http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Antibiotics for acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) are prescribed frequently— especially for younger adult patients and in primary care settings—despite recent consensus guidelines that discourage antibiotic use in mild cases, according to a study in the May 2013 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-variations-antibiotic-acute-rhinosinusitis-states.html Surgery Thu, 09 May 2013 10:48:45 EST news287315304 A new study led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK has, for the first time, used genome sequencing technology to track the changes in a bacterial population following the introduction of a vaccine. The study follows how the population of pneumococcal bacteria changed following the introduction of the 'Prevnar' conjugate polysaccharide vaccine, which substantially reduced rates of pneumococcal disease across the U.S. The work demonstrates that the technology could be used in the future to monitor the effectiveness of vaccination or antibiotic use against different species of bacterial pathogens, and for characterizing new and emerging threats. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-genome-sequencing-unprecedented-insight-pneumococcal.html Genetics Sun, 05 May 2013 13:00:23 EST news286954094 Giving prescribers access to education and advice or imposing restrictions on use can curb overuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. This is important because unnecessary use of these life-saving drugs is a key source of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-excessive-antibiotics-hospitals.html Medications Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:02 EST news286480695 Despite efforts to reduce intervention rates during labour, vaginal births without medical intervention are becoming increasingly rare in Australia and overseas: nearly one in three women in Australian now give birth by caesarean; more than half are induced or have the process sped up with drugs; and 50% are given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-caesarean-sections-susceptibility-disease.html Health Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:40:01 EST news286018037 (HealthDay)—The chances that your doctor will give you antibiotics when you're sick may be influenced by geography, new research reveals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-antibiotic-vary-region.html Medications Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:10:02 EST news284834689 Patients who receive hemodialysis are at a significant risk of developing infections, a leading cause of hospitalization and death in this patient population. A new study highlights the need to improve antibiotic use in outpatient dialysis facilities as data shows nearly a third of antibiotic prescriptions are deemed inappropriate. The study is published in the April issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-antibiotic-prescriptions-dialysis-patients-inappropriate.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:16:47 EST news282312999 The increasing production and use of antibiotics, about half of which is used in animal production, is mirrored by the growing number of antibiotic resistance genes, or ARGs, effectively reducing antibiotics' ability to fend off diseases – in animals and humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-unchecked-antibiotic-animals-affect-global.html Medical research Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:00:14 EST news279804999 The impact of antibiotic misuse has far-reaching consequences in healthcare, including reduced efficacy of the drugs, increased prevalence of drug-resistant organisms, and increased risk of deadly infections. A new study featured in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, found that many patients with Clostridium difficile infection (C. difficile) are prescribed unnecessary antibiotics, increasing their risk of recurrence of the deadly infection. The retrospective report shows that unnecessary antibiotics use is alarmingly common in this vulnerable patient population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-unnecessary-antimicrobial-recurrent-infectious-diarrhea.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:40:22 EST news276964817 (HealthDay)—Children of mothers who contract the flu or have a prolonged fever while pregnant may have a very slight increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-autism-pregnancy-factors.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:50:02 EST news271959904 (Medical Xpress)—Many antibiotics can lose their ability to kill bacteria – Duke University bioengineers believe they can explain one of the reasons why. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-mechanism-antibiotic-tolerance.html Medical research Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:27:45 EST news269850459 A study involving one of the nation's largest networks of pediatric practices was able to nearly halve the inappropriate use of antibiotics through quarterly monitoring and feedback of the physicians' prescribing patterns. The research, which is being presented at IDWeek, is one of the first to look at an antimicrobial stewardship intervention in the outpatient setting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-inappropriate-antibiotic-pediatricians.html Medications Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:54:16 EST news269794437 Career paths can start to take shape in many unexpected ways. For UCLA physician Daniel Uslan, it all started in a class for kids called "It's a Small World." That's when the five-year-old made sourdough bread with his father. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-superbugs.