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Infection control

Intestinal infections double in 5 years

According to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 301,200 people contracted Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in 2005, a 200% jump from 2001. Overall, more than 2 million people contracted the infection between 1993 and 2005.

 

CDAD, which frequently targets people over age 65, is spread by touch and can be resistant to many frontline antibiotics. Vancomycin can treat some of the infections, but some are resistant to that drug as well, making them difficult to cure. Patients are often infected by touching surfaces such as bedpans and toilet seats that haven't been properly cleaned.

 

The best treatment for CDAD is prevention. The authors of the study urge hospitals to improve their hygiene practices and to teach patients the importance of not touching surfaces and keeping their hands out of their mouths.

 

Cancer

Life expectancy increases for certain late-stage cancers

Patients receiving treatments for late-stage testicular, colorectal, and ovarian cancer have increased life expectancy, says a new study published in the May 15 issue of Cancer. The study revealed that treatment improvements for ovarian cancer resulted in a total life-expectancy gain of 2 years; for colorectal cancer, 2.8 years; and testicular cancer, 24 years.

 

To get the data, researchers analyzed the survival trends of 27,243 patients diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer, 29,033 patients with late-stage colorectal cancer, and 1,822 patients with late-stage testicular cancer during 1973-2000 with follow-up through 2002. The researchers concluded that these survival patterns reflect the underlying response to cancer treatment and suggest promising directions for future research.

 

Drug update

Ibuprofen may reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease

A study published in the May 6 issue of Neurology indicates that long-term use of ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.

 

The study examined 49,349 U.S. veterans aged 55 years and older who developed Alzheimer's and 196,850 veterans without dementia; the findings show that people who specifically used ibuprofen longer than 5 years were more than 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer's than nonusers. People who used certain NSAIDs for more than 5 years were 25% less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Results also showed that the longer ibuprofen was used, the lower the risk for dementia.

 

While NSAIDs such as indomethacin may also have been associated with lower risks, others such as celecoxib didn't show any impact on dementia risk, suggesting that the effect may be due to specific NSAIDs rather than the entire class.

 

Because the study doesn't prove that NSAIDs have a therapeutic effect, further study is needed to determine what actually drove the lower risk-the NSAID use or something about the people who chose to use the NSAIDs. It's also important to remember that these findings shouldn't be taken to mean that NSAIDs should be administered to prevent dementia.

 

Did you know?

Cuddling can help preemies recover more quickly from pain. A study conducted by the McGill University School of Nursing in Montreal looked at 61 preterm babies born between 28 and 31 weeks' gestation and measured their pain responses using the Premature Infant Pain Profile. This profile measures grimacing, maximum heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation levels. Half of the newborns were assigned to "kangaroo mother care" position, which is skin-to-skin contact by the mother; the rest were swaddled with blankets in an incubator. After the newborns were given heel lance procedures, they found that the "kangaroo mother care" babies squirmed and grimaced less and their pain response was reduced. These babies recovered from the pain in about a minute and a half, while the incubator babies still showed signs of suffering more than 3 minutes after the heel lance.

 

The study suggests that because preemies spend weeks in neonatal intensive care units and are often subjected to painful medical procedures, cuddling up against their mother's bare skin could help them recover from pain more quickly and make a significant difference to the health of a very preterm baby.

  
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