<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><link>http://www.healio.com/rss</link><copyright>(c) 2015, Slack Incorporated. All rights reserved.</copyright><updated>2/14/2015 9:48:18 AM</updated><ttl>5</ttl><title>Healio.com NURSING RSS Feed</title><description>The latest news and articles from the Healio.com, leading publication on the web.</description><item><title>Ethical challenges loom over digital epidemiology, data collection</title><description>Overcoming the ethical hurdles of digital disease detection is a necessary step in the development of this emerging public health resource, according to an article recently published in PLoS Computational Biology. “At the crux of the debate on the ethics of big data lies a familiar, but formidably complex, question,” Effy Vayena, PhD, of the biomedical ethics institute at the University of Zurich, and colleagues wrote. “How can big data be utilized for the common good whilst respecting individual rights and liberties, such as the right to privacy? What are the acceptable trade-offs between individual rights and the common good, and how do we determine the thresholds for such trade-offs? These ethical concerns and the tensions between them are not new to public health research and practice, but now they must be addressed in a new context, with the result that appropriate standards may vary”</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/emerging-diseases/news/online/{946f6314-cef9-4304-a797-e73999a40eb8}/ethical-challenges-loom-over-digital-epidemiology-data-collection</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2015 13:37:18 GMT</pubDate><guid>{946F6314-CEF9-4304-A797-E73999A40EB8}</guid></item><item><title>Biomarker levels associated with IRIS in patients with HIV, TB</title><description>Patients with advanced HIV and tuberculosis who experience tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome or early death had distinct levels of inflammatory biomarkers before and after initiating ART, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania.“Our findings urge caution in treatment of patients with advanced HIV and tuberculosis as a homogeneous group,” the researchers wrote in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “The somewhat inverse association between pre-ART cytokine concentrations in patients with tuberculosis-associated [immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS)] and early mortality, and the contrasting degrees of CD4 cell recovery, suggests that interventions that seek to prevent tuberculosis-associated IRIS could inadvertently increase risk of death.”</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/hiv-aids/news/online/{08261f8c-b170-4a76-8219-297f3b758a90}/biomarker-levels-associated-with-iris-in-patients-with-hiv-tb</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2015 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{08261F8C-B170-4A76-8219-297F3B758A90}</guid></item><item><title>TB outbreaks linked to substance use, jail time, homelessness</title><description>Substance abuse, incarceration and homelessness were among the characteristics of tuberculosis cases that had precipitated outbreaks between 2002 and 2011, according to researchers from the CDC and Emory University. “Most patients reported excess alcohol or illicit drug use, half had been incarcerated at some point in the past, and nearly half had been homeless in the year before diagnosis,” they wrote in Emerging Infectious Diseases.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/respiratory-infections/news/online/{4a62f041-a4fc-408c-bb03-a76a322b2041}/tb-outbreaks-linked-to-substance-use-jail-time-homelessness</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 17:50:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{4A62F041-A4FC-408C-BB03-A76A322B2041}</guid></item><item><title>More education needed for diabetes treatment of commercial drivers</title><description>Some health care providers reported they are not familiar with current regulations and management strategies regarding commercial driver’s license holders, suggesting that more diabetes education is needed, according to study findings published in The Diabetes Educator.Jessica L. Kerr, PharmD, CDE, of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy, and colleagues conducted a survey-based study of 136 American Association of Diabetes Educators members to determine their knowledge of regulations concerning insulin use in commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, as well as to evaluate diabetes management and changing prescribing habits in the population.