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:51:28 EST news269157081 Women who have a positive urine culture test on the day of surgery for a pelvic-floor disorder are more likely to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first six weeks after the procedure. These findings were presented this past week by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine at the American Urogynecologic Society's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-women-urinary-tract-infections-pelvic-floor.html Cardiology Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:03:43 EST news268988515 A study of Medicare data suggests there was wide variation in antibiotic prescribing for older patients based on geography and the season in which the prescriptions for the medication were written, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-variations-antibiotic-older-patients.html Medications Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:00:04 EST news267704919 A hands-on project to educate high schoolers about appropriate antibiotic use was highly effective, promoting more sophisticated understandings of bacteria and antibiotics and increasing understanding of the dangers of antibiotic resistance, and was even enjoyable, as reported Sep. 12 in the open access journal PLOS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-hands-on-high-schoolers-effectively-antibiotics.html Health Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:03:35 EST news266688193 A training tool that helps physicians involve patients in decision-making can reduce the use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-decision-making-doctors-patients-antibiotic.html Medications Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:00:01 EST news262867453 A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online shows how seasonal changes in outpatient antibiotic use – retail sales of antibiotics typically get a boost during the winter – can significantly alter seasonal patterns of drug resistance. The findings suggest that hospital campaigns to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use should be coordinated with efforts in the broader community if they are to be most effective. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-role-seasonal-antibiotic-resistance.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:31:28 EST news260422261 Margaret Rosenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., of Seattle Children's Hospital, and colleagues conducted a study to examine if hypertonic saline would reduce the rate of pulmonary exacerbations in children younger than 6 years of age with cystic fibrosis (CF). Inhaled hypertonic saline is recommended as therapy for patients 6 years or older with CF, but its efficacy has not been evaluated in patients younger than 6 years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-inhaled-saline-young-children-cystic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 20 May 2012 11:00:04 EST news256713005 Consumption of probiotics (live microorganisms, which may occur naturally in foods such as yogurt, intended to confer a health benefit when consumed) is associated with a reduced risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a common adverse effect of antibiotic use, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies published in the May 9 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-probiotics-diarrhea-antibiotic.html Medications Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:07 EST news255710407 Patients whose symptoms of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) start outside of the hospital setting have a higher risk of colectomy due to severe infection, according to a large multicenter study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-community-onset-clostridium-difficile-linked-higher.html Surgery Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:18:52 EST news252757058 Taking oral antibiotics for treatment of acne appears to be associated with reporting symptoms of pharyngitis (sore throat), according to a report published Online First by Archives of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-treatment-acne-oral-antibiotics-symptoms.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:00:13 EST news241102708 The MRSA bacterium, which is resistant to antibiotics, has spread rapidly in the past few years on pig farms. Extensive use of antibiotics is thought to help it spread, but reducing the use of antibiotics is not enough to eliminate MRSA on pig farms, says Els Broens in her doctoral thesis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-mrsa-antibiotics.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:08:19 EST news239882865 Antibiotic resistant E. coli was much more prevalent in villages situated along roads than in rural villages located away from roads, which suggests that roads play a major role in the spread or containment of antibiotic resistant bacteria, commonly called superbugs, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-roads-pave-superbugs.html Medical research Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:04:17 EST news236520220 People with asthma who are admitted to hospital with pandemic influenza H1N1 (swine flu) are half as likely to die or require intensive care than those without asthma, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-people-hospitalized-asthma-die-swine.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:28:25 EST news236230023 (Medical Xpress) -- Antibiotic use in conventional animal food production in the United States has created public health concern because it has been shown to contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can potentially spread to humans. A new study, led by Dr. Amy R. Sapkota of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, provides data demonstrating that poultry farms that have transitioned from conventional to organic practices and ceased using antibiotics have significantly lower levels of drug-resistant enterococci bacteria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-poultry-farms-significantly-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria.html Medical research Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:00:03 EST news232163505 Antibiotic overuse and resistance have emerged as major threats during the past two decades. Following an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infections, which often result from antibiotic use, health care professionals in Quebec, Canada targeted physicians and pharmacists with an education campaign that reduced outpatient antibiotic use, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-simple-guidelines-decreased-unnecessary-antibiotic.html Health Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:45:16 EST news230870663 A study of Canadian home-care patients suggests doctors may be overprescribing antibiotics for patients receiving ongoing medical care at home. The study, published in the June issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, suggests that more should be done to monitor antibiotic use in home-care patients to avoid misuse that could decrease the efficacy of the drugs over time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-hints-antibiotic-overuse-home-care-patients.html Health Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:14:07 EST news227355176