Clinical Psychiatry News articles from November 2005

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from November 2005

Late-life psychosis: more study needed.(Adult Psychiatry)(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Late-onset schizophrenia and related psychoses most often improve or remain stable rather than deteriorate over time, contrary to what some clinicians may think, Dilip V. Jeste, M.D., said at the 12th Congress of the International...

Wholesale price increases for psychiatric drugs in patients aged 50 and older.(VITAL SIGNS)(Statistical table)
November 1, 2005... Wholesale Price Increases for Psychiatric Drugs In Patients Aged 50 and Older Average 3-Month Percent Change Antipsychotics 2.9% SSRI antidepressants 2.9% Antidementia agents 4% Anticonvulsants 4% Narcotic...

Atomoxetine gets black box despite dearth of data: FDA cites increased risk of suicidality.(News)
November 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration's public health advisory on a potential increased risk of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents taking atomoxetine is a cautious move, given the paucity of data. But the data should not be ignored,...

Antidepressant 'rookies' are more likely to quit.(Drug overview)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Patients who are new to antidepressant therapy are at the greatest risk of discontinuing therapy, and that risk is greatest at the time of first prescription refill, Mark Vanelli, M.D., reported during a poster session at the...

Childhood insomnia TX highly variable.(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- Child psychiatrists view insomnia as "a major problem" in nearly one-third of their patients, according to a national survey. The questionnaire survey completed by 1,271 actively practicing members of the American Academy of...

Teen sex, drug use may bring on depression.(News)
November 1, 2005... Adolescents who engage in sex and drug behaviors are at risk for future depression, reported Denise D. Hallfors, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In their study, the association existed among...

When first drug fails in resistant depression, consider a different class.(Drug overview)
November 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Time is a crucial factor in depression treatment. Repeated failed trials and delay in achieving an adequate response take a cumulative toll on patient morale, ability to function, and finances. "The longer the episode goes on,...

Risk predictions can guide Alzheimer's treatment: large study of cost and mortality suggests that more emphasis should be placed on palliative care.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... It is possible to figure out which Alzheimer's patients are more likely to die within a year, according to a study by Robert J. Newcomer, Ph.D., and colleagues. And having that information might lead to more palliative care and less-aggressive...

Clinical methods rival imaging for Alzheimer's diagnosis.(News)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may be just as accurate as neuroimaging, blood work, and interview of a knowledgeable informant, David A. Bennett, M.D., said at an international conference sponsored by the Alzheimer's...

More thoughts about terrorism.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... I enjoy Dr. Paul J. Fink's column and would like to address the one on terrorism ("Exploring Terrorists' Motivations," Fink! Still at Large, October 2005, p. 19). First, what "kind of belief" is it that leads to the "murder of innocent...

Parity is not enough.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... I was both heartened and disappointed by the recent article about the effort by many organizations to push for mental health parity--as well as other issues ("Groups Join Forces in Fight for Mental Health Reform," September 2005, p. 1). In...

Clozapine and black patients.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... The article about clozapine and black patients was interesting and informative ("Clozapine Underused for Black Patients With Psychosis," September 2005, p. 27). Besides lower leukocyte ranges that black patients tend to have, several other...

Thoughts about the real 'snake pit'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... As probably one of the few survivors, if not the sole survivor, of the medical staff involved in the hospital experience of "Virginia"--or Mary Jane Ward (not her real name)--I was nostalgically moved by Dr. Roland Atkinson's sensitive and...

A bittersweet look back.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... Dr. Roland Atkinson might be interested to know that my father, Moses Ralph Kaufman, M.D., who was for many years chairman of psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, spent the summer of 1947 or 1948 in Hollywood, where he was the...

More thoughts on dog phobias.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... I would like to thank Dr. Robert T. London for his informative article about a quite distressing phobia ("Beating Dog Phobias," The Psychiatrist's Toolbox, September 2005, p. 22). I have a question for him: Would you treat a dog phobia in...

Can't nap? No coffee? Try coughing.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2005... I agree with Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins' suggestions, but when I'm on the highway, a parking place (for a nap) or a fast-food resource (for coffee) is not available ("Driving While Drowsy: How to Stop," The Rest of Your Life, August 2005, p....

Food and the brain.(behavior of obese persons)
November 1, 2005... A general, unsubstantiated misconception exists about the severely obese. The assumption, often made by mental health professionals, is that these patients have some form of Axis II personality disorder. I'm not so sure that I agree. ...

