Editor's Note Significant progress has been made in national health efforts to prompt women to look for signs of breast cancer earlier and inform them about their breast cancer risk, but continued efforts are needed, Chief Healthcare Executive October 30 reports.  Among women younger than 50, breast cancer is the…

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Editor's Note A new survey from ECRI finds that shortages of medications and medical supplies and equipment are harming patients, the nonprofit organization reported in an October 13 news release. ECRI surveyed nearly 200 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, procurement specialists, physicians, and nurses in July 2023. Following are some takeaways from…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) of Deerfield, Illinois, has released its revamped Ambulatory Surgery Considerations for Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Toolkit, ASC Focus October 2023 reports. The new toolkit provides updated guidelines on how healthcare providers can ensure that patients with obesity and/or obstructive…

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Editor's Note The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its lung cancer screening recommendations from 2013 in an effort to reduce deaths based on smoking history, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians November 1 reports. According to the updated guidelines, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in…

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Editor's Note An international team of scientists designed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to provide insights into how a particular drug will interact in an individual prior to administration, Science Direct October 31 reports. The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports.  Among the findings: One-third of drugs work…

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Editor's Note A new study looked at the causes behind how some patients developed deadly blood clots following the administration of certain COVID-19 vaccines. The findings were published in the journal Blood on October 26.  Previous studies had shown that patients with Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT) produce antibodies…

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Editor's Note Widespread antibiotic resistance globally has meant that drugs used to treat common infections in children and babies are no longer effective, according to a new study published on October 31 by Science Direct. The study found that a number of antibiotics recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)…

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Editor's Note Scientists are focusing on the next group of pathogens that could cause a pandemic and are zeroing in on paramyxovirus—a family of single-stranded RNA viruses—The Atlantic October 29 reports.  According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, paramyxovirus is known to cause Hendra virus, measles, mumps, Nipah virus,…

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Editor's Note Video laryngoscopy was found to lead to higher intubation success rates over direct laryngoscopy in critically ill adult patients, an August 2023 randomized controlled trial published by the The New England Journal of Medicine shows. The findings were consistent whether they were intubated in an emergency room or…

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Editor's Note Researchers from University of Connecticut, Peking University School, and Eli Lilly & Company have designed an injectable gel that could someday provide scaffolds for human cartilage without surgery. The findings were published by Nature Communications on October 6.  Some highlights include: The injectable, biodegradable piezoelectric (electricity-producing) hydrogel can…

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