Internal Medicine News back issues from April 2007:
Mammography rates have fallen.(News)
Apr 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- Rates of mammography and clinical breast examination have declined significantly in the United States since the year 2000, Dr. Anees B. Chagpar said at a congress sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of University Surgeons. "Even though we ...
Metformin cited as option for some prediabetes cases: ADA statement offers off-label approach.(News)(American Diabetes Association )
Apr 01, 2007; ... Metformin is an option for the treatment of selected patients at high risk for the development of type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association said in a new consensus statement. The document--the first ADA statement to offer off-label pharmacologic treatment as an option ...
Aliskiren is first in new class of antihypertensives.(News)(Drug overview)
Apr 01, 2007; ... For the first time in more than a decade, there's a new weapon available for the battle against hypertension. Aliskiren, the first in a new class of orally administered drugs called direct renin inhibitors, received Food and Drug Administration approval last month on the basis ...
More than 98% of internal medicine residency positions were filled in 2007.(VITAL SIGNS)
Apr 01, 2007 ... More Than 98% Of Internal Medicine Residency Positions Were Filled in 2007 ...
Thousands of AEDs recalled worldwide.(News)(automated external defibrillators)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... A U.S. company has issued a voluntary recall of about 42,000 automated external defibrillators worldwide because of flawed software that can lead to an erroneous battery reading. The Defibtech LLC Lifeline AED and ReviveR AEDTM defibrillators with software versions 2.002 have ...
Cymbalta for GAD, Humira for Crohn's.(NEW & APPROVED)(Disease/Disorder overview)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Cymbalta (duloxetine, Eli Lilly) A selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant approved for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). First approved in 2004 for treating major depressive disorder in adults; also approved for ...
Stroke risk is increased with migraine/aura: women who smoked and had migraine plus aura had a significant 2.3-fold increased risk of stroke.(News)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- The suggestion that women who have migraine with aura are at increased risk for significant cerebral and coronary vessel disease gained strength from three presentations given during the 32nd International Stroke Conference. Leah MacClellan presented data, ...
Migraine with aura linked with hemorrhagic stroke.(News)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Migraine with aura is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, data from the Women's Health Study suggest. Until now epidemiologic data on migraine and hemorrhagic stroke have been lacking because of the relatively low number of hemorrhagic ...
OCs pose risk in women with migraine/aura.(News)(oral contraceptives)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Women aged 35 and younger who experience migraine with aura and who use oral contraceptive pills have an increased risk of ischemic stroke substantial enough that discontinuation in favor of alternative methods of birth control should be considered, Dr. Dulka Manawadu ...
Gardasil efficacy looking even better with time.(News)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ATLANTA -- The efficacy of Gardasil is becoming more apparent over time, Dr. Eliav Barr said at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Merck is continuing to follow subjects post marketing, with nearly 3 ...
FDA curbs unapproved migraine drugs.(News)
Apr 01, 2007; ... The Food and Drug Administration has told 8 manufacturers and 12 distributors of unapproved ergotamine-containing drugs to stop marketing the products because of concerns about inadequate safety labeling. The FDA issued letters to 20 firms that market unapproved prescription ...
Cervical ca vaccine highly effective at 5.5 years.(News)(cancer)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ATLANTA -- The investigational cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix remained 100% effective through 5.5 years in preventing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions associated with human papillomavirus strains 16 and 18, Dr. Gary Dubin reported at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control ...
We need power to remand alcoholism patients.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Apr 01, 2007; ... A 55-year-old man is found unconscious in the street and is brought to the emergency room. He has a blood alcohol level of 425 mg/dL and is delirious when he arrives. It is his fourth visit for detoxification this year; each time he was hospitalized for more than 5 days. After ...
Are opioids an appropriate treatment for chronic nonmalignant pain?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Manage opioids closely and be realistic. Despite almost universal acceptance in acute and cancer pain treatment, opioids have been avoided for treating chronic nonmalignant pain. However, that tide began to turn in the 1990s, and with good reason. The risks from ...
Electronic communication no cure-all.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... A recent article included a statement by Dr. Lynne Kirk that physicians should have "the ability to track patients and communicate with them electronically" ("'Medical Home' Leads ACP Agenda," Feb. 1, 2007, p. 1). I don't exactly understand this. Are we talking about ...
'Spokes in the giant wheel'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... I'm not optimistic at all about the proposed "advanced medical home" for me and my patients. Medicare and other insurance payers are, I am sad to say, not going to give credit to any doctor-providers for any reason these days. They consider us only pesky and minor "spokes in the ...
