Family Practice News articles from December 2008

Family Practice News archives from December 2008

Wilderness course recharges students.(News)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WESTPORT, N.Y. -- For 30 long minutes, they continued chest compressions, but the patient--who had been struck by lightning and suffered a pneumothorax, head trauma, and then cardiac arrest--was nonresponsive. ...

Vascular events reduced by CRP screening, therapy: risk revealed in presumably healthy people.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(C-reactive protein)
December 1, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- Rosuvastatin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events in healthy persons with elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein but normal LDL cholesterol levels in a study of nearly 18,000 patients. "In...

Federal report recognizes Gulf War illness, causes.(News)
December 1, 2008... It's been a long time coming for veterans whose health complaints have been met with skepticism, but a federal panel has determined that Gulf War syndrome is not only real, it is tied to two causes: exposure to pyridostigmine bromide and...

Studies support bariatric surgery in the elderly.(News)
December 1, 2008... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Contrary to an alarming 2005 report, two new studies have found that bariatric surgery is safe and produces good outcomes in obese Medicare and elderly patients. The first study, a retrospective series of 76 patients at...

Exercise deemed safe, improves outcomes in heart failure.(News)
December 1, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- In the largest study of exercise training as part of the management of heart failure to date, a guided exercise program was safe and modestly effective, although investigators acknowledged that patients found it hard to keep up...

Do the JUPITER results warrant broader screening for C-reactive protein? hsCRP could be a useful screening tool.(Point / Counterpoint)(Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin)
December 1, 2008... The results from the recent JUPITER (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) trial demonstrated that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) tests were strikingly effective at...

Do the JUPITER results warrant broader screening for C-reactive protein? Absolute risk demands a more thoughtful approach.(Point / Counterpoint)(Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin)
December 1, 2008... While the association between high-sensitivity CRP and coronary heart disease has been proved with excellent and robust science, we must pause before using hsCRP widely as a clinical screening tool. Many are hailing JUPITER as evidence for...

Health care is not a commodity.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... Dr. Steven Kreisman argues that the assumption of health care as a "'right" is a morally untenable premise that is responsible for the current quagmires of the American health care system ("Health Care Must Be Earned," Letters, July 15, 2008,...

Congenital heart disease guidelines target adults.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
December 1, 2008... The unique lifetime care needs of adults with congenital heart disease--particularly young adults who are making the transition out of pediatric cardiology care--are the focus of new practice guidelines released jointly by the American College...

In RA patients, cardiovascular risk matches type 2 diabetes.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
December 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients who have rheumatoid arthritis should be assessed annually for cardiovascular risk factors, a recommendation necessitated by a heart disease risk profile that equates to that of those with type 2 diabetes, a European...

Restrictions on ranolazine's label lifted, cuts [HbA.sub.1C].(Cardiovascular Medicine)
December 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration has approved a revised indication and several label additions for the angina drug ranolazine, including a statement that the drug reduced hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] in people with diabetes. The indication is...

Novel thyroid mimetics may play expanded role.(Metabolic Disorders)
December 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- A new generation of oral selective thyroid hormone receptor agonists shows promise for the treatment of dyslipidemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. For one of these agents, 3,5-di-iodothyropropionic acid (DITPA), it's a case...

Strategy eyes heart disease and diabetes.(Metabolic Disorders)(Endocrine Society's guidelines)
December 1, 2008... A new clinical practice guideline from he Endocrine Society provides strategies for keeping type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease at bay in adults with metabolic syndrome. "This guideline focuses on [those] with the components of the...

Type 2 among youths triples cardiovascular risks.(Metabolic Disorders)
December 1, 2008... ROME -- Youth with type 2 diabetes had an average of nearly three cardiovascular risk factors each, compared with just one in healthy controls in an analysis of 295 participants in a large, multicenter, U.S. case-control study. The data...

Exenatide plus metformin improves metabolic, hormonal status in PCOS.(Metabolic Disorders)(polycystic ovary syndrome)
December 1, 2008... ROME -- Treating polycystic ovary syndrome with exenatide plus metformin was more effective than either medication alone in improving menstrual cycle frequency and hormonal and metabolic derangements, a study has found. The findings were...

Oral test tracks level of glucose in PCOS.(Metabolic Disorders)(polycystic ovary syndrome )
December 1, 2008... ROME -- Oral glucose tolerance testing identified abnormal glucose metabolism in 10% more patients with polycystic ovary syndrome than did fasting glucose tests alone, a study has found. Other clinical and paraclinical factors associated...

