Family Practice News back issues from October 2000:
NMA Targets Gaps In Asthma Care.(National Medical Association)
Oct 01, 2000; ... WASHINGTON -- The National Medical Association is taking on asthma. As part of a new initiative to fight a disease that disproportionately strikes ethnic minority populations, the NMA is about to become the first medical specialty organization to offer a nationwide asthma ...
For MI, Statin Plus Angioplasty Cuts Mortality by 64%.
Oct 01, 2000; ... Start treatment within 14 days of MI to effectively lower 1-year mortality risk. AMSTERDAM -- Starting statin therapy before acute MI patients go home from the hospital reduces their 1-year mortality risk by 34%, compared with patients who are prescribed a statin later or not at ...
Transfusion History Key In HCV Detection Effort.
Oct 01, 2000; ... Search for recipients before 1992 testing. INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. -- Physicians, gird yourselves to become part of an ambitious government-sponsored hepatitis C case-finding program known as "Operation General Lookback." Your mission is to ask all of your patients ...
Anticholesterol Margarine Cuts LDL Extra 10%-15% When Used With Statin.
Oct 01, 2000; ... AMSTREDAM -- Margarine enriched with a plant sterol reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by a further 10%-15% when used in conjunction with a statin, Dr. H. Andrew Neil reported at the 22nd Congress of the European Society of Cardiology The spread reduced LDL ...
Regular Use of Low-Dose Inhaled Steroids Prevents Asthma Deaths.
Oct 01, 2000; ... The regular use of low-dose corticosteroid inhalers reduces the risk of death from asthma, reported Samy Suissa, Ph.D., and associates at McGill University, Montreal. Moreover, sporadic use or complete discontinuation of inhaled corticosteroids appears to be detrimental, the ...
Bone Not Harmed by Long Use of Inhaled Budesonide.
Oct 01, 2000; ... CHICAGO -- Three to six years of inhaled budesonide use did not adversely affect bone mineral density among asthmatic children, Danish investigators reported in a poster presentation at the World Congress on Osteoporosis. The findings add to a growing body of evidence indicating ...
BOTTOMLINE.(assigning case managers to asthma patients lowers hospitalizations)
Oct 01, 2000; ... Asthma Case Manager Cuts Hospitalizations Assigning a case manager to patients with asthma led to significant reductions in hospitalizations and costs in a controlled study with 96 patients. The program focused on patients with a history of frequent health care use ...
Costs of Asthma Care Up by 54% in 10-Year Period.
Oct 01, 2000; ... WASHINGTON -- The cost of asthma care rose by 54% over a recent 10-year period, fueled largely by a steep rise in medication costs, a new study has shown. The total number of asthma prescriptions increased by more than 100%, and the average unit cost of a prescription climbed by ...
Internal Fetal Monitoring Ups Hepatitis C Transmission Risk.
Oct 01, 2000; ... INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. -- Risk of perinatal transmission of maternal hepatitis C infection is greatly increased through use of internal fetal monitoring or with premature rupture of membranes greater than 6 hours, according to a major prospective study. Equally interesting are ...
Sharp Drop in Varicella Since Start of Vaccinations.
Oct 01, 2000; ... INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. -- Cases of varicella plunged by 71%-89% at the nation's three active surveillance sites between the first half of 1995 and the first half of 1999. This represents a major success story for the varicella vaccine licensed in 1995, Dr. Karin Galil said at a ...
Smoking Cessation Now.
Oct 01, 2000; ... It is no longer appropriate for physicians to wonder if it is their job to address their patients' tobacco use or if they will be directly reimbursed for such work. It is time for them to turn to this question instead: What works? New prevention and cessation treatments, ...
PRO & CON.(should emphasis be more on smoking cessation than on prevention?)
Oct 01, 2000 ... Should smoking cessation be given more emphasis than smoking prevention? YES We should emphasize smoking cessation among adults because it would deliver the largest and most immediate results. An emphasis on teens, which wouldn't start to prevent deaths for 25 years, ...
