Family Practice News articles from August 2003

Family Practice News archives from August 2003

New fees make up for lower revenue: prescription refills, paperwork.
August 15, 2003... Copying medical paperwork just got more expensive--for the patient. Barraged by rising medical liability premiums and diminishing Medicare payments, a small but growing number of office-based physicians are charging patients for...

Top 10 drugs mentioned during family practice office visits in 2002.(Vital Signs)
August 15, 2003... Top 10 Drugs Mentioned During Family Practice Office Visits in 2002 Percent of all drug mentions: Amoxicillin 1.9% Amoxil 1.6% Lipitor 1.5% Zithromax Z-Pak 1.3% Augmentin 1.3% Keflex ...

Regular NSAID use tied to lower risk of breast cancer: ten-year study of 80,741 women: ibuprofen offered a 49% drop in risk; aspirin reduced the risk by 21%.
August 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Women who take moderate amounts of NSAIDs weekly for at least 10 years significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer, according to an analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative. Ibuprofen was especially...

Allergen-proof bedding ineffective for asthma: European studies: symptoms unaffected by special linens.
August 15, 2003... Adult patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis who encased their mattresses, pillows, and quilts in covers impermeable to dust mite allergen had no greater improvement in symptoms at 1 year than did patients with standard, cotton/polyester...

Research seeks West Nile vaccine, therapeutics: future strategies.(News)
August 15, 2003... Human clinical trials of a West Nile virus vaccine could begin by the end of the summer, according to Dr. James Meegan, virology program officer of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. On the therapeutic front, an...

Antimicrobial Rx have dropped steadily over past decade: driven by office-based physicians.(News)
August 15, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- Antimicrobial prescriptions for ambulatory patients have declined steadily in the last decade, a trend driven largely by a striking decrease in prescribing by office-based physicians, Linda F. McCaig reported at an annual...

Low bone density seen in type 1 diabetic women: higher fracture risk.(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Premenopausal women with type 1 diabetes have lower bone mineral density than do nondiabetic women, Dr. Elsa Strotmeyer said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. The finding is of concern...

Talk back online.
August 15, 2003... TALK BACK ONLINE Do you recommend routine annual physical examinations for your patients? (July 15, 2003, p. 5) NO 31% YES 69% To Talk Back, visit www.efamilypracticenews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

Diet wars.(Guest Editorial)
August 15, 2003... There are many good reasons for individuals to maintain a healthy weight, and the scientific literature continues to find new ones. Unfortunately, the path to a healthy weight generally involves weight loss. "Going on a diet" has become...

Is obesity a disease?(Pro & Con)
August 15, 2003... YES People think of eating as a matter of choice, but there is a complex biological system that controls food intake and makes it hard to lose weight. Many studies suggest that at least 40-50 difference substances hormones,...

Early CNS changes may flag diabetic neuropathy: rapid, noninvasive test.(Clinical Rounds)(central nervous system changes in diabetic neuropathy)
August 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Patients with diabetes who develop peripheral neuropathy experience early central nervous system changes that can be detected rapidly and noninvasively, according to a study presented at annual scientific sessions of the...

Screen for diabetic neuropathy in absence of symptoms: routine screens key to early detection.(Clinical Rounds)
August 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Diabetic neuropathy is underdiagnosed in everyday clinical practice, according to a study of 7,378 patients assessed at more than 2,000 primary care physician offices and endocrinology clinics. A minority of patients with...

New approaches boost survival in lung cancer: ASCO roundup.(Clinical Rounds)(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
August 15, 2003... CHICAGO -- Non-small cell lung cancer has some long-awaited new enemies. Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for early stage disease; a three-pronged regimen of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery for local disease that has spread to...

Strategies may speed effect of antidepressants: specific drugs, combos.(Clinical Rounds)
August 15, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- When you need the quickest possible antidepressant effect, consider choosing mirtazapine or escitalopram for treatment or combining a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with pindolol or olanzapine, Dr. Robert M.A....

Antibacterial cleansers don't promote resistance: survey of U.S., U.K. homes.(Clinical Rounds)(antibiotic resistance)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- The use of antibacterial cleaning products in the home doesn't appear to promote resistance to antibiotics, Eugene C. Cole, Dr.P.H., said in a poster presentation at the annual conference on antimicrobial resistance sponsored...

Avoiding HIV transmission.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are designed to help health care providers Promote strategies to prevent HIV transmission. The guidelines come on the heels of a CDC report of increasing HIV transmission...

Mediterranean diet for life.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... People who closely follow a traditional Mediterranean diet have a 25% reduced risk of dying, reported Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens (Greece) and her associates. The findings are based on a 3.7-year prospective study...

