Family Practice News articles from March 2004

Family Practice News archives from March 2004

Early screening for down syndrome: noninvasive.(First and Second Trimester Evaluation of Risk trial)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- First-trimester Down syndrome screening was at least as effective as second-trimester screening in a major U.S. trial expected to pave the way for a shift in the standard of care for pregnant women who desire an early,...

Coalition mounts aggressive liability reform effort: upcoming TV campaign: medical societies have ponied up $10 million to fund coalition activities.(Doctors for Medical Liability Reform)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO--A new and rapidly growing specialty society coalition called Doctors for Medical Liability Reform is poised to wrest the helm of the tort reform campaign from the American Medical Association. With $10 million in its coffers so...

AHA targets new heart health initiative at women: symbolized by red dress pin: evidence-based advice on disease prevention.(American Heart Association)
March 1, 2004... Primary care physicians and cardiologists nationwide will soon be seeing red, and advocates for women's heart health think that's a good thing. The American Heart Association has kicked off an initiative called Go Red For Women to raise...

FDA called upon to ban ephedra substitute: bitter orange.(News)
March 1, 2004... Rapidly proliferating "ephedra-free" weight loss supplements containing bitter orange are not a safe alternative to ephedrine-based products, experts say. A compound present in Citrus aurantium, synephrine, is chemically similar to...

Heart defects associated with increased nuchal translucency: another use for screening.(News)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- A chromosomally normal fetus with increased nuchal translucency is at significantly heightened risk of having a heart defect, Dr. Ray O. Bahado-Singh reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. ...

Fourth dose of PCV7 vaccine suspended due to shortage: supplies limited until July.(News)(7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine)
March 1, 2004... Due to limited supply of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, several major medical groups have endorsed suspension of the fourth dose of the vaccine series until supplies are restocked. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's...

Lupus patients are at increased risk for cancer: more than 7,000 studied.(News)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have about a 20% increased risk of developing cancer, compared with the general population, based on a study involving more than 7,000 lupus patients. Among patients with systemic...

Public enthusiasm for ca screens may be too high: pap tests, mammography, colonoscopy.(News)
March 1, 2004... A large majority of Americans desire to be screened for the early detection of cancer and seem to view it not as a choice, but as an obligation, according to a survey of 500 randomly selected U.S. residents. But such a commitment to...

Some in Congress seek to amend new Medicare reform law: significant holes?(News)
March 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- The new Medicare reform law has some significant holes that need to be fixed, several experts and Congressional staff members said at a health policy conference sponsored by Academy Health and Health Affairs. Overall, the...

Women with ICDs have fewer arrhythmias than do men: may have lower susceptibility.(News)(implantable cardioverter-defibrillator)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Ventricular arrhythmias among patients with coronary artery disease and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator are markedly less common in women than in men, Dr. Rachel Lampert reported at the annual scientific sessions of...

Hormone therapy may spur breast ca recurrence: postmenopausal women.(News)
March 1, 2004... A recent study of hormone therapy in menopausal women with a history of breast cancer was abruptly halted because of an increased rate of cancer recurrences in hormone users, but the findings are not likely to settle the debate over whether HT...

Obesity is strong risk factor for acute DVT.(Common Comorbidity)(deep vein thrombosis)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Look for a steady rise in cases of deep vein thrombosis as among the likely fallout from the burgeoning obesity epidemic. Overweight and obesity were the most common comorbidities identified in 4,439 patients with...

Ask about urinary incontinence.(Guest Editorial)
March 1, 2004... In my experience the recognition of stress urinary incontinence--the most common form of incontinence in women--is poor in the primary care setting, regardless of the patient's age. More than 50% of affected women will not voluntarily...

Just a free spirit?(Guest Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Sometimes a patient forces us to ask deeper questions we'd rather not think about in the course of everyday practice. For me, that patient was a homeless woman in the emergency room of the New England hospital where I was a third-year resident...

Should minors have over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception?(Pro & Con)
March 1, 2004... YES Teens are one of many vulnerable groups when it comes to unintended pregnancies. Each year, there are 800,000 teen pregnancies in the United States, more than in any other industrialized nation, and most of these are unintended. ...

DVT prophylaxis often overlooked, experts say: only 29% receive prophylaxis.(Clinical Rounds)(deep vein thrombosis)
March 1, 2004... Most patients who are at risk for deep vein thrombosis are not receiving prophylaxis in time to prevent the condition and a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism, according to experts in the field. "We fail to alert and educate providers and...

Direct thrombin inhibitor prevents recurrent deep vein thrombosis: ximelagatran.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Treatment to prevent recurrent deep vein thrombosis using the direct thrombin inhibitor, ximelagatran, was equivalent to enoxaparin and warfarin over 6 months, Dr. Charles W Francis said at the annual meeting of the American...

