Our gut does more than help us digest food; the bacteria that call our intestines home have been implicated in everything from our mental health and sleep, to weight gain and cravings for certain foods. This series examines how far the science has come and whether there’s anything we can do to improve the health of our gut. Margaret Morris, UNSW Australia and Jessica Beilharz, UNSW Australia [ + ]

'While a PSA test is not dangerous in itself in any way, it is definitely not foolproof,' writes Ben Stiller in his blog published on Cancer Moonshot. 'The criticism of the test is that depending on how they interpret the data, doctors can send patients for further tests like the MRI and the more invasive biopsy, when not needed.' [ + ]

The odds of getting a Clostridium difficile infection in hospital are higher if a patient is in a bed previously occupied by someone who received antibiotics, according to a US study examining more than 100,000 patients. [ + ]

[ + ]

The National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) is a culture change program to reduce the rate healthcare associated infections in Australia. [ + ]

The addition of PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab to standard first-line chemotherapy for treatment-naïve advanced non-small-cell lung cancer significantly improves response rates and progression-free survival, researchers reported at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen. [ + ]

New research has taken us a step closer to finding a cure for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as other infections including the glandular fever virus, which is associated with the development of lymphoma. Some infections, such as HIV, cannot be cured with antiviral therapy because the virus effectively hides from the immune system. [ + ]

In the lead up to the Institute of Hospitality in HealthCare conference, 17-19 October, John Kirwan reflects on almost 40 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. He urges us to look closely at the potential of working with the broader health community and organisations outside health to ensure food security and address the rise in co-morbidity. [ + ]

Surgical heart reconstructions using graft materials can do amazing things for patients, but in young children they have a serious limitation. The grafts don’t grow along with a growing heart, and so for procedures such as right ventricular outflow tract reconstructions repeat surgeries are required. Now researchers at University of Minnesota are reporting in journal Nature Communications on newly developed “off-the-shelf” vascular grafts that can grow as the tissue they’re connecting develops and matures. [ + ]

A lightbulb moment after a show on a cruise ship four years ago was a career turning point for comedian Mark McConville. [ + ]

Amyl nitrite is the most well known of a group of chemicals called alkyl nitrites, usually referred to as poppers. Product names include rush, TNT, thrust, jungle juice, ram and kix, according to Julaine Allan, from Charles Sturt University. [ + ]

The warning from a new Australian alliance of breast cancer researchers is that almost 8% of women have extremely high breast density, which can make it harder for health professionals to detect breast cancer on a screening mammogram. These women are also more likely to develop breast cancer in the future. [ + ]

In May 2016, Catholic Healthcare commenced construction of a $120 million development project at McQuoin Park in Waitara, New South Wales. [ + ]

Barcodes are already widely used across the medical sector, particularly in warehouses and central pharmacies, though they’ve also made some inroads into clinical environments too – patient wristbands, bio-samples, test tubes and order sheets, just to name a few. [ + ]

20 – 23 November 2016, Melbourne Victoria. [ + ]