New insight in the fight against the Leishmania parasite

Professor Albert Descoteaux's team at Centre INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier has gained a better understanding of how the Leishmania donovani parasite manages to outsmart the human immune system and proliferate with impunity, causing visceral leishmaniasis, a chronic infection that is potentially fatal if left untreated. This scientific breakthrough was recently published in PLoS Pathogens. more  

Boys with urogenital birth defects are 33 percent more common in villages sprayed with DDT

Women who lived in villages sprayed with DDT to reduce malaria gave birth to 33 per cent more baby boys with urogenital birth defects (UGBD) between 2004 and 2006 than women in unsprayed villages, according to research published online by the UK-based urology journal BJUI. more

Patients in US 5 times more likely to spend last days in ICU than patients in England

Patients who die in the hospital in the United States are almost five times as likely to have spent part of their last hospital stay in the ICU than patients in England. What's more, over the age of 85, ICU usage among terminal patients is eight times higher in the U.S. than in England, according to new research from Columbia University that compared the two countries' use of intensive care services during final hospitalizations. more  

Pesticides exposure linked to suicidal thoughts

A new study in China has found that people with higher levels of pesticide exposure are more likely to have suicidal thoughts. The study was carried out by Dr Robert Stewart from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London together with scientists from Tongde Hospital Zhejiang Province. more

IDF releases important new guidelines to improve the treatment of diabetes worldwide  

The Guidelines are the work of the IDF Task Force on Clinical Guidelines, which is focused on meeting the critical global need to provide up-to-date evidence-based information and training for healthcare professionals. This is especially important as, alarmingly, the latest data from the IDF Diabetes Atlas show that over 285 million people worldwide now live with diabetes. Within 20 years, IDF predicts the figure will jump to 435 million. Healthcare professionals must be equipped with the latest improvements and standards in diabetes care to tackle this spiralling epidemic. more

Important new novel 2009 H1N1 flu advisory for cardiopulmonary transplantation  

Each year 3-5 million people have severe cases and 250-500,000 die from complications of seasonal influenza world-wide. This year, the novel 2009 H1N1 (nH1N1) influenza, previously called swine flu, has reached pandemic status. Since novel 2009 H1N1 is a viral infection of the respiratory tract, there are additional challenges for cardiopulmonary transplant recipients and donors, as well as for the healthcare workers involved in the transplant process. In an article published online today in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation (www.jhltonline.org), physicians representing the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Infectious Disease Council issue an advisory for all programs in cardiothoracic transplantation. more

FDA approves new treatment for advanced form of kidney cancer

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Votrient (pazopanib), the sixth drug to be approved for kidney cancer since 2005. more

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