Family Practice News articles from January 2004

Family Practice News archives from January 2004

Aspirin: no go on primary prevention: some support for nonfatal MI indication.(News)(myocardial infarction)
January 1, 2004... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- A federal advisory panel voted against expanding aspirin's indications to include primary prevention of myocardial infarction. In an 11-3 vote, the Food and Drug Administration's Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory...

AMA focuses on plan to improve Medicaid coverage: tax credit option disputed: failure to act now will further jeopardize patients' access to care, Dr. Coble said.(News)(American Medical Association)
January 1, 2004... HONOLULU -- Patient access to Medicaid and physician reimbursement from the program have reached the critical point, delegates said at the interim meeting of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates. After heated debate, 94%...

CDC releases new SARS clinical guidelines: scenarios with and without transmission: treatment recommendations not included. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, severe acute respiratory syndrome).(News)
January 1, 2004... Until severe acute respiratory syndrome pops up again, it should be considered as a diagnosis only for patients hospitalized for pneumonia who also raise epidemiologic suspicions, according to new clinical guidelines released by the Centers for...

AMA vows to ramp up tort reform advocacy: actions at interim meeting. (American Medical Association).(News)
January 1, 2004... HONOLULU -- In the complicated calculus that governs membership in professional societies, winning--in state houses or on Capitol Hill--is the only thing. Medicare reform counts as a big win on the scoreboard for the American Medical...

Influenza: see only patients with complications.(News)
January 1, 2004... Unless they exhibit symptoms of serious complications that demand immediate treatment, the best place for patients suspected of having influenza is at home in bed, according to experts. "If they have usual symptoms--headache, body aches,...

Flu season starts early, severe in most of country: epidemic possible.(News)
January 1, 2004... Flu activity had been reported in every state plus Washington, D.C., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. At press time widespread activity has been reported .Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa,...

Microalbuminuria may signal rise in cardiac risk: new marker in otherwise healthy people.(News)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Microalbuminuria may flag elevated cardiovascular disease risk in otherwise healthy people, based on the results of a study with 854 participants. The study results also suggested that treatment with the...

2004 harmonized childhood immunization schedule split in two.(News)
January 1, 2004... This year's harmonized childhood immunization schedule comes in two parts. The first part (on this page and next) is valid January-June 2004, and contains only minor changes from 2003. A July-December 2004 chart will include a...

Bilateral breast cancer warrants BRCA testing: regardless of family history.(News)
January 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Women with bilateral invasive breast cancer have a high prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations regardless of whether they possess a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, Alicia A. Parlanti reported at a breast...

Feet need fat.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Inasmuch as steroids dissolve subcutaneous fat, Dr. Jeremy J. Hunt's recommendation to inject steroids on the plantar surface of the foot is contraindicated because it will diminish the fat pad under the foot ("Inject Steroids Sooner for Fast,...

Rx for the whole patient.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I believe that both discussants missed the point in "Pro & Con: Is lowering blood pressure the only relevant consideration when choosing antihypertensive agents?" (Nov. 15, 2003, p. 13). We all know that lowering blood pressure is important...

Talk back online.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Would you ever recommend medical marijuana to a patient? (December 1, 2003, p. 14) NO 45% YES 55% To Talk Back, visit www.efamilypracticenews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

A burden we don't need.(Guest Editorial)(new clinical skills assessment examination )
January 1, 2004... "Would you like some cheese with that whine?" This appears to be the message that the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) is sending to medical students who criticize the implementation of the new clinical skills assessment...

Should PBMs work with physicians to develop formularies?(Pro & Con)(pharmacy benefit managers )
January 1, 2004... YES The job of managing the pharmacy benefit is an essential element of the overall health care management equation. Left unmanaged, plan sponsors' costs would rise at faster rates, with the ultimate result of reduced benefits and higher...

Pneumonia: macrolides better for certain patients: IDSA guidelines. (Infectious Diseases Society of America).(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... A fluoroquinolone is not necessary for initial, outpatient treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in patients with uncomplicated disease, according to new guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The new...

Azithromycin rapidly clears pertussis pathogen: adult illness drawing more attention.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Five days of azithromycin is a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment regimen for rapid eradication of Bordetella pertussis in iii children and adults, Dr. Michael E. Pichichero reported at the annual Interscience Conference...

Low-tech interventions yield big CV benefits: adherence affects success. (cardiovascular).(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- The Ornish program of cardiovascular risk reduction through aggressive lifestyle modification has now been shown to translate well from anything-goes California to the hills of West Virginia and cornfields of Nebraska. ...