Gaps seen in doctors' knowledge about HPV shot.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Family physicians and pediatricians are knowledgeable about several key aspects of human papillomavirus epidemiology and have largely adopted use of the HPV vaccine in their practices, but some important knowledge gaps about the...

Oral rotavirus vaccine yields better-than-expected results.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Two years after approval of an oral rotavirus vaccine, pediatric rotavirus cases and hospitalizations in U.S. hospitals have decreased dramatically, according to two national studies as well as a number of local analyses. ...

Hospitals in two states confirm cost savings in wake of vaccine coverage.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Hospital-based data from New York and Texas underscore the importance of rotavirus vaccination for reducing disease burden and related hospitalization rates and costs. The findings were reported at the fall meeting of the Centers...

Rapid test flags S. aureus, methicillin susceptibility.(Infectious Diseases)(Staphylococcus aureus)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- A single-use bacteriophage amplification test kit was able to accurately identify Staphylococcus aureus and determine whether it was methicillin sensitive or resistant within 5 hours in a study of clinical bacteremia isolates. ...

C. gattii emerges in Pacific Northwest, kills four.(Infectious Diseases)(Cryptococcus gattii)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Cryptococcus gattii, a meningitis-causing fungus previously confined to tropical and subtropical climates outside of the United States, has caused severe illness in at least 19 individuals--of whom 4 died--in the Pacific Northwest...

Data sought on atopic dermatitis barrier products.(Skin Disorders)
December 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- Barrier products may play a role as adjuvant therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis, but better studies are needed to show how they fit into the armamentarium. That's the conclusion Dr. Andrew C. Krakowski came to about...

Think efficacy and toxicity in selecting psoriasis medications.(Skin Disorders)
December 1, 2008... PARIS -- Nonbiologic systemic drugs can be effective choices for the treatment of psoriasis if they are chosen properly, according to Dr. Jonathan Barker. "The important message is that standard, traditional systemic drugs work," said Dr....

Escitalopram bests duloxetine for severe major depression.(Mental Health)
December 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Severely depressed patients who fail to respond to 2 weeks of escitalopram at 10 mg/day typically do better with uptitration to 20 mg/day for 8 weeks than with a switch to 8 weeks of duloxetine at 60 mg/day, according to a...

Paroxetine tied to sperm DNA fragmentation.(Mental Health)
December 1, 2008... Use of paroxetine (Paxil) appears to put healthy men at greater risk of sperm DNA fragmentation, according to data from a small study. In a study of 35 healthy male volunteers, SSRI treatment was significantly correlated with increased DNA...

Cognitive and prolonged exposure therapies beat SSRI for early PTSD.(Mental Health)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, posttraumatic stress disorder)
December 1, 2008... BARCELONA -- When given within a month of the precipitating event, cognitive therapy and prolonged exposure therapy are equally effective at decreasing the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder--and both strategies are significantly more...

Obesity in black women may signal depression.(Mental Health)
December 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The odds of comorbid depression are 41% greater in obese than in non-obese African American women, according to a large national study. Based upon this finding, obese African American women should routinely be screened for...

Full exam guides ADHD diagnosis in preschoolers.(Mental Health)
December 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in preschoolers are tricky, although there is evidence to support the use of stimulants in their treatment, Dr. Alison Schonwald said. Diagnosing children...

Avoid empiric treatment for vulvar skin disorders.(Women's Health)
December 1, 2008... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Empiric treatment with corticosteroids should be avoided in patients who present with vulvar symptoms such as burning, itching, pain, and dyspareunia, according to Dr. Andrew T. Goldstein. These patients should...

As menarche starts earlier, expert reviews 'normal' cycles in teens.(Women's Health)
December 1, 2008... STANFORD, CALIF. -- A teenage patient complains of "heavy" menstrual periods. Her mother mentions that her daughter never gets periods during soccer season. Should you evaluate the girl for abnormal uterine bleeding? Test your...

Think Behcet's when aphthous ulcers recur.(Women's Health)
December 1, 2008... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- The diagnosis of Behcet's disease must be considered in any patient with recurrent oral and vulvar aphthous ulcers, even if the deep, full-thickness ulcers in the mouth and vulva develop at different times. ...

Pulmonary hypertension still high risk in pregnancy.(Women's Health)
December 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- A Milwaukee cardiologist seems to have defied the textbook on what happens to women who develop pulmonary hypertension while pregnant. The medical literature generally says that about half of these women will die during or...

