Jonna Lorenz is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years of experience. Her background is in business and health care news, including reporting, editing and research for newspapers and websites.
HIV Infection Associated with Altered Gut Microbiota, Plasma Metabolite Profiles in Women
December 16th 2020Modulating gut microbiota could have therapeutic benefits for people living with HIV, according to a recent study that found HIV infection in women was associated with altered gut microbiota and distinct plasma metabolite profile.
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C Diff Infection Associated With Poorer Outcomes for Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis
December 6th 2020Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) was associated with poorer outcomes, including a higher risk of mortality, among patients with chronic pancreatitis, an evaluation of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database found.
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Exposure to Antibiotics Before Age 2 Associated with Greater Risk of Health Conditions
November 23rd 2020Children who were exposed to antibiotics before age 2 had a greater risk of childhood health conditions like asthma, celiac disease, obesity and ADHD, a new study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found.
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Further Evidence That Hydroxychloroquine Is Ineffective Against COVID-19
November 16th 2020Further evidence demonstrating the lack of efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was detailed in a new randomized, multicenter, blinded, placebo-controlled study published in JAMA.
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Prior Hospitalizations Associated With Readmission with CDI
November 1st 2020A third of patients hospitalized with community-onset Clostridioides difficile infections had recently been discharged from the same hospital, and most of those received antibiotics, according to research presented at IDWeek.
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Autoantibodies Block Interferons in 10% of Severe COVID-19 Cases
October 26th 2020Autoantibodies that attack type 1 interferons, neutralizing the immune system’s ability to block the SARS-CoV-2 virus, were present in 10% of patients with life-threatening coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, a new study found.
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Cefiderocol Shows Promise in Phase 3 Studies, But Questions Remain
October 19th 2020Cefiderocol was noninferior to high-dose, extended-infusion meropenem in terms of all-case mortality in patients with gram-negative nosocomial pneumonia and showed similar clinical and microbiological efficacy to best available therapies in carbapenem-resistant, gram-negative bacterial infections, according to 2 recently released studies.
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Underlying COPD in Patients with COVID-19 Presents Challenges
October 14th 2020Underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients infected with COVID-19 present a variety of challenges for health care professionals, including increased risk for poor clinical outcomes and increased risk of spreading the disease.
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Study Supports Prone Positioning in Conscious COVID-19 Patients Requiring CPAP
October 5th 2020Prone positioning has been found to improve outcomes for mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19, and a new study suggests the strategy may also benefit conscious patients requiring continuous positive airway pressure.
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Antivirals Are Unnecessary for Most Children with COVID-19
September 29th 2020A panel of pediatric infectious diseases experts recommends supportive care only for children with mild or moderate COVID-19 and suggests remdesivir therapy for those with severe illness requiring supplemental oxygen.
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Discordant Empirical Antibiotic Therapy for Bloodstream Infections Ups Risk of Mortality
September 21st 2020About 1 in 5 patients with bloodstream infections received discordant empirical antibiotic therapy, increasing their risk of mortality independent of sepsis or septic shock, a new study found.
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Trial of Remdesivir for Moderate COVID-19 Shows Modest Results, Uncertainties
September 3rd 2020Odds of better clinical status were higher for patients with moderate COVID-19 who received a 5-day course of remdesivir than for those receiving standard care, according to the most recent randomized clinical trial of the antiviral drug.
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Study Suggests Streamlining Fewer Infection-Control Measures to Reduce C Diff
August 26th 2020Hospitals considering interventions to reduce Clostridioides difficile infections may find that less is more, according to a new study that found daily cleaning with sporicidal products to be the most cost-effective single infection control strategy.
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