Culture

With many disease-causing bacteria ratcheting up their shields against current drugs, new tactics are vital to protect people from treatment-resistant infections.

Lowering mutation rates in harmful bacteria might be an as yet untried way to hinder the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. This proposed strategy comes from recent findings in infectious disease research at UW Medicine in Seattle.

ANN ARBOR--For half a century, researchers have seen loops of displaced atoms appearing inside nuclear reactor steel after exposure to radiation, but no one could work out how.

Now, a simulation done by researchers at the University of Michigan, Hunan University (China) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has shown that a shockwave produces these loops in iron. The result could help engineers design better radiation-resistant steel for reactors--or stronger steel in general.

SEATTLE (November 16, 2018) - Although parents often focus on peanuts as the food allergy they need to worry about most, cow's milk is the most common food allergy in children under the age of 5. New research being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found that over two percent of all U.S. children under the age of 5 have a milk allergy, and 53 percent of food-allergic infants under age 1 have a cow's milk allergy.

Ann Arbor, November 16, 2018 - New research shows improved smoking cessation outcomes can be achieved within the Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) population by supplementing telephone counseling with access to nicotine-replacement patches and moderate financial incentives that are not contingent on outcomes. The group that received these additional services was more likely to make a quit attempt and remain smoke-free, both short- and long-term.

Astronomers may have finally uncovered the long-sought progenitor to a specific type of exploding star by sifting through NASA Hubble Space Telescope archival data. The supernova, called a Type Ic, is thought to detonate after its massive star has shed or been stripped of its outer layers of hydrogen and helium.

Inappropriate prescribing can include the intensification of existing drugs and the failure to stop or reduce doses of certain drugs after discharge from hospital.

The findings suggest that better coordination of care is needed to reduce avoidable medication related harms among these patients.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing is common among older adults and is associated with adverse outcomes including emergency hospital attendances and admissions, adverse drug events, and poorer quality of life.

A new study has found that older patients who were hospitalised were 72% more likely to be given a potentially inappropriate prescription after their hospital admission, independent of other patient factors.

The study, conducted by the HRB Centre for Primary Care Research based in the Department of General Practice at RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), is published in the current edition of The BMJ.