Physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California reduced the odds of prescribing an antibiotic for sinusitis by 22 percent using computer alerts to inform doctors when antibiotics may not be the best course of treatment. The research was published today in the American Journal of Managed Care. The work is a continuation of research to better [...]
Newer cholesterol-lowering drugs combined with more conventional medicine reduces bad cholesterol to incredibly low levels, a new study shows. Perhaps even more important, the combination also reduces the heart-attack-inducing plaque that forms inside the arteries, the study says. The study was led by cardiologist Steven Nissen, MD, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Results appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical [...]
Flies can be more than pesky picnic crashers, they may be potent pathogen carriers, too, according to an international team of researchers. In a study of the microbiomes of 116 houseflies and blowflies from three different continents, researchers found, in some cases, these flies carried hundreds of different species of bacteria, many of which are [...]
SINGAPORE - Science could soon unleash a most incongruous army in the war against disease - one composed of filthy flies. Researchers have found that because flies are the very vessels that transport harmful and sometimes deadly bacteria, the insects can also be used to monitor what diseases are circulating in the environment. Research led [...]
Tick-borne infections are a major infectious disease problem in the United States as we see the numbers increase each year and a geographical spread reported. Ticks are arachnids, like spiders, scorpions and mites, from the Class Arachnida. While most tick bites do not transmit infectious disease, some very serious infections can be contracted from the bite of [...]
The European Commission has told the UK to clean up its air. Levels of nitrogen dioxide – which is linked to heart and lung disease and contributes to the early deaths of 40,000 people a year in the UK – are particularly bad. We’re not the only ones with filthy air; the five most-developed countries in [...]
Rice, UCLA, Michigan State, UNM find unusual enrichment in 15N15N molecules Nature whispers its stories in a faint molecular language, and Rice University scientist Laurence Yeung and colleagues can finally tell one of those stories this week, thanks to a one-of-a-kind instrument that allowed them to hear what the atmosphere is saying with rare nitrogen [...]
High levels of air pollution are associated with poor sperm quality and could be partly responsible for the sharp drop in male fertility, according to a new study. A team of scientists, led by researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, studied the sperm of nearly 6,500 men and found a “strong association” between [...]
Abstract Background Childhood asthma is very prevalent and costs can be high, especially in severe disease. This study aimed to estimate the cost of asthma in Portuguese children and the variations by level of asthma control. Methods A nationwide, population- and prevalence-based cost-of-illness study with a societal perspective was conducted. We measured direct and indirect [...]
Abstract We undertook an extensive study of population and type of viable microorganisms at several indoor construction sites in a 50-year-old chemical building which housed both laboratory and office spaces. Results were compared to neighbouring public buildings (office and shopping malls), as well as outdoor (green areas and traffic zones) in downtown Montreal, (45 °30′N, 73 °35′W). [...]
