Clinical Psychiatry News articles from April 2003

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from April 2003

Film therapy can engage patients. (Adjunctive Technique to CBT).
April 1, 2003... Now playing at selected psychiatry practices: Hollywood movies that facilitate therapy. Viewing and discussing commercial films--known variously as movie, reel, cinema, or film therapy--is not a distinct modality but an adjunct to...

Alcohol abuse among the elderly is serious problem: comorbid disorders such as depression are more common in older alcoholics. (Big Impact on Cognitive Function).
April 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- Problem drinking among the elderly is prevalent and has a significant impact on cognitive function and quality of life, speakers said at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Of 408 patients...

Psychiatry is continuing to make modest gains: of U.S. seniors, 4% chose the specialty. (Match Day 2003).
April 1, 2003... Psychiatric residency programs continued their steady climb in this year's Match Day results. The National Resident Matching Program reports that 916 graduating seniors filled 986 positions in general psychiatry in 2003. The tally includes...

Pediatric bipolarity and ADHD: comorbidity may be uncommon. (Conflicts with Harvard Numbers).
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- The true rate of comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with bipolarity may not be nearly as high as is often claimed, Dr. Willis Holloway said at a symposium on addictive disorders sponsored by...

Acute mental health system needs more study. (President's New Freedom Commission).
April 1, 2003... ARLINGTON, VA.--The U.S. system for acute mental health care is in such disrepair that a national working group should be formed to study this poorly examined problem, subcommittee members said at a meeting of the President's New Freedom...

Exposure to TV violence linked to aggression in adulthood. (15-Year Follow-Up).
April 1, 2003... Childhood exposure to television violence produces aggressive children who grow up to become violent adults, according to the findings of a longitudinal study, reported by L. Rowell Huesmann, Ph.D., and his associates at the University of...

Antabuse no panacea for alcoholism. (Patient Selection Critica).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Antabuse has only limited use in the treatment of alcoholism, Dr. Michael E. Scott said at a psychopharmacology conference sponsored by the University of Arizona, but the drug can help certain patients, especially those who are...

New guidelines to shape Tx for inhalant abuse. (Treatment Often Complicated).
April 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Treating patients who abuse inhalants is more complicated than treating those who abuse other drugs, a new advisory says. That's because inhalant abuse patients often abuse other drugs and "have a chaotic family life, low...

Forced medication case reaches Supreme Court. (Spotlight on Newer Antipsychotics).
April 1, 2003... The question of whether mentally ill criminal defendants can be forcibly medicated reached the U.S. Supreme Court last month for the first time in more than 10 years--and for the first time since atypical antipsychotic drugs have been in wide...

U.S. Supreme Court upholds two megan's law statutes. (Connecticut and Alaska Cases).
April 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Megan's Law statutes in two key decisions. Those rulings, made last month, mark the first by the high court on Megan's Laws, which are designed to ensure that the public can obtain...

Sexual assault cases result in a guilty verdict or plea 85% of the time. (Data Watch).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... DATA WATCH Sexual Assault Cases Result in a Guilty Verdict or Plea 85% of the Time Guilty Plea 70% Victim Declined to Prosecute/Testify 1% Assailant Acquitted 5% Case Dismissed ...

Fink! Still at large. (Self-Disclosure).
April 1, 2003... In "Antwone Fisher," a movie about a young sailor with an uncontrollable temper who ultimately transforms his life despite an abusive childhood, the Navy psychiatrist shares with his patient some intensely personal issues. At what point is...

Letters.
April 1, 2003... High-Flying Ambition I'm an 18-year-old college student in Colorado, and my dad is a psychiatrist in Colorado Springs. He gave me this article to read, and I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it ("High-Achieving Women," Fink! Still at...

Are the parents depressed? (Guest Editorial).
April 1, 2003... We all know that children develop within the context of families. That's why I believe that physicians treating children must address questions about major family stresses, violence in the home, discord, and parental health--especially...

Delusions of psychiatrists. (Guest Editorial).
April 1, 2003... Forensic psychiatrists regularly practice a deception that I wish to bring to your attention. My awareness of this deception began a few years ago, when a 10-year-old boy was found with his throat cut in the city of Oceanside, Calif. ...

Physicians vs. bioterrorism. (Guest Editorial).
April 1, 2003... The proliferation of biological weapons poses a growing strategic threat, and physicians have two roles to play in the fight against these agents. First, we can work against the misuse of biological research and support the development of...

