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Less is more when it comes to antibiotics for UTI in men

Research suggests that standard antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in male patients may need to be reviewed, as currently recommended 7–14-day courses appear to be no more effective than shorter ones, and may increase the risk for antimicrobial resistant or Clostridium difficile infection.

6 Dec 2012

‘Weekend pill’ employed for muscular dystrophy

A drug used to treat erectile dysfunction may prevent functional muscle ischemia in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy, a small randomized trial shows.

6 Dec 2012

Protected sleep, shorter rotations may improve clinicians’ performance

Two studies published in JAMA show that having a period of protected sleep while being on call and having a shorter rotation result in improved alertness and a lower risk for “burnout” and emotional exhaustion in clinicians.

6 Dec 2012

Galectins play an important role in development of osteoarthrosis

Inflammatory joint disease (arthritis) is affecting more and more, and especially older, people. In a recent survey by Statistik Austria, 39 per cent of people over the age of 60 stated that they have a form of arthritis. One particular form of the condition is osteoarthrosis, which is wear and tear on the joints.

6 Dec 2012

Few new doctors choose primary care

Less than a quarter of new doctors are choosing primary care as their specialty, even after finishing residency programs focused on internal medicine, a new study reports.

6 Dec 2012

Fexinidazole enters Phase II/III clinical study to treat sleeping sickness

A new oral-only treatment for sleeping sickness has entered Phase II/III clinical study in patients with late-stage sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and soon in Central African Republic (CAR).

6 Dec 2012

Examining the definition of neglected diseases

"There's no generally accepted definition" for what characterizes a neglected disease, Kaitlin Christenson, coalition director for the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), writes in the Results for Development Institute's "Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment" blog.

6 Dec 2012

North Shore-LIJ, VA open Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families

Representatives from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the North Shore-LIJ Health System and local veterans today celebrated the opening of the Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families, a first-of-its-kind facility designed to help military families cope with the emotional burdens veterans frequently face after returning home from combat.

6 Dec 2012

Using Nanoparticles to Target Cancer

An interview with John Stroh, discussing the development of nanoparticles that can target and treat cancer, without damaging nearby tissues.

6 Dec 2012

Health stocks embraced amid market uncertainty

The Wall Street Journal reports that following President Barack Obama's re-election, health stocks are viewed as a port in the storm. Other news outlets explore how the markets have remained stable during the 'fiscal cliff' negotiations as investors count on an eleventh-hour deal.

6 Dec 2012

SLN surgery identifies whether breast cancer in lymph nodes remains after chemotherapy

Most patients whose breast cancer has spread to their lymph nodes have most of the lymph nodes in their armpit area removed after chemotherapy to see if any cancer remains. A study conducted through the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group and led by Judy Boughey, M.D. a breast surgeon at Mayo Clinic shows that a less invasive procedure known as sentinel lymph node surgery successfully identified whether cancer remained in lymph nodes in 91 percent of patients with node-positive breast cancer who received chemotherapy before their surgery.

6 Dec 2012

Scientific exploration important on earth, in space

In the New York Times' "Scientist At Work" blog, Alexander Kumar, a physician and researcher at Concordia Station in Antarctica, examines the question of "why humans should venture out to other planets, and perhaps in the process create new problems, when we have so many problems on our own planet," including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other "largely preventable and treatable" conditions.

6 Dec 2012

Combination of PD-991 and letrozole improves survival in patients with HER2- breast cancer

Pfizer Inc. today announced randomized Phase 2 data that showed PD-0332991 (PD-991) in combination with letrozole significantly extended progression free survival (PFS) compared with letrozole alone in post-menopausal patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

6 Dec 2012

UnitedHealth report examines how doctors get paid

A new report from UnitedHealth Group Inc. takes aim at the way U.S. doctors get paid, saying the nation could save up to $1 trillion over the next decade in health care costs if it were possible to "unleash the potential of payment reform initiatives."

6 Dec 2012

New technology allows noninvasive SpHb assessments for children undergoing brain surgery

For children undergoing brain surgery, a new technology allows noninvasive, continuous monitoring of blood hemoglobin levels, according to a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Dec 2012

WHO establishes global monitoring framework for NCDs

"The World Health Organization (WHO) established a global monitoring framework for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at a Geneva meeting on November 9, 2012 -- a little over a year after the U.N. General Assembly adopted a political declaration on NCDs," Management Sciences for Health's "Global Health Impact" blog reports, noting Ambassador Betty King, permanent representative of the U.S. to the U.N. and other international organizations in Geneva, announced the framework in November.

6 Dec 2012

Alcoholics Anonymous helps men and women maintain sobriety in different ways

A new study finds differences in the ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) helps men and women maintain sobriety. Two Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators found that, while many factors are helpful to all AA participants, some were stronger in men and some in women.

6 Dec 2012

PEPFAR to buy additional 150 rapid TB testing devices

PEPFAR will purchase up to 150 rapid tuberculosis (TB) Xpert testing devices and cartridges to test about 450,000 people for TB, "addressing a need to improve diagnoses of drug-resistant strains of disease, and to identify the disease in HIV-positive people in sub-Saharan Africa and Myanmar, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator announced" Tuesday, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

6 Dec 2012

CINJ urologic oncology chief completes 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at RWJUH

Marking a major milestone in what has become a fast-growing standard of care in prostate cancer surgery, the chief of urologic oncology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has completed his 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), the Flagship Hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, which is a Center of Excellence of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

6 Dec 2012

Report examines partnership between PEPFAR, Botswana

This report from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), titled "Competing Pressures for U.S. PEPFAR In Botswana: Rising Ambitions, Declining Resources," examines how the "partnership will be tested as the United States and Botswana negotiate a complex, multiyear handoff of PEPFAR-supported HIV/AIDS activities and as U.S. financial assistance is reduced," the report summary states.

6 Dec 2012