Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Family Practice for September 2007. 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.
Antibiotics Overprescribed for Respiratory Symptoms
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- General practitioners label most acute respiratory tract episodes as infections and overprescribe antibiotics as a result, rather than using evidence-based criteria, according to a report published online Sept. 20 in BMC Family Practice.
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FDA Suggests Barring Chlorofluorocarbons in Inhalers
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Citing the health of Earth's ozone layer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed changing its rules to ban chlorofluorocarbon use in epinephrine metered-dose inhalers. The inhalers temporarily ease mild asthma symptoms.
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Vitamin D Deficiency Common in Babies of Moms at Risk
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Newborn infants of mothers with dark skin or those wearing concealing clothing, such as a veil, are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency at birth, according to study findings published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood in September.
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Access to Fast-Food Affects Obesity Rates
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Areas with a predominantly black population have a higher proportion of fast-food outlets compared to predominantly white neighborhoods, which may partially explain racial differences in rates of obesity, according to a report published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Adding Single Insulin to Oral Meds Fails Most Diabetics
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Only a minority of diabetic patients with suboptimal glycemic control on oral drugs achieve target glycated hemoglobin levels with the addition of a single type of insulin, according to a study published online Sept. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Basal insulin was slightly less effective than regimens with short-acting insulin, but was associated with a lower risk of weight gain and hypoglycemic events.
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Postnatal Weight Gain May Predispose to Obesity in Rats
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Excess postnatal weight gain leads to permanent changes in the adaptive thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue in rats, which may predispose them to obesity as adults, according to a report in the September issue of Endocrinology.
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Infants of Diabetic Mothers Have Low Iron Stores
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Babies of diabetic mothers have significantly lower iron stores than babies born to women without diabetes, a condition that suggests fetal response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia, researchers report in the September issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood -- Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
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Young Girls' Smoking Habits Influenced By School
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking bans that cover all school personnel on or near school premises should be a component of smoking prevention measures targeted at adolescents, and particularly girls, whose attitudes toward smoking may be more susceptible to school influences, according to the results of a Canadian study published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Breast Cancer Mortality Continues to Drop
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer death rates continue to drop in the United States, likely due to advances in early detection and treatment. Yet significant racial disparity persists, with black patients 36 percent more likely to die of the disease than whites, according to a report released from the American Cancer Society on Sept. 25.
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Teen Binge Drinking Increases Risk of Problems As Adults
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Teens who binge drink are more likely to have considerable problems as adults, including problem drinking, drug use, homelessness, criminal convictions and lower education, according to a report in the October issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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Post-Heart Attack Cardiac Rehabilitation Underused
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Older patients are missing out on cardiac rehabilitation, despite the fact that it has been proven to prolong survival and reduce disability, according to a report published online Sept. 24 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Hypertension, Overweight Are Harbingers of Heart Failure
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- There is a positive association between higher blood pressure and body mass index in midlife and an increased risk of heart failure during later life, according to the results of a study published online Sept. 24 in Hypertension.
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FDA Issues Warning on 'Organic Pastures Raw Cream'
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes -- the organism that causes Listeriosis -- prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue a consumer warning Sept. 21 against consuming raw cream labeled as "Organic Pastures Grade A Raw Cream," which is packaged in one-pint plastic bottles coded "SEP 14" through "SEP 21."
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New Drug Law Praised by Psychiatric Association
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The American Psychiatric Association has endorsed the Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2007, calling the bill "a major step in securing the safety of prescription drugs for patients."
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Unhealthy Children Get Lower Quality Health Care
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children in poor health report lower quality of health care and more related problems than their counterparts with healthier children, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. However, parents of those with chronic conditions report fewer care-related problems.
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Simple Interventions Increase Colorectal Cancer Screenings
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Targeted and tailored interventions can significantly increase colorectal cancer screening rates, according to a report published online Sept. 24 in the journal Cancer.
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Norepinephrine May Improve Survival in Hemorrhagic Shock
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In the treatment of trauma victims with uncontrolled bleeding and shock, early-phase fluid resuscitation plus norepinephrine may offer a new strategy for improving the odds of survival, according to the results of an animal study published in the October issue of Anesthesiology.
