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California’s deadly STD epidemic sets record

Diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases hit a record high in California last year — with sometimes deadly consequences, according to preliminary state data released this week.

17 May 2018

Doctors publish comprehensive proposal to ensure universal access to safe, affordable medications

The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs is one of the biggest concerns for American voters. However, in his proposal last Friday, President Donald Trump failed to offer any new policies that would expand access, reduce costs, or increase the safety and efficacy of prescriptions.

17 May 2018

Opioid overdoses are rising faster among Latinos than whites or blacks. Why?

The tall, gangly man twists a cone of paper in his hands as stories from nearly 30 years of addiction pour out: the robbery that landed him in prison at age 17; never getting his high school equivalency diploma; going through the horrors of detox, maybe 40 times, including this latest bout, which he finished two weeks ago. He’s now in a residential treatment unit for at least 30 days.

17 May 2018

MIT researchers develop new versatile plug-and-play diagnostic devices

Researchers at MIT's Little Devices Lab have developed a set of modular blocks that can be put together in different ways to produce diagnostic devices.

17 May 2018

ECDC whole genome sequencing study helps understand prevalence of drug-resistant gonorrhea

Can whole genome sequencing illustrate changes in drug susceptibility of gonorrhoea to antimicrobials used for treatment and so help to define more effective treatment regimens? The first study of this kind within an international surveillance programme for sexually transmitted infections shows distribution of drug-resistant gonorrhoea strains across Europe.

17 May 2018

Study identifies factors associated with substance use treatment engagement

About 22 million Americans are substance dependent (illicit drugs and alcohol), which interferes with routine life and requires treatment. Yet, only 2.5 million of these Americans participate in treatment services.

17 May 2018

FDA approves new treatment to mitigate opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt discontinuation of opioids in adults.

17 May 2018

Airthinx IAQ Device receives Top Product of the Year Award

Airthinx, Inc., a provider of smart sensor air quality (IAQ) technology for healthy indoor spaces, today announced that the signature Airthinx IAQ Device received a Top Product of the Year Award from the Environmental Leader and Energy Manager Today Awards.

16 May 2018

Researchers highlight need for transgender-inclusive healthcare providers

More should be done to take care of the mental health of transgender people in the US, a new survey carried out in Colorado indicates.

16 May 2018

Study finds decrease in rate of e-cigarette use among American adults

An analysis of federal data by University of Iowa researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that more American adults have tried e-cigarettes, but the rate of current use appears to be declining.

16 May 2018

Reversing an overdose isn’t complicated, but getting the antidote can be

A few months ago, Kourtnaye Sturgeon helped save someone’s life. She was driving in downtown Indianapolis when she saw people gathered around a car on the side of the road. Sturgeon pulled over, and a man told her there was nothing she could do: Two men had overdosed on opioids and appeared to be dead.

16 May 2018

Study: Alcohol use prolongs hospital length of stay after lung transplant

Lung transplant patients who showed evidence of alcohol use before their transplants spent more time in the hospital and on the ventilator, according to a study by Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Medicine researchers.

16 May 2018

First genomic survey of gonorrhea maps antibiotic resistance across Europe

The first European-wide genomic survey of gonorrhea has mapped antibiotic resistance in this sexually transmitted disease throughout the continent.

16 May 2018

Researchers identify technology to prevent false positives in CT-based lung cancer screening

A team of researchers including investigators from Mayo Clinic has identified a technology to address the problem of false positives in CT-based lung cancer screening. The team's findings are published in the current issue of PLOS One.

16 May 2018

First epoetin alfa biosimilar receives FDA approval to treat certain types of anemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Retacrit (epoetin alfa-epbx) as a biosimilar to Epogen/Procrit (epoetin alfa) for the treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease, chemotherapy, or use of zidovudine in patients with HIV infection.

16 May 2018

Mood disturbances and depression linked to disrupted sleep routines finds study

According to a new study, people who routinely had a disrupted night’s sleep had an altered 24 hour cycle were more at risk of getting mood disorders, depression, bipolar disease. They score low on happiness and feel more lonely say researchers. This study, explain researchers, is vital in understanding the balance between rest and activity. The study appeared in the latest issue of the journal Lancet Psychiatry.

16 May 2018

Drug-resistant staph infections found to be deadly, but less costly

Staph infections, whether MRSA (resistant to methicillin) or susceptible, are important and deadly. Drug-resistant staph infections continue to be deadlier than those that are not resistant and treatable with traditional antibiotics, but treatment costs surprisingly are the same or slightly less, a new national analysis shows.

15 May 2018