Dyspepsia empirical treatment.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Noninvasive testing for Helicobacter pylori infection followed by empirical treatment with eradication therapy was more effective than treatment with a proton pump inhibitor alone for young adult patients with dyspepsia, reported Dr....

Risks for invasive S. aureus.(Clinical Capsules)(Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Major risk factors for invasive Staphylococcus aureus were identified in a recent population-based active surveillance study in Calgary, Alta. Between May 1999 and April 2000, the annual incidence of invasive ,5. aureus (ISA) was 28.4...

Guidelines rethink chronic headache: classification system coming soon.(Clinical Rounds)
August 15, 2003... CHICAGO -- Revisions to the International Headache Society diagnostic criteria fall short of a massive overhaul but reflect a new consensus between U.S. and European physicians on how to define chronic daily headache. Physicians...

Literature abstracts: JournalToGo.(Digital Assistance)
August 15, 2003... Overview: JournalToGo is a free service that automatically downloads selected medical literature abstracts and health care news to handheld computers. Straightforward Web site configuration, bookmarking, and capability for export to memo pad...

HPV vaccine yields consistent, durable response: initial results of human trials.(Women's Health)(human papillomavirus vaccine)
August 15, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- Vaccines that contain viruslike particle's from human papillomavirus types known to cause cervical cancer have produced consistent, durable antibody responses in several small trials, Doug Lowy, Ph.D., reported. ...

Bacterial vaginosis afflicts 27% of young women: complaints are a good clinical predictor.(Women's Health)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... SEATTLE -- The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was about 27% among young women entering the military, a study showed. The prevalence among those who were sexually experienced was 28%, but even among those who had never had sexual...

Ultrasound alone not useful for ovarian ca screens: missed several cancers.(Women's Health)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Three-dimensional ultrasound was not useful as an independent primary screening tool for early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer in asymptomatic, high-risk women in a recent study. Still, the device may have promise as a...

Counsel to correct antidepressant misinformation: before, during pregnancy.(Women's Health)
August 15, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- In a study of anti-depressant monotherapy use among pregnant women in their first trimester and women planning pregnancies, 95% of the participants believed that antidepressants posed a risk for birth defects and 87% believed...

Panel urges more time for adverse event reports: those with pediatric exclusivity.(Rx)(FDA Anti-Infective Drags Advisory Committee )
August 15, 2003... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration should require an additional year of pediatric adverse event reporting on three drugs that received pediatric exclusivity in 2002, the FDA's pediatric subcommittee of the Anti-Infective...

Close monitoring needed to avoid 'drug-drug interactions in elderly: dangers of common medications.(Rx)
August 15, 2003... Many hospital admissions for drug-drug interactions in elderly patients are predictable and avoidable, according to Dr. David N. Juurlink of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Toronto. On the basis of what they called...

Tinea capitis calls for higher terbinafine doses: two-week course.(Rx)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Children with tinea capitis are more likely to clear with terbinafine treatment if higher than usual doses are used, Dr. Sharon Raimer said at the annual meeting of the Noah Worcester Dermatological Society. ...

Pravigard PAC.(New & Approved)(pravastatin sodium and buffered aspirin tablets from Bristol-Myers Squibb)
August 15, 2003... (copackaged pravastatin sodium and buffered aspirin tablets, Bristol-Myers Squibb) The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor plus aspirin, for people for whom treatment with both is appropriate, copackaged with a daily dose of each in a blister...

Lamictal.(New & Approved)(lamotrigine from GlaxoSmithKline)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... (lamotrigine, GlaxoSmithKline) An anticonvulsant for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder to delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes (depression, mania, hypomania, mixed episodes) in patients treated for acute mood episodes...

Advantages to mirtazapine for depressed elderly: patients aged 85 and older.(Rx)
August 15, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets are a particularly attractive treatment option in depressed nursing home patients aged 85 and older, Dr. J. Craig Nelson said at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric...

Three lots of Nortrel 7/7/7-28 day OCs recalled: pills out of sequence.(Rx)(BARR Laboratories Inc. recalls oral contraceptive)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Barr Laboratories Inc. has voluntarily recalled three lots of Nortrel 7/7/7-28 day (norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol) oral contraceptive because the color-coded pills may be out of sequence in some cases. About 470,000 packages are...

Rise in cutaneous lymphoma calls for registry: causes unknown.(Children's Health)
August 15, 2003... SEATTLE -- Some pediatric dermatologists believe they are seeing greatly increased numbers of children with cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, but exactly why remains a mystery. Prompted by those reports, physicians at the annual meeting of the...