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Preterm Twins May Predict Preterm Singletons
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Women who deliver preterm twins may have a fivefold higher risk of preterm delivery in a subsequent singleton pregnancy than women who deliver full-term twins, according to study findings published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Consistent Control of Psoriasis Elusive for Many Patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Over the long term, most psoriasis patients experience occasional rather than consistent improvement of their condition, despite treatment, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Depression Management Pays On-the-Job Dividends
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- A treatment program in which trained mental health clinicians regularly telephoned depressed employees improved clinical and workplace outcomes, according to the results of a randomized trial reported in the Sept. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Review Questions Influenza Vaccine Benefits for Seniors
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults may have reaped significantly fewer survival benefits from influenza vaccination than is commonly believed, according to a review article published in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Prognosis of Bilateral Breast Cancer Varies with Timing
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Younger women diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer within five years after first cancer diagnosis have more than triple the risk of death than unilateral breast cancer patients, whereas women developing a second cancer after 10 years have a similar prognosis to unilateral breast cancer patients, researchers report in the Sept. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Hippocampus Affected During Memory Process in Psychosis
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Memory formation in patients with a first episode of psychosis is selectively affected in the hippocampus only during the encoding of arbitrary pairs of images and not during successful memory encoding and associative processing, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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FDA Issues Warning on Baby's Bliss Gripe Water
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A Minnesota case of cryptosporidium illness in a 6-month-old infant prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue a consumer warning Sept. 20 against consuming Baby's Bliss Gripe Water, apple flavor, which has a code of 26952V and an expiration date of October 2008 (shown as "10/08" on the label).
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Protein S100B a Marker for Post-Stroke Hemorrhage
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Stroke patients who have elevated blood levels of the calcium-binding protein S100B are more likely to develop brain hemorrhages after receiving thrombolytic therapy, researchers report in the September issue of Stroke.
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Efficacy, Purity of Compounded Sclerosant Questionable
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), a chemical used in venous sclerotherapy, is more likely to be free of impurities and possibly more effective in the FDA-approved, pharmaceutical-grade form (Sotradecol) than in compounded form, according to research published in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Hispanic Ethnicity No Barrier to Hypertension Control
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that blood pressure control among Hispanic populations has been suboptimal, once cost and access barriers are overcome there are no racial disparities in prevention of hypertension, according to a report published online Sept. 10 in Hypertension.
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High-Altitude Ancestry Found Helpful for Fetal Growth
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Multi-generational high-altitude populations appear to have more protection against hypoxia-associated reductions in fetal growth than populations who are relatively new to a high-altitude region, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood -- Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
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Immunosuppression Benefits Crohn's Disease Patients
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In Crohn's disease patients treated with infliximab, concomitant immunosuppressive therapy improves infliximab pharmacokinetics and reduces formation of antibodies to infliximab, according to study findings published in the September issue of Gut.
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Familiar Doctor Linked to More Satisfaction for Urgent Care
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive urgent medical care from family physicians or after-hours clinics affiliated with their physicians are more likely to be satisfied with the encounter than patients who use other sources of urgent care, according to research published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Hospitalist Care Linked to Shorter Hospital Stays
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients who are under the care of a hospital-based general physician -- or hospitalist -- may have shorter stays than those under conventional hospital care, according to the results of a study in the Sept. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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One-Fifth of U.S. Adults Get Preventive Health Exams
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Approximately 44.4 million U.S. adults receive a preventive health exam each year at a total cost to the health care system of almost $8 billion, despite the fact that major clinical organizations do not recommend them, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Sept. 24.
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Acupuncture May Benefit Patients with Low Back Pain
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with low back pain, both traditional Chinese verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture may be more effective than conventional therapy, researchers report in the Sept. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Hormone Therapy Does Not Improve Cognition or Memory
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Combined estrogen/progestin hormone therapy in newly postmenopausal women does not appear to affect cognition, but may worsen memory, according to a report published in the Sept. 25 issue of Neurology.
