Family Practice News back issues from April 2001:
Guidelines Call for More Palliative Care.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Palliative care needs to be a standard component of treatment for cancer patients, according to new practice guidelines released at the annual meeting of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The guidelines integrate palliative care into ...
Ambulatory BP Monitors Can Be Useful, Panel Says.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Can detect white coat hypertension and support individualization of treatment. BALTIMORE -- Ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure monitors may be useful for detecting white coat hypertension in certain patients when the results of the study are interpreted by an experienced ...
New Data Support Marrow Transplant in Breast Cancer.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Views of regimen 'unreasonably negative.' FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- High-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplant appears to be more effective than multiple cycles of chemotherapy in selected women with advanced breast cancer, based on a preliminary analysis of the interim ...
Fatigue, Depression Often Overlooked In Care of Patients With Cancer.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. -- Cancer patients should be screened routinely for fatigue, speaker after speaker declared at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. "Fatigue is a subjective state that's multidimensional, and it's second only to fear of disease ...
Look to Psychiatric Needs of Terminally Ill Patients.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- Recent debates over care for terminally ill patients have focused on their need for better pain management. But pain management alone is not enough-their psychological needs also must be addressed with the kind of care that requires a team approach, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel said ...
Avoid Multiple Steroid Courses in PROM Patients.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... RENO, NEV. -- Evidence continues to mount that multiple courses of prenatal steroids should not be routinely used in women at risk for preterm delivery. In a multicenter, double-blind, placebo controlled trial presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal ...
High Magnesium Dose Raises Infant Hemorrhage Risk.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... RENO, NEV. -- Increased maternal magnesium levels were associated with neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage among 90 women who had preterm labor. The safety and efficacy of magnesium--the most common tocolytic agent--have never been "properly demonstrated." Based on the ...
Fewer Polio, Hib Doses Not Supported by Data.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... ATLANTA -- The data don't support the safety of dropping the number of doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine or Haemo-philus influenzae b vaccine from four to three, Dr. Paul A. Offit and Dr. Dennis A. Brooks said at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory ...
FDA Advisory Panel Rejects Five-in-One Vaccine in a Close Vote.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... BETHESDA, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel rejected GlaxoSmithKline's bid to gain a recommendation for approval of its five-in-one childhood vaccine. By a vote of 6-5 (and 1 abstention), the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee ...
Infants Losing Only Typhoid Vaccine Product.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... ATLANTA -- Two traveler's vaccines have been discontinued: the only licensed typhoid fever vaccine for children aged 6 months-2 years and the only licensed cholera vaccine in the United States. Both vaccines were made by Wyeth-Lederle, Dr. Eric Mintz said at the winter meeting ...
Certain Fish Pose Risk in Pregnancy.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- Pregnant and lactating women should exclude shark, sword fish, king mackerel, and tilefish from their diets, the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning. The warning also applies to women of childbearing age who might become pregnant. These types ...
Pulmonary Function Helped By HRT Use.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Hormone replacement therapy, especially combination therapy, was associated with improved pulmonary function in a population-based, longitudinal study of more than 3,300 postmenopausal women. Current HRT users were about 25% less likely to have pulmonary obstruction than women ...
'Remarkable Strides' in Perinatal HIV Prevention.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... CHICAGO -- Even among women with low viral loads, standard antiretroviral prophylactic therapy provides as much as a 90% reduction in the risk of perinatal HIV transmission, Dr. John P.A. Ioannidis said at a conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections. In a ...
LETTERS.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Time to End the Organ Shortage Recent articles in FAMILY PRACTICE NEWS highlighted concerns about dialysis morbidity and mortality and the shortage of donor kidneys ("Shortage of Kidney Donors Means Almost Any Donor Is Considered"; "Laparoscopy Is Big Hit With Living Kidney Donors," Jan ....
PRO & CON.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Are clinical guidelines making a difference in asthma care? Dr. Mark Dykewicz is director of the training program in allergy and immunlogy at St. Louis University. Treatment of asthma is generally dismal, and progress to improve this state of affairs has been slow ....
