Senior residential homes are breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, due to overprescription of antibiotics, a new study says. Stool samples provided by Australian senior home residents contained bacteria with a wide range of genes linked to antibiotic resistance, researchers report in the Journal of Infection. “Commonly used tablet antibiotics in the elderly increase many types…  read on >  read on >

Fluorescent light can be used to highlight bacteria that hides in wounds, causing infections and slowing down the healing process, a new evidence review says. A handheld fluorescent device can light up bacteria in 9 out of 10 wounds that traditional clinical treatment would overlook, according to a study in the journal Advances in Wound…  read on >  read on >

Rural hospitals – and their patients — are particularly vulnerable to the aftershocks caused by ransomware attacks, a new study reports. “Ransomware attacks are bad news for hospitals and patients no matter where they happen, but they’re especially harmful to rural hospitals and patients,” lead researcher Hannah Neprash, an associate professor at the University of…  read on >  read on >

Classroom cellphone bans should help improve learning environments in schools, a child development expert says. Keeping the devices out of classrooms would help focus attention, improve problem-solving and — by allowing kids to occasionally lapse into boredom — spur creativity, says Jon Piacentini, a child and adolescent psychologist at UCLA Health. “There are more harms…  read on >  read on >