Here are 20 articles on medical research study findings from the week of Feb. 8.
1. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian in New York found using corticosteroids in women at risk for late preterm delivery reduced the chance of severe respiratory complications in their babies. Read more.
2. Of the World Health Organization's Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, compliance tends to be lowest on the final step, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Read more.
3. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health discovered a biomarker in the DNA of five different types of cancerous tumors, as well as evidence that the genetic signature may be present in other types of cancer. Read more.
4. A study from the University of Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston found monitoring pain patients through urine drug screenings ensures patient safety, but reduces the odds the patients will return for treatment. Read more.
5. Research published in Wound Repair and Regeneration demonstrates using an electrochemical sensor could cut wound infection diagnosis time down to less than a minute. Read more.
6. Microbiologists identified Borrelia mayonii as the second species of bacteria capable of transmitting Lyme disease to humans in North America. Read more.
7. The Achievable Benchmark of Care method was identified as a sound and useful approach to identifying benchmark-setting surgeons within healthcare institutions, according to a recent study. Read more.
8. A Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study suggests vaccines are an "excellent investment," saving $44 for every dollar spent. Read more.
9. The complexity of the office visit for primary care physicians — based on the number of visit diagnoses reported — tends to be higher than for subspecialist physicians, according to the Robert Graham Center. Read more.
10. A study published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics suggests using a cloud-based insulin management software in the emergency department can improve diabetes care quality and reduce costs considerably. Read more.
11. Appealing to clinicians' competitive nature and desires to strengthen their reputations may be an effective method for significantly reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. Read more.
12. Research published in JAMA revealed older men hospitalized in Veterans Affairs hospitals fare better for 30-day all-cause mortality, but worse for 30-day readmission rates, than those treated in non-VA hospitals. Read more.
13. Surgical team members who frequently work together are less likely to experience sharps-related percutaneous blood and body fluid exposures during surgical procedures, according to a recent study. Read more.
14. Even if a hospital patient does not have a Clostridium difficile infection, their length of stay can be roughly estimated using the hospital's CDI incidence. Read more.
15. A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests the most significant benefit of remote patient monitoring may be improvements in how patients rate their quality of life. Read more.
16. U.K. researchers discovered higher nurse staffing levels are directly linked to lower patient mortality rates in a recent study that could have implications for nursing staff ratios in U.S. hospitals as well. Read more.
17. A person's ability to combat viruses depends largely on their DNA, according to groundbreaking new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. Read more.
18. Researchers have observed effects of the common anti-malarial drug Artesunate on rats that suggest it may be an effective tool in treating hospital patients suffering from major trauma. Read more.
19. An American Society of Microbiology study identified key mechanisms that enable the Ebola virus to adhere to and infect its host cells. Read more.
20. Of 2,000 patients over the age of 80, only 270 were asked for their opinion about admission to the ICU, according to a study conducted in France. Read more.