Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Family Practice for March 2008. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Protein G Subunit Alpha Is Localized in Depression
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- In the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex of depressed suicide subjects, the stimulatory alpha subunit of the G protein (Gsα) is preferentially localized to Triton X-100 and Triton X-114 resistant, lipid raft/cytoskeleton-enriched membrane domains, according to a study published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
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Possible Drug Target Identified for Cystic Fibrosis
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- An age-dependent increase in ceramide levels in the lungs of mice with cystic fibrosis causes many of the symptoms of the disease, which can be reversed by an inhibitor that normalizes ceramide levels, according to research published online March 30 in Nature Medicine.
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Schizophrenia Research Points to Rare Mutations
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- A variety of individually rare mutations affecting genes that play roles in neurodevelopmental pathways -- specific even to individuals or families -- may contribute to schizophrenia, according to research published online March 27 in Science.
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Interview Fosters Diversity Among Nursing Students
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- Adding an interview to the pre-licensure track admission process enables more minority students with good but lower grade-point averages to secure a place at nursing school, according to an article published in the March issue of the AORN Journal.
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Kidney Disease Incidence Increasing
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- The number of patients discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of kidney disease has been increasing since the 1990s, and there has been a shift from chronic kidney failure to acute renal failure, associated with a concomitant diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or hypertension, according to a report published in the March 28 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Human-Mouse Genetics Study Identifies Disease Candidates
MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- Investigating genes with similar expressions in humans and mice provides a strong method of predicting disease-related relationships in human genes, even when genetic disease loci comprise hundreds of genes, according to research published in the March PLoS Computational Biology.
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Discontinuation Difference Seen in Schizophrenia Drugs
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder are significantly more likely to discontinue haloperidol than second-generation antipsychotic drugs, researchers report in the March 29 The Lancet.
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Glargine Comparable to Lispro As Insulin Choice
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The use of a once-daily basal insulin analog offers equally effective glycemic control as three-times daily prandial insulin in type 2 diabetics with poor control on oral hypoglycemics, according to research published in the March 29 issue of The Lancet.
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Psychiatric Issues Help Determine Post-Stroke Work Life
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Psychiatric morbidity is one of the factors that influences whether employees return to work after a stroke, according to research released online March 27 in advance of publication in the May issue of Stroke.
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Global Sanitation Deserves to Be a Higher Priority
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Some much-needed steps are finally being taken to improve sanitation worldwide, but more issues urgently need to be addressed while international leaders are focusing on the problem, according to an editorial in the March 29 issue of The Lancet.
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ECG Transmittal to Phone Reduces Door-to-PCI Time
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Transmitting a prehospital electrocardiogram (ECG) directly to the attending cardiologist's mobile phone reduces the door-to-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) time by about an hour in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction, according to a report in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. A related study in the same issue showed that quantification of ST-segment depression does not provide additional risk stratification in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes.
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Expert Panel Addresses Cardiometabolic Risks
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors such as lipoprotein abnormalities -- including elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and increased numbers of small dense LDL particles -- are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and require aggressive management, according to a consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology Foundation published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
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Gastroenterology Group Updates Barrett's Guidelines
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- With esophageal adenocarcinoma rates rising faster than those of melanoma, breast and prostate cancer, the American College of Gastroenterology has published new guidelines for diagnosing and treating Barrett's esophagus, the primary premalignant lesion for this cancer, in the March issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Breech Delivery May Have Genetic Links
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The offspring of parents who were born by breech delivery are themselves more likely to be born breech, according to study findings published March 27 in BMJ Online First.
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Suboptimal Fitness Levels Seen with Fatty Liver Disease
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Among individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the majority of patients have suboptimal fitness and physical activity levels, researchers report in the April issue of Hepatology. They therefore suggest that exercise should be an important part of treatment.
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Review Covers Advances in Anxiety Disorder Understanding
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- An increasing body of evidence has advanced the understanding of social anxiety disorder as a distinct condition with neurobiological underpinnings, according to a seminar published in the March 29 issue of The Lancet.
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Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials Lacking Among Teens
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- While the participation of children in clinical trials has substantially improved childhood cancer survival rates, enrollment in cancer treatment clinical trials is lacking among 13- to 24-year-olds, according to two articles published in the April issue of The Lancet Oncology.
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Over-the-Counter Drugs Need Ongoing Review
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits of making drugs accessible through over-the-counter sales must be constantly reviewed in light of adverse reaction information that subsequently becomes available, according to an article published in the March 29 issue of BMJ.
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FDA Informs Public About Singulair Safety Review
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it is investigating a possible association between the use of Singulair (montelukast) and mood and behavioral changes, suicidal thinking/behavior and suicide. Singulair, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, is used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma.
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Lung May Be a Target of Diabetic Injury
FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with type 2 diabetes have worsened measures of lung function compared to those without diabetes, suggesting that the organ damage occurring in diabetes extends to the lung, according to an article published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
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Fresh Tomato Juice May Help Prevent Kidney Stones
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with recurrent hypocitraturic nephrolithiasis, fresh tomato juice may be a feasible alternative to traditional supplementation consisting of potassium citrate two to three times daily, researchers report in the March issue of Urology.
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Stomach Pain, Depression Go Hand-in-Hand in Teens
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents who regularly have abdominal pain face a substantially higher risk of depressive symptoms than those who seldom have abdominal pain, according to research published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Hair Dyes Linked to Risk of Bladder Cancer
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Hairdressers and barbers may be at an increased risk of bladder cancer, an occupational hazard due to exposure to carcinogens in some types of hair dyes, according to a special report published in the April issue of The Lancet Oncology.
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Deaths from Hepatitis C Increased in Last Decade
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Deaths due to hepatitis C have increased substantially between 1995 and 2004, and while the rate has declined slightly in recent years, it has continued to rise among individuals aged 55 to 64, according to an article published in the April issue of Hepatology.
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Early Stress Test May Predict Outcomes in Stent Patients
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- In patients who undergo coronary stenting, early exercise stress testing may provide significant prognostic information, according to the results of a study published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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FDA Issues Draft Guidelines on Drug-Eluting Stents
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a set of draft guidelines on drug-eluting stents, used in two-thirds of U.S. patients surgically treated for coronary atherosclerosis.
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Hormone Therapy May Raise Risk in Breast Cancer Survivors
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Extended follow-up on women in a trial that had been halted early found that use of hormone replacement therapy in breast cancer survivors continued to be associated with an increased risk of new breast cancer, researchers report in the April 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Central Obesity in Midlife Increases Dementia Risk
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Central obesity in midlife appears to increase the risk of dementia in later life, independent of diabetes and other cardiovascular comorbidities, according to an article published online March 26 in Neurology.
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Drug Combination Effective for Multiple Myeloma
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma have better response rates and longer time to progression when treated with thalidomide plus dexamethasone than dexamethasone alone, according to a report published online March 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Imaging Predicts Metastases After Prostate Cancer
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- In men with prostate cancer, the diameter of extracapsular extension by MRI before radiation treatment is an important predictor of developing metastases, according to study findings published in the April issue of Radiology.