Remembering a Mentor.(eulogy for Dr. Harry S. Shaffer)(Obituary)
Oct 01, 2000; ... The doctor's tall, lean frame towered over the anxious 5-year-old. The snowy-haired physician reached slowly into the pocket of his short blue lab coat and brought out a wooden tongue depressor. As the boy clung to his mother's skirt, the doctor drew a face on one end of the stick and ...
LETTERS.(curbing over use of antibiotics; circumcision rationale)
Oct 01, 2000 ... The 'Anti Antibiotics' Visit Although Dr. Robert C. Smith can talk 80% of his patients out of an unwarranted antibiotic, his techniques do not go far enough ("Getting Patients to Swallow the 'No Antibiotics' Pill," May 15, 2000, p. 13). I can talk 95% of my patients ...
AIDS Study: Immune System May Not Target Ca.(cancer)
Oct 01, 2000; ... BETHESDA, MD. -New evidence from a large study of people with AIDS casts doubt on the theory that the immune system plays a vigilant role in targeting emerging cancer cells. The National Cancer Institute study confirmed that AIDS is linked to Kaposi's sarcoma, Hodgkin's disease, ...
Kaposi's Lesions Benefit From Long-Term Alitretinoin Gel Use.
Oct 01, 2000; ... BETHESDA, MD. - Long-term use of alitretinoin gel, applied two to four times daily, has incremental benefit for patients with multiple Kaposi's sarcoma lesions and is not associated with new adverse events or a significant increase in known adverse effects, "The data suggest ...
Sarcoidosis Clue: Vague, Persistent Lung Symptoms.
Oct 01, 2000; ... WASHINGTON -- The typical patient is a young woman who presents with subtle symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, and vague chest pain. And, in most cases, 10 months will transpire before the correct diagnosis is reached. The condition is sarcoidosis, and its ...
Tobacco Survey: 1 in 10 College Students Smoke Cigars.
Oct 01, 2000; ... CHICAGO -- The first national survey to look at all tobacco use--both cigarette smoking and noncigarette tobacco use-among college students indicates that nearly 1 in 10 is now a cigar smoker, while cigarette smoking is leveling off. The study was released at the World Conference on ...
New Arthritis Drugs Fast, Effective.(etanercept and infliximab)
Oct 01, 2000; ... AUSTIN, TEX. -- Dramatic clinical improvements are being seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are treated with the new biologic agents etanercept and infliximab. And the effects occur rapidly, unlike with standard first-line agents, such as methotrexate, Dr. Mitchell ...
Tx Reduces Refractory Arthritis Pain.
Oct 01, 2000; ... ST. Louis -- Radiosynovectomy completely resolved joint pain due to rheumatoid arthritis in 75% of treated joints in a small, uncontrolled series of patients treated in Austria. "We are now using radiosynovectomy routinely" for patients who do not respond to standard treatment, ...
Rabies Prophylaxis.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Rabies prophylaxis costs at least $1,500 per patient and is often used unnecessarily, in part because guidelines for its use are off base, a prospective study suggests. In 11 urban hospital emergency departments, 136 of 2,300 patients (6.7%) with animal exposures were given ...
Melatonin Use in Older Patients.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Melatonin improves sleep in older patients with insomnia, but only at dosages far lower than those available over the counter, Dr. Irina Zhdanova said at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. She studied 30 people older than 50, half of whom had insomnia, defined ...
Reflux Runs Silent in Asthma.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease was detected in 16 of 26 adults with stable asthma, reported Dr. Susan M. Harding of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and her associates. The finding implies that background reflux may be common in asthma patients and raises ...
Drug for Decompensated CHF.(congestive heart failure)
Oct 01, 2000 ... Intravenous nesiritide, a recombinant brain natriuretic peptide, should be added to the list of first-line therapies for people hospitalized with decompensated congestive heart failure, according to Dr. Wilson S. Colucci of Boston University Medical Center and his associates. ...