Asthmatics younger than age 5 can use combo Tx: use metered-dose inhalers.(Children's Health)(low-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting [[beta].sub.2]-agonists)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... DENVER -- For the first time, new data support a previous recommendation that children with asthma who are under 5 years of age be treated with a combination of low-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting [[beta].sub.2]-agonists, Dr....

Metepneumovirus emerging.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... The most common clinical manifestations of human metapneumovirus infection in children are cough, rhinorrhea, fever, and wheezing. These were the findings in the first reported study of the organism in the United States, based on data...

Condom access.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Adolescents in schools where condoms were available were no more likely to be sexually active than those in schools that did not offer condoms, while students with access to condoms were twice as likely to use them during their most recent...

WBC checks cut antibiotic use.(Clinical Capsules)(white blood cell count)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Selective use of white blood cell counts can reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics in children with upper respiratory infections, said Dr. Janet R. Casey and her associates at the University of Rochester, N.Y. In a prospective, 3-year study...

Teens and home pregnancy tests.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Use of a home pregnancy test may mean a teenage girl sees less of a downside to becoming pregnant, according to results of a study of 340 adolescent girls at three teen clinics in the Denver area, Lisa Kelly, P.A., said at the annual meeting...

Hope for HIPAA compliance.(Policy & Practice)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 )(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Nearly all physicians who participate in Medicare expect to be able to comply with the electronic transaction requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) by the Oct. 16 deadline, according to a...

Buying boom.(Policy & Practice)(physicians buying more medical practices)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Physicians continue to buy more medical practices than did hospitals, reports the 2003 edition of the Goodwill Registry, a national database managed by the Health Care Group, a Philadelphia-based consulting firm. The registry shows that...

Canada goes to pot.(Policy & Practice)(first country to sell medical marijuana)(Marijuana Medical Access Regulations)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Canada has become the first country in the world to sell medical marijuana. Under its new interim Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, the Canadian health ministry was expected to begin selling the dried drug--packaged in small plastic...

Bioterrorism training.(Policy & Practice)(Association of American Medical Colleges offers training for physicians in the care of bioterrorism victims )(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... The Association of American Medical Colleges has released the first guidance issued to medical educators on how to prepare future physicians to care for victims of bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The report identifies new...

Limited access to care.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... Patients without health insurance lack access to treatments for heart attack, depression, and cataracts, says a report funded by the Commonwealth Fund (Health Affairs 2214]:210-19, 2003). In a comparison of treatment rates prescribed for...

Senate Committee looks at value of DTC ads: education vs. increased costs.(Practice Trends)(direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising)
August 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is an educational service of great value to patients--or a venue for misleading statements designed solely to increase a drug's market share, depending on who you talk to. Both...

Patients want to discuss spirituality during visits: desire depends on severity of illness.(Practice Trends)
August 15, 2003... A third of patients are seeking spiritual as well as medical attention during routine office visits, Dr. Charles D. MacLean of the University of Vermont, Burlington, and his colleagues reported. In a survey of 456 patients seen at primary...

How to handle difficult patient conversations: know your biases.(Practice Trends)
August 15, 2003... Los ANGELES -- If you're having a difficult conversation with a patient and someone is interfering, don't hesitate to remove that person from the room, even if that "someone" is a small child, Dr. Martha Bernadett advised at the annual...

When organ donor and family wishes conflict: group makes push to increase donations.(Practice Trends)
August 15, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Deciding what to do when an organ donor's family does not want the donation to occur can be a tricky business, several speakers said at a bioethics conference sponsored by the University of Maryland. "How do we balance how...

Kaiser report details the role states play in women's health, access: more regulations on abortion seen.(Practice Trends)
August 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Access to reproductive health services is being both expanded and contracted, health advocates said at a women's health policy briefing sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Access to emergency contraception is...

Insani-tea defense.(Indications)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... The jasmine made him do it. A Florida judge dropped charges of aggravated assault and burglary against Gilbert Walker, 43, agreeing that his behavior was an isolated event caused by jasmine-tea-induced psychosis. Mr. Walker, who has no...

Between a rock and a birthplace.(Indications)
August 15, 2003... Theories about Stonehenge abound. The circular stone monument in southern England may have held healing powers for a race of giants, served as an early calculator, or even been a docking pad for space aliens. Canadian researchers, noting that...

Down in smoke.(Indications)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... States, cities, and counties seem to be jumping on the antismoking bandwagon. But Lexington, Ky.--capital of the second-largest tobacco-growing state--seems an unlikely early adopter. The county council's passage of a ban on smoking in public...

