Family Practice News articles from April 2009

Family Practice News archives from April 2009

Telemedicine may open tPA's window.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)(tissue plasminogen activator)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SAN DIEGO -- Physicians in rural Georgia are achieving the optimal window for administration of tissue plasminogen activator to stroke patients thanks to a telemedicine network spearheaded by the Medical College of...

Retail clinics still poised for growth, despite downturn: by 2013, $2 billion in sales is expected.(NEWS)
April 1, 2009... Retail clinics are projected to increase at a healthy 0%-30% per year over the next 6 years, with sales rising from $548 million in 2008 to $2 billion in 2013, according to a market research report from New York-based Kalorama Information. ...

U.S. smoking prevalence drops to new 20% low.(NEWS)
April 1, 2009... The prevalence of U.S. cigarette smokers hit a historic low in 2007, falling to just under 20% of the adult population, according to data released in mid-March by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physicians on the front line...

Americans have trust issues.(VITAL SIGNS)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2009... Americans Have Trust Issues How much confidence do you have in each of these people/groups to do or recommend the right thing for health care reform? A great deal A fair amount Only a little None President...

Medicare covers home testing for sleep apnea.(NEWS)
April 1, 2009... Medicare officials have validated the use of certain home-based tests to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had previously established a national policy of covering continuous positive airway...

Best practices in: diagnosis and management of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.(Disease/Disorder overview)(Report)
April 1, 2009... What Is Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency? Deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein is a genetic disorder predisposing individuals to the development of early-onset pulmonary disease, most commonly emphysema. AAT protects pulmonary...

Primary care match data show continued drop.(NEWS)(Statistical data)
April 1, 2009... Medical student interest in primary care continues its gradual slip, according to the latest data from the National Resident Match Program. In the 2009 resident match, the percentage of U.S. medical school seniors choosing residencies in...

FDA approves Symbicort for COPD treatment.(NEWS)
April 1, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration approved the combination inhaled corticosteroid budesonide and the long-acting betaz-adrenergic agonist formoterol for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Approved in 2007 for treating asthma,...

Drug patches can burn skin during MRI.(NEWS)(magnetic resonance imaging)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... To eliminate the risk of skin burns, transdermal drug patches should be removed before patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging scans, the Food and Drug Administration advises. Prompted by less than half a dozen reports of burns...

Let's take stock.(COMMENTARY)(demand for family physicians)
April 1, 2009... Given the latest residency match data, family physicians have a long way to go in shoring up our work force numbers to meet future demand, but let's take a moment to look at the favorable trends for our specialty. Several important shifts...

Word of caution on opioids.(LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... A word of caution is due on the use of opioids for chronic pain resulting from arthritis ("Guidelines Address Use of Opioids for Chronic Pain," March 1, 2009, p. 1). Except for unusually severe osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia, opioids are not...

New data verify clopidogrel-PPI interaction: an increased risk for ischemic events has been identified in three recent observational reports.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... Increasing evidence that treatment with a proton-pump inhibitor can reduce the efficacy of clopidogrel in patients with coronary disease in a clinically meaningful and dangerous way may prompt cardiology groups to rethink current...

Stroke tied to withdrawal of antithrombotic medication.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- As many as 26,500 ischemic strokes occurring in the United States each year may be associated with patient withdrawal from antithrombotic and antiplatelet medications, according to a study presented at the International Stroke...

Ankle-brachial index could become CVD screen.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- The prevalence of abnormal ankle-brachial index, plasma fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein is surprisingly high among adults with no known history of heart disease, according to results from a large national study. The finding...

Guidelines spell out prophylactic aspirin use.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released the first gender- and age-specific recommendations for aspirin therapy in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Drawing on data from recent studies, the new recommendations...

Sleep shortage, impaired fasting glucose tied: people who slept fewer than 6 hours a night had a 4.7-fold increased risk for impaired fasting glucose.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... Regular lack of sleep does more than make you tired. People who routinely slept fewer than 6 hours a night were almost five times more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose during an average 6 year follow-up, compared with people who got...

Cell phone programs may bolster diabetes care compliance.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- It's not easy being diabetic. Life is filled with lots of additional responsibilities: the finger sticks, the glucose monitoring, the hemoglobin Alc testing, the foot and eye exams. So how can things be made easier for...

