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Clinical Times: January 2009

MRSA head and neck infections increase among children

Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery | 30 January 2009 | Infections & Immunology

Rates of antibiotic-resistant head and neck infections increased in paediatric patients between 2001 and 2006, according to a new report from the United States. In the study, doctors reviewed data regarding paediatric head and neck infections that occurred at more... Read more

Hospital cleaning products and disinfectants boost asthma risk

Online First Occupational and Environmental Medicine | 30 January 2009 | Respiratory

Regular exposure to hospital cleaning products and disinfectants significantly increases nurses’ risks of developing asthma, according to new research. The researchers based their findings on a representative sample of 3,650 healthcare professionals, including 941 nurses, working in the American state... Read more

Abnormal heart function affects exercise capacity

JAMA | 30 January 2009 | Cardiovascular

Patients with abnormal diastolic function in the left ventricle of the heart have a substantially lower maximum capacity for exercise, according to a new study. In the study, doctors examined the relationship between left ventricular diastolic function and exercise capacity.... Read more

What's coming up in MIMS Ireland

30 January 2009 | Cardiovascular

In February, MIMS Ireland focuses on cardiovascular diseases, including European recommendations on the prevention and management of these diseases, with a particular emphasis on the management of hypertension according to the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology. The Clinical... Read more

Experts call for rethink of trend to fire smokers

27 January 2009 | Respiratory

An increasing trend for employers to bar smokers from applying for jobs or staying in post should be stopped, until its appropriateness has been properly evaluated, according to leading public health experts at the University of Washington and the University... Read more

Management of obsessive compulsive disorder

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael Fitzgerald | 27 January 2009 | Mental Health & CNS

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael Fitzgerald take a close look at the diagnosis and management of obsessive compulsive disorder, in the second article of our two-part series. With regard to comorbidity, about 25 per cent of patients with chronic... Read more

Abdominal aortic aneurisms, evolution in management

Drs Ciara Hanley, A. O'Callaghan, M.P. Colgan, N. Haider, S. O'Neill, P. Madhavan and D.J. Moore | 27 January 2009 | Cardiovascular

Drs Ciara Hanley, A. O'Callaghan, M.P. Colgan, N. Haider, S. O'Neill, P. Madhavan and D.J. Moore on the minimally invasive technique of endovascular aneurysm repair. Due to our increasing life expectancy, advances in medical imaging and community screening programmes, aortic... Read more

Getting less sleep associated with lower patient resistance to respiratory illnesses

Archives of Internal Medicine | 24 January 2009 | Respiratory

Individuals who get less than seven hours of sleep per night appear about three times as likely to develop respiratory illness following exposure to a cold virus as those who sleep eight hours or more, according to a new report.... Read more

Making more prescription drugs available OTC won’t help patients

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin | 23 January 2009 | Infections & Immunology

Making certain prescription-only drugs for common problems available over the counter (OTC) have overwhelmingly been given the thumbs down by healthcare professionals, according to a new study. Some 251 doctors and pharmacists were asked about plans by the UK’s drugs... Read more

Reading slowed by glaucoma

Archives of Opthalmology | 20 January 2009 | Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

Glaucoma appears to be associated with slower spoken reading and increased reading impairment in older adults, according to a new report. The report followed a study of 1,154 individuals to evaluate the relationship between glaucoma and spoken reading speed. Participants... Read more

Deaths from lung cancer could be reduced by better radon policies

BMJ Online | 20 January 2009 | Cancer

Deaths from radon-induced lung cancer could be reduced by better policies to control indoor radon, according to UK researchers. The researchers also found that six out of seven radon-related lung cancers occurred in people who smoked or who had smoked... Read more

Obsessive compulsive disorder: a distressing and annoying illness

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael Fitzgerald | 20 January 2009 | Mental Health & CNS

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael Fitzgerald take a close look at the prevalence and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, in the first article in a two-part series ‘Help them to live’ — Hajrah, 1943-2003. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a... Read more

Hoarseness of voice — can you ignore it?