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CDC Infection Control Guidelines Updated
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidelines on infection control by health care workers restate the standard precautions such as hand hygiene and appropriate protection, but also now incorporate respiratory hygiene and coughing etiquette, according to an article published in the March issue of the AORN Journal.
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Stress Increases Inflammatory Response in Heart Patients
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- In individuals subjected to mental and physical stress, the inflammatory response is significantly higher among those with coronary artery disease than among healthy controls, according to research published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Health Care Is a Top Concern Among Working Families
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Most Americans -- including those with health insurance -- are deeply concerned about the cost and quality of health care and believe that the system requires fundamental reform, according to the 2008 Health Care for America Survey conducted by the AFL-CIO and Working America, which was released March 25.
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PET Scans May Change Elderly Cancer Patient Management
THURSDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians have changed their intended management of elderly cancer patients in about 37 percent of cases based on data from positron emission tomography (PET) studies, according to a report published online March 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Changes in Diaphragm Linked to Inactivity, Ventilation
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Both fast- and slow-twitch fibers in the diaphragm atrophy markedly after extended periods of diaphragmatic inactivity and mechanical ventilation, according to research published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Longer Cervix Associated with Higher C-Section Risk
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- In primiparous women, cervical length during mid-pregnancy is associated with risk of Caesarean delivery at term, according to research published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Coronary Calcium Helps Predict Heart Disease Across Races
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Coronary calcium score is strongly associated with incident coronary heart disease, with a similar predictive value among four racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to research published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Researchers Link More Gene Variants to Celiac Disease
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are newly associated with celiac disease, pinpointing novel determinants of predisposition to the disease, researchers report in the March issue of Gastroenterology.
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Some Watchful Waiting OK for Human Papillomavirus
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- In two studies in the April 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers report on the usefulness of conventional cytology versus human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or more (CIN2+), as well as an assessment of the natural history of cervical HPV infection.
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Home Cooking Addresses Malnutrition in Pancreatitis
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with chronic pancreatitis, a combination of dietary counseling and a balanced diet of home-cooked foods addresses malnutrition as well as commercial food supplements, according to research published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Renal Ultrasound Useful After Pediatric Urinary Infection
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- In children under age 5 with a first febrile urinary tract infection, renal ultrasonography should be routinely performed, according to research published in the March issue of Urology.
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Doxycycline Injection Protects Against Tick-Borne Disease
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- A single injection of sustained-release doxycycline is effective in preventing tick-borne illnesses of Lyme borreliosis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in mice, according to an article published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology in April.
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Fainting Increases Death Risk in Heart Failure
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with congestive heart failure, a brief loss of consciousness and posture (syncope) increases the risk of death, and is associated with appropriate discharges from implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), according to a report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Is Expensive to Treat
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- In elderly patients, managing muscle-invasive bladder cancer is four times more costly than managing less-advanced bladder cancer, according to research published in the March issue of Urology.
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Heart Failure Raises Post-Surgery Risk of Death in Elderly
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients with heart failure who undergo major non-cardiac surgery are at higher risk of death or hospital readmission than elderly patients with other problems, researchers report in the April issue of Anesthesiology.
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Alefacept Safe and Effective to Treat Scalp Psoriasis
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Scalp psoriasis can be safely and effectively treated with alefacept, according to the results of a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Older Adults Have Special Needs in Surgery
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Age-specific nursing care can help reduce surgical morbidity in older adults undergoing surgery, according to a study published in the March issue of the AORN Journal.
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Fish Oil Has Anti-Arrhythmic Effects in High-Risk Patients
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Fats present in fish oil can have an anti-arrhythmic effect in patients with coronary artery disease at risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a report in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Sentinel Node Biopsies Rising, But Not Everyone Gets Them
WEDNESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy -- an alternative to axillary lymph node dissection -- increased during a recent period in women with early-stage breast cancer, but a number of racial, socioeconomic and other factors were associated with a lower likelihood of having the procedure, according to research published in the April 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Genetic Analysis Identifies Alleles Predisposing to Cancer
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic analysis of a large group of patients with cancers of the breast, prostate, and head and neck revealed a high frequency of germline homozygosity at specific sites, suggesting that these loci may represent cancer susceptibility genes, according to research published in the March 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Preterm Birth Impacts Long-Term Survival and Reproduction
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals who were born preterm have diminished long-term survival and rates of reproduction compared to individuals born at term, according to the results of a large population-based study in Norway. The findings are published in the March 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Ruling in Pfizer Case Protects Peer Review Confidentiality
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- In a ruling that upholds the confidentiality of the peer review process, a judge has denied a motion requested by the attorneys for Pfizer, Inc. that two medical journals turn over unpublished editorial judgments and peer review comments of articles pertaining to celecoxib and valdecoxib, according to an editorial published online March 24 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
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Obesity Is a Barrier to Breast, Cervical Cancer Screening
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are obese are less likely to undergo recommended screening for cervical and breast cancer, suggesting that efforts to improve screening should target this population, according to an article published online March 24 in Cancer.
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Mutations Linked to Panitumumab Ineffectiveness
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Before using panitumumab as monotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, physicians should consider whether their tumors have KRAS mutations, since only individuals with non-mutated KRAS responded to the drug, according to research published in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Heating and Eye Movements Model Nerve Conduction in MS
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with a particular defect in eye movement, whole-body heating further impairs ocular motor function that is restored after cooling, providing a model for changes in the fidelity of axonal conduction, according to a study published in the March 25 issue of Neurology.
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Genetic Role in Early Onset of Behcet's Disease
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of familial cases in juvenile-onset Behcet's disease indicates that there may be a genetic component to early expression of the disease, according to study findings published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The disease is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology.
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Renal Insufficiency Impacts Outcomes in Heart Failure
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Baseline renal insufficiency has a bigger impact on outcomes than worsening renal function in patients with advanced decompensated heart failure, researchers report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Regression of Neuroblastoma in Infancy Common
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Localized neuroblastoma in infancy often regresses spontaneously, and a watchful-waiting strategy that avoids chemotherapy and extensive surgery may be appropriate in some patients, according to new research published in the March 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Drug Samples Do Not Reduce Costs to Patients
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive free pharmaceutical samples bear a disproportionately high burden of out-of-pocket medical expenses compared with those who do not receive samples, according to research published in the April issue of Medical Care.
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Elderly Patients Are Living Longer After Heart Attacks
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients who have experienced a heart attack are living longer, and this improved mortality appears to be due to more widespread use of cardiovascular medications such as statins, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-II receptor blockers and antiplatelet drugs during the last decade, according to an article published in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Many New Cancer Treatments Superior to Old
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- About 25 percent to 50 percent of new cancer treatments evaluated in phase 3 randomized clinical trials are shown to be better than established treatments, researchers report in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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High Ankle-Brachial Index Increases Foot Ulcer Risk
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged and elderly individuals with a high ankle-brachial index (ABI) in at least one leg are at higher risk of foot ulcers and other ailments, and score lower on some physical quality-of-life measures, according to a report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Genes Can Affect Doping Test Results
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- The genotype for the UGT2B17 gene can affect the accuracy of testosterone doping test results, according to study findings published online March 11 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Parental Hypertension Predicts Hypertension in Men
TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- In men, parental hypertension is an independent risk factor for the development of incident hypertension throughout their adult lives, researchers report in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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High-Risk Blacks Less Likely to Undergo Colonoscopy
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Among those with a family history of colon cancer, black patients are significantly less likely than white patients to undergo colonoscopy screening, according to research published in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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FDA Issues Liver Warnings for Antiretroviral Drug
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned health care providers and patients about a potential risk of hepatotoxicity associated with the use of Prezista (darunavir ethanolate), an antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV infection.
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Better Outcomes in Hospitals Participating in Clinical Trials
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals that participate in clinical trials adhere better to guidelines and have lower mortality than non-participating hospitals, even though few patients are enrolled in trials, according to study findings published in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Weight-Loss Interventions Benefit Hypertensive Patients
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with hypertension, a weight-loss diet or treatment with orlistat can significantly reduce both body weight and blood pressure, according to an article published in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Imiquimod Cream Reduces Kaposi's Sarcoma Skin Lesions
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with HIV-negative Kaposi's sarcoma skin lesions, topical treatment with imiquimod 5 percent cream may significantly reduce tumor activity with few side effects, according to the results of a small study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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No Cardiac Effects for Breast Cancer Treatment
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel and trastuzumab for the treatment of HER-2/neu-positive breast cancer does not increase the incidence of cardiac events, according to study findings published in the March 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Neuronal Regulator Research Offers Cancer Clues
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- The RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) -- a repressor of neuronal gene expression in non-neuronal lineages and a tumor suppressor in epithelial tissues -- is controlled by an Skp1-Cul1-F-box protein complex containing the F-box protein β-TRCP (SCFβ-TRCP), according to research published in the March 20 issue of Nature.
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Impaired Smell May Be Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Impaired olfaction could be a useful screening tool for Parkinson's disease in men, as it can predate the disease by at least four years, according to a report published in the February issue of the Annals of Neurology.
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Hormone Use Not Linked to Additional Breast Cancer
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have had breast cancer appear to face little risk of a cancer in the other breast due to oral contraceptive or postmenopausal hormone therapy use, according to research published in the March 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Motivations for Participation in Clinical Trial Explored
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Women taking hormone replacement therapy who are not concerned about their risk of breast cancer are more likely to participate in a chemoprevention trial of tamoxifen than women with a greater level of worry, according to an article published in the March 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Benefits Seen with Selective Midline Episiotomy
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- In nulliparous women, selective midline episiotomy may help reduce the risk of third-degree perineal lacerations compared to routine episiotomy, according to the results of a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Therapeutic Cloning Improves Parkinson's in Mice
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Individually matched neurons derived from embryonic stem cells made by therapeutic cloning can improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in mice, according to a report published online March 23 in Nature Medicine.
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Fluoroquinolone-Resistant S. Pneumoniae Emerging
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- In South African children with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, treatment with fluoroquinolones may have led to the emergence of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, according the results of a study published online March 24 in The Lancet.
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U.S. Tuberculosis Rates Highest in Foreign-Born
MONDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- The rate of tuberculosis in the United States is highest among foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities, and a new model in which HIV counseling and testing is offered as part of routine care of TB patients can help identify HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa, according to two articles published March 21 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Cockayne Syndrome Linked to Ancient Genetic Activity
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Cockayne syndrome, an especially severe type of progeria often caused by mutations in the CSB gene, may be linked to a fusion protein that dates back in primates at least 43 million years, according to research published online March 21 in PLoS Genetics.
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Hemoglobin Mutation Protects Against Malarial Anemia
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Children with a genetic mutation in their hemoglobin have an increased number of abnormally small red blood cells, which protects them from severe malarial anemia due to a lower concentration of hemoglobin per red blood cell, according to a report published online March 18 in PLoS Medicine.
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New U.K. Health Policy Frustrating for Some Patients
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- A new system of patient referral by primary care physicians to specialists in the United Kingdom is failing patients by making it unlikely that multiple problems can be dealt with concurrently, according to an article published in the March 22 issue of BMJ.
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Two Lancet Papers Offer Overviews of Leukemia
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Two types of leukemia that predominantly strike at the opposite ends of the age spectrum -- acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which peaks in prevalence between the ages of 2 and 5 years, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is typically diagnosed in patients' 70s -- are the subject of overviews in the March 22 issue of The Lancet.
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Cellular Pathway Implicated in Alzheimer's Disease
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- A cellular signaling pathway is involved in increased production of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in mice and could be targeted in Alzheimer's disease, researchers report in the March 13 issue of Neuron.
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Dutch Doctors Make Increasing Use of Deep Sedation
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- An increasing number of patients nearing death in the Netherlands are being put under continuous deep sedation, according to a report released March 20 in BMJ Online First.
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Thick Carotid Plaque Increases Vascular Risk
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanics with a maximum carotid plaque thickness greater than 1.9 mm have a higher risk of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction or vascular death than individuals without plaque, according to a report published online March 19 in Neurology.
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Study Explores Risk of Cancer After Lymphoma Treatment
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Among survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the risk of developing subsequent treatment-related solid tumors remains elevated for up to 30 years after the initial diagnosis, according to an article first published online March 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Shared Supply Could Help Meet Cord Blood Stem Cell Demand
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- In the United Kingdom, Virgin Health Bank's model of keeping one-fifth of cord blood for private use while making the remainder available for public use could help solve the supply problem, according to an analysis published in the March 22 issue of BMJ.
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Cryotherapy Effective in Localized Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- In men with localized prostate cancer, cryosurgery alone provides long-term disease control equivalent to that of surgery and radiation with much milder side effects, according to a landmark study published in the March issue of Urology.
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White-Matter Changes Linked to Physical Abilities
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Age-related changes in cerebral white matter are strongly associated with gait and motor deficits, according to research published in the March 18 issue of Neurology.
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FDA Approves New Skin Graft Adhesive for Burns
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it has approved a new tissue adhesive, Artiss, for use in attaching skin grafts to wound sites of burn patients.
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Tocilizumab Effective for Rheumatoid Arthritis
FRIDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis, treatment with tocilizumab -- an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor -- may be an effective approach, according to an article published in the March 22 issue of The Lancet.
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Uric Acid May Be a Marker for Early Renal Dysfunction
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with type 1 diabetes, uric acid levels in the high-normal range are independently associated with early declines in renal function, according to an article first published online Feb. 13 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Chronic Ear Disease Usually Affects Both Ears
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic otitis media in one ear usually signals disease in the contralateral ear, according to the results of a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Vegan Diet May Protect Those with Rheumatoid Arthritis
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- People with rheumatoid arthritis who ate a vegan diet showed potentially atheroprotective changes in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and oxidized LDL cholesterol and levels of anti-phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) IgM and IgA, researchers report in the March 18 issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy.
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Inhibitors of Bacterial Toxins Identified
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Using a novel yeast system, small molecule inhibitors of bacterial toxins have been identified, according to research published in the February issue of PLoS Genetics.
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FDA: Spiriva Linked to Possible Stroke Risk
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Preliminary data suggests that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who use the Spiriva HandiHaler may have an increased risk of stroke, but the evidence is not strong enough to show a causal relationship, according to an Early Communication issued this week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Until further information is available, the agency is not advising health care professionals to discontinue prescribing the drug or contemplating any regulatory action.
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Less Radiation Effective for Early Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- An overall lower radiation dose given in fewer fractions offers similar rates of tumor control and late adverse effects than the international standard for patients with early breast cancer, according to a report published online March 19 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Sleepwalking More Severe After Sleep Deprivation
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Sleepwalking becomes more frequent and complex in sleepwalkers during recovery sleep after being sleep-deprived for 25 hours, according to an article published online March 19 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Supreme Court Case Fuels Gun Violence Debate
THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- A case before the U.S. Supreme Court that questions the constitutionality of the District of Columbia's statues limiting handguns has reopened debate about the meaning of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the public health consequences of handgun violence, according to several articles published in the April 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Bisphosphonates Implicated in Low-Energy Femur Fractures
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Prolonged bisphosphonate use may be associated with an increased risk of low-energy femur fractures in older women, according to a letter to the editor published in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Older Transfused Blood May Raise Heart Surgery Mortality
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Complication and mortality rates after heart surgery are higher when patients are transfused with red blood cells that have been stored for longer than 14 days, compared to more recently donated blood, researchers report in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Prostate Cancer Treatments Impact Quality of Life
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- A study exploring quality of life of prostate cancer survivors sheds light on how treatment-specific complications impact patients' and their spouses' satisfaction with treatment outcomes, according to an article published in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Time for FDA to Give Guidance on Antibiotic Trial Design
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- It's time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide on the type of study design it finds acceptable for the approval of new antibiotics, urges a Leading Edge editorial in the April issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Resurgence of Syphilis Calls for Robust, Creative Response
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- A rise in syphilis, particularly among certain groups, calls for renewed attention from clinicians and public health professionals to bolster diagnosis and prevention strategies, according to an article published in the April issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Treatment Factors Affect Cancer Patients' Quality of Life
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Factors that predict the quality of life for patients with head and neck cancer one year after initial treatment include treatment aspects, smoking and depressive symptoms, according to research published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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C-Reactive Protein Predicts Success of Liver Surgery
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) after liver resection are associated with an increased risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure and other poor outcomes, according to the results of a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Eating Disorders More Likely in Girls with ADHD
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-combined type (ADHD-C), who have deficits in both attention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, are more likely than girls with ADHD-inattentive type (ADHD-I) or other girls to develop eating pathologies as adolescents, according to a report in the February issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
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Surgery Safe to Treat Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Treating bilateral vocal cord paralysis surgically is safe and effective, but post-surgical microlaryngostroboscopic findings do not necessarily correlate with patients' subjective dyspnea or speech difficulties, according to an article published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Obesity Linked to Worse Prognosis in Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- A high body mass index (BMI) at the diagnosis of locally advanced breast cancer results in a poorer prognosis, according to research published in the March 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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Common Gene Variants May Increase Risk of Osteoporosis
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Among different white populations, two common variants in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene are associated with a modestly increased risk of lower bone mineral density and a modestly increased risk of fracture, researchers report in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Reduced Activity Has Negative Metabolic Consequences
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- In healthy, young non-exercising men, a significant reduction in the number of steps taken per day quickly results in adverse metabolic changes that could set the stage for diabetes and heart disease, according to a research letter published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Gene Variations Linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the FKBP5 gene -- which is involved in glucocorticoid signal transduction -- may predict the development of adult post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who experienced severe physical or sexual child abuse, according to research published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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HDL Gene Affects Risk of Death and Adverse Cardiac Events
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who carry the Q192R polymorphism of the paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene -- which is associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) -- may have an increased risk of death and major adverse cardiac events. Those with the lowest PON1 activity may also have a significantly higher risk of major adverse cardiac events, according to research published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Genomic Medicine Is Theme of Multiple Journal Issues
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Although the emerging field of genomic medicine is still in an early stage, it holds exciting promise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of diseases, according to reports published in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Archives of Dermatology, Archives of Neurology, Archives of Ophthalmology and Archives of Surgery.
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Colonoscopy Guidelines After Polyp Removal May Be Flawed
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Current guidelines for postpolypectomy colonoscopy surveillance, based on whether the removed adenoma is a high-risk or low-risk lesion, have a limited ability to predict advanced adenoma recurrence, according to new study findings published in the March 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Facial Plastic Surgery Improves Quality of Life
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Facial plastic surgery improves patients' quality of life, but the effects are different for men and women, researchers report in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Non-Dementia Decline Affects One-Fifth of Over-70s
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive impairment without dementia affects an estimated 5.4 million people in the United States over 70 years of age (22.2 percent of that age group) and is more prevalent than dementia, according to a report based on 2002 data published in the March 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Angina Prevalence Somewhat Higher in Women Than Men
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- In countries with widely differing myocardial infarction mortality rates, women have a slightly higher prevalence of stable angina pectoris than men, according to a report published online March 17 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Novel Biomarker Predicts Cardiovascular Events
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH), a marker of oxidative stress, is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease, according to an article published in the March 25 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Postburn Pathologic Scarring Very Common
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- There are several, identifiable risk factors for postburn pathologic scarring, and early identification of patients most at risk can help ensure they get optimum treatment, according to a report published in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Growth Hormone Does Not Enhance Athletic Performance
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Growth hormone increases lean body mass but probably does not enhance athletic performance, according to research published online March 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Cocaine Abuse Presents Emergency Room Challenges
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- The management of cocaine-associated chest pain and myocardial infarction can be complex, according to a scientific statement published online March 17 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Universal Surveillance for Resistant Staph Is Successful
TUESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Screening all hospital admissions for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization was associated with a large decrease in MRSA infections in a three-hospital health network, according to an article published in the March 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Blood Test Helps When Acute Coronary Syndrome Suspected
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome but normal troponin T levels, measurement of the N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) can help identify high-risk patients, according to an article published in the March 25 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Double Gene Variants Linked to Higher Body Mass
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Variants of two obesity-associated genes, when both present, are associated with higher body mass index (BMI) in morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery, researchers report in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Face Lift Can Lead to Surgical Site Infections
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo face-lift surgery may be at risk of developing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-positive surgical site infections, indicating a need for well-developed screening, prevention and treatment strategies, according to a report published in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Gene Variant Linked to Vitiligo
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Susceptibility to vitiligo appears to be associated with a major recessive gene, although environmental factors play a key role in onset of disease, according to a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Pain Common One Year Later in Trauma Patients
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of trauma patients report having injury-related moderately severe pain a year after injury, according to an article in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Pleural Changes Linked to Old Vermiculite Exposure
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-quarter of a group of employees who worked in a facility that handled the mineral vermiculite showed pleural changes in a 25-year follow-up study reported in the March 15 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Stress Induces Hypermetabolic Syndrome in Mice
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Chronically stressed mice develop a hypermetabolic syndrome that drastically reduces their energy reserves, according to the results of a study published online March 11 in Endocrinology.
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Letrozole Boosts Disease-Free Survival in Breast Cancer
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly women with breast cancer have better disease-free survival after treatment with letrozole compared with tamoxifen, although they have more bone fractures, according to a report published online March 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Quitting Smoking in Pregnancy Benefits Baby's Temperament
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Quitting smoking during pregnancy reduces a mother's chances of giving birth to a baby with problem behavior, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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Circulating Tumor Cells Raise Breast Cancer Relapse Risk
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- An increase of 10-fold or more in the number of circulating epithelial tumor cells during chemotherapy for breast cancer increases the risk of relapse, researchers report in the March 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Cruciferous Vegetables May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- A diet high in cruciferous vegetables may reduce breast cancer risk, and it may modify the effects of genetic predisposition to the disease, according to a report published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Mitochondrial Uncoupling Linked to Energy Use
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Increased energy usage after mild cold exposure is associated with skeletal muscle mitochondrial uncoupling in lean humans, which could be a target for treating obesity, according to research published online March 12 in PLoS ONE.
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Weight an Issue in Return of Sleep-Disordered Breathing
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children and those with an accelerated body mass index gain are more likely to have recurrence of sleep-disordered breathing after adenotonsillectomy, according to research published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Protein Blocks Angiogenesis and Vascular Leak in Mice
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- In concert with another protein, a guidance protein found in endothelial cells prevents angiogenesis and vascular leak in mice, which may have implications for vascular diseases of the eye, according to study findings published online March 16 in Nature Medicine.
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Survival in Hodgkin's Lymphoma Unaffected by Race
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Black children with Hodgkin's lymphoma have lower event-free survival but similar overall survival as white children with lymphoma, researchers report in the March 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Negative Breast Cancer Lymph Nodes Reclassified
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- About one-quarter of invasive breast cancer axillary lymph nodes classified as negative in a 1970s study can now be reclassified as positive based on current pathologic protocols, according to a report published online March 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Genetic Tests for Disease Can Be Cause for Concern
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Although research finding genetic contributions to disease is growing by leaps and bounds, companies marketing genetic tests to the public may be selling products that have limited value, researchers report in the March 15 issue of BMJ.
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Doctors Rarely Called on for In-Flight Medical Emergency
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians are unlikely to have to provide care to fellow passengers while flying, but those who do face low risk of later litigation, according to an article in the March 15 issue of BMJ.
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Muscular Dystrophy Antibody Safe and Tolerable
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- A neutralizing antibody to myostatin, an endogenous regulator of muscle growth, is safe and well-tolerated when given to patients with adult muscular dystrophies, though it is not known whether the antibody has any efficacy against the disease, according to a study published online March 11 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Combination MMRV Vaccine No Longer Preferred
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Due to the risk of febrile seizures, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer have a preference for the combination measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine over the MMR vaccine plus the varicella vaccine, according to a report in the March 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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CDC Reports Increased Colorectal Cancer Screening
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- The use of recommended colorectal cancer screening tests for individuals aged 50 years and older increased between 2002 and 2006, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the March 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Simple Risk Assessment Can Be As Good As Lab Tests
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- In a developing country setting where it may not be possible to get access to laboratory tests, a simplified, non-laboratory model can be just as accurate at predicting cardiovascular events, according to study findings published in the March 15 issue of The Lancet.
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Herpes Suppression Does Not Reduce HIV Transmission
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Although infection with herpes simplex virus is believed to increase the risk of acquiring HIV, therapy with acyclovir to suppress herpes simplex virus does not reduce the incidence of HIV infection among women at high risk, according to a report published online March 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Difficult to Justify Antibiotics for Rhinosinusitis
FRIDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- The common symptoms and clinical signs of rhinosinusitis cannot be used to identify which patients need antibiotic treatment, and even symptoms that persist for seven to 10 days do not justify the use of such drugs, according to an article published in the March 15 issue of The Lancet.
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Ureteroscopy Successful for Range of Kidney Stones
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Ureteroscopy is a safe and effective treatment for nephrolithiasis, even for the particularly challenging lower pole stones, which responded with similar clearance rates as stones in the upper and middle poles, according to an article published in the February issue of Urology.
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Late Letrozole Improves Breast Cancer Outcomes
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Women who receive letrozole after long-term treatment with adjuvant tamoxifen have better disease-free and distant disease-free survival compared with women who receive placebo, according to study findings published online March 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Regimen Has Favorable Results in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- The use of 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan following chemotherapy with fludarabine and mitoxantrone was shown to be a well-tolerated, effective treatment in patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to a report published online March 13 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Receptor Role Found in Synaptic Depression
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- TRPV1 receptors are necessary for long-term depression at excitatory synapses in the brain, which may make them useful targets for treatments for neurological disease, according to the results of a study in mice published in the March 13 issue of Neuron.
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Protein Implicated in Breast Cancer Metastasis
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- The protein SATB1 appears to play an important role in breast cancer progression, and its expression in breast cancer cells leads to alterations in the expression of more than 1,000 genes, researchers report in the March 13 issue of Nature.
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Triple Therapy Forms 'Bridge' to Liver Transplant
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- A patient with severe portopulmonary hypertension was successfully treated with a combination therapy of prostacyclin, sildenafil and bosentan until receiving a liver transplant -- an option that is often not used in such patients -- according to a case report published in the March issue of Liver Transplantation.
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Serum Estrogen Level Predicts Breast Cancer Recurrence
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- In women treated for early-stage breast cancer, higher serum estrogen concentration is independently associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence, according to research published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Aspirin Reduces Asthma Risk in Women, Too
THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Giving women 100 mg of aspirin on alternate days reduces their risk of being newly diagnosed with asthma, according to a report published online March 13 in Thorax. The study findings provide randomized data to back up observational data that the drug is as effective in women as it has already been proven to be in men.
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Anti-Angiogenic Cancer Drug Linked to Kidney Injury
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has been associated with thrombotic microangiopathy in the kidney, and a mouse model duplicating the injury pattern suggests that VEGF plays a protective role in the kidney, according to an article published in the March 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Digestive Bacteria May Point to Later Overweight
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Alterations in bacteria levels in the gut may play a role in childhood obesity, according to research published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Anti-Cancer Drug Target Linked to Bone Defects
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Even brief treatment of young mice with an inhibitor of the Hedgehog cell signaling pathway, a target for anti-cancer drugs, leads to permanent defects in bone development, according to a report in the March issue of Cancer Cell.
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Whiplash Patients Are Likely to Fudge Medical History
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients evaluated for neck, back or shoulder pain after motor vehicle accidents may be unlikely to report previous axial pain and comorbid conditions, especially if they believe the accident was another party's fault or are filing compensation claims, according to study findings published in the March-April issue of the Spine Journal.
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No Benefit of Chemotherapy Seen in Gastric Cancer Study
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery does not improve disease-free or overall survival in patients with completely resected gastric cancer, according to the results of a study published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Meconium Markers May Point to Fetal Alcohol Risks
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Fatty acid ethyl esters in meconium may identify infants who are at risk of mental and psychomotor developmental delays due to fetal alcohol exposure, according to research released online Jan. 21 in advance of publication in the Journal of Pediatrics.
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Surgeon Influences Kidney Cancer Surgical Technique
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- A surgeon's practice style has more influence on whether a kidney cancer patient receives partial nephrectomy and laparoscopy than the characteristics of the cancer and patient, according to a report published online March 10 in the journal Cancer.
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High Education Level Linked to Increased Longevity
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Since the 1980s, highly educated Americans have reaped almost all of the gains in life expectancy, according to study findings published in the March-April issue of Health Affairs.
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FDA Alert Issued on Safe Use of Tussionex
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert on March 11 on Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension, a prescription-only cough syrup manufactured by UCB Inc., of Smyrna, Ga., to warn of adverse events associated with misuse of the drug.
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Action Needed to Reduce Bypassing of Local Hospitals
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Bypassing local Critical Access Hospitals in rural areas in favor of care outside the local community may be reduced by changing rural residents' perception of local health care provision and increasing the number of primary care physicians, according to research published in the March/April edition of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Genetic Locus Linked to Familial Atrial Fibrillation
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- A locus on chromosome 5 has been linked to familial atrial fibrillation, with the additional phenotype of prolonged signal-averaged P-wave duration able to identify mutation carriers, researchers report in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Linked to Gulf War Illness
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Evidence is growing that exposure to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors played a causal role in illness in Gulf War veterans, according to an article reviewing epidemiological data and other research supporting this relationship published online March 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Bremelanotide Shows Promise for Erectile Dysfunction
WEDNESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- In men with erectile dysfunction who either do not respond to sildenafil or cannot tolerate its side effects, the investigational drug PT-141 (bremelanotide) -- a cyclic, heptapeptide melanocortin analog -- may be an effective alternative, according to a report published in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.
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New Cardiac Arrest Treatment Improves Survival
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Training emergency medical services personnel in minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation (MICR) improves survival rates among those who have a cardiac arrest in an out-of-hospital setting, according to an article published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Monthly Personal Contact Helps Maintain Weight Loss
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Personal contact-based intervention helps people who have lost weight to regain less than those who rely on technology-based interactive support or no intervention at all, according to a report published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Poll Finds That Physicians Often Sacrifice Sleep for Work
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Like the general population, many physicians admit that their work schedule prevents them from getting an optimal amount of sleep. But few of them report that sleepiness affects their work performance or ability to respond to other daily concerns, according to study findings published online in March in CHEST Physician.
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Device Doesn't Provide Better Heart-Failure Management
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A strategy to manage patients with advanced heart failure using information from a continuous hemodynamic monitor didn't significantly reduce total heart failure-related events compared to optimal medical management, according to research published in the March 18 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Patients Value Technical Quality of Care Most
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Although patients place high value on patient-centered care, they place more value on continuity of care and the technical quality of their consultation with a physician, according to study findings published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Psyllium Fiber Does Not Reduce Inflammatory Markers
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Intake of psyllium fiber by obese and overweight patients does not significantly reduce inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, according to research published in the March/April edition of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Racial Disparities Seen in Vision Loss
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Black patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension are more likely to have serious vision problems than non-black patients, suggesting that providers may need to provide interventions for these patients more quickly, according to researchers writing in the March 11 issue of Neurology.
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Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Prevents Bone Loss in Rodents
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) reverses bone loss in female rats caused by removal of their ovaries, likely by inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption, according to an article published online March 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Double Dose of Clopidogrel Has Biggest Platelet Effect
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A double 600-milligram loading dose of clopidogrel -- divided between the day before and the morning of the procedure -- resulted in better platelet inhibition in patients undergoing elective angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention than two other regimens, according to research published March 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Moderate Alcohol in Middle Age May Protect Heart
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged people who begin to drink a moderate amount of alcohol can reap the benefits of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and few drink more than the recommended daily amount, according to study findings published in the March issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
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Pre-Thrombolysis Antiplatelet Therapy: Benefits Outweigh Risk
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits of antiplatelet therapy prior to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke appear to outweigh the heightened risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, as antiplatelet therapy is associated with improved outcomes, according to an article published online March 10 in the Archives of Neurology.
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Two Parents with Alzheimer's Raises Risk for Offspring
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- The children of parents who both have Alzheimer's disease are at increased risk of developing the disease themselves, relative to the general population, but the exact genetic mechanism for this is not yet understood, according to study findings published in the March issue of the Archives of Neurology.
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Acculturation Brings Poorer Eating Habits
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Latino patients with diabetes who are more acculturated into U.S. society have less-healthy eating habits than Latinos who are less acculturated, researchers report in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Prostate Biopsy Changes Affect Cancer Detection
TUESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Changing prostate biopsy patterns since the early 1990s, particularly the use of lower prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, have reduced the predictive usefulness of PSA in cancer detection, according to a report published online March 10 in the journal Cancer.
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Mitochondrial Dysfunction Not Caused by Diabetes
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetic and non-diabetic Asian Indians have similar muscle oxidative phosphorylation capacity, demonstrating that diabetes may not be responsible for mitochondrial dysfunction, according to research published online Feb. 19 in Diabetes.
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Survival Rates for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Rising
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- The prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma improved between the early 1990s and 2004, according to the results of a population-based period analysis published in the March 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Study Examines Open-Angle Glaucoma and Mortality Risk
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Although a new study failed to show that open-angle glaucoma was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, individuals who received treatment with timolol maleate did have a significantly increased risk of mortality, according to an article published in the Archives of Ophthalmology in March.
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Magnesium May Lower Stroke Risk Among Male Smokers
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Diets high in magnesium may lower the risk of ischemic stroke in male smokers, according to an article published in the March 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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New Guidelines Issued for Von Willebrand Disease
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Expert Panel, published in the March issue of Haemophilia, call for an individualized approach to the diagnosis and treatment of the bleeding disorder von Willebrand disease.
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Model May Predict Cirrhosis in Hepatitis C Patients
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- A model that takes into account two serum markers and platelet count is able to identify chronic hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis better than other models, according to a report in the March issue of Hepatology.
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Blood Levels of Genistein Linked to Breast Cancer Risk
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Women with higher blood levels of the soy isoflavone genistein may have a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer, according to study findings published online March 3 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Molecule Fights Cancer by Activating Tumor Suppressor
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- A molecule dubbed MI-219, which inhibits the interaction between tumor suppressor p53 and its primary cellular inhibitor MDM2, shows promise as a new anticancer agent, according to research published online March 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Prostate Biopsy Approaches Have Similar Detection Rates
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Transperineal and transrectal approaches for prostate biopsy give similar cancer detection and complication rates in men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, researchers report in the February issue of Urology.
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Study Explores Prognostic Markers in Heart Attack
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- White blood cell count and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are both predictors of outcome after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), though they likely involve different mechanisms leading to increased risk, according to an article published in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Stress Induces Neurological Changes in Mice
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Mice that are stressed as adults have neuroendocrine changes and an increased susceptibility to bowel inflammation that are made worse if they were also stressed early in life, according to a report published online Feb. 28 in Endocrinology.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs May Lower Cardiovascular Risk
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Prolonged treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, glucocorticoids and TNF-α blockers appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to the results of a study published March 6 in Arthritis Research & Therapy.
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Falls Affect Nearly 16 Percent of U.S. Elders
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Approximately 5.8 million people aged 65 and older in the United States, representing 15.9 percent of that age group, experienced a fall in the preceding three months, according to an analysis of data from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, published in the March 7 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Mouse Models Shed Light on Obesity, Blood Pressure
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Findings derived from mouse models of Bardet-Biedl syndrome offer insight into mechanisms underlying the obesity and hypertension associated with the condition, according to an article published online March 3 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Dietary Supplement Use Common Among Chronically Ill
MONDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients are more likely than their healthy counterparts to take vitamins and, overall, dietary supplement use is more common in people with all types of chronic illness than it is among healthy people, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which also found that supplement use among cancer survivors is aimed at dealing with comorbid conditions.
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Very Preterm Birth Tied to Cognitive Deficits at Age 5
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Among children born prior to 33 weeks' gestation, those born most prematurely are at highest risk of neurodevelopmental impairments at age 5, according to an article published in the March 8 issue of The Lancet.
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Many Women Lack Knowledge About HPV and Cervical Cancer
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Despite increased media attention surrounding the human papillomavirus (HPV), many women lack basic awareness of HPV and its link to cervical cancer, according to the results of a survey released this week by the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH).
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High Liver Enzymes Linked to Higher Mortality
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with abnormally high serum aminotransferase levels, a common indicator of liver disease, have a higher risk of death, researchers report in the March issue of Hepatology.
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Depression After Heart Attack Is Long-Term Risk Factor
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although it was previously known that patients who become depressed after a myocardial infarction have a higher risk of mortality in the following 12 months, new research released online in January in advance of publication in the Journal of Affective Disorders shows that depression remains an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality over five years.
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Chemotherapy for High-Risk Prostate Cancer Can Lower PSA
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Neoadjuvant docetaxel and capecitabine lowers prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in some high-risk prostate cancer patients and is well-tolerated, but is not associated with significant pathological changes, according to study findings published in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.
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Early Use of Clopidogrel Advocated in Heart Attacks
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A higher dose of clopidogrel can improve platelet inhibition in patients with clopidogrel resistance, and in the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), pretreatment with clopidogrel prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) leads to improved outcomes, according to two articles published in the American Journal of Cardiology in February.
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Discussing 'Lung Age' Increases Smoking Quit Rates
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Providing patients their spirometry results in the form of "lung age," or the age of a healthy person at which similar results are expected, is effective in motivating patients to quit smoking, according to an article published online March 6 in BMJ Online First.
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Model Predicts Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A Web-based prognostic tool incorporating clinical data, country of origin and radiological findings can be used to predict valid outcomes after traumatic brain injury, according to an article published in the Feb. 23 issue of BMJ.
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GRADE System Useful for Recommending Cancer Therapy
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A system that takes into account the quality of evidence and risk-benefit profile of cancer treatments can be useful in making treatment recommendations in many cases, researchers report in the March 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Internet-Based Prep May Help Youths Before Tonsillectomy
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers and preteens who prepared for an upcoming tonsillectomy by using an Internet program had improved knowledge acquisition scores and satisfaction with their method of preparation, compared to youths who attended a standard preparation program at the hospital before the surgery, according to research published in the February AORN Journal.
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Cigarette Smoking Exposure Correlates with Stroke Risk
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking increases the risk of stroke in a dose-dependent manner, and the combination of cigarette smoking and hypertension appears to have a synergistic effect on the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, according to two articles released online March 6 in advance of publication in the journal Stroke.
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Angiotensin II Vaccine May Help Treat Hypertension
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- A 300-μg dose of the angiotensin II vaccine CYT006-AngQb can reduce blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate hypertension, according to a report published in the March 8 issue of The Lancet.
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Metabolic Syndrome Patients Using More Alternative Meds
FRIDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- The use of complementary and alternative medicine to treat components of the metabolic syndrome is growing, and health practitioners should acquaint themselves with the latest fads in order to help their patients differentiate between proven and unproven therapies, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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Sublingual Immunotherapy Beneficial in Allergic Asthma
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- In children and adolescents with allergic asthma, sublingual immunotherapy is clinically effective, according to a meta-analysis published in the March issue of the journal Chest.
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Oncologists Less Involved in Care After Colorectal Cancer
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly individuals see primary care providers (PCPs) more than oncologists after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and those who see only a PCP have less cancer-related screening, researchers report in the March 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Daily Ezetimibe Plus Twice Weekly Statin Safe, Effective
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- The combination of daily ezetimibe and twice weekly atorvastatin is well-tolerated and effective in lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in patients who cannot tolerate daily statin therapy, researchers report in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Researchers Seek Genetic Basis for Fluorouracil Toxicity
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Several genetic polymorphisms were found to have a limited impact on fluorouracil toxicity during cancer treatment, but in males a strong interaction between the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) gene and sex increases the prediction of toxicity, according to research published online Feb. 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Clinical Features Predict Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with stable coronary artery disease with preserved left ventricular function, clinical features can help identify individuals who may be at a higher risk for sudden cardiac death, according to an article published in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Focal Spinal Stenosis Surgery Improves Quality of Life
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo surgery for focal lumbar spinal stenosis may achieve quality-of-life improvements comparable to those observed in patients who undergo total hip and knee arthroplasty, according to a report published in the March-April issue of The Spine Journal.
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Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis Lack Vitamin B-6
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Older women with rheumatoid arthritis have poor levels of vitamin B-6 and elevated plasma levels of homocysteine, two factors that could explain why they are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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Isoflavone Extract Lowers Prostate-Specific Antigen Level
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- A daily isoflavone extract significantly reduces prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with elevated PSA levels and negative prostate biopsy, according to study findings published in the February issue of Urology.
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Aromatase Expression High in Endometrial Tissue
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Aromatase expression is high in eutopic endometrium and in endometriosis implants from patients with endometriosis, and is associated with high expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and isoforms of the estrogen and progesterone receptors, researchers report in the March issue of Endocrinology.
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Bone Density Falls After Breast Cancer Treatment
THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer patients treated with anastrozole lose more bone mineral density but have a longer time to recurrence than patients treated with tamoxifen, according to two studies published in the March 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Doctors Should Consider Ovarian Health in Imatinib Therapy
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Because of a potential link between imatinib therapy and ovarian failure, physicians should pay heed to patients' fertility and ovarian function before prescribing the drug, according to a letter published in the March 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Genetic Variations Affect Initial Response to Warfarin
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Genetic variations of vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) and cytochrome p-450 2C9 (CYP2C9) affect patients' initial response to anticoagulation treatment, according to an article published in the March 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Hypoparathyroidism Autoantigen Identified
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Half of patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 and hypoparathyroidism have autoantibodies specific to the NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 5 (NALP5) type, a finding that offers new insight into the disease and potential new leads for treatment, according to an article published in the March 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Parkinsonian Syndrome Seen in Methcathinone Users
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic use of injected methcathinone, an analogue of methamphetamine, can lead to a Parkinsonian syndrome caused by elevated blood manganese levels, according to an article published in the March 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Rare in Elite Athletes
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that routine echocardiographic screening of elite athletes to detect hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) may not be warranted, as HCM is extremely rare in this population, according to an article published in the March 11 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Endoglin May Be Helpful in Finding Prostate Metastases
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Assessing plasma endoglin improves accuracy in predicting pelvic lymph node metastases in men with clinically localized prostate cancer, researchers report in the March 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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Adult Amblyopes May Benefit from Perceptual Learning
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- People with amblyopia have broader bandwidth of perceptual learning in their visual system than people with normal vision, suggesting greater plasticity and wider generalization in this population, according to research released online March 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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New Blood Test Has Improved Sensitivity for Tuberculosis
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- A new immunoassay that detects interferon-γ secreted by T cells is more sensitive for tuberculosis than other testing methods, and, when used in combination with tuberculin skin testing, can be used to rule out active tuberculosis, according to an article published in the March 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Aggressive Screening Benefits BRCA1 Mutation Carriers
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- In asymptomatic BRCA1 gene mutation carriers, annual screening with combined mammography and MRI is an effective strategy for extending life span and reducing the risk of breast cancer mortality, according to a report published in the March issue of Radiology.