Cigarette smoking cessation.(Drugs, Pregnancy, And Lactation)
December 1, 2008... The rate of cigarette smoking during pregnancy has declined to about 11%, but the prevalence is higher in younger (under 20 years) and older (over 35 years) women. Smoking is a significant cause of embryonic, fetal, neonatal, infantile,...

Psychotherapy shows promise for fibromyalgia.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
December 1, 2008... PARIS -- Success rates for nonpharmacologic therapy in patients with fibromyalgia are climbing to previously unattainable levels by tailoring psychotherapy in accord with patient characteristics. It is best to intervene before the physical...

Foot complications found common in psoriatic arthritis.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
December 1, 2008... PARIS -- When it comes to psoriatic arthritis, don't forget the feet. The burden of foot pain and deformity is high and the level of foot care provision is low, Deborah E. Turner, Ph.D., reported at the annual European Congress of...

Expert gives the lowdown on diagnosing, assessing back pain.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
December 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- The good news about low back pain is that it's often self-resolving. The bad news is it tends to reoccur. "One in five people at any time will have low back pain," said Dr. Francis O'Connor, medical director of the Consortium...

Prescribed drugs, supplements tied to liver injury: antimicrobials are the most frequent offenders, with some CNS and immunomodulatory agents following.(Digestive Disorders)(central nervous system)
December 1, 2008... A wide variety of prescription and nonprescription medications and nutritional supplements are at the root of drug-induced liver injury in the United States. Moreover, combinations of potentially hepatotoxic agents, rather than single...

Family history is key after a serious gastroesophageal event.(Digestive Disorders)
December 1, 2008... DENVER, COLO. -- A careful physical examination and history, with special attention to the family history, will detect most infants with gastroesophageal reflux who need an intensive work-up following an apparent life-threatening event,...

Data mixed on anticholinergic use for COPD.(Pulmonary Medicine)
December 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- Despite recent hints of danger, inhaled anticholinergic drugs remain a mainstay of treatment for many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Inhaled anticholinergic drugs such as ipratropium and tiotropium...

Infant acetaminophen use tied to asthma later.(Pulmonary Medicine)
December 1, 2008... Exposure to acetaminophen may be an important risk factor for the development of asthma later in childhood, according to new data from an international asthma study. In a sample of more than 200,000 children from 31 countries, those...

Obese lose 14% of weight on novel combo drug.(Obesity)
December 1, 2008... PHOENIX -- Obese individuals lost 14% of their weight on average at the highest dose in a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a novel weight loss drug combining slow-release formulations of the anticonvulsant zonisamide and the...

Meal replacements double weight loss, support maintenance.(Obesity)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- What is a safe, drug-free, and effective method for treating obesity and its comorbidities in patients with diabetes or those who are at risk for it? Tell them to try prepackaged, nutritionally balanced, and calorie-controlled...

Model predicts pain in patients with dementia.(Geriatric Medicine)
December 1, 2008... Many nursing home residents with dementia are at risk for undiagnosed, underestimated, and undermanaged pain because of their difficulty in communicating, but ongoing study suggests that objective assessment of a resident's health status can...

Predicting pain in the elderly.
December 1, 2008... Dr. Christie Teigland noted that men and older residents are less likely to report pain; obese individuals and those with arthritis are more likely to experience pain. Fractures increase the risk of pain by 100%. Numerous risk factors...

Stroke data reassuring on presurgical bisoprolol.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2008... MUNICH -- Patients undergoing noncardiac surgery benefited from pre-and postoperative treatment with the f3-blocker bisoprolol and had no excess risk for stroke, based on an analysis of about 2,000 patients who had been enrolled in three...

Venous thromboembolism risk in cancer patients cut by statins.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- Statin treatment was linked with a significantly reduced risk for venous thromboembolism in a case-control, observational study of 740 patients with solid organ tumors at one center. The next step is to test the role of...

Nonfasting triglyceride levels tied to stroke risk.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... Nonfasting triglyceride levels show a linear correlation with the risk of ischemic stroke, according to a report in JAMA. In a large population-based Danish study with 31 years of follow-up, people with the highest levels of nonfasting...

Retinal thinning may be a window on Parkinson's.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- The inner and outer layers of the retina were found to be significantly thinner in patients with Parkinson's disease, compared with those found in normal age-matched controls in a study conducted at the SUNY Downstate Medical...