Calcium Antagonists: Costly, Clinically Inferior.
Oct 01, 2000; ... AMSTERDAM -- Long-acting calcium channel blockers are significantly less effective than other antihypertensive agents in reducing the disease's major cardiovascalar complications, according to a new metanalysis. "Due to their high cost and clinical inferiority, calcium ...
Calcium Channel Blockers Can Trigger, Aggravate GERD.
Oct 01, 2000; ... NEW YORK -- A diagnosis of hypertension is hard enough for many patients to swallow. But a lifetime of calcium channel blocker therapy can be difficult to stomach-literally. Calcium channel blockers appear to trigger or aggravate gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) and can ...
[beta]-Blocker Cuts Mortality in Severe Heart Failure.
Oct 01, 2000; ... AMSTERDAM -- Long-term carvedilol therapy has slashed mortality in patients with severe heart failure in a landmark clinical trial likely to have far-reaching consequences. "There is an enormous underutilization of [beta]-blockers in heart failure .... I hope that the results of ...
Aggressive Lipid Lowering Reverses Atherosclerosis Progression.
Oct 01, 2000; ... AMSTERDAM -- Aggressively lowering LDL cholesterol with high-dose atorvastatin reversed the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, Dr. Tineke Smilde reported at the 22nd Congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Moderate lowering of ...
Combined HRT Tablets.
Oct 01, 2000 ... A hormone replacement therapy formulation called femhrt (norethindrone acetate/ethinyl estradiol tablets) can prevent osteoporosis and treat moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause in women with ...
Culturing System.
Oct 01, 2000 ... The InTray DM, a dermatophyte-culturing system that combines inoculation, growth, and observation in a single tray increases specificity by inhibiting both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The tray can ...
Office Space Classifieds.(Offices2share.com)
Oct 01, 2000 ... At www.offices2share.com, medical professionals looking to rent out extra office space to a colleague can post an ad for a monthly fee. Those seeking office space can search the listings ...
Latex-Free Surgical Gloves.
Oct 01, 2000 ... SensiCare synthetic powder-free surgical gloves are made using a polymer that is similar to natural latex rubber but free of latex proteins. Its elasticity minimizes hand ...
Credentialing Data.(Medpearl Credentialing)
Oct 01, 2000 ... Medpearl Credentialing is a Web-based tool that physicians can use to streamline the collection, management, and exchange of their credentialing data to payer organizations. Medpearl Credentialing offers a range of reporting and auditing features, monitors the expiration dates on licensure ...
Online Patient Scheduling.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Scheduling.com enables healthcare providers to schedule patients and resources in real time via the Internet. Its features include patient registration; the online scheduling of rooms, equipment, and staff; referral requests and authorizations; and patient reminders ...
Patient Record Software.
Oct 01, 2000 ... The ChartMaker computerized medical record system has been integrated with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical Suite voice recognition software to provide an alternative way to update patient records. Patient information can be spoken directly ...
Baby Emergency Kit.(helps parents manage pediatric medical emergencies)
Oct 01, 2000 ... The New Baby/New Parent Emergency Kit can be used as a teaching tool to help parents recognize and respond to a medical emergency and to organize medical instructions and the baby's medical history. It's useful for parents with limited ...
Heel Stick Device.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Unistik 2 Neonatal is a single-use, disposable lancing device that provides greater protection for infants and health care professionals when obtaining blood samples. A consistent and shallower penetration depth of 1.8 mm lessens the ...
Galantamine Improves Cognition in Alzheimer's.
Oct 01, 2000; ... The acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor galantamine improved cognitive, functional, and behavioral symptoms in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, reported Dr. P.N. Tariot of the University of Rochester Medical Center and other members of the Galantamine USA-10 Study Group. ...
Revised Labeling Issued for IBS Drug Alosetron.