New smallpox vaccine found immunogenic.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
April 1, 2009... The third-generation smallpox vaccine LC16m8 was found to be as immunogenic as existing smallpox vaccines but appeared to be safer, according to a study of over 3,000 Japanese adults. The five, attenuated, tissue-cultured LC16m8 vaccine...

Pertussis vaccine not tied to wheezing.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Pertussis vaccination in infancy doesn't appear to increase the risk of wheezing or asthma during childhood and, in fact, may be slightly protective against the disorders, a large population-based study concluded. The analysis by Ben D....

Tips to avoid inducing resistance in CA-MRSA.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
April 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- Clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole are the most commonly used agents to treat community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on an outpatient basis, but neither is perfect, according to one expert. ...

Exotic tinea capitis cases may signal a shift.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... MAUI, HAWAII -- The largest known U.S. outbreak of tinea capitis due to Trichophyton soudanense and T. violaceum in several decades raises the possibility that the epidemiology of this common fungal disease may once again be on the move. ...

CDC: slightly more adults seek skin screening than in 2000.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- The prevalence of skin cancer screening among U.S. adults inched higher during the first half of this decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2000, one in seven adults said they had ever...

Patch test reveals causes of pediatric contact dermatitis.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... MAUI, HAWAII -- The first two multicenter studies of patch testing conducted in American children have established that the same ubiquitous allergens responsible for most allergic contact dermatitis in U.S. adults are similarly prevalent and...

Coal tar solution tops calcipotriol in psoriasis.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- A novel over-the-counter topical leave-on coal tar solution achieved significantly greater and more persistent improvement compared to prescription calcipotriol cream in patients with moderate chronic plaque psoriasis in a...

Teens with outdoor jobs at higher melanoma risk later.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- People who worked at outdoor summer jobs as teenagers for 3 years or more had twice the risk of developing malignant melanoma later in life as those who did not, according to a case-control study by Dr. Darrell S. Rigel of New...

Algorithm predicts epithelial ovarian cancer risk.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- A novel algorithm has been shown to be more sensitive than a widely used risk of malignancy index for predicting epithelial ovarian cancers in women who present with a pelvic mass or ovarian cyst. The Risk of Ovarian...

Pruritus diagnosis linked with psychopathology.(MENTAL HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients with pruritus are twice as likely to have a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis as those with other dermatologic diagnoses, according to a large epidemiologic study. This association is driven largely by the strong...

Diabetes may double risk of perinatal depression.(MENTAL HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... Pregnant women and new mothers with any type of diabetes appear to have twice the risk of developing perinatal depression as do those without diabetes, according to an analysis of Medicaid records. This finding is consistent with reports...

Data are mixed on prostate screening benefits.(MEN'S HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... Two large prostate cancer screening trials led to different conclusions about the disease's impact on mortality: One found that screening reduces prostate cancer deaths by 20%, and the other found that it makes no difference at all. The...

Prostate cancer screening.(GENOMIC MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... Thanks to public health programs aimed at stepping up screening efforts, considerable progress has been made in the United States regarding the early detection of prostate cancer, and our 5-year survival rates are among the best in the world....

Heart disease plus arthritis equals inactivity.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... More than half of adults with heart disease also had arthritis, and they were 30% more likely to be physically inactive than were those with heart disease alone, in a survey of 757,959 Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and...

Screening at health fairs could help identify early RA.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(rheumatoid arthritis)
April 1, 2009... The combination of the connective tissue diseases questionnaire plus rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positivity had a 95% sensitivity and 32% specificity for identifying people with at least one swollenjoint at...

Comorbidities add significantly to health care costs for RA patients.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(rheumatoid arthritis)
April 1, 2009... Rheumatoid arthritis patients with comorbid depression and/or cardiovascular disease accumulated thousands more dollars in annual health care costs than did their peers with RA alone. This finding is based on a study of over 10,000 people...

Stay alert to femoral acetabular impingement.(SPORTS MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- It's important to recognize femoral acetabular impingement in young athletes because increasing evidence suggests that children and adolescents with the condition may require total hip replacements later in life, according to Dr....