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes-education/news/online/{e60f4d83-8a72-40b3-8a67-5b089ddcb4f9}/more-education-needed-for-diabetes-treatment-of-commercial-drivers</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 17:30:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{E60F4D83-8A72-40B3-8A67-5B089DDCB4F9}</guid></item><item><title>Online comments impact opinions on vaccination</title><description>Online comments may have an effect on vaccination opinion that is equal to or greater than public service announcements from credible organizations, according to recent data.Researchers from Washington State University enrolled participants in two studies to determine the persuasive influence of different message sources on web users. In the first, 205 participants viewed fabricated public service announcements (PSAs) concerning vaccination that appeared to be sponsored by the CDC or the National Vaccine Information Council, followed by posts from fictitious online commenters expressing pro- or anti-vaccination stances.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{5f036cdd-f757-4537-94e9-65e7e9cde2b7}/online-comments-impact-opinions-on-vaccination</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:23:28 GMT</pubDate><guid>{5F036CDD-F757-4537-94E9-65E7E9CDE2B7}</guid></item><item><title>Reduced sexual function may cause decreases in serum testosterone</title><description>Decline in sexual activity and desire, but not erectile function, was consistently associated with reduced serum testosterone levels in older men, according to research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism. Although the observational findings do not prove causality, the slight degree of decrease seen in serum testosterone suggests that diminished sexual function could actually reduce the reproductive hormone rather than the opposite, according to researchers. </description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/online/{2a89db38-69cf-4162-abb5-31953353d2dd}/reduced-sexual-function-may-cause-decreases-in-serum-testosterone</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 15:30:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{2A89DB38-69CF-4162-ABB5-31953353D2DD}</guid></item><item><title>Diet, exercise alone not sufficient obesity treatment for most</title><description>Researchers suggest that obesity is a chronic disease with a number of biological causes that make it impossible to be cured with diet and exercise alone in a recently published comment in The Lancet Diabetes &amp; Endocrinology.Eighty percent to 95% of people with obesity who lose weight eventually regain it. Several biological systems are triggered when caloric intake is reduced, which drives people to eat more high-calorie foods and, in turn, gain or regain weight. According to the researchers lifestyle changes are not enough to override the fat-loss defense for most individuals with sustained obesity.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/obesity/news/online/{d3addbbc-6a68-4638-9dae-903f6f6aa1b7}/diet-exercise-alone-not-sufficient-obesity-treatment-for-most</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:20:21 GMT</pubDate><guid>{D3ADDBBC-6A68-4638-9DAE-903F6F6AA1B7}</guid></item><item><title>No unexpected safety concerns observed after adult MMR vaccination</title><description>Adverse events reported after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in adults did not include any new safety concerns, according to recently published data.Researchers reviewed reports of adverse events in U.S. adults aged 19 years and older who received MMR vaccination from January 2003 through July 2013 as documented through the CDC and FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Medical records for serious adverse events, pregnancy and other outcomes were examined, with empirical Bayesian data mining used to determine whether these adverse events were reported by vaccinated adults more frequently than expected. No causality assessments were performed.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{f1c1b3bf-ff24-4b2f-aaae-e7d63202be3e}/no-unexpected-safety-concerns-observed-after-adult-mmr-vaccination</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2015 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{F1C1B3BF-FF24-4B2F-AAAE-E7D63202BE3E}</guid></item><item><title>Mortality risk higher for older adults with diabetes, hyperglycemic crisis episodes</title><description>A higher risk for mortality was found among older adults with diabetes who experienced hyperglycemic crisis episodes compared with those who did not experience such episodes, according to study findings published in Diabetes Care.How-Ran Guo, MD, ScD, of National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, and colleagues evaluated data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Database for 13,551 older patients with new-onset diabetes between 2000 and 2002, including 34,517 with hyperglycemic crisis episodes and 9,034 without (controls). Follow-up was conducted until 2011. </description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/{53d8fb13-3d37-440b-9563-a1fa6c6c826e}/mortality-risk-higher-for-older-adults-with-diabetes-hyperglycemic-crisis-episodes</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2015 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{53D8FB13-3D37-440B-9563-A1FA6C6C826E}</guid></item><item><title>Video: Paul A. Offit, MD, discusses religious exemptions from important vaccinations</title><description>Paul A. Offit, MD, chief of the division of infectious diseases