Oct 01, 2000; ... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- The manufacturer of the irritable bowel syndrome drug alosetron has issued a warning about the risks of ischemic colitis and severe constipation with the drug. The manufacturer's warning is a response to continued reports of these complications in people ...
Black Box Warning Label Added to Valproate Products.
Oct 01, 2000; ... A black box warning about the possibility of life-threatening pancreatitis has been added to the labels of Depakote, Depakene, and Depacon. Although the package inserts of all valproate products have mentioned pancreatitis since 1981 and there has been no increase in the number ...
STD Chemoprophylaxis Reduces Preterm Births.
Oct 01, 2000; ... INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. -- Mass chemoprophylaxis against STDs in pregnancy has resulted in reduced preterm births and improved neonatal outcomes in a major new African study. Although this 4,000-woman randomized trial known as the Maternal Infant STD Study (MISS) was conducted in ...
Simple Measures Avoid C-Section Wound Infection.
Oct 01, 2000; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Simple, inexpensive protocols can virtually eliminate postoperative wound infection following cesarean section, Dr. Suresh L. Persad reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In a study of ...
Breast-Feeding Fine Even With Maternal Infection.
Oct 01, 2000; ... NEW YORK -- Babies whose mothers have infections ranging from colds to tuberculosis can, in most instances, be breast-fed safely, Dr. Robert M. Lawrence said at a conference on the care of children and youth sponsored by New York University. The benefits of breast-feeding for ...
Hysterectomy and Incontinence.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Women who undergo hysterectomy are at 60% greater risk of urinary incontinence later in life than are those who have not had the procedure, reported Dr. Jeanette S. Brown of the University of California, San Francisco, and her associates. In the metaanalysis of 12 studies, women ...
MI in Women Under 50.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Women under age 50 have a significantly longer mean delay before presenting with their first myocardial infarction than do similarly aged men, Dr. Viola Vaccarino reported at an international conference on women, heart disease, and stroke. The longer prehospital delay for ...
HT Impairs Sexual Response.(hypertension)
Oct 01, 2000 ... Hypertension impairs women's sexual response regardless of which type of antihypertensive treatment they receive, reported Dr. Laurie E. Duncan of the Research Institute, Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown, N.Y., and her associates. "We recommend that sexual dysfunction be assessed ...
[B.sub.12] Deficiency, Depression.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Elderly women living in community settings who have a vitamin [B.sub.12] deficiency have twice the rate of depression as those with adequate vitamin intake, reported Brenda W.J. H. Penninx, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Md., and her associates. Of 700 ...
Breast Cancer Undertreated.
Oct 01, 2000 ... Many breast cancer patients over age 80 never receive radiation or chemotherapy after breast-conserving surgery reported Dr. Jerome S. Mandeblatt of the Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer Center, Washington, and his associates. Among 718 breast cancer patients aged 67 and ...
FDA Letter Issues Warning About Circumcision Clamps.
Oct 01, 2000; ... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- More than 100 reports of injuries related to commonly used circumcision damps were reported to the Food and Drug Administration between July 1996 and January 2000, according to a letter sent to health care providers. The clamps are the Gomco and Gomco-type ...
No Coverage Fallout From Injected Polio Vaccine.
Oct 01, 2000; ... WASHINGTON -- Switching from oral to injected polio vaccine has not adversely affected childhood immunization rates, Dr. James A. Taylor reported at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association. The finding comes from the Polio Immunization Delivery Study Update, ...
Polio Eradication By End of Year Looks Unlikely.
Oct 01, 2000; ... ASPEN, COLO. -- Like a horror movie monster who keeps cheating death, polio is proving to be a formidable enemy, thwarting plans for its eradication. "The plan was to eradicate polio in the world by the end of this year. I don't think that's going to happen," Dr. Eric A.F ....
Dipstick and Microscopy Don't Rule Out UTI.
Oct 01, 2000; ... BOSTON -- Urinalysis alone is not sufficient to rule out urinary tract infection in young children, Dr. Theresa A. Schlager said at a joint meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Urine culture is still necessary for diagnosis of ...