Delay return to play a day after concussion.(SPORTS MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- No junior high or high school athlete who sustains a concussion in contact sports should be allowed to return to play that same day, because on average, simple concussions have recognizable deficits 8 days after the injury,...

Tool helps predict C. difficile's risk of recurrence.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... Many patients with Clostridium difficile infection experience repeated bouts of the illness, and a rule has been developed to accurately predict a patient's risk of recurrence. The prediction rule, which is simple to use, takes into account...

Digestive diseases cost more than $141 billion annually.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
April 1, 2009... The cost of digestive diseases in the United States now totals more than $141 billion a year, according to a the National Institutes of Health. In 2004, the number of digestive disease--related ambulatory care visits totaled 35 for every...

Group visits for asthma slash hospitalizations.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Group drop-in appointments reduce emergency department visits and rescue medicine use in adult patients with asthma, according to the results of a small study. ED and hospital use was reduced 40%, and the average use of rescue...

Inhaled corticosteroid cuts need for asthma rescue drugs.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- A 100-mcg dose of the inhaled corticosteroid mometasone furoate, given either once or twice daily, significantly reduced the need for rescue medications in 296 children aged 4-11 years with mild to moderate persistent asthma. ...

Obesity and lung function: too much leads to too little.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
April 1, 2009... Abdominal obesity may be a key determinant in the link between metabolic syndrome and impaired lung function, according to findings from a population analysis. In an analysis of the health information for 121,965 men and women examined at...

Free asthma screening in May.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is offering free asthma screenings for adults and children at more than 200 sites across the country. Most screenings will take play in May. For a list of locations and dates, visit the...

Mild brain injury can have long-term effects.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
April 1, 2009... The consequences of mild traumatic brain injury are often anything but mild. Recent studies linking concussion to long-term neurologic deficits suggest that, for some individuals, the characteristic transient brain dysfunction and acute symptom...

Secondary stroke prevention efforts fall short.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
April 1, 2009... The use of secondary stroke prevention services among adults who had had a first stroke was "'suboptimal," even though most of those surveyed had health insurance and at least one health care provider, Dr. Joseph S. Ross and his associates...

Obama's stem cell order draws praise, criticism.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Barack Obama)
April 1, 2009... President Barack Obama's executive order reversing the Bush administration's restrictions on government-funded stem cell research drew cheers from some medical groups and jeers from others. Under the previous policy, government funding for...

Court says FDA approval offers no liability haven.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
April 1, 2009... In an eagerly anticipated opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that Food and Drug Administration approval does not give pharmaceutical companies immunity from product liability lawsuits. The justices voted 6-3 to...

Bundled hospital-postdischarge payment fee proposed by Obama.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Barack Obama)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... If President Barack Obama sways Congress with his plans for health reform, hospitals and health providers would receive a bundled payment for care provided in the hospital and during the first 30 days after discharge. The proposal was...

IOM: health coverage is essential.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Institute of Medicine)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Health insurance, not just safety net access to care, is essential for people's health and well-being, an Institute of Medicine committee reported. Yet even if people have insurance, those living in areas where many others aren't covered FEnd...

Physicians postponing retirement.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Fewer physicians left group practices in 2008 than in 2007, and a majority of group practice leaders believe that the change reflects more physicians delaying retirement because of the poor economy, said the American Medical Group Association....

Device makers set ad principles.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(direct-to-consumer advertising)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Advanced Medical Technology Association has released guidelines that it said will make direct-to-consumer advertising for medical devices more accurate and useful for patients. The document sets out best practices for disseminating clear,...

87 million uninsured 2007-2008.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Nearly 87 million Americans--1 out of 3 people under age 65--were uninsured at some point during 2007-2008, according to a report from the advocacy group Families USA. More than half of individuals and families with incomes between the federal...

Aetna offers money-saving tips.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The health insurer Aetna said it can help physicians pinch pennies in these tough economic times. The company estimated that physicians who use its free online tools for billing and administrative tasks could save up to $20 per patient visit....

Group wants ban on industry CME.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Public Citizen, continuing medical education)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The consumer watchdog group Public Citizen has asked the American Medical Association to support a total ban on commercial support of continuing medical education. In a letter to the chairs of the AMA's ethical and CME councils, public...