Mediterranean diet associated with fewer cardiovascular events: lower inflammatory markers.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Eating a Mediterranean diet is associated with significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein and other inflammatory markers, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Ph.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart...

Public access defibrillation boosts cardiac arrest survival: trained community volunteers.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Training community volunteers to use an automatic external defibrillator roughly doubles survival following sudden cardiac arrest in public venues, Dr. Joseph R Ornato reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American...

Campaign to target deficiencies in cardiac care: acute heart failure.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- An aggressive national campaign to improve quality of care for patients hospitalized with acute heart failure is being planned in response to compelling new evidence of widespread substantial deficiencies, Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow...

Thiazolidinediones useful against diabetes after heart failure: don't be fazed by fluid retention.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- The thiazolidinediones--pioglitazone and rosiglitazone--are emerging as the agents of choice for treating type 2 diabetes in patients with congestive heart failure, Dr. James B. Young maintained at the annual meeting of the Heart...

Glucosamine provides long-lasting effect in OA: five years or longer.(Clinical Rounds)(osteoarthritis )
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- The clinical and radiologic benefits of glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis persist for at least 5 years after treatment, according to the findings of a new study. Patients who took the dietary supplement for 3 years had...

Population study confirms more OA in women: incidence estimates from Alberta.(Clinical Rounds)(osteoarthritis)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... BERLIN -- The overall annual incidence of osteoarthritis in the general population is about 1%, according to findings based on 20 years of billing data from the Canadian province of Alberta. Women are at slightly higher risk than men, with...

For elderly, [B.sub.12] should come from supplements: deficiency widespread.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... ALBUQUERQUE -- In a departure from its longstanding position that nutrients should come from food rather than pills, the National Academy of Sciences is urging older people to meet their recommended dietary allowance of vitamin [B.sub.12]...

[B.sub.12] deficiency can escape detection: elderly at risk.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Now that flour in the United States is routinely fortified with folic acid, elderly people with a vitamin [B.sub.12] deficiency may not initially present with megaloblastic anemia, the traditional harbinger of a [B.sub.12]...

Dietary fiber alone may not block colorectal cancer: Hawaiian Population.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Dietary fiber alone may not keep colorectal cancer at bay. Data from a multiethnic cohort study failed to confirm the protective effect of dietary fiber against colorectal cancer that an earlier study suggested, Dr. Abraham...

Leech therapy for pain and venous congestion.(Alternative medicine: an evidence-based approach)
January 1, 2004... * Leech therapy is undergoing a renaissance, with applications in surgery and pain control. * The saliva of Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech, contains anticoagulant and analgesic substances thought to be responsible for the clinical...

Good enough? Or good enough to increase the odds of an MI in the next ten years?(slight elevation in blood pressure could forecast an increase in cardiovascular risk)
January 1, 2004... The data are clear: concurrently, even mild-to-moderate elevations of blood pressure and cholesterol can mean an increased risk of cardiovascular events.1-3 Studies such as the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT), an...

Too many hurdles to prescribing buprenorphine? State restrictions one roadblock.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- The medical community's reception to the availability of an office-based treatment option for opioid addiction has been, in a word, under-whelming. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Center for...

Two-item screen flags elderly substance abuse: focus on effect, not quantity.(Clinical Rounds)(the CAGE questioning technique and the MAST-G 24-item lifestyle questionnaire have been validated for use)
January 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Ageism and poor screening tools make it difficult for clinicians to identify substance abuse in older adults. "Ageism--preconceived ideas about drinking and drug use in older people--is very common among clinicians," Cheryl...

Adult health pocket guide.(Clinical Rounds)("Pocket Guide to Good Health for Adults" from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has revised and expanded its "Pocket Guide to Good Health for Adults." The guide includes tips on good health habits, screening tests, and immunizations. The guide can be downloaded from...

Technique, persistence key to wart removal: ambiguous literature.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Since 1966, approximately 6,170 papers on the treatment of warts have appeared in the medical literature--yet successful treatment of warts is still a question of trial and error, Dr. Theodore Rosen said. Many of those studies...

Emollients should be the cornerstone of care for atopic dermatitis: mild, moderate disease.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... MONTREAL -- Adequate use of emollients can control up to one-quarter of mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis and can reduce or eliminate the need for corticosteroids, according to Dr. Michael Cork. "Emollients are a very simple...

Topical tacrolimus bests steroids for atopic dermatitis in large European trial: moderate, severe disease.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... BARCELONA, SPAIN -- Tacrolimus ointment proved superior to mid- to high-potency topical corticosteroids in adults with atopic dermatitis in the first large double-blind clinical trial to compare the topical immune modulator with standard...

