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Ear :: Ear infection superbug discovered to be resistant to all pediatric antibiotics

Researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A pair of pediatricians discovered the strain because it is their standard practice to perform an uncommon procedure called tympanocentesis (ear tap) on children when several antibiotics fail to clear up their ear infections. The procedure involves puncturing the child’s eardrum and draining fluid to relieve pressure and pain. Analyzing the drained fluid is the only way to describe the bacterial strain causing the infection.

Malaria :: Malaria vaccine candidate has promising safety, tolerability profile in infants

The first study to test GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) investigational RTS,S/AS02 malaria vaccine in African infants serves as the first proof of concept in this population that the vaccine has a promising safety and tolerability profile and reduces malaria parasite infection and clinical illness due to malaria, according to a paper published today online in The Lancet.

Genome :: Consortium Publishes Phase II Map of Human Genetic Variation

The International HapMap Consortium today published analyses of its second-generation map of human genetic variation, which contains three times more markers than the initial version unveiled in 2005. In two papers in the journal Nature, the consortium describes how the higher resolution map offers greater power to detect genetic variants involved in common diseases, explore the structure of human genetic variation and learn how environmental factors, such as infectious agents, have shaped the human genome.

Stretching :: Stretching out does not prevent soreness after exercise

Studies show that stretching before or after exercise has little or no effect on muscle soreness between half a day and three days later, a team of Cochrane Researchers has found.

Endoscopy :: Patients may have sweet and effective way to prepare for upper GI endoscopy – an anesthetic lollipop

Researchers at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon have found that administering a lidocaine lollipop as a single-agent anesthetic to patients undergoing an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy procedure eliminated the need for sedation in the majority of patients. The research appears in the October issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

HIV :: A low prevalence of H pylori in HIV-positive patients

Helicobacter pylori has been extensively studied and proven to be the main cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in the HIV-negative population. Patients with chronic active gastritis have evidence of H pylori infection in over 90% of cases and in 70-100% of those with peptic ulcer disease. However, the reason for low incidence of H pylori infection in HIV-positive patients was still not very clear.

Liver :: Liver fibrosis will be treated by a potential target

The outcome of hepatitis is either self recovery or its development into liver fibrosis or, further, liver cirrhosis. Liver fibrosis is the early pathological process of cirrhosis, which is considered a reversible, wound-healing response. Since no ideal drug is available for its therapy, liver fibrosis is currently considered to be a major worldwide health problem.

Osteoporosis :: New research on structure of bones raises questions for treatment of osteoporosis

Researchers have discovered that the structure of human bones is vastly different than previously believed — findings which will have implications for how some debilitating bone disorders are treated.

Asthma :: Farm kids have lower risk of asthma, study

Farm children appear to have a lower risk of asthma than their urban counterparts or even those living in a nonagricultural rural environment, according to a University of Alberta study.

DiGeorge Syndrome :: Reunion with patient inspires follow-up study on treatment for DiGeorge syndrome

More than 20 years ago, doctors at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA performed a successful bone marrow transplant on a baby girl who was born without a thymus gland and was suffering from severe immune deficiency. It marked the first time a bone marrow transplant, rather than a thymic transplant, had been used to treat the genetic condition known as DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS).