Family Practice News back issues from April 2005:
IMGs flocking to family medicine.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Peter Nalin, M.D., wasn't particularly surprised by this year's Match Day results: Of the five seniors who filled slots in his residency program, only one came from a U.S. medical school. "We currently have outstanding family practice trainees from five continents," Dr. Nalin, ...
Aspirin prophylaxis cuts strokes in healthy women: benefits clearest in those 65 and older.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Aspirin's role in preventing initial cardiovascular events in women was dramatically focused by the results of the first study to test aspirin prophylaxis in a large number of apparently healthy women, the Women's Health Study. The clearest result was that among ...
Sleep deprivation linked to glucose tolerance.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- Healthy young adults who are chronic "short sleepers"--getting an average of about 5 hours of sleep a night--must secrete 30% more insulin than other adults to achieve a normal glucose curve. The finding, which points to a potentially important ...
What patients want from online physician communication.(Vital Signs)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005 ... <Pre> What Patients Want From Online Physician Communication Ask question; no visit needed 80% Make appointments 69% Get test results 69% Refill prescriptions 67% None of the ...
Rheumatoid arthritis increases heart risks.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Well before rheumatoid arthritis patients receive their diagnosis, they are three to six times more likely than are those without the disease to suffer acute myocardial infarctions, a large retrospective study has found. The results lend weight to the idea that the heart disease ...
Med school debt: changes needed.(News)(medical)
Apr 01, 2005 ... U.S. medical schools need to improve their tuition- and fee-setting processes to help students pay off their debts, the Association of American Medical Colleges concluded in a new study. The future affordability of a U.S. medical education may be in jeopardy unless significant ...
Post-MI depression most common in younger women.(News)(myocardial infarction)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- Younger women with acute M1 are a particularly high-priority target population in terms of screening for and treatment of postinfarct depression, Susmita Mallik, M.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association. She reported on 2,501 ...
Study links smoking, pancreatic cancer.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Cigarette smoking plays a role in both the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer, based on an analysis of more than 18,000 patients with the disease. "To our knowledge, this is the first compelling evidence for a role of cigarette smoking early in ...
FDA warns about imported test kits.(News)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about possible false results from several unapproved home-use diagnostic test kits marketed in the United States via the Internet by Globus Media of Montreal. The test kits are not approved for sale in the United States ....
Primary care falls short for depressed seniors.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Results from two studies presented during poster sessions at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry paint a bleak picture of how primary care physicians are treating late-life depression. Even though depression treatment guidelines ...
Depressed patients are less adherent to heart medications.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Depressed patients with coronary artery disease are less likely to take prescribed medications than are those who are not depressed, Karina W. Davidson, Ph.D., and Mary Whooley, M.D., reported separately at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. ...
Oral pig worm therapy curbs Crohn's disease: whipworm therapy results in brief, self-limited colonization without causing disease.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... COLORADO SPRINGS -- The "absolutely astounding" recent success in treating Crohn's disease by feeding patients live ova of the pig whipworm opens the door to an exciting new approach to treating autoimmune diseases, J. John Cohen, M.D., declared at a meeting of the Colorado Chapter of the ...
Simple sucrose leak test could indicate Barrett's esophagus.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- A simple screening test drinking a glass of sugar water-may identify patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who probably have Barrett's esophagus and need further work-up by endoscopy. The idea is that in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE), the ...
Preventing recurrent ulcer bleeding.(News)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Rather than clopidogrel, aspirin plus a proton-pump inhibitor should be prescribed to prevent recurrent bleeding from ulcers in high-risk patients, according to results of a double-blind, randomized trial. Francis K.L. Chan, M.D., of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and his ...
A hospitalist's view.(Letters)(quality of care )(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... I respectfully disagree with some of Dr. Michael Norins' comments regarding quality of care ("The Value of Hospitalists," Letters, Jan. 15, 2005, p. 15). Dr. Norins argued that a hospitalist's "lack of knowledge of the patient" can affect continuity of care and cause errors in ...
Looming health policy issues.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Regarding your report on current health policy issues, two very important problems looming in the not-so-distant future ("Liability, Malpractice Top 2005 Health Agenda," Jan. 1, 2005, p. 5). They are: * The lack of primary care family practice and internal ...
Pain relievers.(Opinion)
Apr 01, 2005 ... "I hear we're being replaced by a chef who makes really ...
Vascular protection after the PEACE trial.(Guest Editorial)(Prevention of Events With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Has PEACE ever before caused such havoc? The Prevention of Events With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition trial has been widely misinterpreted, to the detriment of patient care. PEACE involved the double-blind randomization of patients with stable coronary artery disease ...
Is spinal fusion surgery overused in the United States?(Pro & Con)
Apr 01, 2005; ... YES Spinal fusion surgery is undoubtedly effective for some conditions, such as fractures, spinal tumors, and spondylolisthesis. But its efficacy for the most common indications, such as degenerative disk disease, remains unclear. There are high rates of reoperation and ...
TNT trial shows lower is better in treating high cholesterol.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(treating to new targets )
Apr 01, 2005; ... ORLANDO, FLA. -- "Lower IS better" was the mantra at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology following the presentation of the Treating to New Targets trial of intensive lipid lowering in patients with stable coronary heart disease. "We have entered a new era in ...
Study tracks endothelial function in Kawasaki.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Systemic arterial endothelial dysfunction was significantly related to higher levels of triglycerides and fasting blood glucose, but not to other cardiovascular risk factors in a long-term follow-up study of patients with Kawasaki disease, Brian W. McCrindle, M.D., reported at ...
Cardiac abnormalities may appear late in KD patients.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Kawasaki disease)
Apr 01, 2005 ... SAN DIEGO -- Cardiac abnormalities in patients with Kawasaki disease may appear well after their short-term treatment phase, even in those with no previous evidence of cardiac involvement, results from a follow-up study show. The results "further support a need for long-term ...
Long-term study of Kawasaki targets risk of atherosclerosis.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005 ... SAN DIEGO -- Long-term survivors of Kawasaki disease with or without a history of coronary aneurysms had no evidence of accelerated carotid atherosclerosis, results from a controlled, multicenter study have shown. "Discussion of these findings with patients and their families ...
Study assesses interaction between warfarin, antibiotics in children.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005 ... SAN DIEGO -- Children on warfarin should get an international normalized ratio measurement within 2-3 days of starting antibiotic therapy, since they may experience significant changes in INR value, Kathy Hinoki, R.N., reported in a poster session at an international Kawasaki disease ...
Incidence of Kawasaki disease holding steady.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Preliminary results from an ongoing surveillance of Kawasaki disease in the United States suggest that no unusual increases in cases occurred between 1998 and 2003, Ryan Maddox reported in a poster session at an international Kawasaki disease symposium. "For the ...
Kawasaki disease doesn't reduce quality of life.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with Kawasaki disease is excellent regardless of coronary sequelae, according to results from a large cross-sectional study of Japanese patients presented at an international Kawasaki disease symposium. ...
Drug-eluting stent uses rapidly proliferating.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Despite their higher cost, and despite recent concerns about late thrombosis, drug-eluting stents now own coronary stenting. In the last quarter of last year, drug-eluting stents were estimated to have been used for 87% of all interventional coronary procedures in the United ...
Lower heart risk after breast ca radiation.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN ANTONIO -- The sizable excess in cardiovascular mortality caused by older radiotherapy regimens for breast cancer appears to be greatly diminished with more modern ones, Sarah C. Darby, Ph.D., reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. ...
High-risk patients should receive coronary calcium screening.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- Coronary calcium scanning followed by myocardial perfusion imaging looks like it may be an effective approach to screening for coronary disease, John J. Mahmarian, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. "Further investigation ...
Tamoxifen for breast cancer decreases heart disease risk.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Women who took tamoxifen for breast cancer had a 60% decreased risk of developing ischemic heart disease during 5 years of treatment, compared with women who had other cancers not treated with tamoxifen, Brian D. Bradbury, D.Sc., and his colleagues reported. The large ...
Diabetic ketoacidosis care presents real challenges: in addition to diagnosis and management, look for potential triggers of this acute metabolic disorder.(Metabolic Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... STOWE, VT. -- Uncertain triggers, therapeutic controversies, and potentially fatal complications can compromise emergency management of diabetic ketoacidosis, according to Steven M. Hulsey, M.D. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a major, acute metabolic complication of diabetes ...
PCOS, pregnancy-induced HT may signal metabolic syndrome.(Metabolic Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Pregnancy-induced hypertension and polycystic ovarian syndrome may be risk markers for later development of metabolic syndrome, Stephen Franks, M.D., said at an international conference on women, heart disease, and stroke. The findings are important because they ...
