More precise colon cancer screening?

2015-08-11

(Press-News.org) 1. Clinical scoring system suggests possibility of more precise colon cancer screening Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M14-1720
Editorial: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1677
URLs go live when embargo lifts A clinical scoring system for colon cancer risk could help physicians identify which average-risk patients could potentially skip a colonoscopy and instead be screened with a less-invasive method. The researchers suggest that this approach could increase the uptake and efficiency of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The cross-sectional study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Several screening tests are proven effective and are recommended for detecting colorectal cancer, yet screening is still underused, costly, and inefficient. Not all average-risk patients have the same risk for colorectal cancer. Risk stratification could potentially enable physicians to tailor screening based on a patient's risk for colorectal cancer.

Researchers studied a convenience sample of 4,460 patients scheduled to undergo their first screening colonoscopy in the Midwest. A clinical score was given based on the patient's complete health data and presence of the five most common risk factors for CRC - age, sex, waist circumference, cigarette smoking, and family history. The data showed that patients classified as low-risk did, in fact, have far fewer advanced adenomas compared with patients classified as high-risk. The authors suggest that patients at lower risk for cancer would be able to have a less invasive test (sigmoidoscopy, occult blood tests), while higher-risk patients would need a colonoscopy.

The author of an accompanying editorial cautions that the score should not be used for choosing the type of screening test an average-risk person should have. However, a sensitive algorithm may have a role in choosing appropriate follow up for a patient with a negative screening result. Notes: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To speak with the lead author, please contact Lisa Welch at llwelch@regenstrief.org or 317-274-9234. 2. Adding corticosteroids improves outcomes in patients with community-acquired pneumonia Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-0715
URLs go live when embargo lifts For hospitalized adults with community acquired pneumonia (CAP), evidence suggests that adjunctive corticosteroid therapy may reduce mortality and need for mechanical ventilation, while shortening hospital stay. The research is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

CAP is common and often severe. Researchers reviewed published studies on randomized trials of systemic corticosteroids in hospitalized adults with CAP to determine the impact of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy on mortality, morbidity, and duration of hospitalization. They found that corticosteroids reduced mortality by approximately 3 percent and need for mechanical ventilation by approximately 5 percent, while shortening hospital stay by approximately one day. Benefits were more pronounced in patients with severe illness. Based on their findings, the researchers conclude that clinicians should seriously consider using corticosteroids in hospitalized patients with CAP, especially in the most severe cases. Notes: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To speak with the lead author, please contact Veronica McGuire at vmcguir@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140 ext. 22169. 3. Evidence suggests wide variations in hospital cleaning practices Free content: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1192
Editorial: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1798
URLs go live when embargo lifts A systematic overview published in Annals of Internal Medicine finds important gaps in the evidence for the bestmethods for cleaning hospital rooms to prevent healthcare-associated Infections, and recommends additional researchto help lower risk for patients. The cleaning of hard surfaces in hospital rooms is critical for reducing healthcare-associated infections. Environmental cleaning is a complex, multifaceted process, and involves the physical action of cleaning surfaces and also the application of disinfectant. Monitoring strategies must also be employed to ensure that cleaning and disinfecting is done properly. Researchers reviewed published research to summarize the modalities currently used for cleaning, disinfecting, and monitoring cleanliness of patient rooms as well as contextual factors that may impact the implementation and effectiveness of the cleaning process. Studies focused on three key healthcare-associated pathogens - MRSA, VRE, and c. diff. The researchers suggest that evaluating the clinical effectiveness of cleaning and disinfection modalities is challenging and there are several unanswered questions about practices. The authors of an accompanying editorial say that unlike handwashing, there is yet to be a consensus on the importance of cleaning the inanimate health care environment as a way to prevent the spread of infection. The authors suggest that in addition to more studies, effective communication and education are needed to ensure consistent practices. The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and conducted by researchers at the ECRI Institute-Penn Medicine Evidence-Based Practice Center. Notes: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To speak with the lead author, please contact Steve Graff at Stephen.Graff@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-349-5653. Also in this issue: Good Publication Practice for Communicating Company-Sponsored Medical Research: GPP3 Wendy P. Battisti, PhD; Elizabeth Wager, PhD; Lise Baltzer; Dan Bridges, PhD; Angela Cairns; Christopher I. Carswell, MSc; Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH; James A. Gurr, PhD; LaVerne A. Mooney, DrPH; B. Jane Moore, MS; Teresa Peña, PhD; Carol H. Sanes-Miller, MS; Keith Veitch, PhD; Karen L. Woolley, PhD; and Yvonne E. Yarker, PhD
Research and Reporting Methods
M15-0288
Free Content: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-0288

Increased Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Mortality in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis Have Increased Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Mortality: A Population-based Study
Nisha Nigil Haroon, MD, DM, DNB, MSc; J. Michael Paterson, MSc; Ping Li, PhD; Robert D. Inman, MD; and Nigil Haroon, MD, PhD, DM
Original Research
M14-2470
Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M14-2470

The 8 Basic Payment Methods in Health Care Kevin Quinn, MA
Medicine and Public Issues
M14-2784
Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M14-2784

Evolving the palliative care workforce to provide responsive, serious illness care Arif H. Kamal, MD, MHS; Jennifer M. Maguire, MD; and Diane E. Meier, MD
Ideas and Opinions
M15-0071
Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-0071

INFORMATION:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study finds steroid therapy benefits patients with pneumonia

2015-08-11

Hamilton, ON (Aug. 10, 2015) -McMaster University research, published online today by the Annals of Internal Medicine, has demonstrated the benefits of corticosteroid therapy for one of the most common serious medical conditions. "Our study should lead to an important change in treatment for pneumonia," said lead author, Dr. Reed Siemieniuk, a physician and a graduate student at McMaster University. "Corticosteroids are inexpensive and readily available around the world. Millions of patients will benefit from this new evidence." Lower respiratory infections are the ...

