The antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacterium is one of the most globally harmful bacteria that causes nosocomial infections. Researchers at the University of Turku have discovered that the bacterium attaches to plastic medical devices using tiny finger-like structures. The researchers were able to develop antibodies that prevent the bacterial spread.
Infections related to hospitals and medical devices form major healthcare problems worldwide. These infections are associated with the ability of pathogens to colonise both biotic and abiotic surfaces.
The research group discovered a unique molecular mechanism that enables Acinetobacter baumannii and related pathogenic bacteria to colonise medical devices. This mechanism enables the bacteria to spread in hospitals.
Acinetobacter baumannii is capable of colonising medical devices by means of archaic chaperone-usher (ACU) pili. Using X-ray crystallography, the researchers found three finger-like loops at the tips of the pili. These “fingers” stick extremely tightly to hydrophobic plastics which are commonly used in medical devices and tools.
– We believe that these fingers are attached into small cavities on the surfaces. This hypothesis could explain why the bacteria spread and attach so strongly to so many different hydrophobic materials, notes Zavialov.
The researchers produced antibodies that bind to the tips of the pili and completely block the bacterial attachment and biofilm formation.
Another antibiotic-resistant pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has similar pili, and it forms similar biofilms. The researchers predict that the means suggested for battling A. baumannii might also be applied to control the spread of P. aeruginosa infections and possibly also battle against several other pathogens that use ACU pili.

University of Turkuwww.utu.fi/en/news/news/Pages/Hospital-Superbug-Uses-Tiny-Sticky-Fingers-to-Infect-Medical-Tools-and-Devices.aspx

With the support of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have been working to find a safe, non-addictive pain killer to help fight the current opioid crisis in the US.
And they may have done just that, though in an animal model.
Known as AT-121, the new chemical compound has dual therapeutic action that suppressed the addictive effects of opioids and produced morphine-like analgesic effects in non-human primates.
“In our study, we found AT-121 to be safe and non-addictive, as well as an effective pain medication,” said Mei-Chuan Ko, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology at the School of Medicine, part of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
“In addition, this compound also was effective at blocking abuse potential of prescription opioids, much like buprenorphine does for heroin, so we hope it could be used to treat pain and opioid abuse.”
The main objective of this study was to design and test a chemical compound that would work on both the mu opioid receptor, the main component in the most effective prescription pain killers, and the nociceptin receptor, which opposes or blocks the abuse and dependence-related side effects of mu-targeted opioids. Current opioid pain drugs, such as fentanyl and oxycodone, work only on the mu opioid receptor, which also produces unwanted side effects – respiratory depression, abuse potential, increased sensitivity to pain and physical dependence.
“We developed AT-121 that combines both activities in an appropriate balance in one single molecule, which we think is a better pharmaceutical strategy than to have two drugs to be used in combination,” Ko said.
In the study, the researchers observed that AT-121 showed the same level of pain relief as an opioid, but at a 100-times lower dose than morphine. At that dose, it also blunted the addictive effects of oxycodone, a commonly abused prescription drug.
The bifunctional profile of AT-121 not only gave effective pain relief without abuse potential, it also lacked other opioid side-effects that patients typically struggle with, such as itch, respiratory depression, tolerance and dependence.
“Our data shows that targeting the nociceptin opioid receptor not only dialled down the addictive and other side-effects, it provided effective pain relief,” Ko said. “The fact that this data was in nonhuman primates, a closely related species to humans, was also significant because it showed that compounds, such as AT-121, have the translational potential to be a viable opioid alternative or replacement for prescription opioids.”
Next steps include conducting additional preclinical studies to collect more safety data, and then if all goes well, applying to the Food and Drug Administration for approval to begin clinical trials in people, Ko said.

Wake Forest School of Medicinehttps://tinyurl.com/y9v7gklj

A large, multi-centre study refutes earlier suggestions that antiviral drugs for treating hepatitis C may lead to a higher recurrence of liver cancer.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center studied the records of patients who had been successfully treated for liver cancer at 31 medical centres in North America, comparing those who were and were not given direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C. The study found no significant difference in the recurrence of liver cancer between the two groups.
Similarly, the study found no difference in the aggressiveness of the cancer in those patients who did experience a recurrence.
“Our study was inspired by a single-centre study from Spanish investigators in 2016. That study gained a lot of press and sparked fear about treating liver cancer patients for their hepatitis C,” said Dr. Amit Singal, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Director of the Liver Tumor Program. “Based on these new data, providers can feel reassured that it is safe to treat hepatitis C in these patients and allow them to receive the known benefits of hepatitis C therapy.”
Some 3.2 million individuals in the U.S., the large majority of them baby boomers, have chronic hepatitis C infection. Many of these individuals struggle with inflammation of the liver and impaired liver function, as well as cirrhosis, or scarring of liver tissue. Since 2013, effective antiviral drugs have been available to treat hepatitis C infection.
Chronic hepatitis C infection is also one of the leading causes of liver cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all individuals with liver cancer have underlying chronic hepatitis C infection.
The rate of new cases of liver cancer has been rising steadily in recent decades, and the state of Texas has one of the highest rates of occurrence in the country.
When liver cancer is diagnosed early, it can be effectively treated with surgery, ablation, or radiation therapy. Sometimes liver cancer patients have their tumour successfully removed, but the underlying chronic hepatitis C infection remains and continues to impair liver function further.
In this study, 42 percent of liver cancer survivors who were treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) experienced a recurrence of their cancer, compared with 59 percent of patients who were not treated with antivirals.
“Our results suggest that use of DAA therapies is safe and potentially beneficial in hepatitis C-infected patients with a history of liver cancer,” said Dr. Singal, who holds the David Bruton, Jr. Professorship in Clinical Cancer Research and is Clinical Chief of Hepatology.