Ethics and stem cell testing.(testing and approval of treatment methods)
November 1, 2005... As scientists move forward with their research on human neural stem cells, we must look ahead to how we can test these potential therapies in an ethical manner. Recently I was a member of a multidisciplinary working group that examined...

The complexity of anonymity.(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)(patient privacy)(Column)
November 1, 2005... Let's say a patient seeks treatment from you but insists on using another name and paying for services and medication with cash. Would it be an ethical violation for you as a psychiatrist to treat that patient? Protection Against Insurance...

The humble art of family life.(movies)
November 1, 2005... Movies about families are a staple of the film world, but rarely are we treated to a picture about an average family, one that is not imploding from trauma or psychopathology, a family that functions well enough--and is lucky enough--to be...

Identifying depression: we must do more.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
November 1, 2005... National Depression Screening Day is a great step forward. That's why I agreed to help screen potential patients during the 15th annual event last month at Lutheran Medical Center in New York City. After all, getting more involved in the early...

Liver damage data prompt new alert on duloxetine label.(drug information and usage)
November 1, 2005... Duloxetine hydrochloride should not be prescribed to patients with substantial alcohol use or evidence of chronic liver disease, according to a safety alert issued by the Food and Drug Administration and Eli Lilly & Co. Postmarketing...

Maternal citalopram treatment prompts 228 adverse event reports.(drug usages)
November 1, 2005... ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. -- A total of 228 adverse events associated with the use of citalopram during pregnancy has been reported to the Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System since the drug was approved in 1998, J. Edward...

Quetiapine monotherapy appears effective for bipolar II depression.(care and treatment)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2005... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Quetiapine monotherapy looks promising for treating bipolar II depression, particularly for patients with rapid cycling disease, but clinical improvements come at the cost of increased adverse events, Trisha Suppes, M.D.,...

Study dispels 'myth' about bipolar mania.(research)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Antidepressants do not increase the risk of switching a patient with bipolar II disorder into hypomania, mania, or a mixed episode, according to a longitudinal observational study. The extent to which antidepressants...

Lithium, olanzapine affect different domains in bipolar.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Both olanzapine and lithium can improve cognitive function in patients with nonrelapsing bipolar disorder, but the agents produce benefits in different domains, according to a poster presented at a meeting of the New...

Multidrug strategies for bipolar maintenance remain unproven.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... PITTSBURGH -- The majority of patients with bipolar disorder are maintained on multiple medications, yet there is scant evidence that this strategy is more effective than monotherapy. As a result, monotherapy with an optimized regimen of a...

Postearthquake PTSD.(care and treatment)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2005... Early mental health intervention after an earthquake may help to keep posttraumatic stress disorder from becoming chronic, reported Abdurrahman Altindag, M.D., of Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey, and associates. Within 1 month after...

Treating depression in the elderly.(care and treatment)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Neither escitalopram nor fluoxetine demonstrated efficacy superior to placebo for major depressive disorder in elderly patients, reported Siegfried Kasper, M.D., of the Medical University of Vienna, and associates. In an 8-week trial, 514...

Bad neighborhoods affect caregivers.(glucose function)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Caregivers who fear neighborhood crime may be at greater risk of impaired glucose control, according to Beverly H. Brummett, Ph.D., of Duke University, Durham, N.C., and her associates. In a regression analysis largely comprising...

Risperidone and acute mania.(care and treatment)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2005... Bipolar patients with severe manic symptoms showed significant improvement as early as 1 week after initiating risperidone monotherapy, compared with placebo users, reported Sumant Khanna, M.D., of the Psychiatric Clinic, Vasant Vihar, New...

The art of Sheila Mann.(care and treatment)(achievements)
November 1, 2005... Sheila Mann fought for years to express her happier side in her art, but the depression always seemed to push through. Her early work involved many self-portraits, and while the work was vividly colorful and edgy, her expressions were serious...

Psychosis diagnosis needs to be revisited over time.(diagnosis)
November 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- The diagnosis of psychosis cannot be made on the basis of a single clinical encounter. "You have to look at the whole course" to distinguish among the various psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder, Ronald Rieder, M.D., said at a...

