Leading doctors warn that sepsis deaths will not be curbed without radical rethink of research strategy

Medical and public recognition of sepsis--thought to contribute to between a third and a half of all hospital deaths--must improve if the number of deaths from this common and potentially life-threatening condition are to fall, leading physicians say in a new article.



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Big data key to precision medicine's success

Technological advances are enabling scientists to sequence the genomes of cancer tumors, revealing a detailed portrait of genetic mutations that drive these diseases. But genomic studies are only one piece of the puzzle that is precision medicine, a researcher writes.



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Tumor-only genetic sequencing may misguide cancer treatment in nearly half of all patients, study shows

A study strongly suggests that sequencing tumor genomes for clues to genetic changes might misdirect treatment in nearly half of all patients unless it is compared first to a genetic readout of their noncancerous tissue.



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Could maple syrup help cut use of antibiotics?

A concentrated extract of maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, according to laboratory experiments. The findings suggest that combining maple syrup extract with common antibiotics could increase the microbes' susceptibility, leading to lower antibiotic usage.



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Research Finds No Correlation between Regulatory T Cells and Survival in Glioblastoma

Using a novel methodology of epigenetic quantitative analysis, investigators found no correlation between regulatory T cells and survival in the tumor microenvironment or blood, even when adjusting for well-known prognostic factors.



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Adenosine receptor can activate 'off signals' for pain

Pain is the most common reason that people seek medical attention, but the available treatments are not always successful at relieving pain in patients with chronic pain. Now researchers found that drugs targeting the A3 adenosine receptor can "turn off" pain signals in the spinal cord to provide relief from chronic pain.



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Smokers who use e-cigarettes less likely to quit, study shows

The increase in use of e-cigarettes has led to heated debates between opponents who question the safety of these devices and proponents who claim the battery-operated products are a useful cessation tool. In a new study, researchers found that smokers who used e-cigarettes were 49 percent less likely to decrease cigarette use and 59 percent less likely to quit smoking compared to smokers who never used e-cigarettes.



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Local physician recommends World Health Organization retire the term opioid substitution therapy

A researcher and physician caring for individuals with substance abuse disorders, believes the term opioid substitution therapy has unintended adverse consequences for patients receiving treatment for addiction.



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New research shows how to tackle obesity

One size does not fit all when it comes to tackling obesity, according to a new study. Researchers looking at how to tackle England's country's obesity issue and found that currently individuals are often treated the same regardless of how healthy they are, where they live or their behavioral characteristics.



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'Real-time' feedback, 'pay for performance' improve physician practice, hospital safety

Hospitals may reach higher safety and quality levels with programs that give physicians real-time feedback about evidence-based care and financial incentives for providing it, research shows.



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Half of older adults in US now taking aspirin, survey shows

Slightly more than half of the older adults in the United States are now taking a daily dose of aspirin, even though its use is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration for most people who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke, a national survey suggests. The findings suggest that tens of millions of Americans have reviewed the issues involved, often discussed it with their doctors, say they know what they are doing -- and decided to use aspirin.



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Importance of counselling in those affected by infertility

The psychological impact and private agony of infertility must be carefully considered by healthcare professionals, suggests a new review. At present, the counseling role occupies a unique and diverse position within the infertility field, including that of patient advocate, gatekeeper, researcher, educator, supportive resource to colleagues, confidante and point of liaison, authors say.



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Increase seen in data breaches of health information

Between 2010 and 2013, data breaches of protected health information reported by HIPAA-covered entities increased and involved approximately 29 million records, with most data breaches resulting from overt criminal activity, according to a study.



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Mouth, as well as gut, could hold key to liver disease flare-ups

In a recent study, researchers predicted which cirrhosis patients would suffer inflammations and require hospitalization by analyzing their saliva, revealing a new target for research into a disease that accounts for more than 30,000 deaths in the United States each year.



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Diabetes perceptions vary according to risk factors, researchers find

Differing perceptions among adult populations at-risk for diabetes have been uncovered by researchers, which may offer new approaches to diabetes education and prevention. Illness perceptions, the organized cognitive representations and beliefs that people hold about a condition, are recognized as important determinants of self-care behaviors and outcomes in patients. The way that people mentally represent their conditions has a concrete effect on the way that they manage these conditions and therefore on their prognoses.



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DNA blood test detects lung cancer mutations

Cancer DNA circulating in the bloodstream of lung cancer patients can provide doctors with vital mutation information that can help optimize treatment when tumor tissue is not available, an international group of researchers has reported.



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One in four advanced lung cancer patients tested for EGFR mutations started on first-line treatment before test results available

Lack of test results may impact treatment effectiveness and survival, survey in Europe, Asia and US reveals.



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New genomics tool could help predict tumor aggressiveness, treatment outcomes

A new method for measuring genetic variability within a tumor might one day help doctors identify patients with aggressive cancers that are more likely to resist therapy, according to a study. Researchers used a new scoring method they developed called MATH (mutant-allele tumor heterogeneity) to measure the genetic variability among cancer cells within tumors from 305 patients with head and neck cancer. High MATH scores corresponded to tumors with many differences among the gene mutations present in different cancer cells.



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Recruiting participants for research: Simple explanations, queries from doctors are best

While a debate was raging between scientists and government regulators on how best to explain to patients the risks of participating in clinical research studies that compare standardized treatments, a team of bioethicists boldly went where no experts had gone before -- to the public. What the respondents said surprised them: Keep it simple, but always ask permission.



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Socioeconomic factors affect odds of death after a lung cancer operation

People with limited education and low income have higher odds of death within 30 days after undergoing an operation for lung cancer than those who are more educated and financially better off, according to new research.



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