The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Annual Meeting is nearing its climax in Boston, and it sounds like it has been a fascinating conference. Among the interesting presentations that I discussed with ASCP personnel just yesterday:
• Soothing but not sanitary: Baby pacifiers teeming with staph and other germs
Laboratory tests on pacifiers—used by up to 85 percent of infants in the United States—showed contamination by harmful germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and mold, which have the potential to increase a child’s risk of developing future health problems. Half of the used pacifiers tested had heavy levels of contamination, reaching as high as 100 million colony forming units (CFUs) per gram. One of the most contaminated pacifiers contained four different strains of staph.
• Tumors outside breast may hold key to predicting aggressive cancer
A new testing method for breast cancer proteins could help doctors determine whether a woman has an aggressive or slow-growing tumor and may help guide treatment of the disease.
• Fall, winter levels of vitamin D much lower in women with pre-existing health conditions
Women with pre-existing health conditions—lsuch as arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes—may suffer more from vitamin D deficiency than their healthier counterparts during the winter months.
Other highlights at this year’s meeting ihave included:
- A keynote presentation from Donald M. Berwick, MD, the United States’ leading advocate for high-quality health care and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;
- A health forum on breast cancer featuring renowned experts from the Global HIV/AIDS International Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, George W. Bush Institute, and the University of Washington Medical Center; and
- Discussion and debate among scientific leaders on areas critical to the field, including cancer prevention and detection, global health care, and patient-centered care for women.
If any readers of this blog who are in Boston for the Meeting would like to share on-the-spot reports, I'd be happy to post them.
