MedPage Today

Articles, page 10

June 22, 2010Jun 22, 2010

by Cole Petrochko Medicaid expansion under new healthcare reform laws could add millions of participants to the program over the next nine years and greatly decrease the number of uninsured Americans -- with the federal government picking up most of…

by Cole Petrochko

Medicaid expansion under new healthcare reform laws could add millions of participants to the program over the next nine years and greatly decrease the number of uninsured Americans — with the federal government picking up most of the tab, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report.

One set of projections in the report, prepared by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, estimates that …

Drugs and prescribing

Citalopram and other SSRI drugs can reduce hot flashes

MedPage Today

June 21, 2010Jun 21, 20102

by Charles Bankhead Hot-flash frequency and severity declined by 50% in postmenopausal women treated for six weeks with the antidepressant citalopram, according to data from a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. The trial, conducted among 254 women with frequent hot flashes…

by Charles Bankhead

Hot-flash frequency and severity declined by 50% in postmenopausal women treated for six weeks with the antidepressant citalopram, according to data from a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.

The trial, conducted among 254 women with frequent hot flashes (at least 14 hot flashes a week for a month or longer), found that the lowest of three citalopram doses was as effective as the highest for dousing hot flashes, but the …

Conditions and diseases

Indoor tanning is associated with melanoma

MedPage Today

June 20, 2010Jun 20, 2010

by Michael Smith Indoor tanning is associated with a 74% higher risk of melanoma, researchers said. And, in a large case-control study, some forms of indoor tanning machines were associated with a four-fold increase in the risk of skin cancer,…

by Michael Smith

Indoor tanning is associated with a 74% higher risk of melanoma, researchers said.

And, in a large case-control study, some forms of indoor tanning machines were associated with a four-fold increase in the risk of skin cancer, according to DeAnn Lazovich, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, and colleagues.

The risk rose in a dose-response fashion depending on years of use, hours of use, or number of sessions, Lazovich and …

Conditions and diseases

Radiation or watchful waiting for prostate cancer treatment?

MedPage Today

June 19, 2010Jun 19, 2010

by Charles Bankhead There is still not enough evidence to show that radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer is better than surveillance, according to a report prepared for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Only retrospective analyses have…

by Charles Bankhead

There is still not enough evidence to show that radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer is better than surveillance, according to a report prepared for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Only retrospective analyses have compared irradiation with no treatment or no initial treatment. Data comparing the relative efficacy of different types of radiation therapy also are insufficient to permit definitive conclusions regarding efficacy, safety, and toxicity, …

Conditions and diseases

Gay men and whether they should donate blood

MedPage Today

June 18, 2010Jun 18, 201011

by Michael Smith It's time to revisit the touchy issue of gay men and blood donation now that accurate HIV testing is widely available, Canadian researchers argue. The lifetime ban on giving blood for men who have had sex with…

by Michael Smith

It’s time to revisit the touchy issue of gay men and blood donation now that accurate HIV testing is widely available, Canadian researchers argue.

The lifetime ban on giving blood for men who have had sex with other men was justified in 1983 when HIV testing was relatively insensitive but can no longer be supported, according to Mark Wainberg, PhD, and colleagues at Montreal’s …

Patient voices

E-mail can screen college students for depression

MedPage Today

June 17, 2010Jun 17, 2010

by Kristina Fiore E-mail may be a simple and cheap way to screen college students for depression, but it's not likely to motivate them to seek treatment, researchers said. A commonly-used depression screening tool sent in e-mail blasts to students…

by Kristina Fiore

E-mail may be a simple and cheap way to screen college students for depression, but it’s not likely to motivate them to seek treatment, researchers said.

A commonly-used depression screening tool sent in e-mail blasts to students at four colleges put the prevalence of major depressive disorder at 14.5%, Irene Shyu, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues reported at a poster session at the American Psychiatric …

Drugs and prescribing

Multiple vaccines in infants are harmful, a theory disproved

MedPage Today

June 16, 2010Jun 16, 20104

by John Gever Worries that cramming multiple vaccinations into the first months of life slows brain development have no basis in fact, researchers said. There was no evidence of neurodevelopmental delays or deficits associated with on-time vaccination in an intensively…

by John Gever

Worries that cramming multiple vaccinations into the first months of life slows brain development have no basis in fact, researchers said.

There was no evidence of neurodevelopmental delays or deficits associated with on-time vaccination in an intensively studied cohort of more than 1,000 children, according to Michael J. Smith, MD, and Charles R. Woods, MD, of the University of Louisville, in the June issue of Pediatrics.

