Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fungal Infections Getting Harder To Treat, More Drug-Resistant: Study
NBC News: Fungal Infections Are Getting Harder To Treat
Fungal infections are getting harder to treat as they grow more resistant to available drugs, according to research published Wednesday in The Lancet Microbe. The study focused on infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that is ubiquitous in soil and decaying matter around the world. Aspergillus spores are inhaled all the time, usually without causing any problems. But in people who are immunocompromised or who have underlying lung conditions, Aspergillus can be dangerous. (Sullivan, 7/9)
Stat: Child Walks Again After Experimental Treatment For Genetic Condition
In what experts are calling a “dream come true,” scientists used a recent biochemical discovery to help an 8-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition regain mobility. (Russo, 7/9)
MedPage Today: Oral Antibiotics Eliminated UTI After Robotic Cystectomy
The risk of infection, especially urinary tract infection (UTI), after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) almost disappeared in patients who received extended oral antibiotic prophylaxis, according to a small randomized trial. No patient developed a UTI within 90 days of RARC with prophylactic antibiotics -- with 14% having any kind of infection, a third as many compared with patients who received standard of care (SOC), which did not include oral antibiotics. (Bankhead, 7/9)
The Guardian: Robot Surgery On Humans Could Be Trialled Within Decade After Success On Pig Organs
Automated surgery could be trialled on humans within a decade, say researchers, after an AI-trained robot armed with tools to cut, clip and grab soft tissue successfully removed pig gall bladders without human help. The robot surgeons were schooled on video footage of human medics conducting operations using organs taken from dead pigs. In an apparent research breakthrough, eight operations were conducted on pig organs with a 100% success rate by a team led by experts at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the US. (Booth, 7/9)