Let's talk about sex. (Guest Editorial).
April 1, 2003... Now more than ever, it's important for physicians to have a broad perspective on the subject of sexual health. Today's consumers are much more sophisticated. They are inundated with information about what should be considered normal,...

Girls acting too old, too fast. (Guest Editorial).
April 1, 2003... Young girls in this country are losing their childhoods by mimicking the appearance and social behavior of older teens. You must make an effort to spot the telltale signs and warn both patients and parents of the potentially dangerous...

Should medicare cover PET scans for Alzheimer's disease? (Pro & Con).
April 1, 2003... Dr. Gary Small YES The diagnosis of dementia in Alzheimer's disease is not straightforward. With current clinical approaches, it can often take years for a physician to feel confident enough to make a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's...

Practical psychopharmacology. (Atypical Antipsychotics).
April 1, 2003... Atypical antipsychotics recently have come into the mainstream of bipolar disorder treatment--and not just for acute mania. While researchers debate whether these drugs are true mood stabilizers, clinicians use them with increasing frequency...

Careful monitoring of children on atypicals is critical. (Fasting Glucose, Lipids Every 3 Months).
April 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Olanzapine and risperidone use in children and adolescents is associated with significantly more weight gain than quetiapine, according to preliminary results from a prospective study. The findings suggest that clinical...

Hepatitis C Tx side effects. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Treatment of neuropsychiatric side effects of interferon-[alpha]-2b therapy for chronic hepatitis C should be based on pretreatment psychiatric measures, because not all patients will need treatment, reported Dr. Eric Dieperink of the...

Bipolar episode prophylaxis. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Lithium is preferred over carbamazepine in bipolar patients who have not been treated prophylactically with mood stabilizers, said Dr. Erwin G. Th.M. Hartong of the Institute for Clinical Psychiatric Research, The Hague, and his colleagues (J....

Chromium, atypical depression. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Chromium picolinate appears to be effective for improving the symptoms of atypical depression, said Dr. Jonathan R.T. Davidson of Duke University Durham, N.C., and his colleagues. After 8 weeks of treatment in a randomized, double-blind...

Acetyl-L-Carnitine & Alzheimer's. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Patients with mild Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment benefit from treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine, according to a metaanalysis of 21 placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trials. Dr. Stuart A. Montgomery of the...

Acute bipolar mania treatment. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Risperidone added to a mood stabilizer improves manic or mixed episodes of bipolar disorder faster than a mood stabilizer alone, reported Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and associates. The mean...

New stress-buster drugs block hormone binding. (Compounds Target Chronic Anxiety).
April 1, 2003... NEW YORK - Get ready for the stress busters. A new class of anxiety-relieving drugs--agents that interrupt core hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress signals--will emerge in the next 2-3 years, predicted Dr. George Chrousos, chief of...

Relieve range of neuropathic pain in diabetics. (159 Patients Tracked).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Controlled-release oxycodone relieves several types of neuropathic pain in patients with diabetes, reported Mark P. Jensen, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and his associates. After 6 weeks of treatment in a...

The tribulations of trials: how to read the studies. (Watch for Inconsistencies).
April 1, 2003... NEW YORK--In evaluating the relative efficacy of antidepressant medications, research studies should be a useful guide. But the unwary can be easily misled by inconsistencies in analysis and reporting, Dr. Norman Sussman said at a conference on...

Escitalopram Tx leads to remission in GAD. (Three 8-Week Studies).(generalized anxiety disorder)
April 1, 2003... Escitalopram is effective for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in San Juan, P.R. After 8 weeks, the rate of remission is similar to...

Consider escitalopram first for severe major depression. (Most Selective SSRI to Date).
April 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Esciralopram, a recently approved antidepressant that contains the stereoisomer responsible for citalopram's serotonin reuptake inhibition, was more effective than the older drug in severe depression, Dr. Jack M. Gorman reported in a...

Escitalopram effective, well tolerated depression Tx in primary care setting. (Randomized Controlled Trial).
April 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Escitalopram appears to be an effective antidepressant for use in the primary care setting, Dr. Alan G. Wade said in a poster session at a meeting of the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit sponsored by the National Institute...

Benzodiazepines are best for alcohol withdrawal. (Match Drug, Dose to Patient).
April 1, 2003... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Benzodiazepines are the best choice for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. However, care should be taken in matching the drug and dose to the individual patient, Dr. Michael B. Scott said at a psychopharmacology conference...

Lack of response psychopharmacology in dual-diagnosis patients? Try higher doses. (Mental Illness, Substance Abuse).
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- A major reason for lack of response to psychiatric medications in patients with comorbid mental illness and substance abuse is that dual-diagnosis patients often require higher dosing than those with psychiatric disorders...

