CDC: Prevalence of arthritis 22.8 percent in U.S. adults in 2017

(HealthDay)—The prevalence of arthritis was 22.8 percent in U.S. adults in 2017, with statewide variation in prevalence and in the prevalence of severe joint pain and physical inactivity among those with arthritis, according to research published in the May 3 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Dana Guglielmo, M.P.H., from the […]

Continue reading »

Patients with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to be readmitted to the hospital

Patients with diabetes and low blood glucose have higher rates of death following hospital discharge, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The cost for hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge is estimated to be close to $25 billion per year in the U.S. Patients with diabetes are frequently admitted to […]

Continue reading »

Clostridium difficile infections have decreased 36 percent in Canadian hospitals

Rates of C. difficile infections have decreased 36% in hospitals across Canada, although the virulent NAP1 strain associated with severe illness and deaths is the most common strain, according to research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) Clostridium difficile is the most common infectious cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients in developed countries, causing severe illness and occasionally death. […]

Continue reading »

Survey finds 16 percent of burn patients test positive for PTSD

A Loyola Medicine survey has found that 15.8 percent of adult burn patients screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The survey by clinical psychologist Elizabeth Simmons, PsyD, licensed clinical social worker Kelly McElligott, AM, and colleagues from Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center was presented at the annual meeting of the American Burn Association, where it was named the top poster […]

Continue reading »

Study characterizes proteins resulting from RAS gene mutations, found in more than 20 percent of all human cancers

When a RAS gene operates normally, it acts as an on/off switch for cell signaling to control cell proliferation. But when the gene mutates, the switch jams into the “on” position, allowing cells to proliferate uncontrollably. This unstoppable cascade inevitably leads to cancer. “The mutation in the gene is very common in pancreatic and colon cancer,” said Neil Kelleher, the […]

Continue reading »