Time, Education Essential to Managing Teen Acne.
Oct 01, 2000; ... MONTEREY, CALIF. -- Physicians should treat most acne patients for at least a few months before referring them to a dermatologist, Dr. Renee M. Howard said at a pediatric symposium sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 1. Unless the patient has ...
New Topical Retinoids Simplify Acne Treatment.
Oct 01, 2000; ... MONTEREY, CALIF. -- The new retinoids are much less irritating than traditional topical traditional and thus have made acne treatment with topical retinoids not only more tolerable but much simpler, Dr. Renee M. Howard said at a symposium sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics ...
Hospitalists Gain More Support in Primary Care.
Oct 01, 2000; ... ROCHESTER, MINN. -- Office-based primary care physicians appear to be warming to the idea of referring their inpatients to hospitalists, and for the first time since the National Association of Inpatient Physicians formed 3 years ago, some are even demanding hospitalist programs, Dr ....
AMERICANS AIR HEALTH VIEWS.
Oct 01, 2000; ... Americans are concerned that they may have trouble meeting rising health care costs in the future and are skeptical of managed care, according to a study by the Center on Policy Attitudes. The study showed that the public leans against a full-scale, single-payer government health insurance ...
INTERNISTS FIGHT FOR UNINSURED.
Oct 01, 2000; ... The American College of Physicians--American Society of Internal Medicine initiated a series of press conferences around the nation to draw the attention of the presidential candidates to the plight of the uninsured. The first press conference in Chicago focused on Hispanic Americans, who ...
NIH OKS STEM CELL USE.(National Institutes of Health)
Oct 01, 2000; ... Final guidelines that permit federally funded research on human stem cells have been released by the National Institutes of Health. The guidelines limit research to stem cells from embryos donated by patients at private fertility clinics. Proposals for stem cell research will undergo ...
STUDY FAULTS WOMEN'S CARE.
Oct 01, 2000; ... America's health care policies are failing women, says a report by three groups: the National Women's Law Center; Focus on Health and Leadership for Women at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and the Lewin Group, a health police consulting firm. Too many women lack health ...
YOUTH DRUG USE DROPS.
Oct 01, 2000; ... Drug use by teenagers is continuing on a downward trend, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala announced. Secretary Shalala released findings of the 1999 National Household Survey, the first nationwide survey to provide state-by-state estimates of illicit drug, alcohol, and ...
COURT CANS CANNABIS DISTRIBUTION.
Oct 01, 2000; ... The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a temporary order barring an Oakland, Calif., clinic from distributing marijuana to people for medicinal purposes. The stay will remain in effect until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the clinic could distribute the marijuana, can ...
Take the Time to Manage Drug Rep Relationships.
Oct 01, 2000; ... Stories of especially pesky pharmaceutical representatives who drop by physicians' offices unannounced to peddle their products are not uncommon. You can save yourself aggravation by taking the initiative up front to set boundaries with drug reps, says Dr. Elisabeth Backer of ...
SCHIP Enrollment More Than Doubled in 1999.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
Oct 01, 2000; ... The number of children enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program increased by 112%--from 833,000 to 1.8 million--between December 1998 and December 1999, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. But state-by-state variation was wide: Kentucky's ...
Smoking Habits Affect Care Physicians Provide.
Oct 01, 2000; ... CHICAGO -- Physicians who smoke are less confident that they can convince their patients to quit, according to a 1998 survey of 2,073 French general practitioners. Dr. Loic Josseran, coauthor of the study, which was presented at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health ...
Healing Soles?(Florshiem Group Inc. in lawsuit for false health claims regarding their MagneForce shoe line)
Oct 01, 2000; ... Shoppers attracted to magnetic shoes sold by Florsheim Group Inc. may be repelled by a false health claims lawsuit against the company by the Consumer Justice Center. Florsheim claims magnets in the soles of its MagneForce line of golf, dress, and casual shoes increase circulation; boost ...