“These data may reassure …

Conditions and diseases

COPD perceptions in doctors and patients

MedPage Today

June 15, 2010Jun 15, 2010

by Ed Susman Doctors and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) agree that shortness of breath is the condition's most debilitating symptom, but on other issues patients and clinicians are not on the same page, a survey shows. For…

by Ed Susman

Doctors and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) agree that shortness of breath is the condition’s most debilitating symptom, but on other issues patients and clinicians are not on the same page, a survey shows.

For example, “patients and physicians are both aware of the prevalence of morning symptoms, but physicians are less aware of the prevalence and importance of symptoms in the afternoon and evening,” Ronald Balkissoon, …

Drugs and prescribing

Statins do not decrease the risk of many cancers

MedPage Today

June 14, 2010Jun 14, 2010

by Kristina Fiore Claims of unintended benefits of statins appear to be largely unsubstantiated and known risks -- including liver and renal problems and myopathy -- confirmed, British researchers concluded based on findings from a large prospective open cohort study.…

by Kristina Fiore

Claims of unintended benefits of statins appear to be largely unsubstantiated and known risks — including liver and renal problems and myopathy — confirmed, British researchers concluded based on findings from a large prospective open cohort study.

The study involving more than two million people, “largely confirmed other studies that reported no clear association between statins and risk of cancers,” Julia Hippisley-Cox, MD, and Carol Coupland, MD, of the …

Physician voices

Can chest pain patients be evaluated in the ER waiting room?

MedPage Today

June 12, 2010Jun 12, 20106

by John Gever Emergency department patients with chest pain may safely be evaluated in the waiting room when necessary, researchers said. Among 303 patients triaged to waiting-room evaluation in a prospective study, no acute coronary syndromes were missed and adverse…

by John Gever

Emergency department patients with chest pain may safely be evaluated in the waiting room when necessary, researchers said.

Among 303 patients triaged to waiting-room evaluation in a prospective study, no acute coronary syndromes were missed and adverse event rates overall were lower than among 804 patients who were assessed in conventional monitored beds, reported Frank Scheuermeyer, MD, of St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, and colleagues online in …

Physician voices

Residents who specialize in surgery are influenced by family

MedPage Today

June 11, 2010Jun 11, 2010

by Chris Emery Single and childless surgical residents in the U.S. are more likely to pursue specialized surgical fellowships, and a majority of surgical residents believe a successful career depends upon specialty surgical training, a new survey found. Of residents…

by Chris Emery

Single and childless surgical residents in the U.S. are more likely to pursue specialized surgical fellowships, and a majority of surgical residents believe a successful career depends upon specialty surgical training, a new survey found.

Of residents who responded to the survey, 28.7% believed general surgery is becoming an obsolete career path (30.1% of men and 25.9% of women, P=0.004), and 55.1% believed specialty training is necessary for career …

Drugs and prescribing

Primary care antibiotic resistance for common infections

MedPage Today

June 10, 2010Jun 10, 2010

by Nancy Walsh Primary care patients prescribed an antibiotic for a urinary tract or respiratory infection consistently developed resistance to that antibiotic lasting as long as one year, a British meta-analysis revealed. In five studies that included 14,348 patients treated…

by Nancy Walsh

Primary care patients prescribed an antibiotic for a urinary tract or respiratory infection consistently developed resistance to that antibiotic lasting as long as one year, a British meta-analysis revealed.

In five studies that included 14,348 patients treated for urinary tract infections, within one month of receiving an antibiotic an individual patient’s odds ratio having a resistant pathogen was 4.40 (95% CI 3.78 to 5.12), according to Céire Costelloe, PhD, …

Conditions and diseases

Causes of stroke in young adults

MedPage Today

June 9, 2010Jun 9, 20102

by Todd Neale The recent stroke suffered by Delaware's attorney general Beau Biden, who is 41, has highlighted the fact that people of all ages are vulnerable, despite seemingly good health. A statement from Timothy Gardner, MD, medical director of…

by Todd Neale

The recent stroke suffered by Delaware’s attorney general Beau Biden, who is 41, has highlighted the fact that people of all ages are vulnerable, despite seemingly good health.

A statement from Timothy Gardner, MD, medical director of the Center for Heart and Vascular Surgery at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., where Biden was initially treated, said he had suffered a “mild stroke,” although it remains unknown whether …

Read more…

Causes of stroke in young adults

Physician voices

Interruptions in the emergency department can lead to errors

MedPage Today

June 8, 2010Jun 8, 20102

by Nancy Walsh Busy clinicians in the emergency department reduce the time they spend on clinical tasks when interrupted, working faster and possibly cutting corners, a prospective observational study found. Overall, clinicians were interrupted 6.6 times per hour, and 11%…

by Nancy Walsh

Busy clinicians in the emergency department reduce the time they spend on clinical tasks when interrupted, working faster and possibly cutting corners, a prospective observational study found.