Soldiers with TBI face long-term medical, cost challenges.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- Neurologic injuries figure prominently in the 33,409 U.S. soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq, and traumatic brain injury alone or with posttraumatic stress disorder presents a "significant challenge" to the Department of...

Rescue techniques may add new risks.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Some modern life-saving techniques developed in war theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan may actually increase the chance of secondary traumatic brain injury in the first 24 hours after a combat injury, said Dr. Lowenstein. He cited the...

Medicare rule focuses on outpatient imaging, quality.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2008... Medicare is making good on a promise to reduce what it sees as runaway costs for certain imaging services in its final rule on hospital outpatient payments for 2009. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also said that it...

MedPAC mulls bundling for hospital-SNF readmissions.(Practice Trends)(Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, skilled nursing facilities)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently debated whether to recommend that payments for the hospital and postacute care be bundled together. The issue arose out of concerns about frequent rehospitalizations and...

Poor marks for PQRI.(Policy & Practice)(Physician Quality Reporting Initiative )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Most physicians who participated in Medicare's 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative found the program at least moderately difficult, according to a survey conducted by the American Medical Association. Only 22% of respondents to the...

Many have drug 'gap' coverage.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... A total of 13% of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D prescription drug plans and 630/0 of those in Medicare Advantage plans with prescription benefits had some form of coverage in the "doughnut hole," or coverage gap, according to a...

Resuscitation practices ineffective.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... An overwhelming majority of emergency physicians believe that resuscitation practices in the United States are not very effective, according to a survey released by the American College of Emergency Physicians. In addition, more than half of...

HIPAA enforcement 'limited'.(Policy & Practice)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has not provided effective oversight and has taken only "limited actions" to ensure that covered entities adequately implement patient privacy regulations contained in the Health Insurance...

Mass. Blues require e-prescribing.(Policy & Practice)(Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts said it will require all physicians to prescribe electronically beginning in 2011 in order to qualify for any of the health plan's physician incentive programs. Currently, 99% of primary care physicians...

Program cuts illicit drug use.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A government-supported program used to screen patients seeking health care for signs of substance abuse can reduce illicit drug use among patients seeking medical care in a wide variety of health care settings, a study found. The Screening,...

LTC does not figure in health reform debate.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The topic of long-term care isn't making the cut as part of otherwise animated discussions of possible health care reform in the next administration, according to speakers at a meeting sponsored by the Brookings Institution. ...

Loss of a chance.(Law & Medicine)
December 1, 2008... A doctor runs a walk-in clinic to treat acute conditions such as minor trauma and provide services such as flu shots and prescription refills. The clinic staff does not routinely measure blood pressure (BP). A patient who has used the facility...

A positive turn-off.(Genomic Medicine)
December 1, 2008... Remember when you took Bio 101 and learned that DNA is transcribed to RNA, which in turn is translated to produce the proteins that make organisms and that abnormal proteins are the cause of most human disease? Well, now there is a new...

Hatchet vs. scalpel approach to reform debated.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Can President-elect Barack Obama really shepherd through major health reform? Not until the Medicare physician payment system gets fixed, according to Robert Laszewski. "How do you plan a health care budget in Medicare and the...

Physician survey shows widespread use of active placebos; AMA policy murky.(Practice Trends)(American Medical Association)
December 1, 2008... A survey of internists and rheumatologists suggests that prescribing active "placebos" is relatively common, even though ethicists generally frown on the use of such therapies, especially if the patient is not informed. The survey was...

Aetna's physician rating program meets standards.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2008... Aetna Inc.'s physician-rating program recently received a passing grade from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The evaluation was conducted under a 2007 agreement between Aetna and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and was...

Plugging the blog.(Indications)(Bob Finn's weirdmedicalnews.wordpress.com)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Devoted followers of Indications are no doubt aware that the Internet offers a vast array of Web sites devoted to weird science, weird medicine, weird behavior, and general weirdness. But in case you haven't heard, our San Francisco bureau...

The self-correcting couch potato.(Indications)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Is it possible that couch-potato-ism could be self-correcting? That's the startling implication of a study conducted by researchers at Laval University in Quebec City. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Psychosomatic Medicine, the...

Designer vaginas maligned.(Indications)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... As reported by the BBC, Professor Linda Cardozo of King's College Hospital, London, expressed serious reservations about the increasing prevalence of cosmetic vaginal surgery. At a medical conference in Toronto, she noted that a Google search...

