Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Infectious Disease for September 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
FRIDAY, Sept. 28, 2018 -- A pharmaceutical executive is defending his company's 400 percent price hike on an antibiotic, according to a report published in Formulary Watch.
FRIDAY, Sept. 28, 2018 -- More than half of physicians experience burnout, and many do not seek treatment for burnout, according to a report published in the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.
FRIDAY, Sept. 28, 2018 -- The number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is continuing to increase, with an associated increase in the number of cases of congenital syphilis, according to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FRIDAY, Sept. 28, 2018 -- For obese women, use of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy versus standard dressings does not reduce superficial surgical site infections after cesarean section, according to a study published in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
THURSDAY, Sept. 27, 2018 -- Having a Master of Business Administration degree (M.B.A.) can help doctors with important, practice-related decisions, according to a report published recently in Physician Practice.
THURSDAY, Sept. 27, 2018 -- Influenza was deadlier last season than it has been for at least four decades, killing 80,000 Americans. So said the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday in an interview with the Associated Press.
THURSDAY, Sept. 27, 2018 -- A total of 135 people across 36 states fell ill with Salmonella after eating Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal, according to a final update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
THURSDAY, Sept. 27, 2018 -- Medical practices can take steps to avoid problems related to use of social media by staff members, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26, 2018 -- Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the change in the annual number of HIV diagnoses from 2008 to 2016 varies with age, according to research published in the Sept. 21 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26, 2018 -- Symptoms of burnout and career choice regret are prevalent among U.S. resident physicians, according to a study published in the Sept. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 2018 -- The cumulative incidence of appendicitis recurrence within five years is 39.1 percent among patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis initially treated with antibiotics, according to research published in the Sept. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 2018 -- A major non-profit advocacy group is asking that a large government trial comparing treatments for sepsis be shut down.
TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 2018 -- From 2013 to 2016 there was a reduction in uninsurance among Americans from 17 to 10 percent, according to a report published in September by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Urban Institute.
TUESDAY, Sept. 25, 2018 -- Physician-group accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) generated significantly more savings for Medicare that grew from 2012 to 2015 compared with hospital-integrated ACOs, according to research published in the Sept. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
FRIDAY, Sept. 21, 2018 -- More than 132,000 pounds of ground beef have been recalled by a Colorado company following a suspected outbreak where one person was killed and 17 were sickened by Escherichia coli after eating the meat.
FRIDAY, Sept. 21, 2018 -- A considerable proportion of clinicians and patients report having recorded a clinic visit for the patient's personal use, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
FRIDAY, Sept. 21, 2018 -- The Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease (PELD) score underestimates the actual probability of 90-day pretransplant mortality for children undergoing a primary liver transplant, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in JAMA Pediatrics.
FRIDAY, Sept. 21, 2018 -- Every nine minutes, a patient in a U.S. hospital dies because a diagnosis was wrong or delayed -- resulting in 80,000 deaths a year. That sobering estimate comes from the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM).
THURSDAY, Sept. 20, 2018 -- Physician burnout is associated with increased risk of patient safety incidents, poorer quality of care due to low professionalism, and reduced patient satisfaction, according to a review published online Sept. 4 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
THURSDAY, Sept. 20, 2018 -- On average, hospitals mark up drugs by 479 percent of their cost, according to a report from The Moran Company, commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
THURSDAY, Sept. 20, 2018 -- Although there are many demands on residents, taking advantage of paid vacation time is one of the perks and should be maximized, according to an article published in the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19, 2018 -- Almost 20 percent of children and adolescents used prescription medications in 2013 to 2014, and 8.2 percent of concurrent users of prescription medications in 2009 to 2014 were at risk for a potentially major drug-drug interactions (DDIs), according to a study published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19, 2018 -- The most common electronically sent and received types of patient health information (PHI) include laboratory results and medication lists, according to a report published Aug. 15 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19, 2018 -- The risk of human papillomavirus-associated second primary cancers (HPV-SPCs) among survivors of HPV-associated cancers is significant, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in JAMA Network Open.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19, 2018 -- In 2016 the age-standardized prevalence of insufficient physical activity was 27.5 percent, according to a study published in the October issue of The Lancet Global Health.
TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 -- An active choice intervention is associated with an increase in influenza vaccination rates, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Network Open.
TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 -- Use of medical scribes is associated with decreased physician documentation burden, improved work efficiency, and improved patient interactions, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 -- Half of trials on the European Union Clinical Trials Register (EUCTR) are non-compliant with the European Commission's requirement that all trials post results to the registry within 12 month of completion, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in The BMJ.
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TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 -- Prices for drugs under shortage increase more than twice as quickly as expected in the absence of a shortage, according to a research letter published online Sept. 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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MONDAY, Sept. 17, 2018 -- The high mercury (Hg) concentration contained in traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) could be harmful to humans and contribute to the environmental Hg burden in Tibet, according to a study published in the Aug. 7 issue of Environmental Science & Technology.