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Racial Disparities Seen in Emergency Asthma Care Needs
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Among those with asthma, black patients are significantly more likely than white patients to visit the emergency department or be hospitalized regardless of disease severity, according to a report in the Sept. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Obesity in Old Age Not Linked to Cognitive Decline
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Overweight and obesity in old age does not appear to predispose to cognitive decline, according to study findings published online Sept. 19 in Neurology.
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Medications, Diet May Help Prevent Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- During the past 15 years, prostate cancer prevention has become a major area of scientific and clinical investigation, and ongoing studies may soon identify effective chemoprevention strategies, according to a report published online Sept. 24 in the journal Cancer.
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New Method Detects Avian Virus Quickly, Economically
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A new system for rapidly and inexpensively detecting avian influenza virus from a throat swab is described by researchers in an article published online Sept. 23 in the journal Nature Medicine.
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Cirrhosis Complication May Affect Driving Skills
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Cirrhotics have significantly higher rates of self-reported traffic violations and accidents than the general population, with the highest rates seen in cirrhotics with minimal hepatic encephalopathy, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Many Women Unfamiliar with 'Women's Health' Findings
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the widespread publicity of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial published in 2002 -- which found that the risk-benefit ratio of estrogen plus progestin made it an unwise choice for preventing disease -- only a minority of women were aware of these results two years later, researchers report in the September/October issue of Menopause.
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Risk of Stroke May Be Due to Childhood Residence
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- People who grew up in the group of seven southern states known as the "Stroke Belt" or who live there as adults are at greater risk of stroke than people elsewhere in the United States, according to a report in the September issue of Stroke.
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Moderate Drinking May Help Protect the Liver
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Light to moderate alcohol consumption -- 70 to 280 grams per week or between five and 20 drinks -- may be liver-protective in men, according to study findings published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Resection Eradicates Genetic Abnormalities in Barrett's
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Stepwise radical endoscopic resection of the Barrett's segment with early neoplasia eliminates pre-existing genetic abnormalities, according to a report published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Current Risk Estimates for Face Transplant Inaccurate
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Previous estimates of the immunologic risks of facial transplantation, which have influenced a number of major organizations' positions on the procedure, are based on factors deemed irrelevant to facial transplantation, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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Proton Pump Inhibitors Useful in Iron Overload Diseases
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with hereditary hemochromatosis, treatment with proton pump inhibitors reduces phlebotomy requirements and absorption of non-heme iron from meals, suggesting that such therapy could complement phlebotomy in the management of iron-overload diseases, according to a report published in the September issue of Gut.
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Flu Vaccine Rates Dropping in United States
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Influenza vaccination rates for Americans dropped during the 2005-2006 flu season to levels below those prior to the 2004 flu vaccine shortfall, according to a report in the Sept. 21 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Methamphetamine Use in Pregnancy Detectable in Hair
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers who use methamphetamine during pregnancy can transfer the drug through the placenta to their babies, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood -- Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
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Diabetes Drug Sulfonylurea Shows Benefit for Stroke
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetes patients may be more likely to have successful recoveries from strokes if they are taking sulfonylurea drugs, researchers report in the September issue of Stroke.
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Blister Transplants Prove Advantageous for Vitiligo
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A study comparing different techniques for treating vitiligo found advantages in using suction blister transplantation compared to transplantation of cultured autologous melanocytes. The research was published in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Silicone Implants Do Not Lead to Paraproteinemias
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Women with silicone implants who subsequently developed connective-tissue disease do not appear to be at increased risk for paraproteinemias, according to study findings published in Arthritis Research & Therapy in September.
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Skin Cooling Linked to Post-Laser Treatment Discoloration
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules, laser treatment accompanied by cold-air cooling may increase the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, according to a report published in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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FDA, AHRQ to Investigate the Cardiac Risk of ADHD Drugs
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have launched a two-year study to examine the cardiovascular risks of prescription drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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FDA Approves Rapid Test for Platelet Contamination
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a disposable test strip that can be used in hospitals to detect bacterial contamination of blood platelets prior to transfusions. The Platelet Pan Genera Detection Test System is made by Verax Biomedica Inc. of Worcester, Mass., and can be used to retest platelets shortly before use.