Folic acid in utero cuts heart defects.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NEW ORLEANS -- Periconceptual folic acid supplementation appears to reduce by close to 20% the overall risk of congenital heart defects, a Dutch case-control study has shown. This finding has important public...

Medical school enrollment up nearly 2% in 2008.(VITAL SIGNS)(Statistical table)
December 15, 2008... Medical School Enrollment Up Nearly 2% in 2008 Men Women Total 2007 Applicants 51.0% 49.0% 42,315 Enrollees 51.7% 48.3% 17,759 2008 Applicants 51.8% 38.2& 42,231...

New cardiovascular risk score adds c-reactive protein: critics still support Framingham score.(News)
December 15, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- A new formula for calculating the cardiovascular disease risk of men and women, the Reynolds Risk Score, is an opportunity, according to proponents, to move beyond the Framingham Risk Score, the standard formula currently...

More EPs offer vaccines to adults; cost is main barrier.(Infectious Diseases)
December 15, 2008... RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO -- A greater percentage of family physicians provided adult immunizations in 2008 compared with the previous year. The cost of providing such immunizations, however, has surpassed the lack of demand among patients as the...

Insurance industry proposes quid pro quo.(News)(health insurance policy)
December 15, 2008... As a new administration prepares tackle health care reform, the health insurance industry is offering a few suggestions. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which represents about 1,300 companies covering more than 200 million...

Apidra, Acanya Gel.(NEW & APPROVED)(Drug overview)
December 15, 2008... Apidra (insulin glulisine, Sanofi-Aventis) The Food and Drug Administration approved a new pediatric indication for Apidra (insulin glulisine [rDNA origin] solution for injection). The rapid-acting insulin is indicated to improve glycemic...

Imagining life on JUPITER.(Guest Editorial)(Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin)
December 15, 2008... What will life on JUPITER look like? Put briefly, it will be a world with lots more testing of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels, and treating a whole lot more people with statins. Although a lot of the upsurge in statin use...

Imaging costs should be made public.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... I appreciate Dr. N.S. Damle's take on controlling medical imaging costs, but one aspect that he did not discuss is the lack of public information on the exact costs of individual tests ("Paying for Advanced Medical Imaging," Guest Editorial,...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I have bad news. You are allergic to wheat, eggs, sugar, raisins, and ginger."

Hospitalizations soar for CHD in adult patients.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Congenital heart disease)
December 15, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- The annual number of hospitalizations for adults with congenital heart disease climbed by 71% in the United States between 1998 and 2005, far outstripping the 12% overall increase in hospital admissions among the general adult...

Impotence may predict peripheral arterial disease.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
December 15, 2008... RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO -- Erectile dysfunction seems strongly associated with an elevated risk of peripheral arterial disease even after controlling for other risk factors, according to study results involving 175 men aged older than 50 years....

Hospitalizations for heart failure surge by 230%.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- The annual number of Americans aged 65 or older hospitalized for heart failure jumped more than 230% between 1980 and 2006. "Heart failure has reached epidemic levels. The prevention and treatment of heart failure have...

Inflammation drives up risk of PAD in women.(Metabolic Disorders)(peripheral artery disease)
December 15, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- Women with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of developing symptomatic peripheral artery disease, mediated mainly by the syndrome's associated inflammation and endothelial activation, according to a prospective study of...

CVD linked to diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance in older adults.(Metabolic Disorders)(cardiovascular disease)
December 15, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly a quarter of people aged 50 years or older with cardiovascular disease or aged 55 or older with at least one cardiovascular-disease risk factor had diabetes in a study that screened over 35,000 people. Another 28% of...

Rosiglitazone risks outpace pioglitazone's in the elderly.(Metabolic Disorders)
December 15, 2008... Elderly patients who started taking rosiglitazone had higher rates of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for heart failure during the following year than did those who started taking pioglitazone, in a study of nearly 30,000 subjects. ...

Common symptoms could mask hypothyroidism.(Metabolic Disorders)
December 15, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- Symptoms of hypothyroidism such as fatigue, depression, myalgias, cold intolerance, and menstrual abnormalities can be so common that they often blur the distinction between screening and case finding. "Such symptoms are...

Weekly dose of levothyroxine is safe, preferred.(Metabolic Disorders)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... CHICAGO -- Once-weekly levothyroxine administration in hypothyroid women proved to be a safe and well-tolerated alternative to standard daily therapy in a Brazilian randomized trial. Echocardiographic evaluation showed no differences...