Here are 10 articles on some of the most interesting medical research study findings and advancements from the week of May 2.
1. Researchers identified five areas in the operating room that are touched most often in a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Read more.
2. A University of California San Diego School of Medicine study identified one way Zika infections can damage developing brain cells, which may help create techniques to mitigate the damage of prenatal infections. Read more.
3. A subpopulation of drug-resistant bacteria utilize "heteroresistance" to hide among otherwise treatable types of germs, leading to potentially deadly infections. Read more.
4. The measures frequently used by government agencies and public ranking organizations to rate hospital safety do not accurately summarize the quality of care provided at a facility, according to research from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Read more.
5. A study from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis suggests using electronic monitoring to motivate hand hygiene compliance requires long-term follow-up to prevent a backlash effect. Read more.
6. Statins, which are typically prescribed to lower cholesterol, may also obstruct the transmission of Lyme disease, according to a new study published in Microbes and Infection. Read more.
7. When complications occur during surgery, hospitals and payers see a similar increase in their costs, meaning both groups are incentivized to reduce those complications. Read more.
8. Treating high-risk hospitalized patients for sleep apnea may reduce the frequency of emergency rescues, or rapid response events, for those patients. Read more.
9. Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center increased its employee flu shot rate from 56 percent to 94 percent by implementing a mandatory vaccination policy, according to a recent study. Read more.
10. New research from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, may help develop a Clostridium difficile vaccine in the near future. Read more.