Issue 88  February 15th 2019

Primary cervical screening with high risk human papillomavirus testing: observational study

Randomised trials have shown that cervical screening for high risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) achieves greater sensitivity than cytology in the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and greater protection against cervical cancer. Because of the enhanced sensitivity, screening intervals can be safely extended. However, hrHPV testing has reduced specificity compared with cytology, due to the high prevalence of hrHPV. Excessive referral for a colposcopy can be mitigated by triage of positive hrHPV test results by using reflex liquid based cytology. Most women who are hrHPV positive who undergo reflex cytology will have a normal result (cytology negative), however, this group of women remain at increased risk either because of underlying disease not detected by cytology, or because of an increased risk of incident disease.

Hard-to-detect antibiotic resistance an underestimated clinical problem

When antibiotics are used to treat bacteria susceptible to them, the treatment usually works. Nevertheless, the antibiotic chosen is sometimes ineffective. One of the reasons for this is heteroresistance, a phenomenon explored in depth by Uppsala and Emory University researchers in a new study.

Checking your health records as easily as your bank balance

What year was your appendix removed? Are your immunizations up to date? What was the name of that psoriasis medicine the doctor gave you last year? The answers to all of these questions will soon be at your fingertips, through a new Alberta Health Services (AHS) portal called MyHealthRecords. It will be very convenient but may also cause some needless worries.

How we use Instagram to communicate microbiology to the public

While in graduate school, Hunter Hines and Sally Warring created Instagram accounts to share photos and video clips of microorganisms that they encountered through their research.

Hines and Warring started using Instagram because they both felt a deep sense of wonder when viewing microbial organisms through the microscope, and thought this was something that could be shared. As PhD candidates in microbiology laboratories, they were viewing microbes daily. When looking for an online platform for sharing this content, Instagram ticked a lot of boxes.

Billions wasted annually on inappropriate lab tests, report finds

Doctors who order unnecessary lab tests cost Canadian taxpayers “billions” annually and expose patients to potential harm, according to a new report from the CD Howe Institute.

Reducing such waste would improve the fiscal sustainability of publicly funded health care, which is increasingly called into question as growth in health spending continues to outpace economic growth, the report argues.

University of Calgary to lead pan-Canadian microbiome research core

The microbiome has an impact on every organ in the body. It is associated with every chronic disease that affects humans. For the past few years, research has focused on cataloguing what microbes are present on and in our bodies, and connecting those microbes to specific diseases. The next step is to find out how those microbes function and interact during times of health and disease. With that knowledge, scientists hope to harness the power of the microbiome to develop preventive and therapeutic approaches to promote human health.

Nova Scotia's busiest lab moving to accommodate demand for chemotherapy

The Nova Scotia government is moving and expanding its busiest medical lab to try and keep up with a growing number of patients who require chemotherapy treatment.

"With the added space we will be able to get the drugs to the patients in the right time, even as our volumes increase," said Brian Butt, the senior director with the QEII New Generation project with the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Gel supports 3D cultures of hepatocytes in liver-on-a-chip device

Scientists at LiU have developed a new method to produce hydrated materials, hydrogels, that have properties similar to the natural environment of cells in the body. The material can be adapted to the various requirements of difficult-to-culture cell types, and to produce organ-like structures on a microchip.