Prescribe an extra pill to some patients. (Addictive Disorders).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- When physicians must prescribe high-risk medications to patients with addictive disorders, they might wish to prescribe one or two extra tablets, Dr. Michael E. Scott said at a psychopharmacology conference sponsored by the...

Opioids for headache pain can backfire. (Rehab Program Proves Beneficial).
April 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- People who take opioids for chronic headache pain experience greater pain severity and more interference in their daily functioning than do headache sufferers who do not take opioids, according to a study presented at the annual...

Two novel therapies help intractable cluster headache. (Study of 125 Patients).
April 1, 2003... DENVER -- Two last-ditch surgical approaches--percutaneous radiofrequency trigeminal rhizolysis and deep-brain electrode stimulation--proved highly effective for intractable, chronic duster headache in studies presented at the annual meeting of...

Severe, intractable headaches reported after botox injections. (Small Case Series).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Injections of botulinum toxin A may be related to severe, intractable headaches that can last as long as 4 weeks, and patients should be informed of that possibility, reported Dr. Murad Alam, a dermatologist who is in group practice in Houston,...

Don't fear benzodiazepines for sleep problems. (Benadryl Called Ineffective).
April 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Physicians need to take their patients' sleep complaints more seriously and be careful about underprescribing medications such as benzodiazepines, Dr. Mark W Mahowald said at a clinical symposium sponsored by the American College of...

New electrical therapy may relieve low back pain. (Noninvasive Treatment).
April 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Percutaneous neuromodulation therapy appears to be an effective, noninvasive treatment for subacute radiating lower back pain, said Dr. Joanne Borg-Stein of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Wellesley, Mass. Percutaneous...

Pay heed to patients' assessments of pain level. (Watch for Signs of Depression).
April 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Physical functioning is worse in chronic pain patients when physicians underestimate the patient's subjective level of pain, according to the findings of a recent study. The mean standardized score on a visual analog, scale...

Educating, communicating about pain increase patient satisfaction. (Power of Perception).
April 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- When chronic pain patients felt educated by their physician about the pain, they tended to be satisfied with their care in a recent study. Those patients whose physician disagreed with the patient's assessment of the level of...

Stigma continues to impede acceptance of ECT. (New Research Validates Efficacy).
April 1, 2003... Recent research reinforces existing findings that electroconvulsive therapy is effective for depression. But the stigma surrounding ECT is keeping it from widespread acceptance among both physicians and patients. Images from the...

Blood pressure boost can help ischemic stroke patients. (Departure from Standard Care).
April 1, 2003... DENVER -- Temporarily inducing blood pressure elevations in patients with acute or subacute ischemic strokes resulted in reperfusion of ischemic brain tissue--and significantly improved function--in a small prospective, randomized trial. ...

PTSD underrecognized in pregnancy, childbirth. (Look for Signs).(posttraumatic stress disorder )
April 1, 2003... NEW YORK -- Pregnancy and childbirth should be added to the risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder and a diagnostic code for traumatic childbirth should be created, according to Dr. Diana Dell. "Every obstetrician and gynecologist...

Cognitive changes not inevitable after CABG. (First Prospective Study).(coronary artery bypass grafting )
April 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Cognitive changes after coronary artery bypass grafting are transient and reversible at 3 months and at 1 year after surgery, Ola Selnes, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The findings...

Epoetin alfa may keep breast cancer patients sharp. (Prevents Cognitive Dysfunction).
April 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- Epoetin alfa shows considerable promise for prevention of the cognitive dysfunction associated with adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, Dr. Joyce O'Shaughnessy said at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the San...

Breast cancer exacts higher psychosocial toll. (7 Million Women Surveyed).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- Breast cancer has a worse impact on psychosocial status and functional capacity than other forms of cancer in women, according to a huge national survey. Other studies reviewed the psychosocial status of breast cancer...

Tobacco-free chemical dependence treatment facilities advocated. (Smoking Undercuts Therapy).
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Allowing inpatients who are at chemical dependence treatment facilities to go outside to smoke is an outdated and indefensible practice--yet it is still the norm across the country Dr. Elizabeth B. Stuyt said at a symposium...

Peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome. (Alternative Medicine).
April 1, 2003... * Peppermint oil, long a popular aid for gastrointestinal symptoms, has shown benefits in some, though not all, studies evaluating its use in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. * Enteric-coated capsules reduce the likelihood of...

FDA proposes regulating dietary supplements. (Focus on Safety, not Efficacy).
April 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration has addressed the growing public unease about the safety of dietary supplements by proposing industrywide "current good manufacturing practices." As the popularity of herbs and other natural remedies has...

Drug pipeline is fat with weight-loss agents. (Obesity Increasing 1 % A Year in U.S.).
April 1, 2003... Never before, perhaps, have so many novel obesity drugs been in the pipeline. One of those drugs, Axokine, recently received fast-track approval status from the Food and Drug Administration--a first for an obesity drug. The fast-track...

Modest behavior changes could reverse obesity trend. (Message Counters Prevailing Pessimism).
April 1, 2003... The constant expansion of the national waistline seems inexorable, but turning around the trend could be relatively simple. All that's needed is 15 minutes of walking a day--or just fewer bites of oversized portions, according to James O....

FDA probes ephedra, proposes warning label. (Risk of Heart Attack, Seizure, Stroke).
April 1, 2003... Individuals should avoid or use extreme caution before taking ephedra while the Food and Drug Administration investigates whether the substance should be placed under greater control or banned, federal officials announced. In February the...

Eating disorders not so obvious in real kids. (Catch Signs Before it's Too Late).
April 1, 2003... Just flip through any teen magazine, tune into prime-time television, or drive by a fashion billboard in any U.S. city to see how society bombards children and teenagers with images of thinness, Dr. Michael S. Jellinek says. Physicians'...

Dialectical behavior therapy promising for binge eating. (Encouraging Early Data).
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- The hottest development in the treatment of binge eating disorder is dialectical behavior therapy. "It looks really, really promising," according to Susan M. Cooper, Ph.D., who said that the first few published clinical...

Exposure therapy a success in chronic PTSD. (Patients Improve in Nine Sessions).(posttraumatic stress disorder)
April 1, 2003... LOS ANGELES -- Exposure therapy is one of the most successful strategies for patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder, Edna Foa, Ph.D., said at a meeting on posttraumatic stress disorder sponsored by the Foundation for Psychocultural...

CBT improves fibromyalgia in children. (Better Quality of Life).(Cognitive-behavioral therapy )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Cognitive-behavioral therapy can dramatically improve functional status and quality of life for children with fibromyalgia. Patients with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome who completed a manualized cognitive-behavioral...

Language disorders can damage development. (Children Adolescents).
April 1, 2003... BOSTON -- Developmental language disorders can wreak havoc on the social development of children and adolescents. Deficits in the comprehension, production, and/or use of language can lead to self-regulatory problems, self-perception...

Patients often contact therapist after termination of psychoanalysis. (Medication Management Common).
April 1, 2003... NEW YORK -- When psychoanalysis is over, it isn't all over. Heretical as it may seem to some purists, posttermination contact is frequent. In fact, most analysts are open to it, and many actively encourage it, Dr. Suzanne Yang reported in a...

Music therapy, guided imagery lower pain, anxiety. (Women Post-Op).
April 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Brief music therapy sessions with guided imagery were useful for reducing postoperative pain, anxiety, and medication use during the postoperative period in a recent study of women undergoing major gynecologic surgery. In 81...

Reel life. (Beloved).(Movie Review)
April 1, 2003... Oprah Winfrey wanted "Beloved" to be an experience, not just entertainment. The film, like Toni Morrison's novel, was meant to answer the question: What was it like to be a slave? In answering it, Morrison makes her readers feel, perhaps...

Office of combination products. (FYI).(Food and Drug Administration establishes new office)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration has established an office to streamline the processing of complex drug-device, drug-biologic, and device-biologic combination products. The Office of Combination Products will be part of the Office of the...

Quality measures Web site. (FYI).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has launched a Web-based National Quality Measures Clearinghouse where users can search for measures that target a particular disease, treatment, age range, gender, vulnerable population, setting...

Risks of obesity. (FYI).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Web site, www.WeightRisks.com, is designed to educate patients about the short- and long-term health risks associated with gaining weight and being overweight. Visitors can calculate their Body Mass Index, and obtain information on...

ADHD in girls and women. (FYI).(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A new report available from the National Women's Health Resource Center describes how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects girls and women. "ADHD and Women's Health" details the latest research on the disorder and how it...

Online nutrition resource. (FYI).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A nutrition Web site offers information from the 2000 National Nutrition Summit and the 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health. The Web site includes speeches and videocasts from the summit, and journal articles and program...