Western Views of Acupuncture.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Can modern Western medical science support a 2,000 year-old Eastern healing system whose principles predate real knowledge of anatomy or physiology, to say nothing of modern diagnostics and therapeutics--or even the germ theory of disease? That question continues to be asked regardless of ...
Drug Treatment Breaks May Restore Activity Against HIV.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... CHICAGO -- A structured treatment interruption might enhance virologic response among HIV-infected patients who have experienced virologic failure on several classes of antiretroviral therapy, Dr. Steven Deeks said at a conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections. ...
HIV Drug Holidays Cause No Harm, But Long-Term Benefits Still Unclear.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... CHICAGO -- Short treatment holidays do no harm, but the jury is out on whether structured treatment interruptions enhance the immune responses of HIV-infected patients. Findings from one study suggest that patients may even be able to safely go off anti retroviral therapy 50% ...
Experimental Vaccine Targets S. aureus in High-Risk Patients.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... ATLANTA -- An experimental vaccine may prevent Staphylococcus aureus infections in high-risk patients, Dr. Gary Horwith said at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. StaphVAX, made by Boca Raton, Fla.-based manufacturer ...
DERM DIAGNOSIS.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... This 47-year old man presented with a 5- to 6-year history of an enlarged left foot with occasionally draining nodules. The foot had been lacerated 12 years earlier during a cattle loading incident. What's your diagnosis? KEY WEST, FLA. -- Madura foot (mycetoma) ...
Nonsteroid Dermatitis Cream Appears Safe, Effective in Trials.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Data on the efficacy of topical ASM 981 in the treatment of adults and children with atopic dermatitis continue to mount, according to speakers at the annual Hawaii dermatology seminar sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation. ASM 981 is a ...
Topical Steroid Reduces Dermatitis Relapse.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... GENEVA -- Intermittent application of topical fluticasone significantly reduced the risk of relapse in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in a study presented at the ninth Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. This was the first randomized, ...
Endarterectomy Beats Carotid Stenting in Trial.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Stenting was substantially less effective than carotid endarterectomy in-the first head-to-head trial to compare the procedures. But experts emphasized that the results are not a death knell for carotid stenting. "This trial did not define an ...
Two Genes Linked to Stroke Risk.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Two genes appeared to play a role in stroke susceptibility in two independent, case-control studies. Results from one study suggested that people who carry either the e2 or e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (apo E) gene have an elevated risk for lobar ...
Stroke Risk Doubled by High CRP Level Plus Hypertension.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.--High serum levels of C-reactive protein and high systolic blood pressure more than double the risk of stroke, based on data collected by the Framingham Heart Study. A high serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP), by it self, was as potent a risk factor for ...
Workout Frequency Holds Key to Cardioprotection.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... NEW ORLEANS -- Patients who are trying to boost their cardioprotective HDL cholesterol levels through exercise should work out frequently, Dr. Gerald Fletcher said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association. But patients who are seeking to reduce ...
24-Hour BP Predicts Target Organ Damage.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- In hypertensive patients, target organ damage is related to the degree of blood pressure and pulse pressure variability and to the average blood pressure level over 24 hours, rather than to the blood pressure level measured in the doctor's office. This finding from ...
Asian Herb for Diabetes to Be Tested in Clinical Trial.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... NEW YORK - "Sweet urine" has been treated in India for centuries with Gymnema sylvestre, a plant that is a member of the milk weed family and is known as the "sugar destroyer" in the Ayurvedic medical tradition. Now this ancient herbal remedy for diabetes is about to be tested ...
Weight Loss, Vessel Function.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- Weight loss improves endothelial function in obese patients with hypertension, Dr. Shota Sasaki said at an annual conference of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research. In an 11-patient study, he measured forearm blood flow during ...
Alpha-Lipoic Acid for Diabetic Neuropathy.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... History of use The landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial in 1993 and the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study in 1998 left no question that tight glucose control is critical for preventing secondary complications of diabetes. Yet at least one-third of patients develop ...
H. pylori in Carotid Plaques.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Helicobacter pylori DNA was found in atherosclerotic plaques in carotid artery specimens from 20 of 38 patients who underwent endarterectomy, and the organism itself was visualized on the endothelial surface in half of these samples, reported Dr. Sebastian F. Ameriso of the Institute for ...
