11 clinical research findings to know this week

Here are 11 articles on medical research study findings from the week of Feb. 23.

1. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found the blood tests of patients with the chikungunya virus — a mosquito-borne virus that more than 2,300 Americans caught in 2014 — can often be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis.

2. The difference between the mortality rates among new surgeons (3.71 percent or 232 deaths out of 6,260 surgeries) is almost the same as the mortality rate for patients of more experienced surgeons (3.59 percent or 225 deaths out of 6,260 surgeries).

3. One study examined the impact of management strategies on preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections and found the main difference between high-performing and low-performing hospitals was how the goal of "getting to zero" infections was framed.

4. A vast majority of Americans — roughly 78 percent — favor mandatory vaccinations of children unless there is a direct health risk to them from vaccination, according to a recent poll.

5. New research revealed that a larger number of physician's offices, retail medical clinics and urgent care facilities per capita in wealthy areas is tied to an increase in the number of antibiotic prescriptions written per person, contributing to the treatment's overuse.

6. A study conducted by the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom discovered that a chemical found in garlic — known as allicin — may have potential as a treatment against a bacteria group that causes life-threatening, highly drug-resistant lung conditions in cystic fibrosis patients.

7. Using financial incentives — like gift cards and coupons — in a targeted manner may encourage HIV patients to seek medical care and take their antiretroviral therapy medication regularly, according to one study.

8. One recently published study revealed that respiratory viruses, not bacteria, were most commonly detected in children who were hospitalized for pneumonia. The study also found pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of hospitalization among children, costing the U.S. about $1 billion each year.

9. Scientists found that an HIV drug, called nelfinavir, could potentially treat a pathogen that causes strep throat and a flesh-eating disease by blocking a key enzyme in the pathogen that produces a harmful toxin.

10. Researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens discovered a previously unknown process used by many bacteria to survive and remain unaffected by current antibiotic treatments. They identified how bacteria use a fundamental component in hemoglobin to extract nutrients.

11. Public policy has fostered the growth and development of integrated delivery networks for the better part of the last four decades, despite their being very little evidence of their societal benefits, according to one study.

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