Exercises for type 2 diabetes patients.(Exercise Rx)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common in the United States across all ages and ethnicities. This kind of diabetes, which is not dependent on insulin, can be controlled in many people by better attention to exercise and weight management. Weight control is important for ...
Keep a close eye on dieting diabetes patients.(Metabolic Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... LAS VEGAS -- Physicians need to monitor diabetic patients in weight loss program more closely than nondiabetic ones, Holly R. Wyatt, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. These patients are more difficult to manage than the ...
Antioxidant enzyme variants linked to pancreatic cancer risk in diabetics.(Metabolic Disorders)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... LAS VEGAS -- Genetic variations in two major antioxidant enzymes may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in people with diabetes mellitus, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. An ongoing, ...
Fasting plasma glucose misses children's diabetes, prediabetes.(Metabolic Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... QUEBEC CITY -- The fasting plasma glucose test is inadequate, compared with the oral glucose tolerance test, in screening high-risk pediatric patients for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, according to results of a new study. "This is further evidence that impaired fasting ...
Women with diabetes miss out on mammography.(Metabolic Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... QUEBEC CITY -- One-third of menopausal women with diabetes do not receive annual screening mammography, according to results of a large study. "Even though they had more frequent visits to physicians, compared with healthy women, women with diabetes have a 32% lower likelihood ...
STI vaccines: efficacy is most important to parents: parents respond positively about vaccines, even those that target sexually transmitted infections.(Infectious Diseases)(sexually transmitted infections)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Parents of adolescents appear to accept the idea of vaccinating their teens against sexually transmitted infections, expressing the most concern about the efficacy of the vaccine and the severity of the infection it could prevent, rather than the mode of transmission, Gregory D. Zimet, ...
Patient-delivered treatment for partners reduces chlamydia and gonorrhea.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The provision of chlamydia or gonorrhea treatment directly to patients" sexual partners, without requiring the partners to visit a physician, significantly improved infection control in patients, researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle reported. "We believe that ...
Syphilis incidence soars among homosexual men.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- The overall incidence of syphilis has been dropping in the United States since the mid 1990s, but a syphilis epidemic is raging among men who have sex with men. Several factors appear to be driving this syphilis epidemic, the most notable of which has been an ...
Some genital warts need treatment, some don't.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... HOUSTON -- Whether to treat genital warts would seem like a no-brainer, but peter J. Lynch, M.D., has a list of reasons for not trying to eradicate some vulvar lesions. Many genital warts resolve spontaneously. The underlying cause, human papillomavirus (HPV), is so widespread ...
Warts do not always carry tales of transgression.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... HOUSTON -- Diagnosis of human papillomavirus infection in a genital wart should not trigger a rush to judgment regarding recent sexual transgression or child abuse, Peter J. Lynch, M.D., said at a conference on vulvovaginal diseases. Only 20% of new human papillomavirus (HPV) ...
Follow cervical intraepithelial neoplasia closely in HIV+ women.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Women who are HIV positive are at increased risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and must be followed closely, according to Meg Newman, M.D. Furthermore, treatment of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is ...
Group stress management helps reduce HIV viral load.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... MARCO ISLAND, FLA. -- Semistructured group therapy improves mood state in HIV-positive men, which improves cortisol levels and immune function and thereby reduces viral load, Karl Goodkin, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Bereavement has ...
New HIV regimen beats standard combination therapy at 24 weeks.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- a new triple-therapy regimen for initial treatment of HIV-infected patients outperformed the conventional combination regimen in a preliminary 24-week analysis of a phase III trial with 509 patients. If the results hold up for the study's prespecified 48-week ...
Decavac, Clolar IV Infusion.(New & Approved)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Decavac (tetanus and diphtheria toxoids preservative-free vaccine, Aventis Pasteur) Decavac, a reformulated preservative-free tetanus and diphtheria combination vaccine, was cleared for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration last month. It can be used for ...
Inactivated flu vaccine safe, effective in pregnancy.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... RENO, NEV. -- The influenza vaccine is both safe and effective for women in the second half of pregnancy, results of a large prospective study suggest. When given at least 2 weeks before exposure, the vaccine reduced the rate of influenza 19-fold, with no evidence of worsening ...
Safety, not logistics, is parents' biggest flu shot concern.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Knowledge and attitudes about the flu vaccine--especially about its safety and side effects--are the biggest influences in parents" decisions about whether to vaccinate, Sharon G. Humiston, M.D., and her colleagues reported. The finding may come as a surprise to physicians who ...
