Clinical

Topical treatment with live Roseomonas mucosa — a bacterium naturally present on the skin — was safe for adults and children with atopic dermatitis and was associated with reduced disease severity, according to initial findings from an ongoing early-phase clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health.

Patients with higher baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels exhibited greater decreases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with more intensive LDL-C-lowering therapies, according to a recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

The US FDA has recommended plazomicin for complicated urinary tract infections but not for bloodstream infections in adults with limited or no treatment options.

In a joint meeting of two US FDA advisory committees, members voted 3-21 against recommending approval for stannsoporfin injections for infants who are at risk of contracting severe hyperbilirubinemia.

AMR

The use of copper-coated uniforms to fight E. coli infection in hospitals has been reported this year in the Journal of Nanomaterials. Researchers have created a ‘durable and washable, concrete-like’ composite material made from antibacterial copper nanoparticles. They have also developed a way of binding the composite to wearable materials such as cotton and polyester. These cotton and polyester coated-copper fabrics showed excellent antibacterial resistance against Staph aureus and E. coli, even after being washed 30 times. Doctors could soon be wearing their white coats and scrubs made of this material.

Silver-nanoparticle-embedded antimicrobial paints. Silver is antibacterial. Surfaces coated with silver-nanoparticle-embedded antimicrobial paints have shown excellent antimicrobial properties by killing both Gram-positive (Staph aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria. These paints may be used in hospitals to fight off infections.

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, a research group in Hong Kong has found that colloidal bismuth subcitrate, a drug used in the treatment of peptic ulcers could help prevent antimicrobial resistance.

The research team led by Professor Sun Hongzhe and Dr. Richard Kao Yi-Tsun of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have found that the bismuth-based metallodrug effectively paralyzes multi-resistant superbugs, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, by inhibiting New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM1), an enzyme that confers these bacteria with resistance against almost all commonly used beta-lactam antibiotics.

In a mouse model of NDM-1 resistant bacterial infection, a combination of CBS and carbapenem raised the eventual survival rate of the infected mice by more than 25 percent (Asian Scientist Magazine)

Weather

Temperatures more than 40.0°C is recorded at most parts of West Madhya Pradesh; at many parts of East Rajasthan; at some parts of West Rajasthan and Marathwada and at one or two pockets of Punjab, Gujarat region, Saurashtra & Kutch, East Madhya Pradesh, Konkan & Goa, North Interior Karnataka, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, Rayalaseema, Telengana and Tamilnadu

Temperature recoded at 1430 hours of today have risen by 3-6°C at one or two pockets of Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat region, East Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal and northeastern states; by 1-3°C at many parts of Kerala and at one or two pockets of Punjab, West Rajasthan, rest Jammu & Kashmir, Saurashtra & Kutch, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamilnadu)

Public Health

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an outbreak alert Wednesday regarding cases of severe bleeding and death linked to synthetic marijuana, also known as spice, fake weed, and K2. CDC has seen more than 180 cases of severe, unexplained bleeding including five deaths linked to the use of synthetic marijuana that contains rat poison.

A 2 days capacity building workshop on Risk Communication during Public Health Emergencies is being organized on 14-15 May 2018, at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India is being organized by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in collaboration with World Health organization (WHO)

Legal

An 8-year-old American quarter horse in lawsuit is seeking $100,000 from his former owner for severe neglect, leaving the animal suffering from weight loss, a prolapsed penis from frostbite, lice and rain rot, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Courts in Oregon have recognized that animals are victims and that victims have a right to seek legal remedies from their abusers.

Calderdale Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust v Sandip Singh Atwal [2018] EWHC 961 (QB), In a landmark case an NHS trust has successfully brought contempt proceedings against a DJ who grossly exaggerated the effect of his injuries in an attempt to claim over £800,000 in damages for clinical negligence. He faces a potential jail sentence.

In June 2008 Sandip Singh Atwal attended the A&E department of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary with injuries to his hands and lip sustained after being attacked with a baseball bat. In 2011 Mr Atwal sued Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation trust for negligence, alleging a failure to treat his injuries appropriately. The trust admitted liability, offering Mr Atwal £30,000 to settle the case. Mr Atwal did not accept the offer and in 2014 made a claim for £837,109. The claim including substantial sums for future loss of earnings and care, on the basis that he was unable to work and was grossly incapacitated as a result of his injuries.

The trust was suspicious of Mr Atwal’s claimed disabilities, which were out of all proportion to his injuries and were inconsistent with entries in his contemporaneous medical records. In 2015 they commissioned covert video surveillance of Mr Atwal and investigated his social media postings. The footage showed him working as a courier, lifting heavy items without visible signs of discomfort and dancing in a music video for a single he had released. This led the trust to plead fraudulent exaggeration and to seek to strike out the whole of the special damages claim as an abuse of process. In 2016, shortly before the assessment of damages hearing, Mr Atwal accepted the trust’s offer of £30,000. However, the whole £30,000 in compensation was swallowed up in paying the trust’s costs. In fact, Mr Atwal owed a further £5,000 to the trust after eight years of litigation. (UK Human rights blog)

Wellness: How to cut back on salt

1. Use spices and other flavor enhancers like dried and fresh herbs, roots (such as garlic and ginger), citrus, vinegars, and wine. From black pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric to fresh basil, chili peppers, and lemon juice.
2. Use nuts: roasted nuts and avocados to olive, canola, soybean, and other oils
3. Sear, sauté, and roast
4. Whole grains from sources other than bread: oats, farro, or other intact whole grains with fresh or dried fruit.
5. Shop for raw ingredients with maximum natural flavor