A couch in the eye.(Indications)
August 15, 2003... When a man threw a slipper at his barking dog and missed, it hit his 86-year-old wife in the eye, and the blow initially improved her vision. A week later, doctors diagnosed and repaired her traumatic lens dislocation. According to the...

Chasing bad cheese.(Indications)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... After 3 tons of feta cheese arrived in Norway tainted with listeria, Greece's agriculture minister said "feta police" should crack down on bad cheese. Listeria can contaminate foods made with unpasteurized milk. At press time, it was unclear...

Medical bills behind many bankruptcies: health care financing woes.(News)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- More than 1 million American adults each year face bankruptcy because of medical issues, according to estimates based on a new survey. Among all debtors filing for bankruptcy, 55% of those surveyed cited one or more...

Expect an upsurge in West Nile virus cases this month: fight the bite rapid lab test approved in July as first cases were reported by the CDC.(News)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
August 1, 2003... Federal health officials are hailing blood screening assays and the first rapid laboratory test for diagnosis of West Nile virus as major developments in the fight against the summer scourge, but they warn that early signs point to...

Feds take gentle approach to enforcing HIPAA: compliance update physicians erring on side of caution.(News)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
August 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- After 3 months of required compliance for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it appears that physicians are erring on the side of caution while the government continues to err on the side of gentle...

Majority of UV exposure comes after childhood: misplaced patient education.(News)
August 1, 2003... The widely accepted belief that Americans get about 80% of their lifetime UV exposure by age 18 may be based on a misconception. Americans, in fact, receive only 23% of their lifetime exposure by that age, according to a study by Dianne...

Lipid management important for children, teens with diabetes: Ada consensus statement.(News)(American Diabetes Association)
August 1, 2003... Management of dyslipidemia helps minimize cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents with diabetes, according to a new consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association. In 2001, the association formulated lipid guidelines...

Oral insulin won't delay type 1 diabetes in family: moderate risk.(News)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Oral insulin does not prevent type 1 diabetes in people at moderate risk for the disease, Dr. Jay Skyler reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. The disappointing findings are from...

Type 2 diabetes is different in adolescents than in adults: higher comorbidity.(News)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Type 2 diabetes has distinctive features in adolescents, Dr. Phil Zeitler said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. Adolescents generally are more obese, are more sedentary, and have...

Carvedilol improves heart failure survival more than metoprolol: questions remain.(News)
August 1, 2003... The first large study to compare carvedilol and metoprolol for reducing mortality in congestive heart failure showed a "clear difference" favoring carvedilol, according to Dr. Philip Poole-Wilson. All-cause mortality, the primary end...

The 2003 image of the year.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The 2003 Society of Nuclear Medicine human image of the year, selected by Dr. Henry N. Wagner Jr. as part of his annual highlights lecture, was a PET/CT image of a 60-year-old patient with recurrent head and neck cancer. The image shows...

Fifth dose of DTaP vaccine wins approval from FDA: single-brand vaccinations.(News)(Food and Drug Administration)(diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis)
August 1, 2003... In July, the Food and Drug Administration approved a fifth dose for a second diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis vaccine on the U.S. market. Approving a fifth dose of Infanrix, the DTaP vaccine manufactured and marketed...

Talk back online.(Opinion)(hormone therapy dosage)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Are you prescribing lower-dose hormone therapy in the wake of Women's Health Initiative results? (July 1, 2003, p. 10) No 50% Yes 50% To Talk Back, visit www.efamilypracticenews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

Building trust.(Guest Editorial)(physician-patient relations)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Trust is the glue that binds physician to patient and patient to physician. Having a trusting relationship is critical in a physician's ability to dispense good medical care. It is also a way to minimize malpractice claims. At a time...

Should women be allowed to eat and drink while in labor?(Pro & Con)
August 1, 2003... YES We don't allow laboring women to eat or drink for fear that they might aspirate should they need general anesthesia. What we call aspiration deaths today, however, are really due to badly managed airway problems that would result in death...

Set realistic goals for metabolic syndrome patients: assess readiness for change.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Setting realistic, incremental goals for weight loss and physical activity can help patients succeed in their struggle with metabolic syndrome, Dr. Daniel Bessesen said at the annual scientific sessions of the American...

Waist size nails diagnosis of metabolic syndrome: efficient shortcut.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Measuring waist circumference is an efficient shortcut in screening women for the metabolic syndrome, Dr. Matthew S. Freiberg reported at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. Without a waist...

