News in brief - Nov. 28, 2011

Tracking system aims to reduce antibiotic misuse

In an effort to decrease the misuse of antibiotics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new system that allows hospitals to monitor their use of the drugs electronically.

The tracking system enables health care facilities to compare their antibiotic selection and use to other hospitals' practices, the CDC said in the Nov. 11 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6044a6.htm). In the past, the CDC could track only antibiotic prescribing practices in physician offices.

The system initially is being implemented at hospitals in Illinois, Michigan, Utah and Houston, the CDC said. After a year, the CDC expects it to be available to hospitals across the country.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics can cause bacteria to become resistant to the drugs. Antibiotic resistance increases patients' risk of developing an infection for which there are limited or no treatment options, the CDC said.

The tracking system is part of the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network. The network is an Internet-based surveillance system that monitors infections in health care facilities across the country, including more than 4,800 hospitals.

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Common chemicals increase Parkinson's disease risk

Repeated exposure to two common chemical solvents increases people's risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in Annals of Neurology.

Researchers examined the histories of 99 pairs of twins in which one twin developed Parkinson's and the other did not. Participants were part of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council World War II Veteran Twins Cohort.

Researchers calculated the twins' lifelong exposure to six chemicals: carbon tetrachloride, n-hexane, perchloroethylene (PERC), trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene and xylene. They found that twins who were exposed to TCE were about six times as likely to develop the neurological disorder as those who did not have contact with the chemical. The disease was nine times more common in people exposed to TCE or PERC than those without exposure to the chemicals (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22083847).

PERC is the main chemical used in garment dry cleaning, and TCE is a metal degreasing agent, the National Institutes of Health said.

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