Medical Isotope Shortage Hurts Hospitals And Disrupts Medical Tests
Reuters reports that "a North American shortage of medical isotopes has forced many U.S. hospitals to begin rationing scores of diagnostic tests, and doctors said on Friday they see no quick solution." The shortage is due to last month"s shut down of a "nuclear reactor in eastern Ontario that produces a third of the world"s supply of medical isotopes, used in scans to check for an impending heart attack or see if cancer has spread." Reuters notes that "the Canadian plant is one of five aging reactors worldwide -- none located in the United States -- to produce molybdenum-99, the most commonly used medical isotope. The rapidly decaying substance has a shelf life of just 67 hours, making it impossible to stockpile."
Endocrinology
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What Is Infective Conjunctivitis? What Is Conjunctivitis? What Is Pink Eye?
for conjunctivitis experience side effects. However, if symptoms are severe and/or have lasted more than a couple of weeks, antibiotics may be needed. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for infective conjunctivitis are: *Chloramphenicol - the most popular first choice. Usually presented as eye drops. They should be administered straight onto the eye every two hours for two days, and then every four hours for five days during waking hours. This medication is also available as an ointment - ointments are often easier to administer to an infant or young child than eye drops. *Fusidic acid - doctors may chose this medication if chloramphenicol is not suitable for the patient, such as pregnant women. The eye drops are administered twice daily, for seven days. It is not unusual for your vision to become blurry shortly after using eye drops. Make sure you can see clearly before driving or operating machinery. If symptoms do not clear up after two weeks you should return to your doctor. The following symptoms may indicate something more serious, and you should see a doctor immediately: *Pain in the eye *Sensitivity to light (photophobia) *Loss of vision *The redness in the eye is very intense Complications The risk of complications from infective conjunctivitis cause by bacteria or a virus is extremely small. Sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) - Conjunctivitis caused by an STI is much more likely to have complications, because it may last several months. Newborn babies (neonates) - neonatal conjunctivitis has a higher risk of complications, compared to others. A neonate (newborn) is a baby up to 28 days old. Neonatal infective conjunctivitis can be severe and progress rapidly. In very severe cases the baby"s vision may be affected. Between 10-20% of neonates with infective conjunctivitis caused by Chlamydia develop pneumonia. Pneumonia is a life-threatening infection for newborns. Other types of bacterial conjunctivitis may also cause complications for a newborn, though rarely. Possible complications include: *Meningitis - a potentially very serious illness, which can be fatal. The meninges - a layer of cells that cover the brain and spinal cord - becomes infected. *Cellulitis - a bacterial infection of the dermis - the deep layer of skin - as well as the subcutaneous tissues (fat and soft tissue layer) that are under the skin. *Septicemia (blood poisoning) - bacteria gets into the bloodstream and attacks the tissues in the body. The vast majority of babies make a full recovery from infective conjunctivitis with no complications at all. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayPages: 1 [2]