Southern diet could raise your risk of heart attack

2015-08-10

DALLAS, Aug. 10, 2015 -- If your dinner plate often includes fried chicken, gravy-smothered liver, buttered rolls and sweet tea -- your heart may not find it so tasty. Eating a Southern-style diet is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, according to research published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal. In a large-scale study that explored the relationship between dietary patterns and heart disease risk, researchers found that people who regularly ate traditional Southern fare -- which they characterized as fried foods, fatty foods, eggs, ...

Depressed teens at risk of heart disease, early monitoring urged

2015-08-10

DALLAS, Aug. 10, 2015 -- For the first time, experts urge early monitoring for heart and blood vessel disease among teens with major depression or bipolar disorder, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement. "Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Predispose Youth to Accelerated Atherosclerosis and Early Cardiovascular Disease" is published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. This statement makes recommendations to consider these mood disorders as independent, moderate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases ...

Scientists measure slow death of the Universe

2015-08-10

An international team of astronomers studying 200,000 galaxies has measured the energy generated within a large portion of space more precisely than ever before, discovering that it's only half what it was 2 billion years ago and fading - the Universe is slowly dying. Researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Western Australia used seven of the world's most powerful telescopes to observe galaxies at 21 different wavelengths from the far ultraviolet to the far infrared. Initial observations were conducted using the Anglo-Australian ...

Charting the slow death of the Universe

2015-08-10

An international team of astronomers studying more than 200 000 galaxies has measured the energy generated within a large portion of space more precisely than ever before. This represents the most comprehensive assessment of the energy output of the nearby Universe. They confirm that the energy produced in a section of the Universe today is only about half what it was two billion years ago and find that this fading is occurring across all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. The Universe is slowly dying. The study involves many of the world's most powerful ...

Scientists identify a mechanism of epidemic bacterial disease

2015-08-10

Through identification of increased toxin production by epidemic forms of group A streptococcus (the "flesh-eating" bacterium), for the first time scientists are able to pinpoint the molecular events that contribute to large intercontinental epidemics of disease. The study was based on sequencing almost 5,000 group A streptococcus genomes collected over decades. Researchers from Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, institutions in Finland and Iceland, and the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases report their discoveries ...

Survey reveals best practices that lead to high patient ratings of hospital care

2015-08-10

Fast Facts: Study reveals simple things hospitals can do to improve a patient's experience, including ongoing rounds by nurses and hospital leadership. Study findings outline the following core practices that high-ranking hospitals employ: a devotion to consistency, personal and focused interactions with patients, and a culture that demands involvement of all levels of caregivers and services. Based on responses to questionnaires and letters sent to CEOs and medical personnel from a nationwide sample of 53 hospitals, Johns Hopkins investigators have identified ...

Non-native marine species' spread, impact explained by time since introduction

2015-08-10

Athens, Ga. - The time since the introduction of a non-native marine species best explains its global range, according to new research by an international team of scientists led by University of Georgia ecologist James E. Byers. The study, published in the open access journal Nature Scientific Reports, also contains a warning: The vast majority of marine invaders have not yet finished spreading. Invasion by non-native species is a worldwide problem that causes billions of dollars of damage annually--more than $120 billion in the U.S. alone, according to a 2005 study ...

Clearing habitat surrounding farm fields fails to reduce pathogens

2015-08-10

Berkeley -- The effort to improve food safety by clearing wild vegetation surrounding crops is not helping, and in some cases may even backfire, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The findings, to be reported Monday, Aug. 10, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, call into question the effectiveness of removing non-crop vegetation as a way to reduce field contamination of fresh produce by disease-causing pathogens. This practice led to extensive loss of habitat in a region that is globally ...

Math boosts brain research

$Math boosts brain research$

2015-08-10

Human memory is the result of different mental processes, such as learning, remembering and forgetting. However, these distinct processes cannot be observed directly. Researchers at the University of Basel now succeeded at describing them using computational models. The scientists were thus for the first time able to identify gene sets responsible for steering specific memory processes. Their results have been published in the current issue of the journal PNAS. Thanks to our memory we are able to learn foreign languages, solve exams and remember beautiful moments from ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AACR: Five MD Anderson researchers honored with 2025 Scientific Achievement Awards

How not to form a state: Research reveals how imbalanced social-ecological acceleration led to collapse in early medieval Europe

DDT residues persist in trout in some Canadian lakes 70 years after insecticide treatment, often at levels ten times that recommended as safe for the wildlife which consumes the fish