Derm diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)(Wells' syndrome, also known as eosinophilic cellulitis)
January 1, 2004... A 73-year-old white female presented with a 2-week history of a red painful lesion on her left medial thigh. The lesion dated from a deerfly bite that occurred in northern Utah. Initially a small lesion, the area of the bite then developed a...

Test diabetic patients for peripheral artery disease: American Diabetes Association guidelines.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... All diabetic patients over 50 years of age should be screened for peripheral arterial disease using the ankle-brachial index, the American Diabetes Association has recommended. If normal, the test should be repeated every 5 years. A...

Failure to intensify Tx in response to poor diabetes control common: (Hb[A.sub.1c] often exceeds 9%.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Failure to respond to deteriorating glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes is common, Gregory A. Nichols, Ph.D., reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. In a retrospective...

Retinal exams every 2 years is fine for select diabetic patients: good glycemic control a must.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- An analysis of data from a diabetes registry suggests that a 2-year screening interval after a negative dilated pupil retinal examination is appropriate for diabetic patients in good glycemic control, Dr. Joe V. Selby said at the...

Lamivudine delays progress of chronic hepatitis B: long-term treatment.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Long-term lamivudine treatment in patients with advanced chronic hepatitis B significantly reduced the risk of complications including hepatocellular carcinoma, in a large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that was presented at...

Add PPI to NSAID therapy; avoid peptic ulcer: esomeprazole and lansoprazole.(Clinical Rounds)(proton pump inhibitors)
January 1, 2004... BALTIMORE -- The use of proton pump inhibitors along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may lower the incidence of related ulcers and upper GI symptoms, based on two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American College of...

Obesity surgery alleviates metabolic syndrome: gastric bypass has 'steep learning curve'.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Gastric bypass surgery is curing morbidly obese patients of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance--to the bafflement of a leading surgeon who performs the operation. "If you get rid of the obesity, all of...

Bariatric surgery appears safe in patients with coronary disease: an option to lower cardio risk.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Bariatric surgery in markedly obese patients with coronary artery disease has an acceptably low rate of major in-hospital cardiovascular complications, Dr. Sundeep Bhatia reported at the annual scientific sessions of the...

More weight loss with gastric bypass surgery than laparoscopic procedure: need prospective, randomized trial.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Compared with gastric bypass surgery, both laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic gastric banding are safer surgical procedures, Dr. R. Armour Forse said at a symposium on treating gastrointestinal disorders sponsored by Boston...

Male infertility raises flag for genetic concerns: knowledge very limited.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Extremely low sperm counts are often caused by genetic defects that could pose other health risks to affected men and their potential offspring, Dolores Lamb, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for...

New PSA measures refine cancer screening: free and complexed PSA.(Clinical Rounds)(prostate-specific antigen)
January 1, 2004... PHILADELPIHIA -- Measuring serum levels of flee and complexed prostate-specific antigen may help estimate prostate cancer risk when the total prostate-specific antigen 1eval is indeterminate. Screening for prostate cancer by measuring serum...

Alpha-linolenic acid intake tied to prostate ca: new dietary data.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Men with high intake of alpha-linotenic acid from either animal or vegetable sources had an increased risk of metastatic prostate cancer compared with men who consumed less alphalinolenic acid, Dr. Michael Leitzmann reported at...

Xerostomia requires lifestyle changes, vigilance: early identification is key.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... DESTIN, FLA. -- In treating xerostomia, stick to the low tech and tried and true, Athena S. Papas, D.M.D., advised at a meeting sponsored by the Brookwood Medical Center. Immunosuppressive drugs have been suggested as treatments for dry...

Younger patients are opting for joint replacement surgery: knees, hips.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... Whether they're driven to maintain an active lifestyle or encouraged by the latest high-tech materials, baby boomers appear to be opting for joint replacement surgery at significantly younger ages than previous generations. From 1996 to...

Montelukast outcomes appear to rival fluticasone: persistent asthma.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- An analysis of health care claims data for inpatient and emergency department visits suggests that montelukast can control persistent asthma as well as inhaled fluticasone, Felicia C. Allen-Ramey, Ph.D., said at the World...

FDA steroid warning.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against the sale and use of tetrahydrogestrinone, saying that the supplement may pose a significant risk to the health of consumers. Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) is a newly identified...

CHF and malnutrition.(Clinical Capsules)(chronic heart failure)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Most normal-weight patients with clinically stable chronic heart failure need to consume extra calories and protein to avoid malnutrition and limit the breakdown of body protein, according to Dr. Roberto Aquilani of the Scientific Institute of...