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MONDAY, Sept. 17, 2018 -- Association health plans (AHPs) will provide small businesses with more choices, access, and coverage options, although critics warn that they may undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, according to an article published in Managed Healthcare Executive.
FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- At least 334 people in 47 states have been sickened in Salmonella outbreaks linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- Customers of an Albuquerque spa who received a "vampire facial" are being warned that they may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through human blood used in the controversial procedure.
FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- Bisexual females and "not sure" male students report higher prevalences for many sexual risk behaviors than heterosexual students, according to research published in the Sept. 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- Extreme flooding, such as was seen in Hurricane Harvey, can increase exposure to pathogens, according to a research letter published recently in Environmental Science & Technology.
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FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- How a situation is framed and the language used to describe risks can influence patients' decision-making, according to an article published in Physicians Practice.
THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2018 -- Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults report continued problems affording care despite coverage gains offered by the Affordable Care Act, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.
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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12, 2018 -- A six-step analysis can help redesign and improve the outpatient health care process, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12, 2018 -- Medical residents can take steps to maintain their energy and alertness during long shifts, according to an article published in the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12, 2018 -- Many frequently touched surfaces at airports are contaminated with respiratory virus pathogens, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in BMC Infectious Diseases.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 -- Health care providers need to be equipped to recognize, diagnose, and treat Chagas disease, which is growing in prevalence in the United States, according to an American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement published online Aug. 20 in Circulation.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 -- The median data age in clinical trials in journals with a high impact factor is about three years at publication, according to a study published in the Aug. 10 issue of JAMA Network Open.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 -- A total of 43,371 new cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers were reported in 2015, with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the most common HPV-associated cancer, according to research published in the Aug. 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 -- Medicaid work requirements will only impact a small proportion of persons and may only generate minimal savings, according to two research letters published online Sept. 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 -- Doctors can use Twitter to build networks and learn more about research in real time, according to a blog post published by Penn Medicine News.
MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 -- Antibiotic use rates (AURs) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are declining, but practice variation is still largely unexplained, according to a study published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 -- Nearly half of physicians report being burned out, but rates vary substantially by medical specialty, according to an article published in AMA Wire.
MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 -- Physicians and consumers agree on the benefits of virtual care, but physician adoption of virtual care technologies is low, according to a report on the Deloitte 2018 Survey of U.S. Physicians.
FRIDAY, Sept. 7, 2018 -- Passengers and crew on four Southwest Airlines flights within Texas in late August are being notified that they may have been exposed to measles. Officials said a passenger who took the four flights over two days was later diagnosed with measles, USA Today reported.
FRIDAY, Sept. 7, 2018 -- The mysterious illness that kept a plane away from the terminal after some passengers reported feeling sick has been confirmed as the flu, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
FRIDAY, Sept. 7, 2018 -- All children and adolescents are advised to undergo annual influenza immunization, ideally with an inactivated influenza vaccine, according to a policy statement published online Sept. 3 in Pediatrics.
FRIDAY, Sept. 7, 2018 -- The weighting systems that underlie hospital performance rating tools should incorporate the needs, values, and preferences of patients, according to a perspective article published in the Aug. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
THURSDAY, Sept. 6, 2018 -- High-quality health care needs to be provided to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) patients, and improved training is necessary to deliver that care, according to a report published in the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.
THURSDAY, Sept. 6, 2018 -- Three U.S. health care foundations and seven hospital groups have formed a generic drug company to combat high prices and chronic shortages of medicines.
THURSDAY, Sept. 6, 2018 -- Though the incidence of tickborne infections in the United States has risen significantly within the past decade, prevention and management are hampered by inadequate diagnostics as well as a lack of treatment options and vaccines, according to a perspective article published in the Aug. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- The selective inhibitor of influenza cap-dependent endonuclease, baloxavir marboxil, is superior to placebo for alleviating influenza symptoms, according to a study published in the Sept. 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- One hundred thirty people across 36 states have now fallen ill with Salmonella after eating Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- Uncertainty surrounds the future of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, according to an Ideas and Opinions article published online Aug. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- The total excess mortality attributed to Hurricane Maria is estimated at 2,975 deaths, according to a report issued by George Washington University.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- KLRD1-expressing natural killer cells may be a biomarker for influenza susceptibility, according to a study published recently in Genome Medicine.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 -- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage increased 5.1 percentage points from 2016 to 2017, and there was also an increase in the number of adolescents up to date with HPV vaccinations, according to research published in the Aug. 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
TUESDAY, Sept. 4, 2018 -- Enrollment in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) has increased among adults with employment-based insurance coverage, according to an August data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
TUESDAY, Sept. 4, 2018 -- The frequency of relapse-free cure from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is higher than previously anticipated, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
TUESDAY, Sept. 4, 2018 -- Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, marking a fourth consecutive year of sharp increases in these sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TUESDAY, Sept. 4, 2018 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening all pregnant women for syphilis infection. These findings form the basis of a reaffirmation recommendation statement published in the Sept. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Posted: October 2018