Ears to your health.(INDICATIONS)(Hospitalis)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... In our continuing effort to inform readers about the world's great medically themed restaurants, we present Hospitalis, a "pseudo-hospital and medical adventure" (according to its Web site, www.hospitalis.lv) in Riga, Latvia. The restaurant is...

Thyroid and crime.(INDICATIONS)(considering Thomas Leopold as dangerously radioactive)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... English police are on the lookout for Thomas Leopold, a 42-year-old London college principal, according to BBC News. He is not armed but is considered dangerously radioactive after receiving large doses of radioactive iodine as treatment for a...

Better know a med school, Part 2.(INDICATIONS)(Columbia University in New York)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... If you can't afford the trip to eat at or invest in Hospitalis, you must not work at Columbia University in New York. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which compiled a list of more than 4,000 employees at 600 private colleges in...

Too late for the spring equinox.(INDICATIONS)(Pulling Down the Moon company partners with fertility clinics to promote a program using massage)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Some couples with fertility issues go the high-tech route of follicle stimulation and retrieval, artificial insemination, and then implantation of the fertilized egg. For others, that process just doesn't say "put your hands on me." For those...

C-reactive protein testing gets a boost.(NEWS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ORLANDO -- Further analysis of results from JUPITER proved that cutting a person's C-reactive protein level with a statin lowers cardiovascular-event risk independent of a cholesterol effect. The finding will...

USPSTF: all teens need screening for depression: an estimated 6% have major depression.(NEWS)
April 15, 2009... New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force endorse the need for routine screening of adolescents for clinical depression. The task force recommended that physicians screen adolescent patients aged 12-18 years for...

New vitamin D guidelines may raise advised dose.(NEWS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- The Institute of Medicine is reviewing its 1997 guidelines for vitamin D intake, and will likely recommend increased supplementation when new guidelines are published in 2010. There is a growing consensus that currently...

FDA expands list of illegal OTC weight-loss products.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 15, 2009... A diuretic, an antidepressant, and an unapproved stimulant are among the latest undeclared active drug ingredients identified in over-the-counter weight loss products, the Food and Drug Administration recently announced. In a statement,...

Rise in top five reasons for outpatient and office visits.(VITAL SIGNS)(Table)
April 15, 2009... Rise in Top Five Reasons for Outpatient and Office Visits (in millions) 1996 2006 Trauma-related disorders 117 141 Mental disorders 120 141 Back problems ...

Vitamin D tied to hypertension, hyperglycemia: teens with the lowest vitamin D levels had low HDL, metabolic syndrome, and high triglicerides.(NEWS)
April 15, 2009... Low serum levels of vitamin D were linked to increased blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and obesity in an analysis of more than 3,500 American teenagers, a link previously seen in adults. "Vitamin D plays a useful role in general human...

DNA tests approved for high-risk HPV types.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 15, 2009... A test that detects the genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18, which cause the majority of cervical cancer cases, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The test, which will be marketed as the Cervista HPV...

Primary care needs real change.(COMMENTARY)(Viewpoint essay)
April 15, 2009... For "real change" to be more than a political sound bite, the new administration in Washington will need vision and courage to promote and sustain high-quality and affordable health care. Part of that vision will need to be a strong primary...

Refining the family history tool.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 15, 2009... The Department of Health and Human Services is to be commended for pursuing efforts to assist patients in developing and maintaining online personal health records (PHRs) ("Online Tool May Help Revive Family History," Feb. 15, 2009, p. 37). ...

Adding clopidogrel may prevent vascular events.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(Clinical report)
April 15, 2009... Adding clopidogrel to aspirin therapy significantly reduces the risk of stroke and other major vascular events in patients who have atrial fibrillation and are not candidates for anticoagulation therapy with a vitamin K antagonist, according to...

Panel backs approval of atrial fibrillation drug: dronedarone reduced cardiac hospitalizations, but not mortality, in a multinational trial.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 15, 2009... ADELPHI, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 10-3 that dronedarone, an amiodarone analogue, be approved for treating patients with nonpermanent atrial fibrillation, with recommendations that the label include a boxed warning...

Debut of five-in-one polypill triggers therapeutic debate.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
April 15, 2009... ORLANDO -- The multiplicity of reactions to a new drug-treatment concept has helped put "poly" in the polypill. The idea of broadly administering a single, daily capsule containing five drugs proven to cut cardiovascular risk finally had...