UT Southwestern Medical Centerwww.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2019/hepatitis-c.html

The International Hospital Federation (IHF) announced in July the 27 finalists in the four categories of the 2018 IHF Awards which honors innovations and outstanding achievements in the healthcare industry.
The IHF awards program received a record number of 160 entries from 118 organizations in 33 countries for the IHF / Dr Kwang Tae Kim Grand Award and Excellence Awards in Leadership and Management in Healthcare, Quality & Safety and Patient-centered Care, and Corporate Social Responsibility. After an extensive review by the panel of judges composed of health leaders from around the globe, 27 top entries from the four categories have been selected as finalists from which the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit Awards will be chosen.
“With the number of entries vying for the IHF Awards this year, the judges had a very difficult time evaluating. I am happy and delighted to see that all 160 submitted entries are of high standards aiming at improving many different aspects of health care and service delivery,” said Dr Lawrence Lai, Chair of the IHF Awards Committee. “For the finalists this year, I am proud to say that their projects or programs are indeed most outstanding and impressive.”
IHF has been recognizing innovation, excellence, outstanding achievements and best practices of hospitals and healthcare organizations since 2015 when the Awards was first presented in Chicago, USA.
This year’s winners will be awarded in front of industry peers on 10 October 2018 during the 42nd World Hospital Congress at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia.
Gold Winners will be invited to speak at a special session during the World Hospital Congress to share their winning programs and projects while Silver, Bronze Winners and Merit Awardees will be displaying posters at the Congress exhibition. 

For more information on the IHF Awards Finalists, go to: https://congress.ihf-fih.org/finalists

To attend the IHF Awards Ceremony and World Hospital Congress, go to: www.hospitalcongress2018.com

A new study suggests chemotherapy may cause acute amenorrhea leading to early menopause in women with lung cancer. The study is the first to comment on amenorrhea rates in women younger than 50, concluding that women with lung cancer who desire future fertility should be educated about risks and options before starting treatment.
According to the Mayo Clinic, although the rate of lung cancer diagnoses in men has decreased by 32% since 1975, it has risen 94% percent in women and now has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in US women. Although lung cancer is more common in older adults, women are diagnosed at a younger age compared with men, and approximately 5,000 premenopausal US women are diagnosed with lung cancer annually. Extensive research of women receiving treatment for breast cancer has found that between 40% and 80% have premature menopause. However, early menopause rates after lung cancer treatments are understudied.
Unique to the premenopausal survivor population is the concern that systemic chemotherapy may cause acute amenorrhea and menopause, leading not only to hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and bone loss but also the possibility of loss of fertility. Premenopausal women with lung cancer may want children and should consult their healthcare providers about options for embryo and oocyte cryopreservation, the gold standard for fertility preservation.
The study included 182 premenopausal women (average age at diagnosis, 43 years). The Mayo Clinic Epidemiology and Genetics of Lung Cancer Research Program surveyed women between 1999 and 2016 at diagnosis and annually thereafter about their menstrual status. Types of lung cancer treatments were recorded, and frequencies of self-reported menopause at each survey were calculated.
Although the study is small, for the 85 women who received chemotherapy, 64% self-reported that they were menopausal within a year of diagnosis. Only 15% of the 94 patients who did not receive systemic therapy within a year of diagnosis experienced self-reported menopause. Three patients received targeted therapy alone, two of whom remained premenopausal at the final survey completed a median of 3 years after diagnosis. The results suggest that chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer increases the risk of the early loss of menses in survivors.
“Although more definitive research is needed, premenopausal women who need chemotherapy for lung cancer appear to have a similar risk of amenorrhea, early menopause, and loss of fertility as premenopausal women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer and lymphoma,” according to Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of NAMS. “I agree that premenopausal patients with lung cancer need to be educated about the risk for chemotherapy-related amenorrhea, menopause issues (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and bone loss), and the potential loss of fertility before chemotherapy is initiated.”

North American Menopause Societyhttps://tinyurl.com/yd6gdokf