Capsule endoscopy approved as first-line diagnostics: small bowel disorders.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A video capsule endoscopy system previously approved only for adjunctive use in the diagnosis of small bowel disorders has been deared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a first-line diagnostic tool. The M2A capsule endoscope,...

Panel: side effects acceptable for BPH, ED drugs: Alfuzosin, Vardenafil.(Clinical Rounds)(benign prostatic hypertrophy)(erectile dysfunction )
August 1, 2003... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- New drugs for benign prostatic hypertrophy and erectile dysfunction are closer to becoming available in the United States, now that a Food and Drug Administration expert panel has agreed that the QT-interval prolongation...

Male sexual dysfunction guidelines stress taking a comprehensive view: involve the sexual partner.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Male sexual dysfunction is a couple's problem, often replete with emotional undercurrents and medical components, and as such, usually deserves a comprehensive evaluation rather than just a prescription. That's the message...

Biopsy at PSA levels of 2.5 ng/mL or higher: more appropriate standard.(Clinical Rounds)(prostate-specific antigen)(diagnosing prostate cancer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CHICACO -- A prostate-specific antigen threshold of 2.5 ng/mL is more appropriate than the standard level of 4.0 ng/mL in determining the need for prostate biopsy; according to findings reported at the annual meeting of the American...

Closely monitor chronic kidney disease patients for dyslipidemias: new NFK practice guidelines.(Clinical Rounds)(National Kidney Foundation)
August 1, 2003... DALLAS -- Patients with chronic kidney disease are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and should be closely monitored for dyslipidemias, according to new practice guidelines presented at a meeting on clinical nephrology sponsored by the...

Managing bone disorders in chronic kidney disease: draft practice guidelines.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DALLAS -- Bone disorders are common in chronic kidney disease, but diagnostic biopsies are rarely necessary, according to draft practice guidelines presented at a meeting on clinical nephrology sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. ...

Control BP in diabetics with kidney disease: combination therapy.(Clinical Rounds)(Blood pressure )
August 1, 2003... DALLAS -- Patients with kidney disease and/or diabetes who have blood pressures over 130/80 mm Hg should be treated with ACE inhibitors, diuretics, and perhaps other agents for reducing blood pressure, Dr. George L. Bakris said at a meeting...

Lifetime risk of melanoma in U.S. increases to 1 in 67: incidence rates soar.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SEVILLE, SPAIN -- Melanoma is growing. "The incidence rates of melanoma are increasing faster than for any other cancer," Dr. Darrell S. Rigel said at the Ninth World Congress on Cancers of the Skin. The pace of the increase has been...

Imiquimod shows promise for treating BCCs, AKs: company seeks FDA approval.(Clinical Rounds)(basal cell carcinoma)(actinic keratosis)
August 1, 2003... SEVILLE, SPAIN -- Imiquimod, a topical immune stimulator, showed efficacy for treating superficial basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis in phase III trials. Based on these results, 3M, which makes imiquimod (Aldara) has filed...

Derm diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... A 64-year-old man had a stellate pit on the dorsal tip of his nose that measured less than 5 mm in diameter. The patient had Fitzpatrick skin type III, with a history of solar elastosis and actinic keratoses. He also had a history of three...

Add lidocaine patch to gabapentin for pain relief: three painful conditions.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- The lidocaine patch improved pain relief for patients with postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and low back pain in a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. The 2-week,...

Gabapentin cuts postherpetic neuralgia pain scores by 73%: acute zoster outbreak.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients who received the anticonvulsive drug gabapentin in addition to antiviral medication at the time of an acute herpes zoster episode experienced a 73% reduction in postherpetic neuralgia pain within 6 months, compared...

Most oxycodone-related deaths occur due to abuse: polypharmacy prevalent.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- The vast majority of deaths reported in association with the use of oxycodone were related to drug abuse and not patient use, according to a study conducted by Purdue Pharma L.P. The study, conducted in response to intense...

Advanced dementia mishandled in nursing Homes: not considered terminal.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Patients with advanced dementia are generally not recognized as having a terminal condition and may not receive palliative care until death is perceived as imminent, Dr. Susan L. Mitchell said at the annual meeting of the...

Memantine plus donepezil good for severe Alzheimer's: halts cognitive decline.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... A combination therapy of memantine plus donepezil halts the cognitive decline of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease more than donepezil plus placebo, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Brush sampling screen preferred for colorectal ca: patient friendly.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- New fecal immunochemical technology that uses brush sampling is superior to standard guaiac fecal occult blood testing as a screening tool for colorectal cancer, Dr. Graeme P. Young reported at the annual Digestive Disease...