An air of defeatism exists within the medical profession about chronic fatigue syndrome that is undermining evidence that it can be treated, according to leading doctors in the field. The recent acquittal in Britain of Kay Gilderdale, who had been charged with the attempted murder of her 31-year-old daughter Lynn, has led to blanket press [...]
Doses of antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents should take into account the patient’s bodyweight, to maximise their potential effectiveness, according to leading Greek researchers. “For most widely used antimicrobial agents, dosing recommendations in adults do not take into account adjustment to body-size measures,” said the researchers. “Even when such recommendations are made for an agent, [...]
Researchers in Britain have questioned the recent decisions by some hospitals there to ban flowers. Researchers from Imperial College London surveyed the literature and talked to patients and staff at the Royal Brompton Hospital and the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital about their attitudes toward flowers. A 1973 study found flower water contained high bacteria counts. [...]
The Cervarix human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline offers sustained protection beyond six years from infection against the types of HPV most commonly associated with cervical cancer (HPV-16 and HPV-18). According to background information supplied by the study’s authors, findings from several clinical studies have shown that the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine (Cervarix) induces a [...]
Broad-spectrum antibiotics should be used in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with post-operative peritonitis (POP) who have received antimicrobial therapy in the three months prior to hospitalisation, new research has suggested. The team from Rennes, France also said such treatment should be initiated when there is more than five days between the first operation and [...]
The use of guidelines for treatment of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) such as bronchitis and pneumonia determined by measurements of procalcitonin (PCT) resulted in lower rates of antibiotic use and associated adverse effects, and similar rates of adverse outcomes compared to standard guidelines, according to a new study. The researchers added that clinical signs [...]
Children who receive a three-day course of antibiotics following tonsillectomy rather than a seven-day course appear to have no differences in pain or how quickly they return to a normal diet and activity level, according to a new report. The report followed a study in which doctors investigated 49 patients scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy with [...]
Critical illness from 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Mexico had a fatality rate of about 40 per cent, according to a new study. Novel 2009 influenza A(H1N1) was first reported in the south-western United States and Mexico in March of 2009. Between March 18 and June 1, some 5,029 cases and 97 deaths occurred in Mexico. [...]
Penicillin and several other antibacterial medications commonly taken by pregnant women do not appear to be associated with many birth defects, according to a new report. However, the same report found that other antibiotics, such as sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins, may be associated with several severe birth defects and require additional scrutiny. The report followed a [...]
More flu viruses could qualify as pandemic strains as a result of recent changes to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for a flu pandemic, according to a leading expert. Under criteria introduced by the WHO in 2005, the appearance of a new influenza subtype (for example, a change from A [H2N2] to A [H3N2] [...]
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