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FDA Clears Genetic Test for Warfarin Sensitivity
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new genetic test for determining a patient's sensitivity to warfarin (Coumadin). The Nanosphere Verigene Warfarin Metabolism Nucleic Acid Test detects variants of two genes, CYP2C9 and VKORC1, which have been shown to account for some of the variation in response to the drug.
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Mutations Found in Patients with Hyper-IgE Syndrome
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Mutations in a signaling protein that regulates interleukin-6 have been found in patients with inherited and sporadic cases of hyper-IgE syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by dermatitis, boils, infections and bone abnormalities, according to a report published online Sept. 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Gene Variation Linked to Greater Risk of Scleroderma
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The G-945C polymorphism in the connective-tissue growth factor gene is strongly associated with systemic sclerosis, making it a candidate gene for scleroderma, according to study findings published in the Sept. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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FDA Warns Against Procter & Gamble Hand Sanitizer Ads
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Procter & Gamble against marketing its foaming hand sanitizer, Vicks Early Defense Foaming Hand Sanitizer, to schoolchildren because the company claims that it kills germs that cause colds.
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Modified Wheat Flour May Benefit Celiac Disease Patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The gluten in wheat flour can be detoxified by transamidation with a food-grade enzyme and an appropriate amine donor that blocks T cell-mediated gliadin activity, suggesting that such interventions may help prevent cereal toxicity in patients with celiac disease, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of Gastroenterology.
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Urethral Strictures Associated with Early Urinary Retention
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Men who develop early urinary retention after radical prostatectomy are more likely to develop a symptomatic urethral stricture, according to a prospective database report published in the August issue of Urology.
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FDA Approves FluMist for Use in 2- to 5-Year-Olds
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the FluMist intranasal influenza vaccine for children ages 2 to 5. The vaccine should not be given to any patient with asthma or children under 5 with wheezing as it may increase the risk of wheeze.
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Medical Schools Vary in Approach to Case Reports
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical school institutional review boards (IRBs) don't treat individual case reports as "research," as it's defined by the United States Government Code of Federal Regulations, according to a research letter published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Nocturnal Hemodialysis Improves Cardiac Health
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Dialysis patients randomized to receive hemodialysis six nights a week experienced improvements in left ventricular mass, blood pressure and select measures of quality of life compared to those undergoing conventional hemodialysis, researchers report in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Apolipoprotein E2 Linked to Favorable Cardiac Profile
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotypes correlate linearly with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and coronary risk, and the e2 genotype is associated with the lowest cardiovascular risk, according to the results of a large meta-analysis in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Zoledronic Acid Cuts Mortality After Hip Fracture
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with low-trauma hip fracture, an annual infusion of zoledronic acid starting within 90 days of surgical repair of the fracture may decrease the risk of new fractures and improve survival, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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FDA Approves Panel of Blood-Typing Tests
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 15 blood-typing reagents for use in analyzing donor blood. The new reagents, including several for rare blood types, had not previously been licensed for use in the United States.
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In U.S., Only One in Four Aware of Peripheral Arterial Disease
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The risks associated with peripheral arterial disease are poorly understood by the general public, and only one in four people over age 50 report that they've heard of the condition, according to a survey in the Sept. 18 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Nasal Surgery Feminizes Transsexuals' Facial Profiles
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- In male-to-female transsexuals, nasal feminization surgery may play an important role in the gender reassignment process, researchers report in the September/October issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Heart-Patient Discharge Protocol Adherence Faulted
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Improved adherence to the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines discharge protocols could help prevent secondary cardiovascular events in patients who are hospitalized for heart disease, especially those who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery, according to a study published in a supplement to the Sept. 4 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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FDA Approves Evista to Prevent Invasive Breast Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved raloxifene (Evista) for the prevention of invasive breast cancer in high-risk, postmenopausal women as well as those postmenopausal women taking the drug to prevent osteoporosis.
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Proportion of New HIV Cases in Patients Over 50 Rising
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The proportion of patients over age 50 with newly diagnosed HIV grew significantly from 1992 to 2004 and warrants greater attention in the design of HIV prevention educational programs, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Genetic Variations Affect Response to Venlafaxine
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who have an adverse reaction to the antidepressant venlafaxine may metabolize the drug more slowly than other patients and should be considered for genotyping, according to a report in the September issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Off-Pump Bypass Surgery Improves Women's Survival
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Women who undergo off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery are less likely to die or suffer strokes or heart attacks than women who undergo conventional on-pump surgery, and more likely to achieve outcomes comparable to those of male bypass patients, according to study findings published online Sept. 11 in a cardiovascular surgery supplement to Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Cholesterol Screening Should Be Done in Childhood
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol screening is most effective when done in childhood, and experts recommend that children be screened at age 15 months at the time of childhood immunizations, according to a report published online Sept. 13 in BMJ.
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Older Adults at Risk from Emergency Room Prescriptions
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A substantial number of older adults who are prescribed medications upon discharge from emergency departments are at risk of receiving prescriptions that have potentially dangerous interactions with other medications or with pre-existing conditions, according to a report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Risk of Childhood Asthma Higher in Affluent Countries
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Children with atopic sensitization for asthma who live in affluent countries are more likely to develop symptoms of the disease, according to the results of a large cross-sectional study published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Less Intensive Eye Patching for Amblyopia May Be OK
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Children with amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, who receive three to six hours of daily eye occlusion have similar visual improvement as those who receive six to 12 hours per day, according to a report published online Sept. 13 in BMJ.
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Gene is Key to Immunity from Herpes Encephalitis
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Human Toll-like receptor 3 is essential for natural immunity against herpes simplex-1 infection of the central nervous system, but not other infections, suggesting that it evolved in response to this specific viral challenge, according to research published in the Sept. 14 issue of Science.
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Chlorine in Pools Can Pose Chemical Poisoning Risk
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A 6-year-old boy was severely poisoned by over-exposure to chloramines in a motel indoor swimming pool in 2006, highlighting the danger posed by pools with poor ventilation and inadequate water chemistry management, according to a report in the Sept. 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Pneumocystis Pneumonia Prophylaxis Thresholds Identified
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- In non-HIV immunocompromised adults whose risk of Pneumocystis pneumonia is greater than 3.5 percent, prophylaxis is warranted despite the risk of severe side effects. Because the risk of side effects is lower in children, prophylaxis may be warranted at an even lower incidence level in these patients, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Linked to Reproductive Failure
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Age-associated increases in follicle-stimulating hormone may accelerate female reproductive failure despite no exhaustion of ovarian reserve, according to the results of an animal study published in the September issue of Endocrinology.
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Work is Americans' Number One Enemy of Sleep
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The waking activities that are most likely to impinge on people's sleep time are work, travel (including commuting) and socializing/relaxing/leisure, in that order, according to the results of a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of Sleep.
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Contact Lens Culture Can Identify Keratitis Organisms
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with microbial keratitis whose corneal scrapings are culture negative, a contact lens culture may help identify the causative organism, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Stem Cell Rescue Not Beneficial in AL Amyloidosis
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with systemic immunoglobulin-light-chain amyloidosis, treatment with high-dose melphalan plus autologous stem cell rescue is not superior to treatment with standard chemotherapy, according to a report in the Sept. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Idraparinux Not Superior for Venous Thromboembolism
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with venous thromboembolism, initial and extended treatment with idraparinux yields only marginal benefits compared to standard treatment, according to two reports published in the Sept. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Diesel Exhaust Has Ischemic and Thrombotic Effects
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In men with stable heart disease, even limited exposure to diesel exhaust fosters myocardial ischemia and inhibits endogenous fibrinolytic capacity, according to a report in the Sept. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Tamoxifen May Help Reduce Mania in Bipolar Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Tamoxifen reduces mania in patients with bipolar disorder in as little as five days, researchers report in the September issue of Bipolar Disorders.
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Early Macular Degeneration Linked to Cancer Death
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In black patients but not whites, early age-related macular degeneration may be associated with a significantly increased risk of cancer mortality, according to a report published in the September issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Children of Trauma Survivors Display Lower Cortisol Levels
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Holocaust survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder tend to have children with lower cortisol levels than the children of Holocaust survivors without post-traumatic stress disorder or those with parents who have not experienced trauma, according to a study in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. The finding may shed light on why such children are at higher risk of PTSD themselves.
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Seniors Stop Taking Medication If Insurance Caps Benefits
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients whose health insurance caps drug benefits are more likely to stop taking their medication for diabetes and other chronic ailments than those with plans that do not cap drug benefits, researchers report in the September/October issue of Health Affairs.
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Breastfeeding Does Not Reduce Allergy, Asthma Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Neither extended nor exclusive breast-feeding have an impact on the risk of allergy and asthma development in children, according to research published online Sept. 11 in BMJ.
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Higher Education Linked to Lower Cancer Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of education are strongly associated with decreased mortality from cancers of the lung, breast, prostate and colon/rectum in black men, white men and white women, according to study findings published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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More U.S. Blacks Report Sleeping Too Much or Too Little
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Blacks are more likely than whites to have health-threatening sleep patterns, as are those who live in inner-city environments as opposed to non-urban areas, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of Sleep.
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Birth Control Pills Associated with Lower Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Taking oral contraceptive pills may reduce the overall risk of developing certain types of cancer, according to the results of a study published online Sept. 11 in BMJ.
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Strategies Needed to Treat Comorbid Chronic Diseases
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Rather than treat a specific disease in older adults, clinicians may better improve overall health by identifying associated conditions and developing appropriate intervention strategies, according to a research letter published in the Sept. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Carotenoids May Reduce Risk of Macular Degeneration
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults, high consumption of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin found in yellow and dark leafy vegetables may help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, according to a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Supplement Recalled Due to Undeclared Sildenafil
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the recall of a dietary supplement known as Zencore Tabs due to the presence of analogs of the erectile dysfunction drugs tadalafil and sildenafil. These undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin.
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Adverse Drug Events Nearly Tripled Since 1998
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The number of adverse events reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has nearly tripled since 1998, with 20 percent of drugs accounting for 87 percent of those events, researchers report in the Sept. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Children's Blood Pressure on the Rise in United States
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of high blood pressure and pre-high blood pressure among U.S. children and adolescents is on the rise, which may result in an increased risk of early organ damage and cardiovascular disease, according to study findings published online Sept. 10 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Weight Gain Predicts Heart Failure Hospitalization
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Weight gains of as little as two pounds are associated with a greater risk of hospitalization in patients with heart failure, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Mediterranean Diet May Benefit Alzheimer's Patients
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The Mediterranean diet -- already linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease -- may also increase the longevity of patients with established disease, researchers report in the Sept. 11 issue of Neurology.
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Vitamin D Modestly Reduces Death Risk from Any Cause
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D supplements modestly reduce the risk of mortality from any cause, according to a report in the Sept. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Citalopram Benefits Dementia Patients with Psychosis
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In dementia patients with psychotic symptoms and agitation, treatment with the antidepressant citalopram may be just as effective -- and safer -- than treatment with the antipsychotic risperidone, according to study findings published online Sept. 10 in advance of publication in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
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Asthma Management Poor Among Youths and Adults
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Among youths and adults with asthma, self-management of the disease is sub-optimal due to inadequate asthma management education, according to a report published in the Sept. 7 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Depression Hinders Heart Rate Recovery in Coronary Patients
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The heart rate variability of depressed acute coronary syndrome patients decreases when their depression fails to improve, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Eating Raw Tomatoes Cause of Salmonella Outbreak
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The 2005-2006 U.S. outbreak of Salmonella infections was caused by consumption of raw tomatoes in restaurants, according to a report published in the Sept. 7 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Less Sleep in Early Childhood May Impact Learning
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Children who slept fewer than 10 hours a night as infants are more likely to be described as hyperactive-impulsive and to score lower on cognitive performance tests than children who consistently slept 10 hours or more, according to a report published in the Sept. 1 issue of Sleep.
