News

A study from Johns Hopkins has found that "routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease."

Pain assessment appears to reduce sedative drug dosing, allowing for objective pain evaluation and analgesic drug dosing based on a patient's report.

Compared with study participants who reported no pain, those experiencing chronic pain in two or more joints had a 50 percent greater risk of falling.

Minimally invasive technique allows doctors to remove diseased tissue through a two-inch incision below the armpit.

A New York Health Department report recognizes that citywide, the diabetes rate significantly exceeds the national rate and estimates that 200,000 New Yorkers have undiagnosed diabetes.

Depression is a common problem among elderly patients in primary care clinics and inpatient settings.

Collaboration is important in healthcare, as evidenced by the growing number of "learning communities" and grassroots efforts that are bringing people and organizations together to work on the issue of eliminating disparities in health and healthcare.

Emergency room cases involving small children with apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) symptoms, such as apnea, due to ingestion of over-the-counter (OTC) cough or cold medications are on the rise.

The Diabetes Surgery Summit position statement promotes the legitimacy of gastrointestinal surgery as a dedicated treatment for type 2 diabetes in carefully selected patients.

Breast-cancer patients who experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy during their treatment with Taxol are three times more likely to eventually be diagnosed with chronic neuropathic pain.

Taking a systems biology approach, UC San Diego researchers uncovered previously unknown effects of TZDs and insights that could lead to improved drug therapies for insulin resistance.

Joslin Diabetes Center research implicates the glucokinase/BAD complex in the death of beta cells when the insulin signaling pathway breaks down, and demonstrates that this mechanism is triggered in humans with type 2 diabetes.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recently updated its guidelines on fluid intake for runners during a race, citing new research on hyponatremia from the University of South Africa in Capetown.

I know I just wrote about breast cancer screening and how the more technologically advanced we get the more we see and perhaps the more invasive we are becoming with our treatments.

More than half (62.4%) of US adults with type 2 diabetes were found to be obese, and 20.7% are morbidly obese. Among African-Americans with type 2 diabetes, one out of three are morbidly obese.

As of December 2000, 21 of 30 randomized, placebo-controlled trials had been completed and the risk of a cardiovascular thromboembolic adverse event or death was greater among subjects assigned to the rofecoxib group, raising concerns from a safety standpoint.

A national health information technology infrastructure (NHITI) is not only necessary, but it is cardinal to improving delivery and reducing costs of healthcare in the United States.

The powerful vendor-lobbying group, HIMSS, has been extremely successful over the last 8 years lobbying our elected political leaders about HIT.

What's the single greatest myth in the healthcare debate? According to Nicholas Kristof, the single greatest myth is that we have the greatest healthcare system in the world.

In his July 2009 editorial, Dr. Robert C. Like, MD, MS, wrote about the importance of creating "communities of practice" and the increasing role of the Web and collaboration in facilitating the development of learning networks. Here, he continues this discussion by sharing some perspectives from the field of library science about the impact of the Internet on clinical practice and public health.

On-demand aerosol spray increased ejaculatory latency and improved patient and partner reported outcomes of sexual satisfaction over three months.

The challenge of eliminating disparities in clinical trials is being addressed by the Eliminating Disparities in Clinical Trials (EDICT) project, which recognizes that broadening diversity in clinical trials will result in improved effectiveness and safety of future medicines, improved trial quality, and reduced discrepancies in health equity.

In laboratory studies, morphine can directly boost tumor-cell proliferation and inhibit the immune response. Researchers also found that opiates promote angiogenesis.

With its two rotating x-ray tubes, the Flash CT's enhanced speed and power allows children and overweight adults to be screened more effectively.

Between October 17-21, 2009, the 39th annual conference of the Society of Neuroscience drew some 30,500 people to Chicago, where Alzforum reporters buttonholed scientists for their comments on the presentations.

For seniors, Social Security checks will not increase and Medicare Advantage premiums are increasing 20%-60%. For doctors, the looming cut in Medicare fees scheduled for January 1 might actually happen this time.

The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its online presence. Healthcare IT News is reporting that the FDA is collaborating with EverydayHealth.com to bring news to consumers. A co-branded newsletter will also address children's health topics.

I have been following with interest all the discussions about the new Medical Home (aka, the Patient Centered Medical Home) concept. This is our silver bullet that will improve patient access, raise quality levels, increase overall satisfaction and save billions of healthcare dollars - all at the same time!

Dutch researchers confirm that five strength exercises--the one-arm row, shoulder abduction, shoulder elevation, reverse fly and upright row--can substantially reduce perceived pain.

Evidence-based medicine attempts to rigorously apply the scientific method to clinically relevant decision making. This may be of particular importance in making decisions regarding pharmacotherapy. The evidence-based method requires that data be available for review and dissection in some detail.