Bundled payment is discriminatory.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Making bundled payments available only to doctors who have electronic medical records systems of communicating and tracking is a bad idea. It just adds another divisive wedge that separates doctors. Consider that doctors already are divided by HMO rating systems ...
Rx: take two pens and call me.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Regarding Dr. Alex V. Levin's guest editorial, "Do We Really Need the Gifts?" (Feb. 1, 2007, p. 8), it is generally accepted that all interactions with the pharmaceutical industry affect prescribing decisions whether physicians know it or not. I am convinced that any such ...
Problems with vaccine mandates.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... I believe government should be strongly involved in health care advocacy, but I completely disagree with legislative fiat ("HPV Vaccine Mandates Raise Question of Timing," Feb. 15, 2007, p. 1). That would deprive individuals of the opportunity to make their own informed choices, ...
Doubts about HPV vaccine mandate.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... I was happy to read your coverage on the controversy of mandating a "new-kid-on-the-block" vaccine in the state of Texas. As an internist and mother of a 10-year-old daughter, I have a unique perspective. I feel strongly against this for the following reasons: * This ...
HPV vaccine should be voluntary.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... There are many things more important than fighting cancer; one of those things is the inalienable parent-child bond, established by God and nature. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine to assist in preventing cervical cancer must be voluntary, with an "opt-in," paid-in-full clause. In ...
Puritanical ideas are perilous.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2007; ... The enormous benefits that will accrue from widespread adoption of Merck's vaccine against human papillomavirus, the major cause of cervical cancer, are indisputable. The vaccine has been attacked chiefly because it is a vaccine against a sexually transmitted infection which, to ...
Novel tool predicts prostate cancer progression.(Urology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ORLANDO -- An innovative tool can predict the risk of tumor progression or death within 5 years for men with prostate cancer, the physician who developed the technique said at a symposium on prostate cancer sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In the model, ...
Early detection of prostate cancer has plateaued.(Urology)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ORLANDO -- For the first time since the advent of widespread prostate-specific antigen screening, the number of early-stage prostate cancers being identified has begun to level off, Dr. Eric A. Klein said at a symposium on prostate cancer sponsored by the American Society of Clinical ...
Dutasteride may reduce prostate cancer risk.(Urology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ORLANDO -- The investigational 5-[alpha]-reductase inhibitor dutasteride induces genetic changes in noncancerous prostate tissue and may play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer, Dr. Elahe Mostaghel said at a symposium on prostate cancer sponsored by the American Society of ...
Accutane program remains a work in progress.(Dermatology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Dermatologists and their patients taking isotretinoin are entering the second year of the iPLEDGE mandatory risk management program aimed at preventing isotretinoin-related teratogenicity, and the specialty's leaders on the issue are anticipating further improvement in a system they say ...
Sleep drug labels to address adverse reactions.(Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Warnings about the risks of complex sleep-related behaviors such as driving while asleep and about serious allergic reactions that have recently been associated with sleep drugs, are being added to their labels, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA ...
ADHD patient drug guides to be revised.(Psychiatry)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... The Food and Drug Administration has sent letters to all manufacturers of medications approved for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, instructing them to develop patient medication guides within 30 days to address possible cardiovascular risks and adverse psychiatric ...
Diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease.(THE EFFECTIVE PHYSICIAN)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Background Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States, as well as in the entire developed world. To help address this common and costly problem, the National Kidney Foundation recently released guidelines for the diagnosis and management ...
Atrial fib more likely in diabetic patients.(Endocrinology)(fibrillation)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ORLANDO -- Patients with poorly controlled and long-standing diabetes were about twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation as people without diabetes in a case-control study with a total of more than 2,000 people. This finding comes from the first reported study to examine ...
Chronic kidney disease more often comorbid with diabetes than with cardiovascular disease.(DATA WATCH)(Table)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... <Pre> Chronic Kidney Disease More Often Comorbid With Diabetes Than With Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence of CKD YesNo Presence of diabetes40.2% 15.4% Presence of cardiovascular disease ...
Groups unite to curb cardiac risks in diabetes.(Endocrinology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Diabetologists and cardiologists are joining forces to address the issue of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. In North America, new joint guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) focus on the primary ...
Ibandronate gentler on cancer patients' kidneys.(Endocrinology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN ANTONIO -- Ibandronate seems to be easier on the kidneys than are other bisphosphonates in cancer patients who take the drugs for bone metastases, and may even help normalize renal function in patients whose kidneys declined with zoledronic acid treatment. The studies, ...
Vitamin D has mild effect on falls, fracture risk.(Endocrinology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ARLINGTON, VA. -- People who take sufficiently high supplement doses of vitamin D or those who already have adequate levels of vitamin D were found to have a small but significantly reduced risk of specific fractures, falls, and low bone mineral density, according to an Agency for ...
Imaging reveals increasing rate of incidental thyroid cancers.(Endocrinology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- The rate of thyroid cancers identified incidentally during nonthyroid imaging procedures is on the rise, Matthew T. Tallar said at a congress sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of University Surgeons. These incidental thyroid cancers ...
Consider adding TSH test to thyroid work-up.(Endocrinology)(thyroid-stimulating hormone)
Apr 01, 2007; ... CHICAGO -- As the prevalence of thyroid nodules diagnosed on ultrasound increases, clinicians trying to decide whether to biopsy a particular nodule should consider adding a serum TSH test to their work-up, Dr. R. Brooke Jeffrey Jr. said at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of ...
Hashimoto's thyroiditis increases risk of thyroid cancer threefold.(Endocrinology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... PALM BEACH, FLA. -- Patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had a threefold increased risk of also having a well-differentiated thyroid cancer as compared with other patients undergoing thyroid resection, based on a review of 802 patients treated at one center. The review also ...
Observation preferred for benign thyroid nodules.(Endocrinology)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Routine thyroxine therapy for benign thyroid nodules is no longer recommended, Dr. Hossein Gharib said at Perspectives in Women's Health sponsored by OB.GYN. NEWS. Thyroxine does not shrink most benign thyroid nodules. In those that do shrink, size increases if ...
COX-2 drugs, other NSAIDs pose cardiac risks.(Rheumatology)(cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Physicians need a stronger message about the cardiac risks of treating chronic pain with anti-inflammatory drugs, both traditional NSAIDs and cy-clooxygenase-2 inhibitors, according to Dr. Elliott M. Antman and his colleagues. "We believe that some physicians have been ...
What do patients ask about knee replacement?(Rheumatology)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Patients considering joint replacement are coming in to the office with some pretty specific questions these days. They want to know more about gender-specific knees, minimally invasive knee replacement, computer-assisted surgery, new indestructible materials, ...
Safety labeling for ESAs gets strengthened.(Hematology)(erythropoiesis-stimulating agents)
Apr 01, 2007; ... The Food and Drug Administration has revised the boxed warning for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in response to concern about the potential for complications associated with high doses of such agents. The development comes on the heels of six recently completed studies that ...
Secondary cancers occur decades after ped ALL.(Hematology)(childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... The incidence of secondary neoplasms continues to rise steadily for at least 30 years after successful treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a retrospective study showed. Most of the late-developing secondary neoplasms are low-grade tumors such as meningioma and ...
Target venous disease.(PRODUCTS)(CircAid Medical Products )(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... CircAid Medical Products has a line of nonelastic devices for treating lymphedema and venous disease. They include the adjustable seven-band Ready-Fit 2000 and eight-band Ready-Fit Classic-Flex devices. The Custom Below-Knee Leggings, which also ...
Blood pressure pills combined.(PRODUCTS)(valsartan and amlodipine besylate in Exforge drug)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A new treatment option for patients with high blood pressure has received U.S. regulatory approval. Exforge, expected to be available in September 2007, contains ...
New indication for Invanz.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... Invanz (ertapenem), a once-daily injectable antibiotic, has been approved for the prevention of surgical site infections ...
Azithromycin for injection approved.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A generic version of Zithromax (azithromycin) is now available for injection in a 500-mg vial for the treatment of patients who need intravenous therapy for infections caused by ...
Daily Lialda for ulcerative colitis.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... The Food and Drug Administration has approved Lialda (mesalamine) as a once-daily, oral ...
CDAD 10-minute assay available.(PRODUCTS)(Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea )(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A new immunoassay test is available for the more rapid detection of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea through fecal samples. The BioStar OIA CdTOX AB ...
Rapid E. coli detection.(PRODUCTS)(Escherichia coli)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... The Food and Drug Administration has granted clearance for the marketing of ImmunoCard STAT! EHEC, a new test for the rapid detection of Escherichia coli infection. The 20-minute ...
In-home monitoring device.(PRODUCTS)(Cardiocom LLC)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A new Commander Cellular home monitoring device is available for in-home patient monitoring of chronic high risk diseases such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and severe ...
Dermatoses foam approved.(PRODUCTS)(Olux-E foam)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... Olux-E (clobetasol propionate, 0.05%) foam, is indicated for the treatment of inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive ...