Overall, clinicians were interrupted 6.6 times per hour, and 11% of all tasks were interrupted, according to Johanna I. Westbrook, PhD, of the University of Sydney, in Australia, and colleagues.

The mean “time on task” for uninterrupted tasks was 1 minute and 26 …

Health policy

Whistleblowers endure stress and personal hardship

MedPage Today

June 7, 2010Jun 7, 2010

by Charles Bankhead Whistle-blowers in the healthcare industry endure substantial hardship and often pay a high personal price for cooperating with Justice Department investigations, according to a report based on detailed interviews with more than two dozen informants. Loss of…

by Charles Bankhead

Whistle-blowers in the healthcare industry endure substantial hardship and often pay a high personal price for cooperating with Justice Department investigations, according to a report based on detailed interviews with more than two dozen informants.

Loss of employment, financial ruin, divorce, and a host of mental and physical health problems were common consequences of individuals’ decisions to report corporate fraud.

Cases can drag on for years before reaching a resolution, …

Health policy

Should Americans be forced to buy health insurance?

MedPage Today

June 6, 2010Jun 6, 20109

by Joyce Frieden When it comes to the healthcare reform law, no provision is more controversial than the individual mandate – the part that requires every citizen to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. More than 20 state attorneys…

by Joyce Frieden

When it comes to the healthcare reform law, no provision is more controversial than the individual mandate – the part that requires every citizen to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty.

More than 20 state attorneys general are suing the federal government over the health reform law, in large part because of this provision. Several states have already passed laws declaring an individual mandate unenforceable in their state, …

Health policy

Will healthcare reform survive the Supreme Court?

MedPage Today

June 5, 2010Jun 5, 20107

by Joyce Frieden Partisan wrangling aside, the Supreme Court will have to address serious constitutional questions about the healthcare reform law, and it's far from clear how the justices will decide the issues, legal scholars say. So far, 21 state…

by Joyce Frieden

Partisan wrangling aside, the Supreme Court will have to address serious constitutional questions about the healthcare reform law, and it’s far from clear how the justices will decide the issues, legal scholars say.

So far, 21 state attorneys general are suing to overturn the law on constitutional grounds. One of their arguments is that by forcing individuals to either buy health insurance or pay a fine, the law violates …

Drugs and prescribing

Doctors can report bad drug ads to the FDA

MedPage Today

June 4, 2010Jun 4, 20102

by John Gever A new FDA program seeks to enlist healthcare professionals in flagging improper sales tactics for prescription drugs. Although the agency calls the program "Bad Ad," its interest goes beyond broadcast and print advertisements to include misleading in-person…

by John Gever

A new FDA program seeks to enlist healthcare professionals in flagging improper sales tactics for prescription drugs.

Although the agency calls the program “Bad Ad,” its interest goes beyond broadcast and print advertisements to include misleading in-person presentations.

Housed within the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communication (DDMAC), the program is intended to increase the number of eyes and ears available to monitor pharmaceutical companies’ promotional activities — especially …

Physician voices

BMI should be routinely measured in pediatric patients

MedPage Today

June 3, 2010Jun 3, 20108

by Emily P. Walker Physicians should record body mass index (BMI) of their pediatric patients during routine offices visits, according to a sweeping new plan laid out by a White House task force on ways to shrink childhood obesity rates…

by Emily P. Walker

Physicians should record body mass index (BMI) of their pediatric patients during routine offices visits, according to a sweeping new plan laid out by a White House task force on ways to shrink childhood obesity rates over the next 20 years.

The inter-agency President’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity was formed three months ago as part of the Let’s Move! initiative and was given 90 days to draft …

Physician voices

Working overtime can increase coronary artery disease risk

MedPage Today

June 2, 2010Jun 2, 2010

by Todd Neale British civil servants working three to four hours longer than usual per day appear to have an increased risk of having a coronary heart disease event, a prospective cohort study showed. After accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk…

by Todd Neale

British civil servants working three to four hours longer than usual per day appear to have an increased risk of having a coronary heart disease event, a prospective cohort study showed.

After accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and other variables, those working 11 to 12 hours per day had a 56 percent greater risk of coronary death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or angina than those who worked normal hours, …