What predisposes patients to late-onset bipolar? Affective vulnerability, cerebrovascular pathology may play large role in allowing mania to develop.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- The combination of neurologic comorbidity and affective or genetic vulnerability may account for most cases of onset bipolar mania, Kenneth I. Shulman, M.D., said at the 12th Congress of the International Psychogeriatric...

Adjunctive pharmacotherapy useful for borderline patients.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Psychosocial therapy is widely acknowledged as the primary treatment for borderline personality disorder, but adjunctive pharmacotherapy is often indicated to control some of the symptoms of BPD: affective dysregulation,...

Treatment-resistant OCD.(obsessive-compulsive disorder )
November 1, 2005... Treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder is coming out of the shadows--slowly. OCD is more common than schizophrenia; it may cause equivalent disability, and is associated with high rates of suicide. Even by modest criteria...

Vardenafil found superior for improving premature ejaculation.(care and treatment)
November 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- Vardenafil improved premature ejaculation more than sertraline, Frank Sommer, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association. Both vardenafil (Levitra), a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, and...

TV watching, parental support predict bullying.(child psychology)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Children who receive cognitive stimulation and emotional support from their parents when they are 4 years old are less likely to become bullies, but early television watching promotes bullying, reported Frederick J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., and his...

Some developmentally disabled see benefits from aripiprazole.(care and treatment)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- The atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole reduced symptoms such as aggression, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in 56% of 32 children with developmental disabilities, according to Maria R. Valicenti-McDermott, M.D., and Howard Demb,...

Young girls may be just as aggressive as young boys.(youth behavior)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- While the bulk of current literature suggests that young girls exhibit less verbal and physical aggressive behavior than young boys, results from a new analysis funded by the National Institute of Mental Health suggest that may not...

ADHD can arise after head injuries.(care and treatment)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Secondary attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was diagnosed in 15 of 103 children (15%) aged 5-14 years who were assessed 12 months after a traumatic head injury, said Jeffrey E. Max, M.B., of the University of California, San Diego, and...

Popular ethnic students likely to smoke.(smoking habits)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Popular nonwhite middle-school students were significantly more likely to smoke than were less popular peers, according to data from 1,486 sixth- and seventh-grade children in 16 southern California schools, said Thomas W. Valente, Ph.D., and...

Bipolarity affects bowel behavior.(care and treatment)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Encopresis and enuresis were more common in a cohort of 93 children and adolescents aged 7-16 years with early adolescent bipolar disorder I phenotype, compared with 81 children with ADHD and 94 healthy controls, wrote Tricia Klages and her...

Teen opioid treatments compared.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... A combination of buprenorphine and behavioral intervention was significantly more effective than clonidine and behavioral intervention for the treatment of opioid dependence in adolescents, said Lisa A. Marsch, Ph.D.--who conducted the study...

CBT benefits endure for OCD patients.(Cognitive-behavioral therapy)(obsessive-compulsive disorder)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... Cognitive-behavioral therapy provided relief for children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder at 12-18 months' follow-up, said Paula Barrett, Ph.D., of Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, and her associates. In a study of...

For the cognitively impaired, start planning early: identify key people who can help patients make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- When it comes to helping adolescents with Down syndrome and other cognitive disabilities transition to adult services, the earlier the better, William I. Cohen, M.D., advised at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental...

Home visitors may need more training to spot delays.(childhood language delays diagnosis)
November 1, 2005... A home visit program designed to identify early childhood language delays not only failed to spot most delayed children, but also failed to refer the vast majority of identified children for further evaluation or intervention. The results...

Project taps into sick kids' psychosocial needs.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... When Jennifer Swanberg, Ph.D., gave cameras to a group of sick children, she expected pictures describing their battle against debilitating illness. What she got were pictures of kids being kids--and that, she said, was even more powerful....

Using five-tiered system can double rate of autism diagnosis.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- A tiered diagnostic work-up can double the rate of diagnosis of the syndromes and conditions associated with early-childhood autism, G. Bradley Schaefer, M.D., reported at a meeting sponsored by the American College of...

Study finds no correlation between autism, macrocephaly.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- There appear to be no differences in the mean head circumference between children with and without autism, results from a population-based case-control study show. The finding differs from other smaller studies that have...

CPAP may improve cognition in Alzheimer's.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Continuous positive airway pressure)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- Continuous positive airway pressure improved both excessive daytime sleepiness and--in a particularly encouraging finding--cognitive function in a randomized trial involving Alzheimer's disease patients with obstructive sleep apnea,...