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FDA: Delirium Tied to Use of Tamiflu in Influenza
WEDNESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, together with Roche Laboratories, Inc., the maker of Tamiflu (oseltamivir), have informed health care professionals of neuropsychiatric events associated with use of the antiviral drug in patients with influenza. The Tamiflu package insert has been updated to reflect these safety concerns.
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Flat Colorectal Lesions Seen As Clinically Significant
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- During routine colonoscopy, non-polypoid (flat and depressed) colorectal neoplasms are commonly observed and may have a stronger association with carcinoma than polypoid neoplasms, according to research published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Health Risks Persist After Hormone Therapy Suspension
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Women who stop taking estrogen plus progestin no longer have an increased risk of cardiovascular events compared to women who never received hormone therapy. But they may have an elevated risk of developing fatal and non-fatal malignancies, researchers report in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Chemotherapy Switch No Value in Pancreatic Cancer
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with resected pancreatic cancer, substituting systemic gemcitabine for fluorouracil before and after chemoradiation therapy is associated with a survival benefit that is not statistically significant, according to research published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Perceived Cost Affects Response to Placebo Pain Pills
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Patients are more likely to experience reduced pain when they think they are receiving a higher-priced analgesic than if they think they are receiving a cheap analgesic, according to a research letter published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Lung Disease Screening with Spirometry Discouraged
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Spirometry should not be used to screen asymptomatic adults for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to new recommendations from the U.S Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published online March 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Dementia Treatments Modestly Effective at Best
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine modestly improve some measures of functioning in patients with dementia, according to clinical practice guidelines from the American College of Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians, published in the March 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Distress, Not Depression, Linked to Stroke Risk
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Although episodic major depressive disorder wasn't associated with stroke in a large cohort, elevated psychological distress was linked to a greater risk of stroke in research published in the March 4 issue of Neurology.
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Researchers Identify Potential Longevity Gene
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- By studying a group of 100-year-olds, researchers have identified mutations in the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) that may contribute to human longevity, according to an article published in the March 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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ADHD Stimulants Not Related to Drug Abuse
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- The use of stimulant treatment in male children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) wasn't associated with an increased or decreased risk of later substance use disorder, according to research published online March 3 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Donepezil Reduces Sleep Apnea in Alzheimer's
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, treatment with donepezil may reduce symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, according to the results of a small study published in the March issue of the journal Chest.
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Potential Marker for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma ID'd
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer antigen 27.29, a soluble form of the glycoprotein MUC1 and an established tumor marker for breast cancer, also shows promise as a marker for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, according to a pilot study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Low Free Testosterone Linked to Higher Depression Risk
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Older men with low concentrations of free testosterone have more than twice the risk of depression, independent of age, body mass index, poor physical health and other factors, according to research published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Less TV and Computer Use Helps Prevent Child Obesity
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Reductions in television viewing and computer use by young children can help prevent obesity, because of changes in energy intake rather than physical activity, according to study findings published in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Amniocentesis May Be Safer Than Previously Thought
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- The total fetal loss rate is not significantly different in pregnant women who undergo amniocentesis and those who do not, and the risk of fetal loss at less than 24 weeks' gestation attributable to amniocentesis may be significantly lower than has been previously estimated, according to a report published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Breast Cancer Prediction Model Incorporates Density
TUESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- A prediction model that incorporates age, race, ethnicity, family history and breast density can be used to estimate a woman's five-year risk of developing breast cancer, according to an article published in the March 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Depressed Teenage Mothers at Risk of Repeat Pregnancy
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent mothers who are depressed are at higher risk for rapid subsequent pregnancy than their non-depressed counterparts, researchers report in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Misuse of Legal Drugs Raises Drug Abuse Risk
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- College students who report non-medical use of prescription drugs are more likely than those who have only used such medications for their intended purpose to test positive for drug abuse, according to a report in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Tamoxifen Shows Effectiveness in Bipolar Disorder
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- The use of tamoxifen in patients with bipolar disorder results in antimanic effects in line with those reported for lithium carbonate and divalproex, according to research published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Anti-Inflammatory Drugs May Have Similar Effects on Heart
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (coxibs) and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), commonly prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation, may confer similar risks of cardiovascular disease, according to an article published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics in March.
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Gene Mutation Implicated in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- The TAR DNA binding protein TDP-43, the major protein in ubiquitinated inclusions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar dementia, may have a pathophysiological role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to research published online Feb. 28 in Science.
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Menopause Alone Doesn't Worsen Urinary Incontinence
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to common belief, worsening urinary incontinence in middle-aged women is not attributable to the menopausal transition but is strongly associated with weight gain and changes in weight distribution, according to the results of a study published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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New Photopneumatic Therapy to Treat Acne
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- A novel device using a vacuum and a broadband light source can safely and effectively treat mild to severe acne vulgaris, according to a report published in the February issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
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Internet Can Help Combat Teens' Binge Eating
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers who start the day with breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy body mass index, while Internet-based programs can successfully help adolescents avoid binge eating and maintain a healthy weight, according to two studies published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Antibodies, Neuropsychiatric Events Linked in Lupus
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosis, antiribosomal P and lupus anticoagulant autoantibodies are linked to neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease, according to an article published in the March 15 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Tendons Can Suffer from Statin-Related Complications
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Tendon complications from statins appear to be rare, but should be an issue of concern for prescribers in patients with higher risk of tendon problems, according to research published in the March 15 Arthritis Care & Research.
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Imaging Modalities Similar in Diagnosing Lung Cancer
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- In the diagnosis of malignant solitary pulmonary nodules, three cross-sectional imaging modalities -- dynamic contrast material-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and MRI; fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET); and technetium 99m (99mTc) depreotide single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) -- have negligible differences in performance, according to a meta-analysis published in the March issue of Radiology.
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Anti-TNFα Drugs Don't Up Heart Failure Risk
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- By reducing inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitors likely decrease, rather than increase, the risk of heart failure, according to an article published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Miscarriage Risk Low at Eight-Week Mark
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Women who present for their first trimester prenatal visit between six and 11 weeks' gestation and who have no abnormal symptoms have a less than 1.6 percent chance of miscarriage, researchers report in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Repetition Improves Parent-to-Teen Sex Education
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents feel closer and more able to talk to their parents about sex if their parents discuss a broad range of sexual issues and repeatedly cover the same sexual topics, according to a report published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Thiazolidinediones May Reduce Psoriasis Risk in Diabetics
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetic patients prescribed thiazolidinediones have a lower risk of developing psoriasis, according to study findings published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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