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Depression Exacts Higher Toll Than Chronic Conditions
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Depression, especially when accompanied by other chronic physical health conditions, has a greater effect on reducing mean health scores than conditions such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes alone, according to study findings published in the Sept. 8 issue of The Lancet.
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U.K. Doctors Deviating from Asthma Guidelines
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Prescription records suggest that physicians in the United Kingdom are overprescribing oral beta-agonists and inhaled combinations of long-acting beta-agonists and steroids in children with asthma, according to research published online Sept. 4 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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FDA Approves Drug for Treatment of Acromegaly
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate) to be used for the treatment of patients with acromegaly who don't respond to or who are not candidates for surgery or radiation. The injectable drug, which was approved under the orphan drug program, is marketed by Tercica, Inc., of Brisbane, Calif.
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Food Additives May Increase Hyperactivity in Children
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Artificial food color and additives found in food, candy and drinks may increase hyperactivity in children at least up to age 9, according to the results of a randomized study published online Sept. 6 in The Lancet.
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Many Patients' Mental Health Needs Unmet Worldwide
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Patient usage of mental health services for anxiety, mood and substance use disorders is low worldwide, especially in less-developed countries, researchers report in the Sept. 8 issue of The Lancet. Delivery of adequate service is also low in many countries worldwide, including the United States.
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Knee Monoarthritis Signals Lung Cancer in Some Patients
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- In some patients, monoarthritis of the knee may be a warning sign of non-small cell lung cancer, according to research published online Sept. 3 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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Tympanometry Preferable for Middle Ear Effusion Diagnosis
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Spectral gradient acoustic reflectometry (SGAR) is "slightly less" discerning than tympanometry in diagnosing or ruling out middle ear effusion in children under 2, according to research presented in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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U.S. Teen, Young Adult Suicide Rates Are on the Rise
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Youth and young-adult suicides steadily declined for 13 years in the United States, then jumped by 8 percent in 2003-2004, particularly among teenage girls, according to a report in the Sept. 7 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Heart Disease Patients' Families Should Be Screened
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Screening the families of premature heart disease patients could prevent more than one-third of premature heart attacks, according to the results of a study published in the Sept. 8 issue of BMJ.
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Mutation Linked to Impaired Synaptic Transmission
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A mutated protein -- the neuroligin-3 synaptic cell adhesion molecule -- increases inhibitory synaptic transmission in mice, which could have implications for how autism spectrum disorders develop in humans, according to the results of an animal study published in the Sept. 6 issue of Science.
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HIV Patients Feel Stigmatized by Health Care Providers
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income patients with HIV may feel stigmatized by health care providers, which may prevent them from receiving an optimal level of care, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
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Gene Variant Linked to Increased Human Stature
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A common variant in the HMGA2 oncogene is associated with increased height in children and adults, according to the results of a study published online Sept. 2 in Nature Genetics.
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Bipolar Diagnoses Among Youth Increase Dramatically
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The number of young people diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the United States has increased dramatically -- nearly 40-fold -- in recent years, and the medications they receive to treat the disorder are similar to those adults receive, researchers report in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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FDA Halts Sale of Injectable Tanning Product
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned a Tennessee-based company, Melanocorp, Inc., to cease the sale and marketing of an injectable tanning product called Melanotan II on the basis that it is unapproved and mislabeled.
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FDA Grants Approval for Generic Versions of Coreg
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to companies to manufacture the first generic versions of Coreg (carvedilol) for the treatment of high blood pressure, mild to severe chronic heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
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New Atrial Fibrillation Treatments Found Effective
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Dronedarone, a new antiarrhythmic agent, and dual-chamber minimal ventricular pacing are effective treatments for patients with atrial fibrillation, according to two studies published in the Sept. 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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U.S. Cocaine Use Drops Only Among Educated Users
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Cocaine use dropped dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s among educated users, but persistent use among those who did not graduate from high school remained stable over those two decades, according to a report published online Aug. 29 in the American Journal of Public Health.