Generic BPH drug approved.(PRODUCTS)(benign prostatic hyperplasia medication finasteride)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A generic version of Proscar (finasteride) is now available in 5-mg tablets for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in men with an enlarged prostate to improve symptoms and to ...
Health care anywhere.(PRODUCTS)(Cardio-phonics software Care From Anywhere)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007 ... A new mobile PC network from Cardio-phonics, Care From Anywhere, allows diagnostic information to be obtained from ambulatory patients anywhere and at anytime via a monitoring device either worn by the patient or implanted. Health care providers are able to interact online to ...
Novel drugs show high efficacy for resistant HIV.(Infectious Diseases)(Conference news)(Clinical report)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Los ANGELES -- Two novel HIV medications produced striking improvement in AIDS patients otherwise failing standard therapy, according to four separate studies presented at a conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections. "The results here are as exciting as the ...
Expert warns of ominous signs in AIDS fight: 'the need for treatment is critical, but ... we are not going to be able to treat our way out of this epidemic.'.(Infectious Diseases)(Harold Jaffe, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Los ANGELES -- The number of Americans diagnosed with AIDS is now approaching the 1 million mark, with more than a half-million deaths since the epidemic began and 17,000 more people dying of the disease each year, Dr. Harold Jaffe said during a plenary session at the 14th Conference on ...
Herpes treatment may help prevent HIV transmission.(Infectious Diseases)(human immunodeficiency virus)
Apr 01, 2007; ... LOS ANGELES -- Treating genital herpes simplex virus with acyclovir diminishes vaginal HIV shedding and plasma HIV levels in women coinfected with HSV and HIV, which suggests that treating herpes could have a role in reducing HIV transmission, according to two studies presented at the 14th ...
Don't miss HIV patients' alternative medicine use.(Infectious Diseases)(human immunodeficiency virus)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- The use of complementary and alternative medicines is common but often overlooked among patients infected with HIV, Dr. Jason Tokumoto said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Studies have indicated that 70% ...
Guillain-Barre risk from Menactra under review.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ATLANTA -- Data available thus far suggest that the overall risk for Guillain-Barre syndrome following receipt of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine is not significantly increased, Dr. Robert L. Davis reported at the winter meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ...
FDA panel backs approval of 'stopgap' vaccine for avian flu.(Infectious Diseases)(Food and Drug Administration)
Apr 01, 2007; ... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- An inactivated H5N1 influenza virus vaccine that a federal advisory panel has recommended for approval would, if approved, become the first vaccine for avian influenza licensed in the United States. At a meeting of the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines ...
Containment should be top priority in case of flu pandemic.(Infectious Diseases)
Apr 01, 2007; ... BOSTON -- In the event of an avian influenza pandemic, old-fashioned containment strategies will need to be the first line of defense to limit exposure, David Heyman, a terrorism expert, said at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. The best ...
FDA advisory panel selects 2007-2008 influenza vaccine strains.(Infectious Diseases)(Food and Drug Administration)
Apr 01, 2007; ... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- The 2007-2008 trivalent influenza vaccine should retain two strains from the current vaccine and change one strain, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has concluded. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee followed the lead ...
Off-pump CABG improves outcomes in women.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(coronary artery bypass graft surgery)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- Performing coronary artery bypass graft surgery off pump rather than on the heart-lung machine narrows the historic gender gap in operative mortality, stroke, MI, and other critical outcomes, Dr. John D. Puskas said at the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. ...
Acarbose effective for postprandial hypotension.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2007; ... SAN ANTONIO -- Acarbose is a novel effective therapy for postprandial hypotension in patients with autonomic failure, Dr. Cyndya Shibao said at a meeting of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research. The [alpha]-glucosidase inhibitor significantly ...
Poor diabetes control boosts heart failure risk: the highest incidence of heart failure occurred in patients with a baseline Hb[A.sub.1c] level of more than 8%.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(hemoglobin)
Apr 01, 2007; ... ORLANDO -- Higher levels of hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] significantly boosted the risk of heart failure in patients with diabetes in an analysis of more than 1,800 patients. This association was seen even among patients with diabetes who did not have clinically apparent coronary heart ...
Depression plus diabetes predicts mortality in patients with CAD.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(coronary artery disease)
Apr 01, 2007; ... Having both type 2 diabetes and depression puts patients with coronary artery disease at greater risk of death over a 4.5-year period than does either condition alone. That finding emerged from a study presented at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting in Budapest, Hungary ....