Here are 13 articles on medical research study findings from the week of August 3.
1. Neonatal intensive care units are admitting more babies of all sizes, including normal birth weight and term infants, raising the question of whether such babies truly need care in this expensive, highly specialized care unit. Read more.
2. Clostridium difficile infections in hospitalized patients is generally attributed to the current stay, but being colonized with a toxin-producing strain of C. diff upon admission may increase the risk of subsequent CDI. Read more.
3. New research suggests that regardless of whether established guidelines for cleaning and disinfection are followed, endoscopes almost always harbor pathogens that could harm patients. Read more.
4. A trial in the West African nation of Guinea has shown an Ebola vaccine developed by Merck and NewLink Genetics offers 100 percent protection after 10 days. Read more.
5. Transgender or gender nonconforming people who experience discrimination and health inequities are at an increased risk of adverse emotional and physical symptoms. Read more.
6. The Medicare rule that requires patients to spend at least three days in a hospital to become eligible for skilled nursing care coverage may not benefit patients, according to a new study. Read more.
7. A team of psychologists from UCLA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign published research that suggests vaccine skeptics can be convinced to vaccinate their children if the argument is presented in a certain way. Read more.
8. Even though the music in the operating theatre may have a calming effect on patients, it may also lead to communication barriers between healthcare professionals. Read more.
9. States with lax vaccination laws that allow philosophical exemptions and use standardized exemption forms have higher rates of pertussis, or whooping cough, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. Read more.
10. The CDC's latest mathematical modeling reflects anticipated increases in drug-resistant infections, including C. diff, if no immediate, nationwide infection control and antibiotic prescription improvements are made. Read more.
11. Denver Health Medical Center researchers report that its super-utilizer population — patients who use a large share of healthcare resources due to multiple chronic conditions and risk factors — changes from year to year. Read more.
12. A computer algorithm developed by researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore could correctly predict septic shock in 85 percent of cases without increasing the number of false positives, according to a recent study. Read more.
13. Following the implementation of a testing protocol in a Washington-based urban emergency department, researchers not only reported high hepatitis C infection rates among intravenous drug users and Baby Boomers, but also that 76 percent of those infected were unaware. Read more.