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UGT1A1 Gene Affects Risk of Irinotecan-Induced Toxicity
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients with a UGT1A1*28/*28 genotype who receive medium to high doses of irinotecan may have a significantly increased risk of neutropenia, according to a report published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Movies Linked to Adolescents' Risk of Smoking Later On
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents' exposure to movies that feature characters who smoke is associated with their risk of becoming established smokers, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Pop Stars Have Higher Risk of Early Mortality Than Masses
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Pop stars often abuse drugs and alcohol and have about twice the risk of early mortality as other people their age, according to a report published online Sept. 4 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Diabetics Misunderstand Blood Glucose Monitoring
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with type 2 diabetes are uncertain about the benefit of blood glucose monitoring, partly because they perceive a lack of interest on the part of their providers, researchers report in the September issue of BMJ.
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Family Involvement Boosts Teens' Odds of Beating Bulimia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents with bulimia nervosa who receive family-based treatment may be more likely to become binge-and-purge abstinent, according to a report published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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FDA Approves New Smallpox Vaccine
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, which is intended for use among those at high risk of exposure and as a preventive measure during a bioterrorist attack. The only other FDA-approved smallpox vaccine, Dryvax, is no longer manufactured and supplies are limited.
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Childhood Abuse Common in Depressed Women with Migraine
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have migraines and who are also depressed are more likely to have experienced childhood abuse than non-depressed women, researchers report in the Sept. 4 issue of Neurology.
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HIV Protease Inhibitors Can Also Kill Cancer Cells
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Clinically approved HIV protease inhibitors such as nelfinavir are effective in killing many types of cancer cells, including drug-resistant cancers, according to a report in the Sept. 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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Funding Affects Quality of Medical Education Research
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The quality and impact of medical education research depends on the extent of funding, according to a report in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Residents Lack Tools to Interpret Medical Literature
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Many medical residents have a suboptimal knowledge of basic biostatistics, which may hamper their ability to correctly interpret many of the results in published clinical research, according to a report in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Resident Work-Hour Limits May Have Improved Mortality
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Resident work-hour reform, implemented by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2003, does not appear to have had a negative effect on patient outcomes and may actually have improved mortality rates, according to two studies published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Poor Bedside Manner Linked to Patient Complaints
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians with the lowest patient communication scores on a national clinical skills exam are more likely to have a patient complain to regulatory authorities than physicians with high scores, according to study findings published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most TV Food Ads for Children Portray Unhealthy Items
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The vast majority of advertisements for food that children and adolescents see on television are for products high in fat, sugar or sodium, researchers report in the September issue of Pediatrics.
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FDA Approves Test for West Nile Virus in Blood Donors
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional test that can detect the West Nile virus in donated blood, cells and other tissues shortly after infection. The cobas TaqScreen WNV test, which is made by Roche Molecular Systems Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif., is the second such test to be approved.
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Children Show Signs of Stress Long Before School Starts
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Children entering primary school have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol months before school begins, U.K. researchers report in a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
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Nicotine in Breast Milk Affects Infants' Sleep Patterns
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The breast milk of lactating smokers contains significant amounts of nicotine that has short-term effects on their infants' sleep/wake patterns, according to a report published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
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Parents' Concerns About Asthma Meds May Lower Use
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with asthma have concerns about the medications their children take, although they feel those medications are necessary, and their degree of concern is associated with the consistency with which they administer those medications, according to a cross-sectional survey published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
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Glucose-Sensing Neurons Key to Blood Sugar Regulation
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The function of special glucose-sensing neurons in the hypothalamus is impaired by obesity, suggesting these cells have a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in Nature.
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Breast Cancer Screening Reassuring for At-Risk Women
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Young women with a family history of breast cancer are reassured by annual mammograms and take false positive results in stride, according to a report published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Gluten-Free Diet Reduces Immunity in Skin Disease
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, an inflammatory skin disease, have normal levels of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) if they follow a gluten-free diet, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
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Parental Smoking May Damage Women's Reproductive Health
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Women who were exposed to secondhand smoke before birth or during their childhood may experience poorer reproductive health as adults, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Teenagers Use of Cell Phones At Night Interrupts Sleep
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents frequently use their cell phones after "lights out" at night, and those who do so are more likely to feel tired, according to study findings published in the Sept. 1 issue of Sleep.
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