Reduced blood pressure may cut AF deaths.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Clinical report)
April 15, 2009... Diabetic patients with atrial fibrillation obtained greater absolute benefits from blood pressure--lowering treatment than did those without in a study of more than 11,000 patients with type 2 diabetes. The study findings suggest that an...

Glycemic control: how low should you go?(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
April 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite results from five major studies showing the effects of intensive glycemic control in patients with diabetes, the question remains: How low should one go? Dr. Elizabeth J. Murphy distilled the data into a simple...

Hyperparathyroidism guidelines get an update.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- New guidelines for managing patients with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism eliminate urine calcium as an indication for surgery and call for monitoring serum calcium annually instead of every 6 months in patients who do...

13-valent PCV poised to replace 7-valent.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
April 15, 2009... ATLANTA -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is in the process of planning the transition from routine childhood immunization with the 7-valent Prevnar to use of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that is still under investigation. The Food...

Infanrix insert updated with more safety data.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
April 15, 2009... More safety information has been added to the package insert for Infanrix, the Food and Drug Administration said. The insert now includes the statement that lnfanrix (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed)...

AHA: streptococcal pharyngitis.(CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS)
April 15, 2009... Pharyngitis is one of the more common acute illnesses seen in primary care. In spite of this, the most appropriate approach to diagnosis and treatment of pharyngitis remains controversial, with various organizations promulgating guidelines that...

Pull test, hair card help diagnose teen alopecia.(SKIN DISORDERS)
April 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Hair loss is not just for adults. Two simple tools can help diagnose early-onset androgenetic alopecia, which affects 15% of adolescents beginning at age 7-17 years. The hallmark of androgenetic alopecia is miniaturized...

Palliative oxygen may not be worth the cost.(END OF LIFE CARE)(Report)
April 15, 2009... AUSTIN, TEX. -- Palliative oxygen was no better than air delivered by nasal cannulae for relieving dyspnea or improving quality of life in a study of 239 non- or mildly hypoxemic patients with terminal illness. During the first 24 hours,...

CA 125 + ultrasound find early ovarian cancer.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(Report)
April 15, 2009... Large-scale screening for ovarian cancer with a combination of transvaginal ultrasound and CA 125 is a feasible strategy that can accurately identify early cancers, a large U.K. trial of almost 203,000 women concluded. The combination...

Risk of colonic polyps high in diabetic patients.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
April 15, 2009... BANFF, ALTA. -- Patients with diabetes appear to be at higher risk of developing colon polyps than are nondiabetics, according to the results of a case control study. In the chart review of 305 people who had received a colonoscopy, those...

Occult blood test useful in ca screening.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... BANFF, ALTA. -- A screening program in Ontario was successful in detecting high-risk adenomas and colorectal cancer in patients referred because of positive fecal occult blood test results or a family history of colorectal cancer. Dr....

Statins may reduce ED, hospital visits for asthma.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)(Report)
April 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- The use of statins was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of emergency department visits and hospitalizations among adult asthma patients in a retrospective study of more than 6,500 patients. Statin use in the...

Short-acting [Beta.sub.2]-agonist threshold: 6 canisters/year.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)(Report)
April 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Children with asthma who used 6 or more canisters of short-acting [beta.sub.2]-agonists in a year had twice the risk of asthma exacerbation, compared with children who used fewer than 6 canisters, based on results of a database...

Anticoagulant backed after hip, knee surgery.(MUSCULOSKETAL DISORDERS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... ADELPHI, MD. -- A federal panel agreed that data on the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban indicate that the drug's benefits in preventing venous thromboembolic events after hip and knee replacement surgery outweigh its potential risks of excess...

Collaborative care improves chronic pain outcomes.(MUSCULOSKETAL DISORDERS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... A collaborative intervention designed to help primary care practitioners improve management of chronic pain was found to be modestly but significantly effective, according to data from a cluster randomized trial. The intervention resulted...

Many with controlled RA experience uncontrolled pain.(MUSCULOSKETAL DISORDERS)(Report)
April 15, 2009... Despite having clinically well-controlled disease, more than half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience moderate to severe pain, and few take the medications necessary to control it, according to findings from a prospective study....