Palliative care for HIV/AIDS. (FYI).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Department of Health and Human Services has released "A Clinical Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for HIV/AIDS." It provides practical guidelines for providing palliative care and supportive services to patients with HIV/AIDS. The...

Effexor XR sprinkles. (FYI).(method of dosage for antidepressant medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Sprinkle administration of Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) has been approved for the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Patients with swallowing difficulties can open the capsule and sprinkle the contents onto a spoonful of...

Plan now for looming HIPAA security provisions. (Must be Implemented by 2005).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, compliance)
April 1, 2003... Even though the deadline for complying with new federal health security regulations is 2 years away, physicians need to start planning for it now, according to experts familiar with the regulations. "Doctors shouldn't think that the...

HIPAA drives encrypted E-Mail. (Privacy, Security Requirements).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Physicians using regular e-mail to communicate with patients are strongly advised to switch to a secure messaging service that will meet new HIPAA requirements, said Dr. C.T. Lin, senior medical director of informatics at...

Medicare gaps often hurt women more than men. (Long-Term Care Coverage).
April 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Much attention has been paid to the problems caused by the lack of a prescription drug benefit in the Medicare program--a shortfall that affects many beneficiaries. But there are many other gaps that hurt women more than men,...

Medicare cuts could take toll on practices. (Surveys Suggest Widespread Impact).
April 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The ongoing drop in Medicare reimbursement has forced physicians like Dr. Michele O'Fallon to dip into their own pockets to keep their practices afloat. After she found herself unable to pay her bills, Dr. O'Fallon used her...

Physician advisory council may drop medicaid oversight. (Lack of Time, Resources).
April 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- A federal advisory panel that addresses physician payment issues will limit or possibly eliminate Medicaid deliberations from its purview. The Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (PPAC) no longer has the time or the...

As Americans age, health system will change. (Demographic, Epidemiologic Transition).
April 1, 2003... The aging U.S. and world populations are expected to bring many challenges to health care, including more chronic and degenerative diseases and higher costs, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The...

Step in if a colleague is impaired. (Never Confront the Person Alone).
April 1, 2003... Last year, Dr. Dana Ware was stunned when a fellow physician arrived for work clearly impaired. "If he came into the ER as a patient, you would say, 'This person is under the influence of something,'" recalls Dr. Ware, a family physician...

Web site to help seniors get drug-cost assistance. (Free Service).
April 1, 2003... To help older patients find out if they are eligible for prescription drug assistance, consider referring them to www.benefitscheckuprx.com. This free service, developed by the National Council on the Aging, allows seniors or caregivers to...

Abuse liability of oxycodone nil at acute doses. (18 Non-Drug-Abusing Volunteers).
April 1, 2003... LAS VEGAS -- After exposure to various dose levels of oxycodone over 6 hours, patients had liking and wanting ratings no different from placebo 24 hours later, according to results from a study designed to characterize the drug abuse liability...

DEA plans to double physicians' annual license fee. (Backlash Expected).(Drug Enforcement Administration)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The annual license fee physicians pay to prescribe controlled drugs may double, to $130 a year, under a new initiative by the Drug Enforcement Administration to combat prescription drug abuse. With the extra money brought in from the higher...

Physician fear of controlled substance prescribing overblown. (Complaints Engender Scrutiny).
April 1, 2003... New York -- Many doctors are afraid that they will get into trouble with the Drug Enforcement Administration every time they write a prescription for a controlled substance, but those fears are overblown, according to one DEA official. ...

Teamwork is needed to tackle shortages in child psychiatry. (Primary Care Physicians Must be Involved).
April 1, 2003... The plight of children in Maine needing psychiatric treatment is a microcosm of a nationwide problem, physicians working in Maine told this newspaper. This is a powerful call for mental health professionals and primary care physicians to...

Then and now: seeing the evolution of psychiatric diagnosis. (Count On Comorbidities).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Psychiatrists who are middle-aged or older have been on the scene long enough to recall an era of psychiatric diagnosis that their younger colleagues will find utterly foreign. "When I trained years ago, there was a...

Government puts $100 million into disease prevention. (Effort to Reform Risky Behaviors).
April 1, 2003... ST. LOUIS -- Obesity, diabetes, and tobacco-related illnesses are killing hundreds of thousands of Americans at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars every year, and it's time to focus on prevention rather than treatment, Secretary of...

Race, ethnicity categories proposed for drug trials. (Responses May Differ).
April 1, 2003... ROCKVILLE, MD.--A standardized approach to collecting data in people from different ethnic and racial groups in new drug trials has been recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. The proposal reflects the increased awareness that...