Study is shedding light on predementia criteria: multicenter European trial examined progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Preliminary results of the ongoing European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium's DESCRIPA study are pointing the way toward clinical criteria that may help single out which types of mild cognitive impairment lead to Alzheimer's...

Risperidone eases some symptoms of dementia: dose of about 1 mg per day brings improvements, but risk of cerebrovascular events rises threefold.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Off-label use of low-dose risperidone is effective in treating the behavioral and psychological symptoms of patients with dementia, but clinicians must balance the drug's usefulness with its increased risk of cerebrovascular...

Most clinicians opt not to disclose dementia diagnosis.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Clinicians shy away from disclosing a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and its potential to convert to Alzheimer's disease. They also differ in how they word the disclosure when they opt to share the diagnosis and...

Atypical Parkinson's takes heaviest toll on patients.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Atypical Parkinson's disease took the most profound toll on patients' ability to carry out essential daily activities among six chronic neurologic disorders evaluated in a study of disability and quality of life. Lisa M....

Bright light therapy also looks promising for primary insomnia.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- Exposure to bright light has already been established as effective therapy for depression. Now it is also showing promise for improving daytime sleepiness and mood in nondepressed older individuals with primary insomnia. The...

Study: sleep apnea may mediate apo E [epsilon]4 allele--Alzheimer's link.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- The well-documented association between the apolipoprotein E [epsilon]4 allele and development of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease may be mediated at least in part by obstructive sleep apnea, Ruth O'Hara, Ph.D., said at the...

Apo E [epsilon]4 carriers reduce AD risk via exercise, low fat, less alcohol.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Individuals who carry the apolipoprotein E [epsilon]4 allele that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease may lower their risk to that of a noncarrier through regular exercise, moderate fat intake, and low alcohol...

Alcoholism TX not a primary care concern.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Survey)
November 1, 2005... Primary care physicians are not very confident that medications to treat people with alcoholism will be effective: Only 26% of 300 general practitioners and internists taking an online survey thought medication would be effective or very...

Veterinary drug clenbuterol found to contaminate heroin.(Addiction Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... Atypical reactions to heroin in users in five states have been attributed to contamination with the [beta]-2 adrenergic receptor agonist clenbuterol, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 26 cases...

Program uses families to address addiction: Community Reinforcement and Family Training, a 12-session program, boasts a success rate of 64%.(Addiction Psychiatry)
November 1, 2005... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Training family members can successfully get alcoholic patients and other substance abusers into treatment, a New Mexico psychologist said. A new program that trains a spouse or other family member how best to deal...

Smoking might be associated with metabolic syndrome.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... Intensity of exposure to tobacco smoke appears to be associated with the rate of metabolic syndrome in a dose-response relationship in adolescents, according to a study in the cross-sectional third National Health and Nutrition Examination...

Most smokers who are aware of 'less harmful' tobacco products do not believe the hype.(DATA WATCH)(Statistical table)
November 1, 2005... Most Smokers Who Are Aware of 'Less Harmful' Tobacco Products Do Not Believe the Hype Are these products less harmful than ordinary cigarettes? No 53% Yes 24% Not sure 23% Note: Based on a random survey of 784...

Perspective.(intervention can minimize youth violence)
November 1, 2005... Being an African American in America is a risk factor in and of itself, not because of any inherent risk, but because you are going to be held more accountable for your behavior than your European American counterparts. In his report on...

Interventions empower African American boys.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
November 1, 2005... Multiple factors place adolescent boys of African descent at risk in this country. Those living in U.S. cities are significantly more likely than their white counterparts to live in poverty, lack parental supervision, drop out of school,...

Rituximab combo eases neuropsychiatric SLE.(systemic lupus erythematosus)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... VIENNA -- B-cell depletion with rituximab led to significant improvements in patients with CNS neuropsychiatric disability associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a preliminary report presented by C. Michael Neuwelt, M.D., at...

IV corticosteroids increase deaths from traumatic brain injury.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... Findings from the Corticosteroid Randomization After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) trial that intravenous corticosteroids increased mortality among patients with traumatic brain injury should put to rest once and for all questions about the...

Sleep-deprivation regimen brings FAST results: insomnia patients treated with new therapy show improved sleep latency, efficiency, and total sleep time.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Flinders Accelerated Sleep Therapy)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- A novel behavioral therapy conducted over just 26 hours in a single weekend shows promise for the treatment of chronic primary insomnia, Leon Lack, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies....

