adolescents at risk for initiating cigarette smoking, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in Pediatrics. Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, Ph.D., from the Université de Montréal, and colleagues used data from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens study. A total of 1,294 students from seventh-grade classes in 10 high s... Read more

Deep Learning Algorithm Can ID Mammographic Breast Density

Posted 3 days ago in News for Health Professionals

THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 -- A deep learning (DL) algorithm can successfully assess mammographic breast density, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in Radiology. Constance D. Lehman, M.D., Ph.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to develop a DL algorithm to assess mammographic breast density. A deep convolutional neural network was... Read more

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