Add neuromuscular conditions to influenza high-risk list.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2005; ... ATLANTA -- Children and adults with neurologic and neuromuscular conditions that place them at increased risk for influenza complications will be added to the list of individuals who should be targeted to receive the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory ...
Standardized form helps make referrals easier.(Skin Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- A simple form could help to ease communication between primary care physicians and the dermatologists to whom they refer patients, Wake Forest University researchers wrote in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. The ...
Experts divided on biologics becoming generic.(Skin Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... ARLINGTON, VA. -- With the annual price tag of biologic agents reaching well into the tens of thousands, pressure to find lower-cost alternatives caused scientists and drug companies to air their concerns at a workshop on biologics becoming generic. At the heart of the ...
Biologic agents for psoriasis.(Drug Update)
Apr 01, 2005; ... A National Psoriasis Foundation survey in 2001-2002 reported that half of all people with moderate to severe psoriasis were very dissatisfied with the care they had received. Seventy-eight percent of all responders said they did not use aggressive therapies because of toxicity or lack of ...
Derm Dx.(Skin Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... A 71-year-old white man with a history of skin cancer and hyperlipidemia presented with papules on his right knee and left anterior thigh and a patch of erythema and scaling on his left calf. Some improvement followed 3 weeks of triamcinolone 0.1% cream, but on reexamination he had ...
Extracutaneous melanoma: look carefully near eyes, vulva.(Skin Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Only 15% of melanomas are extracutaneous, but you can easily miss these lesions if you don't keep them in mind during routine skin exams, Terence O'Grady, M.D., said at a melanoma update sponsored by the Scripps Clinic. The most commonly affected sites for ...
Regressed malignant melanoma: tough Dx.(Skin Disorders)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BOSTON -- Physicians who rely on the histopathologic features of regression could mistake dysplastic nevi for regressed malignant melanoma, Ashraf Hassanein, M.D., reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Dermatopathology. Dr. Hassanein ...
Teen addiction to cybersex called pervasive.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Children--and middle school-aged boys in particular--are becoming addicted to sex on the Internet in numbers that would startle most clinicians and parents, Ann Freeman said at a symposium on addictive disorders sponsored by Psychotherapy Associates. She said ...
CDC targets social, emotional growth.(Mental Health)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Apr 01, 2005 ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a public awareness campaign to educate parents about the importance of measuring a child's social and emotional progress in early life. ...
Spiritualized therapy helps sex abuse survivors.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... A program that integrates cognitive therapy with spiritual awareness and healing has proved beneficial to female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, significantly decreasing symptom scores in all patients in a small pilot study. The 8-week program of manualized, individual ...
Emotional abuse increases risk of mental illness, substance abuse.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -People who are emotionally and physically abused by their intimate partners develop more mental illness and substance abuse than those who are only physically abused, Susan Ditter, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. ...
Patterns and location of bruises can suggest physical abuse.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Bruises that occur in nonmobile infants, those over soft tissue areas, and those that carry the imprint of the implement used or multiple bruises of uniform shape could be signs of physical abuse. That is the key conclusion from the first-ever systematic attempt to answer the ...
Tailor lung cancer screening advice for smokers.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... CHICAGO -- Physicians can now use data to help them personalize a smoker's risk of developing lung cancer, and advise smokers about whether to undergo annual low-dose CT screening for the disease. The International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) collected the ...
More patients kick alcohol dependence when smoking cessation is delayed.(Mental Health)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN JUAN, P.R. -- People in intensive alcohol treatment programs are more abstinent if smoking cessation efforts are delayed by 6 months, according to a study. Smoking is common among people with alcohol dependence, with an estimated 60%-90% prevalence. And because smoking ...
Perception of mental illness stigma varies with age, gender.(Mental Health)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BALTIMORE -- When it comes to the perceived stigma associated with mental illness, age and gender differences exist, and this stigma continues to pose a significant barrier to care, reported Jo Anne Sirey, Ph.D., and Martha L. Bruce, Ph.D., of Cornell University, White Plains, N.Y. ...
Vertebral fracture assessment: ounce of prevention.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- Patients with vertebral fractures have a four- to fivefold higher risk for subsequent fragility fractures and should be targeted for aggressive therapy, Michael McClung, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. "The ...
Kyphoplasty well tolerated in patients with vertebral compression fractures.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
Apr 01, 2005; ... CHICAGO -- Kyphoplasty appears associated with a low rate of complications in patients with osteoporotic or osteolytic vertebral compression fractures, according to the results of a prospective study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Spine Society. Functional ...