Dr Sardar U. Khan | 20 January 2009 | Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

Dr Sardar U. Khan on the relatively common complaint of hoarseness of the voice, which may be an indication of a more serious problem. Our voice is the primary means of communication for all of us, both socially and in... Read more

Hospitals audit to help nutrition

Mary Anne Kenny | 20 January 2009 | Nutrition

Nutrition Day in European Hospitals takes place on January 29, when a cross-sectional audit in healthcare institutions will assess the prevalence of malnutrition at hospital admission. Mary Anne Kenny reports Ireland’s hospitals currently have no statistics available to analyse their... Read more

Endoscopic treatment of GORD: unfulfilled potential

Prof Peter Gillen and Dr Shane Kileen | 19 January 2009 | Gastro-intestinal

Prof Peter Gillen and Dr Shane Killeen look at gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and examine the variety of endoscopic antireflux procedures that are currently available for the treatment of the condition. Gastro-oesophage-al reflux disease (GORD) can be defined as reflux of... Read more

Factor Xa inhibitor heralds new era in anticoagulant therapy

Alan Deeley | 18 January 2009 | Cardiovascular

Alan Deeley reports on a recent meeting where attendees heard that a new Factor Xa inhibitor (rivaroxaban) represents a revolution in anticoagulant therapy following orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons and their medical colle-agues are on the verge of a revolution in... Read more

Researchers call for smoke-free outdoor areas

BMJ Online | 16 January 2009 | Respiratory

Many outside public spaces should be smoke free to help stop children becoming smokers, according to leading researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand. The researchers argued that outdoor bans in parks, car parks, beaches and streets will... Read more

Vancomycin drives use of antibiotics

Archives of Internal Medicine | 14 January 2009 | Infections & Immunology

Antibacterial drug use has increased at academic medical centres between 2002 and 2006, driven by greater use of broad-spectrum agents and the antibiotic vancomycin, according to a new US report. The report followed a study that measured antibiotic use from... Read more

Smoking associated with risk of colorectal cancer

JAMA | 13 January 2009 | Cancer

An analysis of previous studies indicates that smoking is significantly associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer and death from the disease. Italian researchers conducted a meta-analysis to review and summarise published data examining the link between smoking and... Read more

Acinetobacter baumannii increasing its profile as healthcare-linked infection

The Lancet | 13 January 2009 | Infections & Immunology

Acinetobacter baumannii (A baumannii) is dangerously increasing its profile as a healthcare-associated infection, according to leading Greek specialists. According to the specialists, resistance rates to some antibiotics are rising and multiple mechanisms of resistance constitute a growing public-health problem, especially... Read more

Balancing efficacy and life quality

13 January 2009 | Nutrition

"Nearly half of all patients and three quarters of patients younger than 70 believe that a six-monthly LHRH agonist would significantly improve their quality of life" (12) — Prof Bertrand Tombal. Prof John Fitzpatrick, Consultant Urologist, Mater Hospital in Dublin... Read more

Questions answered on respiratory conditions

Dr JJ Gilmartin | 13 January 2009 | Respiratory

In the last instalment of Irish Medical Times’s 'Ask the Consultant' series, Dr JJ Gilmartin, President of the Irish Thoracic Society, answers questions on respiratory conditions. 1. Can we have clear guidelines regarding what a patient treated with Combivent for... Read more

Just the right bullets: using viruses to treat disease

Laurence O'Dwyer | 09 January 2009 | Infections & Immunology

Laurence O'Dwyer writes that while gene therapy has enormous promise, it also involves complicated ethical questions. The concept of using gene therapy to treat diseases at their origin has long appealed to researchers and clinicians. With advances in the design... Read more

Caesarean section birth boosts asthma risk

06 January 2009 | Respiratory

Babies born by Caesarean section are more prone to asthma than babies delivered vaginally, new research has found. The findings are based on almost 3,000 children, whose respiratory health was monitored until they reached the age of eight years.... Read more

Breathing exercises ' don't curb need for asthma inhalers'

Online First Thorax | 06 January 2009 | Respiratory

Asthma breathing exercises improve quality of life, but do not curb need for inhalers. Breathing exercises aimed at reducing the severity of asthma symptoms do not cut out the need for inhalers, but they do significantly improve the quality of... Read more

Diesel exhaust linked to risk of COPD

Online First Occupational and Environmental Medicine | 06 January 2009 | Respiratory

Diesel exhausts boost the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new research has found. The findings followed an assessment of the respiratory health of more than 30,000 workers employed on the US railways, where diesel locomotives have been... Read more

Statins linked to lower risk of death from pneumonia

Archives of Internal Medicine | 06 January 2009 | Cardiovascular

Patients who take cholesterol-lowering statins before being hospitalised with pneumonia appear less likely to die within 90 days afterward, according to a new report from Denmark. In the study, doctors reviewed data from 29,900 adults hospitalised with pneumonia between 1997... Read more