Diltiazem, Hyperpigmentation.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... The calcium channel blocker diltiazem, widely used to treat hypertension and angina, can cause reticulated hyperpigmentation in sun-exposed skin, said Dr. Lubomira Scherschun and associates at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit. They reported such cases in African American women, mean ...
Tobacco and Skin Cancer.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Use of tobacco products--especially cigarettes and pipes--doubles the risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, reported Dr. Sofie A.E. De Hertog and associates at Leiden (the Netherlands) University. Their case-control study included 740 smokers with cutaneous squamous cell ...
HAART Increases Risk for STDs.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... AIDS patients are at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease if they are taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), reported Susan Scheer, Ph.D., and her associates at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Her team collected data on ...
Effexor Beats Depression.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Patients with depression who took venlafaxine (Effexor) had significantly greater reductions in symptoms than did those us ing other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or a placebo, said Dr. Michael E. Thase of the University of Pittsburgh and his colleagues. They analyzed ...
Waterproof Doppler Probe.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... The 2-MHz waterproof probe for Elite hand-held Dopplers is designed for use in late-stage pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Elite Dopplers can be customized with an optional ...
Guide to Women's Health.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... The Encyclopedia of Women's Health and Wellness from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is a com prehensive patient-education manual that ...
Talking Medication Reminder.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... MEDGlider, a pocket-sized combination pill case and reminder device, can be programmed for four alerts each day. Users are notified via recorded voice message, beeping alarm, or blinking light ....
Ocular Anti-Infective.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Quixin (levofloxacin ophthalmic solution) 0.5% is a sterile ophthalmic solution indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis. Levofloxacin, a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone, has a high level of solubility that ...
Migraine Headaches.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Depakote ER (divalproex sodium extended-release tablets) offers ...
Asthma Inhaler.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... QVAR (beclomethasone dipropionate HFA) inhalation aerosol is available for management of mild to moderate asthma in people aged 12 years and older. QVAR is a metered-dose inhaler without chloro-fluorocarbon propellant and delivers ...
Combined Flu Test.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... The BD Directigen Flu A + B is an enzyme immunoassay membrane test that can detect and distinguish between viral antigens for influenza A and influenza B. Respiratory specimens are applied to two wells of the test device, ...
Bowel-Cleansing Tablets.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Visicol tablets (sodium phosphate) are available for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy. This is ...
Fluvastatin Extended Release.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Lescol XL (fluvastatin sodium) 80 mg, an extended-release tablet, is available for the management of all major lipid parameters. As an adjunct to diet, Lescol XL ...
Once-Daily Heparin.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Innohep (tinzaparin sodium injection) is available as a once-daily treatment for acute symptomatic ...
Pediatric Seizures.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Neurontin (gabapentin) in the form of an oral solution, a capsule, or a tablet is ...
Terbinafine Offers Advantages in Tinea Capitis.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Early experience suggests that terbinafine may eventually replace griseofulvin as the prescription of choice for the treatment of patients with tinea capitis, Dr. Ronald C. Hansen said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University of Miami. ...
Drug Update: Hair Loss in Men.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... The treatment of hair loss in men has improved vastly in recent years, thanks mostly to two drugs that promote hair growth and improve the appearance of existing hair: finasteride and minoxidil. One of two disorders, androgenetic alopecia or alopecia areata, is generally ...
Goserelin a Viable Option for Early Breast Cancer.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... SAN ANTONIO -- Goserelin is an attractive alternative to adjunctive chemotherapy in many women with early breast cancer, Dr. Walter Jonat said at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the San Antonio Cancer Institute. Monotherapy with the GnRH agonist analogue goserelin ...
Aromatase Inhibitors Topple Tamoxifen In Controlling Advanced Breast Cancer.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... SAN ANTONIO -- After a 20-year reign as the undisputed endocrine therapy of choice in advanced breast cancer, tamoxifen has been dethroned by the third-generation aromatase inhibitors. While not curative, the newer aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole and letrozole have been ...
Taxane-Induced Ocular Toxicity Often Unrecognized, Permanent Damage Likely.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... SAN ANTONIO -- Ocular toxicity is a common and underappreciated complication of cancer chemotherapy with the taxanes, Dr. Rayna K. Hall said at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the San Antonio Cancer Institute. This toxicity causes excessive lacrimation. Most patients, ...
Follow-Up After Breast Biopsy.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Two-thirds of women with negative breast biopsies return for follow-up assessments, and another 20% seek follow-up after being sent a reminder letter. A negative result can be a false negative in about 1% of cases, so follow-up is important, Dr. Silvia Chang warned at the annual ...
Hazards of Henna Use.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Women who use henna for cosmetic purposes are at risk for allergic reactions rang ing from contact dermatitis to angioedema. A case report presented in a poster session at the ninth Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in Geneva underscored this ...
Effects of Maternal Underweight.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Maternal underweight was linked to preterm delivery and low birth weight but also to a reduced risk of other complications in a population-based study. Dr. N.J. Sebire and colleagues at St. Mary's Hospital, London, studied 176,923 completed singleton pregnancies in mothers with ...
Skipping Birth Control Pills.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... "There's no medical harm when teenaged girls intentionally skip the placebo pills in their birth control packages in order to avoid getting their periods, Dr. Paula K. Braverman said at a meeting on practical pediatrics sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics in Williamsburg, Va. ...
Epilepsy and Spine BMD.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001 ... Women with epilepsy may have an increased risk of hip osteopenia, Dr. Martha Morrell reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the 'American Epilepsy Society in Los Angeles. She and her associates studied 72 women with epilepsy, aged 18-40 years; 38 had ...
Nuchal Translucency Helps Identify Aneuploidy in High-Risk Patients.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... RENO, NEV. -- First-trimester nuchal translucency measurement proved to be a "reasonably sensitive" means of identifying aneuploidy in high-risk patients in a metaanalysis presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. In a poster session, Dr. Ellen ...
Ultrasound + Serum Screening Provide 97% Sensitivity for Detection of Down Syndrome.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... RENO, NEV. -- The use of ultrasound plus maternal serum screening in women 35 and older is a "very powerful" tool for detecting Down syndrome with an overall sensitivity of 97.6%, Dr. James Egan said at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He based this ...
Ultrasound's Down Syndrome Markers Often Unreliable.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... None of the markers for Down syndrome on second-trimester ultrasonography are sensitive enough to reliably discriminate between affected and unaffected fetuses, a metaanalysis of 56 studies involving over 132,000 pregnancies has shown. Physicians routinely counsel patients that ...
Gastroesophageal Reflux Can Lead To Problems After First Year of Life.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Conservative management and "the tincture of time" are the best approaches to gastroesophageal reflux in most infants, Dr. Dennis D. Black said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. But in older children and adults, gastroesophageal reflux ...
Lower Teen Blood Pressures Linked To Breast Milk.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Children who consumed breast milk in infancy had lower blood pressure in adolescence than those who were fed formula, reported Dr. Atul Singhal of the Medical Research Council Child hood Nutrition Research Centre, Lon don, and colleagues. Studies by other investigators have ...
BOTTOMLINE.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Outpatient parenteral anti-infective therapy is more cost effective than continued hospitalization for some children with complicated appendicitis, reported Dr. John S. Bradley of Children's Hospital, San Diego, and his associates. In a prospective study, 87 children aged 1-17 ...
Asthma Raises Risk for Food-Induced Anaphylaxis.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- The incidence of food allergies is relatively small, but the risk of unpredictable fatal anaphylactic reactions makes it a problem worth careful attention by physicians, allergic children, and their parents, Dr. Hugh A. Sampson and Anne Munoz-Furlong said at a press ...
HASSLE FACTOR.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Managed care hassles in doctor's offices are interfering with quality of care and the doctor-patient relationship, according to a report in the March edition of the Western Journal of Medicine. Sixteen internists and 10 family physicians volunteered to collect data about managed care ...
HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2001; ... Backed by national physicians' groups, the Institute of Medicine in a new report suggests an overhaul of the health care system that centers on patients' needs, encourages teamwork among health care workers, and promotes the use of information technology. The IOM recommends that Congress ...