FDA Approves Antibiotic Combo Ceftazidime-avibactam approved for complicated abdominal and urinary tract infections.

The FDA approved the new antibiotic Avycaz (ceftazidime-avibactam) for treatment of adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, the agency said.http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/50232?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-02-28&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

New Marketing Campaign Aims To Rebrand Fruits And Vegetables.

the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) launched a new marketing effort to rebrand fruits and vegetables (FNV) as cool. Created by the Victors & Spoils ad agency, the “FNV” campaign will initially focus on social media networks with videos featuring celebrities and athletes, and then expand later to include TV and print ads. Victors & Spoils Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Nathan said, “our inspiration for all this was behaving like a big, iconic brand” and giving fruits and vegetables some of “the ‘marketing pixie dust’ that makes packaged foods so irresistible.” Speaking at the PHA annual summit, first lady Michelle Obama “expressed excitement for FNV,” saying “If folks are going to pour money into marketing unhealthy foods, let’s fight back with ads for healthy foods.” http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MARKETING_FRUITS__VEGETABLES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Study: Access To Healthy Food Isn’t Enough To Convince People To Buy It.

a new study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition examined the impact of the Health Food Financing Initiative, a government program that offers favorable tax credits to supermarket chains that build in so-called food desserts. “Brian Elbel, associate professor of population health and health policy at New York University School of Medicine, and his colleagues compared eating habits in families in” two Bronx neighborhoods – one with a new supermarket and one without. After speaking with parents each six months over one and a half years, the researchers found that “what the families were buying...didn’t change much.” Commenting on the study, “Elbel says his results highlight the fact that access isn’t the only answer.” He suggested “that policy makers may...need stricter definitions of food desserts,” and the government tax credit program might need more stringent criteria. http://time.com/3724029/better-grocery-stores-alone-cant-improve-kids-diets-study-finds/

Dentist’s Office May Be A Good Place To Screen People For Diabetes.

research published in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that “the dentist’s office may be a good place to screen people for diabetes.” The research, which involved more than 400 “dental patients, found that blood collected from the mouth during dental procedures was 99 percent as accurate for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing as finger-prick blood samples.” http://consumer.healthday.com/dental-and-oral-information-9/misc-dental-problem-news-174/get-checked-for-diabetes-while-getting-your-teeth-cleaned-696777.html

New Developments Are Taking Place In Male Birth Control Research.

despite men having limited choices for birth control, the “pharmaceutical industry is wary of supporting new methods of birth control for a variety of reasons – such as lawsuits and a fear of disrupting a lucrative oral contraceptive market.” However, Diana Blithe, program director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Contraceptive Discovery and Development program, says other Phase II trials are being conducted on a variety of contraceptive gels. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/02/26/the-future-of-male-birth-control

CDC investigates deadly bacteria's link to doctors' and dental offices

The bacteria, C. difficile, is typically found in hospitals, but a study out Wednesday reports a substantial number of people contracted the bug who hadn't been in a hospital, but had recently visited the doctor or dentist. The bacteria can cause deadly diarrhea, according to the CDC, with infections on the rise. The new report shows nearly half a million Americans infected in various locations in one year, with 15,000 deaths directly attributed to C. diff. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/25/health/deadly-bacteria-doctors-offices/

In Young Kids, Viral Pneumonia Most Common

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children was far more likely to be viral than bacterial (73% versus 15%) and to infect children under the age of 5 compared with older children, according to Seema Jain, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues. During hospitalization, 88% of patients were treated with antibiotics. Biological samples were not taken during the antibiotic course. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Pneumonia/50197?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-02-26&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily