Doug Brunk is a San Diego-based award-winning reporter who began covering health care in 1991. Before joining the company, he wrote for the health sciences division of Columbia University and was an associate editor at Contemporary Long Term Care magazine when it won a Jesse H. Neal Award. His work has been syndicated by the Los Angeles Times and he is the author of two books related to the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program. Doug has a master’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Follow him on Twitter @dougbrunk.
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VA study finds high MRSA infection risk among those colonized with the bacterium
SAN DIEGO – Patients colonized with MRSA are at high risk of MRSA infection both in the predischarge and postdischarge time periods, results from...
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Ribaxamase reduced new CDI infection by 71%
Hospitalized patients who received the investigational oral agent ribaxamase had a 71% reduction in the development of new Clostridium difficile...
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Study IDs risk predictors of PrEP use in MSM
Recent sexual risk behavior, partnership type may predict PrEP use in men who have sex with men.
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Study eyes factors that may trigger breakthrough bacteremia
Bacteria with favorable susceptibility profiles don’t always translate reliably into treatment successes, according to a detailed study of six...
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HIV antiretroviral resistance can affect more than 10% of pregnant women
HIV antiretroviral resistance among pregnant women may be even more common now that antiretrovirals are widely available.
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High percentage of nursing home residents found to harbor MDROs
SAN DIEGO – About one of every two nursing home residents is colonized with multidrug resistant organisms, according to a large surveillance study...
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Is the patient-centered medical home on life support?
The patient-centered medical home as a model of care may be unsustainable in the current health care landscape.
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A spike in syphilis puts prenatal care in focus
Syphilis was close to eradication in the United States just 15 years ago, so what went wrong?
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Immunogenicity concerns for biosimilars so far don’t go beyond originator biologics
But there are few data available on the impact of antidrug antibodies to biosimilars across rheumatic diseases and on switching.
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Early ankylosing spondylitis treatment stops transition from inflammatory to bone-forming fatty lesions
“The earlier we treat intensively, the better impact you have on structural outcomes,” according to Dirk Elewaut, MD, PhD.
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Picosecond lasers emerging as a go-to for tattoo removal
SAN DIEGO – Picosecond lasers are more effective than nanosecond lasers for removing tattoos, but patients need to understand many treatments will...
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Platelet-rich plasma treatment for hair loss continues to be refined
SAN DIEGO – Platelet-rich plasma treatment for hair loss appears to be 50%-70% effective, and seems to be more effective for early stage hair loss...
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Endocrine Society updates treatment guidelines for transgender persons
New recommendations reflect changes in clinical understanding of transgender patients’ needs and realities.
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Riociguat may benefit subset of PAH patients
Some improvements were seen in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients who switched to using riociguat from phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.
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No increased overall cardiovascular risk seen with exenatide use
Patients with type 2 diabetes who took once-daily exenatide did not appear to have an increase in their overall cardiovascular risk, compared with...