at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, recently sat down with Infectious Disease News to discuss his new book, Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine.According to Offit, parents who refuse vaccination for their children on the basis of religious beliefs are placing their children at unnecessary risk, and their decision to withhold vaccination should not be given legal protection. He offers his advice for clinicians with patients who refuse vaccination and discusses the ongoing national debate about the risks vs. benefits of immunization, which recently has been rekindled amid a measles outbreak originating from California’s Disneyland. </description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{93147f5c-1bfa-46e4-be9c-fafef8c96ce6}/video-paul-a-offit-md-discusses-religious-exemptions-from-important-vaccinations</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2015 13:47:17 GMT</pubDate><guid>{93147F5C-1BFA-46E4-BE9C-FAFEF8C96CE6}</guid></item><item><title>Senate health committee discusses measles, vaccination strategies</title><description>The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a full committee hearing this morning to discuss the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, influenza, pertussis and HPV.“The purpose of this hearing is to examine what is standing between healthy children and deadly diseases,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said during the hearing. “It ought to be vaccinations, but too many parents are turning away from sound science, and sound science is this: vaccines save lives.”</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{06e28adf-a4aa-46bc-be49-51b1c0bcc33c}/senate-health-committee-discusses-measles-vaccination-strategies</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2015 14:21:45 GMT</pubDate><guid>{06E28ADF-A4AA-46BC-BE49-51B1C0BCC33C}</guid></item><item><title>Napping could reverse health consequences of sleep debt</title><description>Taking naps appears to release stress and deliver positive effects on immune responses, according to research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism. Napping could help counter the detrimental health consequences of sleep debt, including harmful cardiovascular effects, according to researchers.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/neuroendocrinology/news/online/{19dba319-533c-4ea2-be33-e3f362c5d159}/napping-could-reverse-health-consequences-of-sleep-debt</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2015 13:10:48 GMT</pubDate><guid>{19DBA319-533C-4EA2-BE33-E3F362C5D159}</guid></item><item><title>Border screening for infectious diseases has low detection rates</title><description>Border screening for infectious diseases was ineffective, as evidenced by the widespread international transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in 2009, according to recent findings published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.“The intent of border screening is to detect possibly infectious persons at the border, either on entry to or exit from a country, so that they can be placed in isolation or prevented from traveling and spreading the disease elsewhere; however, this strategy is useful only if the intended goal is successfully achieved,” researchers wrote.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/emerging-diseases/news/online/{30b47378-b444-4941-8684-d50e06b62318}/border-screening-for-infectious-diseases-has-low-detection-rates</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2015 11:08:08 GMT</pubDate><guid>{30B47378-B444-4941-8684-D50E06B62318}</guid></item><item><title>Oral octreotide safe, effective as monotherapy for acromegaly in phase 3 trial</title><description>An oral therapeutic peptide helped patients with acromegaly control insulin-like growth factor-1 and growth hormone for up to 13 months after they switched from injectable somatostatin receptor ligands, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism. The oral octreotide capsules, which facilitate intestinal absorption of the drug through a transient permeability enhancer, also had a safety profile consistent with approved injectable somatostatin receptor ligands in the phase 3 trial.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/neuroendocrinology/news/online/{15ad9f03-0304-45fb-a44b-5fd85d826372}/oral-octreotide-safe-effective-as-monotherapy-for-acromegaly-in-phase-3-trial</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2015 09:13:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{15AD9F03-0304-45FB-A44B-5FD85D826372}</guid></item><item><title>Gene expression may identify burn patients at risk for repeat infections</title><description>Researchers have identified characteristics, including differences in gene expression, to identify patients with severe burns who are at highest risk for repeat infections, according to data published in Annals of Surgery.