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Opioids Often Prescribed in the Absence of Pain Diagnosis

TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 — Many outpatient opioid prescriptions have no documented medical indication, according to a research letter published online Sept. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Tisamarie B. Sherry, M.D., Ph.D., from the RAND Corporation in Boston, and colleagues examined the percentage of opioid prescriptions with a documented medical indication between 2006

Second monkeypox case recorded in England: report

Monkeypox is considered mild and typically occurs in remote parts of central and west Africa.  (CDC) A second case of monkeypox was reportedly discovered in England, just days after the first-ever case in the country was confirmed in Cornwall. Both patients are believed to have recently visited Nigeria, but the two cases appear unrelated, the

What’s a dangerous level of blood pressure in pregnancy?

High blood pressure rates could nearly double in women of childbearing age if the latest guidelines are used, according to a new study. But researchers say more investigation is needed to see if those lower blood pressure targets in pregnant women are safe—or effective. The study, published Sept. 10 in the journal Hypertension, set out

Low fitness may indicate poor arterial health in adolescents

A recent Finnish study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä showed that adolescents with better aerobic fitness have more compliant arteries than their lower fit peers do. The study also suggests that a higher anaerobic threshold is linked to better arterial health. The results were published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. Arterial stiffness

Jet-air dryers should not be used in hospital toilets

Jet-air hand dryers in hospital toilets spread more germs than disposable paper towels and should not be used, say researchers. Writing in the Journal of Hospital Infection, they argue that the official guidance about how to prevent bacterial contamination in hospital buildings needs to be strengthened. At the moment, the official Department of Health guidance

Recent Increase in Contraception Use Noted Among U.S. Teenagers

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 — Among U.S. adolescents, there were increases in contraceptive use from 2007 to 2014, including dual-method use and long-acting reversible contraception, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Laura D. Lindberg, Ph.D., from The Guttmacher Institute in New York City, and colleagues used

WHO issues recommendations for Tx intensification in T2DM

(HealthDay)—Recommendations have been developed by the World Health Organization for treatment intensification in type 2 diabetes. The recommendations were published online Sept. 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Gojka Roglic, M.D., and Susan L. Norris, M.D., M.P.H., from the World Health Organization in Switzerland, developed recommendations to provide guidance on medicine selection for treatment

New mechanism activates bone-building cells in osteoperosis

The number of osteoporosis medications that promote bone formation are few compared to those that suppress bone resorption. A research group led by Kumamoto University scientists has discovered that the gene SIRT7 is important for bone formation, and has discovered a new mechanism to activate gene functions essential for bone formation. The researchers believe that

USPSTF reaffirms screening for syphilis in pregnancy

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening all pregnant women for syphilis infection. These findings form the basis of a reaffirmation recommendation statement published in the Sept. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Using data from seven studies, Jennifer S. Lin, M.D., from Kaiser Permanente Research Affiliates in Portland,

New clues found to understanding relapse in breast cancer

A large genomic analysis has linked certain DNA mutations to a high risk of relapse in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, while other mutations were associated with better outcomes, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of British Columbia. The knowledge could

Dementia symptoms peak in winter and spring, study finds

Adults both with and without Alzheimer’s disease have better cognition skills in the late summer and early fall than in the winter and spring, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Andrew Lim of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues. There have been few

Pathology and social interactions—safety in numbers

What if social behavior affected the progression of even noncontagious diseases? This has now been demonstrated by French CNRS teams and international collaborators. Using a fly model of intestinal cancer, the researchers have shown that disease progression is impacted both by social isolation—which has a negative effect—and the composition of the social group with which

Drug-resistant superbug spreading in hospitals: study

A superbug resistant to all known antibiotics that can cause “severe” infections or even death is spreading undetected through hospital wards across the world, scientists in Australia warned on Monday. Researchers at the University of Melbourne discovered three variants of the multidrug-resistant bug in samples from 10 countries, including strains in Europe that cannot be

New approach needed in the fight against superbugs

An international research team, led by Professor Peter Collignon from The Australian National University (ANU) Medical School, has found we need to take a much broader approach than simply focusing on antibiotic usage, when it comes to fighting the spread of “superbugs”. Superbugs—or strains of bacteria that have adapted after coming into contact with antibiotics—are

Matcha green tea kills cancer stem cells in tests

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Matcha, the green tea packed with antioxidants, is often hailed as containing properties which prevent disease. Scientists in Salford, UK have shed a ray of light on the claim by testing it on cancer stem cells – with surprising results. In research published in the journal Aging, a team from the

Discovery of long-lived macrophages in the intestine

Macrophages are specialised immune cells that destroy bacteria and other harmful organisms. Scientists at KU Leuven, Belgium, have come to the surprising conclusion that some macrophages in the intestines of mice can survive for quite some time. Most importantly, these long-lived macrophages are vital for the survival of the nerve cells of the gastrointestinal tract.