Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Organizers postpone the EBCC-12 conference in view of the spread of coronavirus

In view of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and the stipulation from the Spanish Healthcare Ministry that Spanish healthcare workers should not attend national or international conferences, the organisers of the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-12) have taken the decision to postpone the conference, which was due to start on Wednesday 18 March in Barcelona, Spain.

6 Mar 2020

Best practices shown to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19

In a new study published on March 5th, 2020, in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, researchers claim that the meticulous application of best practices for infection control does protect healthcare workers from the COVID-19 illness.

5 Mar 2020

New bacteria-killing light-activated coating

A new antimicrobial coating that can be activated by light has been reported by researchers in the journal Nature Communications, in March 2020. The coating can be used to prevent transmission from computer and phone screens and keyboards, the inside of catheters, and breathing tubes. All these are significant routes of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

5 Mar 2020

New sepsis intervention enhances the body's bacteria-capturing neutrophil extracellular traps

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have developed a novel treatment for sepsis - one of the leading causes of hospital death - that enhances the body's bacteria-capturing neutrophil extracellular traps so that they more effectively capture infectious bacteria, resist degradation, and improve sepsis outcomes and survival.

5 Mar 2020

Fears prevent vaping to help smokers to quit

According to a new report from the Public Health England (PHE) published this week, more and more people are not using e-cigarettes to quit traditional smoking due to fears about the harm the former cause.

5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus outbreak in the UK – 1st death and cases jump to 115

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has now spread to 87 countries, including the United Kingdom, which has now recorded its first UK coronavirus death in Berkshire. Now, government officials are suggesting the closure of parliament to prevent the spread of the virus.

5 Mar 2020

Iran grapples with coronavirus outbreak, frees prisoners

Iran has the third-highest number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), deaths after China and Italy, the highest in Western Asia, and the fourth-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, surpassed by only Mainland China, South Korea, and Italy. The country reported its first COVID-19 case on February 20.

5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus is mutating with a second strain identified by scientists

The coronavirus is mutating as scientists identified a second strain, which is more aggressive and contagious.

5 Mar 2020

X-ray free electron laser helps probe deeper into deadly pathogen

Tularemia is a rare but often lethal disease. It is caused by one of the most aggressive pathogens on earth, the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

5 Mar 2020

Children with a rare food allergy have higher chance of being diagnosed with other allergies

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have found that children with a rare food allergy known as food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, or FPIES, have a significantly higher chance of being diagnosed with other allergic conditions, including eczema, traditional food allergy and asthma.

5 Mar 2020

Community Treatment Orders associated with increased readmission risk and longer hospital stay

In the first large, observational study with a control group in England and Wales, research funded by the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre has found that Community Treatment Orders are associated with an increased risk of readmission as well as increased time spent in psychiatric hospitals, contrary to results from previous uncontrolled studies.

5 Mar 2020

During a pandemic, states’ patchwork of crisis plans could mean uneven care

A possible coronavirus pandemic could overwhelm the nation's hospitals and force doctors into difficult decisions about how to allocate limited resources. Yet, experts say, only a handful of states have done the work necessary to prepare for such worst-case scenarios.

5 Mar 2020

Eye movements play functional role in memory retrieval, study shows

In a recent study, scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) found that research participants moved their eyes to determine whether they had seen an image before, and that their eye movement patterns could predict mistakes in memory.

5 Mar 2020

Study provides new evidence about optimal way to treat BRCA carriers with breast cancer

Commonly known as the breast cancer genes, the BRCA gene family plays a role in repairing damaged DNA. Inherited mutations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 raise the risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers.

5 Mar 2020

New technique helps study peptide-receptor interactions on the cell surface

In the past, biologically-active peptides - small proteins like neurotoxins and hormones that act on cell receptors to alter physiology - were purified from native sources like venoms and then panels of variants were produced in bacteria, or synthesized, to study the structural basis for receptor interaction.

5 Mar 2020

Italy shuts down schools, universities amid surge in coronavirus cases

Italy will shut down schools and universities in response to the sharp increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. The Italian government has ordered the nationwide cancellation of education classes until Mar. 15, as the country grapples to contain the worst outbreak that has hit Europe, claiming 107 lives and infecting more than 3,000 people.

5 Mar 2020