One pre-surgery antibiotic dose recommendedCHICAGO (Reuters) — One dose of an antibiotic just before surgery is as good as several spread over 24 hours to fight infections at the operation site, saving money and easing fears about bacterial resistance, a study said.While guidelines in recent years have promoted the one-dose concept as the most effective, many surgeons have continued to use a broader approach, said the report from Hospital Sao Francisco, in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Doctors there said they examined infection rates for more than 12,000 patients who had surgery in 2002 and 2003, roughly half of them after a one-dose protocol using a narrow-spectrum antibiotic was begun.

The one-dose method “did not lead to an increase in rates of surgical site infection,” said the report published in the Archives of Surgery.

“In this era of restricted hospital budgets and increased bacterial resistance, one-dose prophylaxis may provide a way to improve performance by lowering costs,” the study said. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to the emergence of bacteria which are resistant to the drugs designed to kill them.

“An appealing argument for decreasing antibiotic usage may involve cost,” the study added. “There are publications in the literature showing substantial savings with less antibiotic usage.”Firefighters show elevated cancer ratesNEW YORK (Reuters Health) — Firefighters appear to have higher-than-average rates of several types of cancer, according to a new research review.The analysis, of 32 previous studies, found that firefighters were at greater risk of prostate and testicular cancers, as well as the immune system cancers non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Eight additional cancers showed “possible” links to the job, according to findings published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Firefighters are exposed to many potentially cancer-causing chemicals released from burning materials.

Though they wear a breathing apparatus and other protective equipment while fighting fires, researchers point out, they typically remove the gear when they’re merely in the vicinity of the fire. At the scene of the fire, toxic substances such as benzene, lead, uranium and asbestos can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. And at the firehouse, idling trucks expose firefighters to diesel exhaust.

The cancer risks seen in this latest study — the largest to date on the subject — imply that firefighters need better on-the-job protection, according to the study authors.

“Firefighters work in an inherently dangerous occupation on a daily basis,” lead author Dr. Grace LeMasters of Cincinnati College of Medicine said in a statement. “As public servants, they need — and deserve — additional protective measures that will ensure they aren’t at an increased cancer risk.”

She and her colleagues based their findings on an analysis of 32 international studies that included more than 110,000 firefighters in all.No proof folate lowers breast cancer riskNEW YORK (Reuters Health) — The B vitamin folate has important health benefits, but a lower risk of breast cancer may not be one of them, new research suggests.In an analysis of 22 past studies, researchers found no evidence that higher folate intake was related to a lower breast cancer risk. Across the studies, women’s cancer risk remained virtually unchanged with every 100 microgram (mcg) increase in daily folate, the study authors report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Folate is found naturally in greens like spinach and broccoli, oranges and orange juice, and dried beans and peas, among other foods. Its synthetic form, folic acid, is added to enriched breads, breakfast cereals and other grains; this fortification has been required by law for the past decade, as studies have shown that folate before and during pregnancy can prevent neural tube defects — birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida.

Folate is important in maintaining the DNA within cells, and some small studies have suggested that women who get more folate have a lower breast cancer risk. However, when researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK combined the results from 22 studies on the subject, there was no evidence that the vitamin affected a woman’s risk of the disease.

Along with this lack of benefit in human studies, some animal research has found high folate levels to actually feed the growth of breast tumours, lead study author Dr. Sarah J. Lewis told Reuters Health.