Monthly Briefings

January 2012 Briefing - Infectious Disease

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Infectious Disease for January 2012. 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.

Antiretroviral Medications Linked to Cleft Deformities

MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) --Antiretroviral drugs prescribed for HIV-infected pregnant women to reduce risk of mother-to-child disease transmission may be linked to cleft lip and palate disorders in newborns, according to a study published in the January issue of Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal.

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Steroid-Sparing Renal Transplant Yields Successful Outcomes

FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Rapid discontinuation of prednisone (RDP) five days after renal transplantation from a living (LD) or deceased donor (DD) yields acceptable 10-year patient and graft outcomes, according to research published online Jan. 26 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

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Oral HPV Infection Prevalence in U.S. Close to 7 Percent

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In the United States, the prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is 6.9 percent, with higher prevalence in men than women, according to a study published online Jan. 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Overuse of Health Care Services Understudied

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Overuse of health care services in the United States is an understudied problem, with the majority of research limited to a few interventions, according to a review published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Unemployed Have Poorer Mental and Physical Health

TUESDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Unemployed adults are about half as likely to have health insurance as employed individuals; have poorer mental and physical health, regardless of their insurance status; and are less likely to receive needed medical care and prescriptions, according to a January data brief issued by the National Center for Health Statistics.

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Perfluorinated Compounds Reduce Immunity in Children

TUESDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Increased exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) is associated with reduced immune response to childhood vaccinations, according to a study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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HealthGrades IDs Notable Hospitals for Clinical Excellence

TUESDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals has more than a 30 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality across 17 procedures and diagnoses, compared with other hospitals, according to the 10th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study published online Jan. 24.

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National Adolescent Hep A Vaccine Coverage Is Low

TUESDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Hepatitis A vaccine (HepA) coverage is low among adolescents nationally, but rates are higher among states with a vaccination requirement, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in Pediatrics.

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Statins May Reduce Risk for HCC in Hep B-Infected Patients

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- For hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients, statin use is associated with a reduction in the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in a dose-dependent manner, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Inadequate Hep B Vaccinations for High-Risk Adults

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Approximately half of all adults at high risk of hepatitis B infection are vaccinated against hepatitis B, and more than half miss opportunities to be vaccinated, according to a study published online Jan. 12 in Infection.

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HIV Risk-Related Behaviors Down in the United States

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The number of men and women who reported engaging in HIV risk-related behaviors was lower in 2006 to 2010 compared with 2002, with the decline likely resulting from a decrease in sexual risk behaviors, according to a research published in the Jan. 19 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Statistics Reports.

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No Autoimmune Safety Signal for Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- For women vaccinated with the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4), there is no evidence of an autoimmune safety signal, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

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Chronic Hepatitis C May Benefit From New Antivirals

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Direct-acting antiviral agents may be effective for treating patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 who don't respond to peginterferon and ribavirin therapies, according to a study published in the Jan. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Meningitis B Vaccine Immunogenic in Adolescents

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Two doses of the four-component Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (4CMenB) vaccine is highly immunogenic in adolescents, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in The Lancet.

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Viral Load Significant Factor in HIV-1 Transmission

MONDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In serodiscordant couples, higher HIV-1 RNA levels in the infected partner significantly increase the risk of HIV-1 transmission, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

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Increased Pathologic Fracture Risk in Staph Osteomyelitis

MONDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Children with osteomyelitis secondary to Staphylococcus aureus infection have increased risk of pathologic fracture, according to a study published in the Jan. 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

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Fatal Case of Measles Without Rash Found in Young Woman

FRIDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A fatality from measles with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but without rash, has been reported, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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U.S. Health Care Expenditure Still Unevenly Distributed

FRIDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Health care expenditure in the United States is still unevenly distributed, with 1 percent of the population accounting for approximately 20 percent of expenditure in 2008 and 2009, according to a January statistical brief published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

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Gene Variant Identified in Families With Cold Urticaria

THURSDAY, Jan. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The PLCG2 gene, which encodes phospholipase Cγ₂, has been found to be associated with a dominantly inherited medical condition causing cold urticaria, immunodeficiency, and autoimmunity, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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CDC: 2010 Saw Decrease in Age-Adjusted Death Rates

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- From 2009 to 2010, age-adjusted death rates decreased and life expectancy increased, according to a Jan. 11 report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Single Oral Azithromycin Dose Effective for Yaws

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A single oral-dose of azithromycin is non-inferior compared with the standard recommended therapy of benzathine benzylpenicillin for the treatment of yaws, an endemic treponematosis, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in The Lancet.

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No Rise in Intussusception After Rotavirus Shot Revival

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The reintroduction of the rotavirus vaccination in the United States has not resulted in an increase in the rate of infant hospital discharges for intussusception, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

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HCV Antivirals Cost-Effective for Injecting Drug Users

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Antivirals are cost-effective for injecting drug users (IDUs) where the chronic prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is less than 60 percent, according to a study published in the January issue of Hepatology.

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Shedding Persists in Herpes Even With High-Dose Antivirals

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Short episodes of subclinical shedding or reactivation persist in herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, even in patients on high doses of antiviral therapy, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in The Lancet.

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In-Hospital, 30-Day Standardized Mortality Measures Differ

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The mean risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) differ for in-hospital and 30-day models, with wide variability across U.S. hospitals, according to a study published in the Jan. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Saffold Virus Found in Spinal Fluid of Two Children

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Saffold virus (SAFV), which can cause serious invasive infection in children, has been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of two children in Denmark, according to a viral genotyping study published in the January issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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Novel Hepatitis C Vaccine Induces T Cell Responses

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Adenovirus-based vaccines can generate strong, broad, long-lasting, and functional T cell responses against hepatitis C virus (HCV) in healthy people, according to a study published in the Jan. 4 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

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Intrapartum Antibiotics Reduce Infant Strep B Infection Globally

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Intrapartum prophylactic antibiotics substantially reduce infant streptococcus B infection worldwide, but the practice should be more widely adopted in low-income settings, according to research published online Jan. 5 in The Lancet.

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Vaccine Helps Prevent HSV-1 Genital Disease and Infection

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- An investigational vaccine effectively prevents herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) but not HSV type 2 (HSV-2) genital disease and infection, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Pneumonia Vaccine Approved for Older People

TUESDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The Prevnar 13 bacterial pneumonia vaccine has been approved for people aged 50 and older, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

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CDC: Lean Response Ups Lab Surge Capacity During Pandemic

TUESDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of Lean methods can improve the surge capacity of a laboratory, according to a study published in the January issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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