Jet lag is avoidable through preflight phase-shifting.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- With the right combination of morning bright light exposure, low-dose melatonin, and gradually advancing bedtimes in the days prior to flying eastward, travelers can avoid the hassles of jet lag, Victoria L. Revell, Ph.D., said at the...

MRI helps find cause of orthostatic headache.(Magnetic Resonance Imaging)(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2005... Diffuse meningeal enhancement on MRI with gadolinium contrast can confirm the diagnosis of intracranial hypotension when a patient presents with orthostatic headaches, said Todd J. Schwedt, M.D., a neurology fellow at the Mayo Clinic in...

Cognitive factors predict intensity of pain in vulvar vestibulitis.(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2005... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Certain cognitive factors are significant predictors of pain intensity and sexual impairment in women with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, Genevieve Desrochers said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society...

Migraines affect one-third of allergic rhinitis patients.(Pain Medicine)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- More than 33% of patients with allergic rhinitis experience migraine headaches, compared with 3.5% of people without allergic rhinitis, according to a study by investigators in New York City. The findings highlight a...

Is binge eating disorder tied to obesity? Maybe: patients diagnosed with BED are demographically different from those with either anorexia or bulimia.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2005... The dramatic rise in obesity over the last decade has heightened debate among psychiatrists about whether "binge eating disorder" is a distinct clinical entity that deserves to move from the appendix of the DSM-IV up to a full-fledged...

Identify, treat depression in cancer patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Clinical depression is common in cancer patients and can affect outcomes of cancer therapy if not treated. About 13% of cancer patients develop a major depressive disorder within 2 years of diagnosis, Karen Weihs, M.D.,...

Psychosocial factors linked to carpel tunnel syndrome.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Patients diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome are more likely to be anxious and depressed and to have lower levels of mental and physical health functioning and job satisfaction, compared with individuals without the common wrist...

Sense of dignity drives will to live among terminally ill patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... Existential issues were significantly correlated with the will to live in a study of 189 end-stage cancer patients. Harvey Max Chochinov, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba (Canada), and his colleagues examined the...

Immunotherapy studies for AD back on track: trials of passive, active immunity for Alzheimer's are proceeding after one study was halted in 2002.(Alzheimer's disease )
November 1, 2005... Immunotherapy trials for Alzheimer's disease are not only back on course after a serious setback but are also expanding to include tests of passive as well as active vaccination. Both approaches are based on the theory that Alzheimer's...

Older U.S. adults' dental health improves overall.(care and treatment)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2005... Among U.S. adults aged 60 years or older, 6% fewer lost all their teeth in 1999-2002, compared with 1988-1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The proportion of older adults with no natural teeth decreased from 31%...

Earplugs urged in all concert seats to prevent hearing loss.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- It doesn't matter if your patients are heading to a concert by Barry Manilow or Metallica, they should be advised to wear earplugs. That's the take-home message from a prospective study that found a high incidence of...

Tattoo taboos? Swiss law will soon regulate pigments, parlors, removals.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2005... PARIS -- International efforts to control health risks associated with tattoos got a boost from Switzerland's recent decision to regulate the content of tattoo pigments. By the end of 2006, Switzerland will have a federal law regulating...

Pioglitazone benefits high-risk diabetic patients: PROACTIVE is the first study to produce improved cardiovascular outcomes in those with type 2 diabetes.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2005... Pioglitazone significantly reduced the combined risk of myocardial infarction, strokes, and death in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes, investigators reported at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes....

Even endocrinologists sometimes miss type 2 diabetes goals.(Across Specialties)(Clinical report)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Even in a private subspecialty endocrinology practice, most patients with type 2 diabetes still aren't meeting American Diabetes Association goals for hemoglobin [A.sub.1c], blood pressure, and lipids, Pardis Dana, M.D., reported...

Pain relievers.(Across Specialties)(Cartoon)
November 1, 2005... "Before we talk about your inner demons, let's deal with your outstanding bill."

Antihypertensive combination may save lives.
November 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- An antihypertensive combination of amlodipine plus perindopril was strikingly superior to a combination of atenolol and a thiazide diuretic in a major study that followed nearly 20,000 patients for 5.5 years. The...