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Light-activated treatments could solve MRSA problems after surgery

Killer dyes that can wipe out bacteria could help solve the superbug problems faced by surgical patients, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

"We showed that 99% of the potentially dangerous Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in infected wounds can be killed using a green dye that gives off toxic molecules when it is activated by near-infrared light," said Dr Ghada Omar from University College London, UK.

Food poisoning bacteria prefer duck to beef on meat factory surfaces

The food poisoning bacterium Listeria could survive on surfaces in meat processing factories if certain other bacteria are present, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Titanium work surfaces could cut food poisoning cases say scientists

Food factory work surfaces coated in titanium could cut the number of food poisoning cases every year, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Oil seed rape grown for biofuel can help clean up toxic soils

Oil seed rape grown for biofuel in Ireland could help clean up contaminated soils, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Mayo Clinic chest surgeons propose measures for indicating quality of lung surgery

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Even though 30,000 patients in the United States undergo lung surgery each year, no standard criteria exist to measure the quality of their care. In the current issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic surgeons have proposed a system of lung surgery quality indicators for surgeons and the public as a method to demonstrate best practices for obtaining positive patient outcomes.

Eating fish while pregnant, longer breastfeeding, lead to better infant development

BOSTON, Mass. (Sept. 9, 2008) — Both higher fish consumption and longer breastfeeding are linked to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Maternal fish consumption and longer breastfeeding were independently beneficial.

Calcium during pregnancy reduces harmful blood lead levels

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Pregnant women who take high levels of daily calcium supplements show a marked reduction in lead levels in their blood, suggesting calcium could play a critical role in reducing fetal and infant exposure.

A new study at the University of Michigan shows that women who take 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily have up to a 31 percent reduction in lead levels.

US hospitals 'flunk' colon cancer

CHICAGO -- School has barely begun, but many U.S. hospitals have already received their report card in colon cancer. They flunked.

A new study from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and the American College of Surgeons finds the majority of hospitals don't check enough lymph nodes after a patient's colon cancer surgery to determine if the disease has spread.

Checking more lymph nodes is linked to improved survival of colon cancer because it allows doctors to accurately diagnose the stage of disease and prescribe the most effective treatment.

Evaluation of quality measure for colon cancer care suggests considerable improvements needed

Pathology examination of 12 or more lymph nodes is associated with improved staging and survival in colon cancer patients, yet just 38 percent of U.S. hospitals were compliant with this guideline in 2004-2005, according to a study published in the September 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

5- and 10-year survival continues to improve for US children with hematologic malignancies

5- and 10-year survival rates continue to improve for children under the age of 15 who are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the United States, researchers report in the September 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Breast cancer screening may lower mortality and disease burden in India

Regular screening of women between the ages of 40 and 59 could substantially reduce breast cancer mortality in India, according to a study in the September 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Racial diversity among medical students appears to better prepare them to care for minority patients

White medical students who attend schools with greater racial and ethnic diversity among the student body are more likely to rate themselves as highly prepared to care for minority populations, according to a study in the September 10 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.

Reasons vary for decline by medical students in choosing internal medicine as career choice

CHICAGO – Medical students express reservations about internal medicine as a career because of patient complexity, the practice environment and the lifestyle, compared with other specialties, according to a study in the September 10 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.

M.D.-Ph.D. graduates look more towards career in research

Dorothy A. Andriole, M.D., of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and colleagues conducted a study, published in the September 10 issue of JAMA, to identify factors associated with M.D.-Ph.D. program graduation among recent medical graduates. The researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 88,575 U.S. medical graduates who completed the national Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire from 2000-2006.

Number of residents training in graduate medical education programs increases in recent years

Edward Salsberg, M.P.A., of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, D.C., and colleagues examined, in an article published in the September 10 issue of JAMA, the number of residents in training before and after the 1997 Balanced Budget Act (BBA). There has been concern that because Medicare is the primary source of graduate medical education (GME) funding, the BBA would discourage growth in GME.