U.S. dermatologists are prescribing fewer antibiotics overall but are writing more short-term orders for the drugs, a new study finds. Dermatologists prescribe more antibiotics per doctor than any other medical specialty — more than 7.1 million prescriptions per year, the University of Pennsylvania researchers said. According to their analysis of 2008-2016 data from privately insured patients, antibiotic prescriptions by dermatologists fell from 3.36 to 2.13 per 100 visits. That works out to about 500,000 fewer antibiotic prescriptions a year. The drop was significant among patients taking extended courses of antibiotics — down 53 percent over the study period. That includes a 28 percent reduction in antibiotic prescriptions for acne, the study authors said. But the investigators found a nearly 70 percent surge in short-term use of antibiotics, especially for skin-surgery patients. Those prescriptions rose from 3.92 to 6.65 per 100 visits. In addition, antibiotic prescriptions associated with cysts increased 35 percent, according to the study published Jan. 16 in JAMA Dermatology. Many dermatological patients, including those taking antibiotics for inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and rosacea, may stay on antibiotics for long periods. That’s an issue, because overuse of antibiotics can lead to reduced effectiveness, the researchers explained. “Overall, our findings are hopefully a sign that we’re making progress, but we need to evaluate how we can optimize the use of antibiotics in dermatologic…  read on >

Not every budding musician will become a rock star, but studying music has brain bonuses for kids, even those who don’t take up an instrument until their teen years. There’s no doubt that participation in in-school music programs boosts motivation. Mastering an instrument or performing with a group brings a sense of accomplishment and is a wonderful creative outlet. What’s more, it can enhance other types of learning, research has revealed. Scientists compared the brain gains among high schoolers involved in band classes for two or three hours a week to those participating in a fitness program. The young musicians showed faster maturation in the brain’s response to sound and in sensitivity to sound details. Both are important for language skills and, in turn, academic success. The students developed what’s called learning to learn. (This isn’t to say that kids should ignore exercise — fitness has other essential benefits, so it’s important to make time in your children’s lives for both types of activities.) Ideally, music instruction would begin in middle school and continue through high school. One study found that this continued involvement was associated with a high-level of math proficiency in grade 12. Unfortunately, music programs are often the victim of budget cutbacks. If your child’s school doesn’t have a music program, consider investing in outside lessons from a local musician or a…  read on >

Nearly 25 percent of antibiotics prescribed in the United States are given for conditions they aren’t meant to treat, a new study finds. Antibiotics are miracle drugs that can cure deadly bacterial infections. But too often they are given to treat viral infections, such as colds and flu, for which they are ineffective. And the overuse of antibiotics brings public health dangers, experts have been warning. “Antibiotic prescribing is a major driver of the development of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics,” said lead researcher Dr. Kao-Ping Chua, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the greatest threats to health worldwide, he said. Every year, 2 million Americans develop antibiotic-resistant infections and 23,000 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Given this, it is urgent for providers to eliminate inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, both for the sake of their own patients and for society more broadly,” Chua said. For the study, Chua and his colleagues studied insurance records of more than 19 million kids and adults under age 65. All patients were privately insured. The researchers said more than 23 percent of prescriptions were inappropriate, or not medically justified. The inappropriate prescriptions were mostly for colds, chest infections and coughs. About 36 percent of the prescriptions might have been appropriate but…  read on >

Poor blood sugar control puts people with type 1 diabetes at increased risk for fragility fractures, a new study shows. A fragility fracture is a broken bone caused by a fall from standing height or less. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 3,300 people with type 1 diabetes and more than 44,000 with type 2 diabetes, in the United Kingdom. The data included a three-year average of patients’ A1C blood tests. The test measures a patient’s average blood sugar levels over two to three months. On average, there were nine A1C measurements for type 1 patients and 11 for type 2 patients. Poor blood sugar (glycemic) control with an A1C level above 8 percent was linked to a greater risk of fragility fractures in people with type 1 diabetes, but not in those with type 2, according to the study published Jan. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “We investigated the association between the degree of glycemic control and fracture risk by using a large cohort of newly diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients,” said study co-author Dr. Janina Vavanikunnel. She practices in the endocrinology, diabetology and metabolism department at University Hospital Basel, in Switzerland. “Both types of diabetes are associated with fragility fractures and we showed that poor glycemic control is associated with an increased risk…  read on >

If you have children, you know how important it is to keep up with their immunization schedule. But getting vaccines and booster shots is vital throughout adulthood as well. The most common adult shot is the yearly flu vaccine, recommended for just about every adult. Some fight three flu strains, others, four. However, there’s more to do. You might not realize that you should have a tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (or Tdap) booster every 10 years. Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, has been making a comeback because not enough people have been getting re-immunized. And if you didn’t have chickenpox or the varicella vaccine as a child, you’re a candidate for the two-dose immunization. Other recommended vaccines: Women up to age 26 should have the HPV vaccine; it’s given to men up to age 21, and under some circumstances, up to 26. The newest version protects against nine types of the human papillomavirus, the ones most heavily associated with cancers, such as cervical cancer. Depending on your age and the type of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine you were given as a child, you might be a candidate for a two-dose MMR vaccination. Some other shots are specifically intended for people age 50 and over, such as the zoster vaccines, designed to help you avoid shingles, a very painful reactivation of chickenpox virus. Those 65 and older are encouraged to…  read on >

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things to do, but studies have found that one strategy in particular can help many people: Start anti-smoking medication well before your intended quit date. Under traditional prescribing guidelines, people who plan to quit smoking with the help of a medication begin taking their anti-smoking drug about one week before their set quit date. But about 75 percent of people who try to quit go back to smoking within a year. So what’s the solution? Research done at the University at Buffalo, in New York, showed that simply starting the drugs four weeks in advance can increase the success rate. One study was done on bupropion, known by the brand name Zyban, and similar research has involved both nicotine replacement therapy and varenicline (Chantix). The idea of taking quit-smoking medication earlier in advance of your quit date stemmed in part from reports of people who were taking these medications for other reasons — bupropion, for instance, is well-known as an antidepressant — and found that they gave up smoking without even trying to quit. Four weeks also provides a good timeframe to mentally prepare to quit smoking. In fact, many study participants started smoking less before their quit date and without experiencing strong cravings or withdrawal symptoms. And their cravings tended to decrease. As for results, over 50…  read on >