Farm Antibiotics May Be Linked to Food Allergies — Some food allergies may be connected to pesticides – People with food allergies always have to watch what they eat. Now, they may have to watch what their fruits and vegetables eat, as it seems it’s possible to have an allergic reaction to antibiotic residues in food.
As West Africa Ebola outbreak worsens, CDC issues Level 3 Travel Warning — CDC surge scaling up response in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning to avoid nonessential travel to the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This Level 3 travel warning is a reflection of the worsening Ebola outbreak in this region.
UCSF study finds codeine often prescribed to children in U.S. emergency rooms, despite available alternatives – Despite its potentially harmful effects in children, codeine continues to be prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms. There is a need to change prescription behaviors to promote the use of better alternatives to codeine, such as ibuprofen or hydrocodone.
Secondhand smoke exposure increases odds of hospital asthma readmission for children – A new study shows that exposure to secondhand smoke at home or in the car dramatically increases the odds of children being readmitted to the hospital within a year of being admitted for asthma. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, raises the possibility that measurement of tobacco exposure could be used in clinical practice to target smoking cessation efforts and reduce the likelihood of future hospitalizations.
Findings Not Supportive of Women-Specific Chest Pain Symptoms in Heart Attack Diagnosis – Using chest pain characteristics (CPCs) specific to women in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) in the emergency department does not seem to be supported by the findings of a study published by JAMA.
Pazopanib shows better quality-of-life in advanced kidney cancer – Two oral targeted drugs — Pazopanib (Votrient) and sunitinib (Sutent) — approved for metastatic kidney cancer worked equally well, but one proved superior in tolerability, the safety profile and many measures of quality of life favored pazopanib.
Girls can buy morning – after pill for now — FDA wins temporary halt on some morning-after pills – An appeals court ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make certain forms of “morning-after” birth control pills available freely over the counter to anyone who wants to buy them.
Baby’s life saved with groundbreaking 3D printed device from University of Michigan that restored his breathing — Bioresorbable splint used for first time, successfully stopped life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia, case featured in New England Journal of Medicine – Every day, their baby stopped breathing, his collapsed bronchus blocking the crucial flow of air to his lungs. April and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, just praying that somehow the dire predictions weren’t true.
High school athletes say concussions won’t sideline them — Survey of football players shows many would not report symptoms to a coach – Many high school football players say it’s OK to play with a concussion even though they know they are at risk of serious injury. The study of 120 high school football players in the Cincinnati area also found that one-quarter had suffered a concussion, and more than half acknowledged they would continue to play with symptoms of a concussion.
The MGH has seen 29 patients related to the Boston Marathon explosion today. Eight of the 29 are in critical condition. – The MGH has seen 29 patients related to the Boston Marathon explosion today. Eight of the 29 are in critical condition. None of the patients are pediatric (18 and younger). The injuries range from cuts and bruises to amputations.
American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Issues Updated Sports Concussion Guideline: Athletes with Suspected Concussion Should Be Removed from Play – With more than one million athletes now experiencing a concussion each year in the United States, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has released an evidence-based guideline for evaluating and managing athletes with concussion. This new guideline replaces the 1997 AAN guideline on the same topic.
Innovative policy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV shows positive impact — New approach in Malawi dramatically increases the number of mothers on treatment – The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Malawi with HIV who started life-saving antiretroviral treatment increased by more than 700 percent in one year. The new treatment option, called Option B+, offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women infected with HIV lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), regardless of the stage of their HIV infection.
