RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

Here is our Top News Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Study Shows Effectiveness Of New Low-Cost, Green Technology For Monitoring Hand Hygiene Compliance

Epidemiologists and computer scientists at the University of Iowa have collaborated to create a new low-cost, green technology for automatically tracking the use of hand hygiene dispensers before healthcare workers enter and after they exit patient rooms.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Ovarian Screening? Nope, Never Mind

“Just earlier this week, we reported that a new study showed promise for ovarian cancer screening. A combo of transvaginal ultrasound and a CA125 blood test found early, treatable cancers, according to the research published in The Lancet Oncology. Study authors admitted that they weren’t sure how the findings would translate into mortality or balance against the risks of screening.”

Read the complete blog to find out results of a second study. Is screening really reducing mortality?

Here is our Top Medical Video for today, brought to you by ScrubTV:

Video

Food Allergies Commonly Misdiagnosed

Some 11 million Americans have food allergies. Now studies show that the problem foods could be the solution. Giving children tiny amounts of allergenic food under medical supervision may eventually cure the allergy.Furthermore; most children are given blood tests to determine food allergies when a food challenge may be a better option to prevent over-diagnosis of food allergies. Reliance on a single blood test, especially in patients with eczema, may result in misdiagnosis.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Dietitians of Canada: Poverty Puts Health at Risk

Recent media reports have highlighted the difficulty that recipients of social assistance face in purchasing a healthy diet. Dietitians of Canada (DC), the national association of dietitians, contend that the most appropriate approach to ensure Ontarians can purchase a healthy diet is through poverty reduction.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Regular Screening for Colorectal Cancer Remains Effective in Preventing and Detecting Disease Early

Regular Screening for Colorectal Cancer Remains Effective in Preventing and Detecting Disease Early

As the nation marks National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the American Cancer Society is encouraging Americans to get lifesaving screening tests that have been proven to reduce the risk of the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Study Reports Statin Benefit in Stroke Healing

“This may not come as news to cardiologists, but the rest of us (ok, me) were impressed that statins appear to reduce the severity of strokes.”

I guess I would say to this blogger to give it a break. The news was only released on Feb. 26th , 2009 in a press release stating that Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that patients who were taking statins before a stroke experienced better outcomes and recovery than patients who weren’t on the drug — even when their cholesterol levels were ideal.

Here is our Top Medical Video for today, brought to you by ScrubTV:

Video

Movement Imitators of Seizures

Conditions that imitate seizures can be grouped according to which aspect of seizure they mimic. One category is abnormal movement. Other movement imitator disorders involving odd postures don’t show the characteristic EEG changes that help distinguish epileptic seizure types from each other. Such disorders include, but are not limited to, chorea, athetosis, violent flaying, tics, and or dystonia.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Antibody Recognition of a Highly Conserved Epitope Across Influenza Viruses

The discovery of the molecule, an antibody known as CR6261, is good news for researchers who hope to design a flu vaccine that would give humans lifelong protection against a majority of influenza viruses.

The antibody also has the potential to treat those who are unvaccinated and become infected with the flu.

Here is our Top Blog Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:

• Low Cost Medicine

“In India, many doctors are forced to practice low-cost or poverty medicine, because the vast majority of patients are poor and have very limited budgets. Most doctors are quite good at this, and hone their clinical skills, so that they don’t have to rely too much on lab tests or imaging studies to make a diagnosis or formulate a treatment plan.

The key is to develop clinical protocols which can be documented and justified, so we can practice cost effective medicine without hurting our patients, just because they are poor.”

I can see how this idea could translate into more efficient care for our nation’s uninsured.