Excessive use of disinfectants in intensive care patients may raise risk of antibiotic-resistant infections

An international study has, for the first time, revealed a strong and direct link between the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and universal disinfection procedures applied to patients in intensive care units. Published in The Lancet Microbe, the study calls for a reassessment of health care guidelines on the widespread use of disinfectants.

Scientists develop a foundational map of tumor cells for personalized brain cancer treatments

City of Hope researchers have co-led the first study to demonstrate that characterizing genetic material near chromosomes forecasts how mutated, cancer-causing genes reengineer DNA and alter the tumor microenvironment. The brain cancer research provides foundational knowledge that could one day improve the practice of precision medicine and allow oncologists to deliver more personalized therapies to cancer patients.

Online education on atrial fibrillation can enhance clinical guideline use by more than 50%

An international study has shown that targeted online education on atrial fibrillation (AF) for health professionals can improve guideline-adherent care. This cluster-randomized controlled trial, published in Nature Medicine this week, was designed to test if structured online AF education for health professionals could improve the care that individual patients receive.

Breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations and textured implants found to have increased risk of rare lymphoma

Women with breast cancer who were also carriers of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and received textured breast implants as part of their reconstructive surgery after mastectomy were 16 times more likely to develop breast-implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), a rare T-cell lymphoma, compared to similar women without these genetic mutations, according to a study published today in Blood Advances.