“Our approach is the first to enable the prediction of repeat infections days or even weeks before they occur,” Laurence Rahme, MS, PhD, director of the Molecular Surgical Laboratory in the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Surgery, said in a press release. “All current approaches that use biomarkers identify infections after they have occurred. The ability to predict infection would allow more effective prevention and treatment, help step the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and reduce the costs of care.”</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/practice-management/news/online/{6d2d33bc-4233-4b1e-a2e1-c99a1cbcebe6}/gene-expression-may-identify-burn-patients-at-risk-for-repeat-infections</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:54:46 GMT</pubDate><guid>{6D2D33BC-4233-4B1E-A2E1-C99A1CBCEBE6}</guid></item><item><title>Outcomes after meningococcal disease remain poor in Canada</title><description>Adults and children in Canada continue to experience poor outcomes from invasive meningococcal disease, with 27% of cases leading to death or significant complications, according to recent findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.Manish Sadarangani, DPhil, of Oxford University, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study using surveillance data on 868 Canadian children and adults with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) collected by the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program, ACTive (IMPACT), between 2002 and 2011.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{3104027f-707b-4b32-9d50-cff192fa830b}/outcomes-after-meningococcal-disease-remain-poor-in-canada</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:23:20 GMT</pubDate><guid>{3104027F-707B-4B32-9D50-CFF192FA830B}</guid></item><item><title>Newly discovered protein linked to gestational diabetes</title><description>The newly discovered protein, HKDC1, may be a genetic predictor of hyperglycemic development during pregnancy, according to study findings published in Nature Communications. For the past 40 years, researchers have agreed that four hexokinases govern the body’s process of obtaining energy from food, but the new discovery suggests another enzyme is involved, according to a press release. </description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/{ab905a61-affa-4c28-9de3-3e3611ea8f53}/newly-discovered-protein-linked-to-gestational-diabetes</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:02:46 GMT</pubDate><guid>{AB905A61-AFFA-4C28-9DE3-3E3611EA8F53}</guid></item><item><title>Gastric bypass improves survival for obese patients with and without diabetes</title><description>Patients with obesity who undergo gastric bypass surgery have better rates of long-term survival than those who do not opt for the procedure, according to research published in The American Journal of Surgery.“There is a clear survival advantage for morbidly obese patients that pursue surgical therapy,” Peter T. Hallowell, MD, FACS, of the University of Virginia, told Endocrine Today. “This was true for non-diabetics as well as diabetics. Bariatric surgery is safe, effective and saves lives.”</description><link>http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/obesity/news/online/{fc3e8c4d-cc3c-4d92-a7cb-b699d0e545ba}/gastric-bypass-improves-survival-for-obese-patients-with-and-without-diabetes</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:37:12 GMT</pubDate><guid>{FC3E8C4D-CC3C-4D92-A7CB-B699D0E545BA}</guid></item><item><title>Adult vaccination rates remain low</title><description>Vaccine coverage rates among adults in the United States for most vaccines did not improve in 2013 compared with 2012, CDC researchers have found.There were modest increases in the rate of Tdap vaccination for all adults aged 19 years and older, herpes zoster vaccination among adults aged 60 years and older and HPV vaccination among males aged 19 to 26 years. In addition, there were racial/ethnic disparities for all vaccines analyzed, with the gap increasing for Tdap and herpes zoster.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/vaccine-preventable-diseases/news/online/{cdab4074-e7ec-4887-8d81-0e5e17dfecda}/adult-vaccination-rates-remain-low</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 10:31:37 GMT</pubDate><guid>{CDAB4074-E7EC-4887-8D81-0E5E17DFECDA}</guid></item><item><title>Convalescent blood transfusion may reduce Ebola-related mortality</title><description>Using a model constructed of epidemiological estimates for Ebola virus in Liberia, researchers have found that convalescent transfusion therapy could reduce mortality among patients hospitalized with the virus.However, the blood from convalescent donors will be in short supply, highlighting a need to increase donor recruitment and/or switch to plasma donations compared with whole blood donations, according to Alexander Gutfraind, PhD.</description><link>http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/emerging-diseases/news/online/{f9e9ab95-710b-4ce5-9821-a8cd16c327fc}/convalescent-blood-transfusion-may-reduce-ebola-related-mortality</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>{F9E9AB95-710B-4CE5-9821-A8CD16C327FC}</guid></item></channel></rss>