[beta]-blockers and depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Although the belief is still widespread, [beta]-blockers do not appear to cause depression, Dr. Lawson R. Wulsin said at the annual meeting of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry. Concern about depression has contributed to a...

Oral antifungal efficacy.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Open studies detailing cure rates of oral antifungals are often overstated, Dr. Aditya K. Gupta said at the 12th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. Dr. Gupta conducted a metaanalysis of 36 efficacy studies...

Colectomy in colitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Ulcerative colitis patients with flat, low-grade dysplasia should undergo colectomy due to the high risk of progression to cancer, reported Dr. Thomas Ullman and his colleagues at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. A...

Fertility can be preserved while treating cancer: need to work together.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Although there are options for preserving fertility in cancer patients, lack of awareness among patients and oncologists often results in unnecessary sterilization, Dr. Togas Tulandi said at the annual meeting of the American...

Despite evidence, women still want annual paps: habit is entrenched.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... Physicians could be hard-pressed to convince their female patients that some don't need an annual Pap smear, a study has shown. In a series of eight focus groups meant to gauge women's perceptions about risk-based cervical cancer screening,...

Fish intake reduces atherosclerosis progression: postmenopausal patients.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Fish consumption, especially of tuna and other dark-meat fish, is associated with significantly decreased angiographic progression of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women, Aria T. Erkkila, Ph.D., reported at the...

Silent MI found in 17% of women post menopause: routine ECG exams needed?(Women's Health)(myocardial infarction)(Electrocardiography)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- More than 17% of postmenopausal women have a moderate or high likelihood of having silent myocardial infarction, based on findings from more than 60,000 women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative. This high...

Gender differences in coronary care: grace registry.(Women's Health)(Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events)
January 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Coronary disease in women with acute coronary syndrome tends to be more diffuse, less obstructive, and angiographically milder than coronary disease in men, according to new data from the Global Registry of Acute Coronary...

Vaginal neutrophils still best clue to subacute PID: sensitive, not specific.(Women's Health)(pelvic inflammatory disease)
January 1, 2004... OTTAWA -- Detection of vaginal neutrophils remains the most sensitive test of subacute pelvic inflammatory disease, Sharon L. Hillier, Ph.D., said at a congress of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research. The...

Tibolone increases bone density, lacks side effects: as effective as hormone therapy.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- The synthetic steroid tibolone appears to increase bone mineral density as well as hormone therapy, but without the side effects of breast pain and breakthrough bleeding, Dr. Robert D. Langer said in a poster at the annual...

Prenatal screening halves cystic fibrosis births: carrier rate of 1 in 28.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- The nation's largest prenatal cystic fibrosis screening program identified 2,003 carriers of CF gene mutations in its first 4 years and resulted in the births of half the expected number of babies with the disease. The...

Advantage to meropenem combo therapy for CF exacerbations: effect not sustained long term.(Women's Health)(cystic fibrosis)
January 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- The combination of meropenem and tobramycin was superior to ceftazidime and tobramycin in treating acute pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis, Dr. Jeffrey L. Blumer reported at the annual Interscience Conference on...

How to evaluate patients with fecal incontinence: role of physiologic testing.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... ST. Louis -- Anal physiologic testing in patients with fecal incontinence is of greatest value for those who have failed medical or surgical treatment, Dr. Wayne B. Tuckson said at the 13th International Pelvic Reconstructive and Vaginal...

Multiple options for fecal incontinence Tx: medical, surgical.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... ST. LOUIS -- Non-surgical treatment for fecal incontinence is often sufficient, Dr. Wayne B. Tuckson said at the 13th International Pelvic Reconstructive and Vaginal Surgery Conference. Changes in dietary habits, such as avoiding gaseous...

Duloxetine improves stress urodynamic incontinence compared with placebo: drug under FDA review.(Women's Health)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Significantly more women with urodynamic stress incontinence reported improvement and reconsidered surgery after 8 weeks of duloxetine treatment, compared with those taking a placebo, in a study of 109 women. This is the...

Look for interstitial cystitis in overactive bladder: consider in treatment-resistant cases.(Women's Health)
January 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- More than half of the 25 million Americans who suffer from overactive bladder symptoms may have interstitial cystitis, DE Maurice K. Chung said at an international congress of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Every...

Women show MI prodrome.(Clinical Capsules)(myocardial infarction)
January 1, 2004... Many women experience warning symptoms more than a month preceding acute myocardial infarction--a critical time period for treatment or prevention, according to Jean C. McSweeney, R.N., of the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, and her...

Asthma and pregnancy.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Female fetuses may adversely affect maternal asthma, which could result ha impaired placental function and reduced fetal growth, Australian investigators reported. A fetal sex-specific effect on the maternal immune system was observed ha a...

Pyelonephritis outcomes.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Serious renal damage that is clinically meaningful is rare in women hospitalized with acute pyelonephritis, Dr. Raul Raz of Haemek Medical Center, Afula, Israel, and his colleagues have reported. In a study of 63 such women, nearly half had...

Yogurt for diarrhea.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A daily serving of yogurt reduces the incidence and duration of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, reported Dr. Ripudaman S. Beniwal of Indiana University, Indianapolis, and associates. In the first randomized, controlled trial of yogurt to...

Drug update: prevention of nephropathy.(Rx)(angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers evaluated)
January 1, 2004... Up to 40% of patients with type 2 diabetes develop nephropathy, and as many as 5%-7% develop end-stage renal disease. Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States. Until recently, there wasn't much that a...

FDA issues alert after Canada recalls asthma Rx: malfunctioning delivery system.(Rx)(Glaxo-SmithKline Inc.'s Ventolin Diskus, Flovent Diskus, and Serevent Diskus recalled)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Following a Canadian recall of certain lots of the asthma drugs Ventolin Diskus, Flovent Diskus, and Serevent Diskus, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert to warn U.S. residents about the defective products. In November the...

Cholestyramine cuts ezetimibe's bioavailability: space dosings hours apart.(Rx)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... VIENNA -- The cholesterol-lowering drugs ezetimibe and cholestyramine interact so as to decrease the bioavailability of ezetimibe by approximately 55%, Dr. Teddy Kosoglou reported at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology....

European hypnotic benefits elderly insomniacs: investigational drug.(Rx)(Estorra (eszopiclone) from Sepracor Inc. )(marketed in Europe under the name of Imovane)
January 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- An investigational nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic seems to be safe and effective for elderly patients with insomnia. In a clinical study, the drug provided deep, sustained sleep and a low level of next-day somnolence, compared with...

Fewer GI symptoms seen with celecoxib: better than nonselective NSAIDS.(Rx)(Celebrex)
January 1, 2004... BALTIMORE -- Patients appear to tolerate celecoxib significantly better than nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the clinical practice setting, according to a review of a large insurance claims database. Patients in...

Add probiotics for infants with AD, milk allergy: lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.(Children's Health)(atopic dermatitis)
January 1, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Probiotics of two types--lactobacillus and bifidobacterium--significantly improved atopic dermatitis in infants with suspected cow's milk allergy, according to trials presented at the World Allergy Organization Congress. ...

Calcineurin inhibitors offer advantages for eczema: tacrolimus, pimecrolimus.(Children's Health)
January 1, 2004... Montreal -- Topical calcineurin inhibitors should be first-line, long-term therapy, along with emollients, for all patients with chronic atopic dermatitis--even children, according to two specialists. Although the standard of care for...

Adrenal suppression often overlooked in topical steroid Tx: children with atopic dermatitis.(Children's Health)
January 1, 2004... Gaithersburg, MD. -- Educational materials and perhaps a black box warning in the patient package insert are needed to alert physicians and parents that use of topical steroids to treat pediatric atopic dermatitis may result in asymptomatic,...

Frequent snoring linked to academic setbacks: poorest performance in science.(Children's Health)
January 1, 2004... Elementary schoolchildren who snored often fared worse academically than their classmates who were not habitual snorers, said Michael S. Urschitz of the University Hospital of Tuebingen (Germany) and his colleagues. In a population-based,...

Macrolide resistance rose from 15% to 56%: over 6 years.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... There was a steady increase in erythromycin resistance in middle ear isolates of children with otitis media from 15% in 1994-1995 to 56% in 1999-2000 in a multi-center cohort, said Edward O. Mason Jr., Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine,...

Prevnar closing race gap in pneumococcal disease: vaccine reaching black, white children.(Children's Health)
January 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- The introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has significantly reduced the disparity between black and white children in rates of invasive pneumococcal disease, Brendan Flannery, Ph.D., reported at the annual...

Many teens may not get enough vitamin D: two studies share similar findings.(Children's Health)
January 1, 2004... MINNEAPOLIS -- Vitamin D deficiency may be more common than recognized in adolescents, according to results of two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In the first study, Dr....

Antioxidants and lung function: vitamins A, C, and E.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Lung function is diminished in school-aged children who do not get enough antioxidant vitamins, said Dr. Frank D. Gilliland and his associates at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Insufficient amounts of vitamins A, C, and...