Mortality risk is higher with proximal DVT: asymptomatic disease.(Clinical Rounds)(deep vein thrombosis)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Proximal deep vein thrombosis was confirmed to be more likely to cause death in hospitalized patients than distal deep vein thrombosis, based on data from a large placebo-controlled trial presented at the annual meeting of the...

Framingham score drives coronary prevention: update needed?(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... The Framingham risk score has become the means for making some important treatment decisions for coronary disease prevention. But is the scoring system as good as it can be? It's a question that some experts raise, if only rhetorically, as...

Insulin-sensitizing effects distinguish carvedilol: [beta]-blocker of choice.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Carvedilol possesses unique insulin-sensitizing properties that make it the [beta]-blocker of choice, not only in treating congestive heart failure but also for the treatment of hypertension and in the post-MI setting, Dr....

Screening, tailored therapy may spare ICDs: study provides guidance.(Clinical Rounds)(implantable cardioverter defibrillator)
March 1, 2004... VIENNA -- Use of a standardized screening protocol following aborted sudden cardiac death permits tailored therapy that avoids universal placement of implantable cardiodefibrillators--while achieving a 5-year sudden cardiac death rate of less...

Vasopressin boosts cardiac arrest survival: guidelines may be modified soon.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... Vasopressin was superior to epinephrine for improving survival in patients with asystole, and the difference was significant enough to consider promoting vasopressin from its second-tier status. In a study of 1,186 patients in Germany,...

Agent eases edema in heart failure: vasopressin-receptor blocker.(Clinical Rounds)(tolvaptan)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- A new, oral, vasopressin-receptor blocker produced diuresis in a phase II study with about 300 patients with congestive heart failure. Tolvaptan reduced body weight and edema, and normalized serum sodium in patients with...

Hydrotherapy for heart failure.(Alternative medicine: an evidence-based approach)
March 1, 2004... * Hydrotherapy, long popular in European natural medicine, is showing potential for symptomatic relief of mild heart failure. * More studies, involving larger numbers of patients, are needed to determine if this approach also can be of...

New data: NCEP lipid targets are out of date: time for a simpler approach?(Clinical Rounds)(National Cholesterol Education Program)
March 1, 2004... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Recent clinical trials data have rendered obsolete the National Cholesterol Education Program recommendation to bring LDL under 100 mg/dL in patients with coronary or cardiovascular disease or diabetes, two prominent...

Access to guns increases suicide risk in elderly: screen depressed, anxious patients.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... More than one-quarter of older adults have access to a gun in their home, which has the potential to lead to suicide in high-risk patients, reported Dr. David W. Oslin of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his associates. ...

Primary care on front lines of suicide prevention: depressed, isolated elderly.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Primary care physicians should be highly alert to signs of depression and increasing social isolation among their elderly patients, particularly those who live alone, Dr. George El-Nimr said in a poster session at a meeting of the...

Not all cognitive decline progresses to dementia: 27% spared.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- A longitudinal study of 90 elderly patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment with memory impairment revealed that 24 of them did not develop dementia after an average of 12 years, Dr. Howard Chertkow reported at the...

Calcium--an emerging element in weight management: mounting evidence.(Bell Institute Of Health And Nutrition)
March 1, 2004... Did you know that calcium may be important for weight management as well as for bone health? Researchers are drawing this conclusion ms a growing number of studies show a relationship between calcium intake and body weight. Calcium's...

Two treatments help leishmaniasis healing: combo Rx, thermotherapy.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Two new therapies for cutaneous leishmaniasis healed skin lesions faster or with less treatment, according to separate reports at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In one treatment...

Guggulipid may combat metabolic syndrome: small, secondary analysis.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... LONDON -- The 2,500-year-old guggulipid story isn't over yet. A recent randomized trial evaluating this ancient ayurvedic remedy as a cholesterol-lowering agent found no benefit in the study's primary outcome, which was a reduction in...

Imbibing caffeine raises central blood pressure: peripheral BP unaffected.(Clinical Rounds)(blood pressure)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Acute caffeine intake raises central but not peripheral blood pressure in healthy people who drink coffee regularly, said Dr. W. Stephen Waring and his associates at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). In a study of 20 healthy subjects...

Patients' stress deserves attention, not medication: mind-body medicine.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Physicians are not paying enough attention to the psychosocial distress of their patients, and they would be more effective if they did, Dr. David S. Sobel said at a meeting on alternative medicine sponsored by the American...

Featured app: web browsers.(Web Browsers, Wireless Network Cards)
March 1, 2004... We're now all quite used to navigating around the Web via Internet Explorer or Netscape on our desktop computers. As might be expected, Internet browsing capabilities have become part of the handheld computer world. Although exactly how you...

Accessorize: cellular data cables, wireless expansion cards.(Web Browsers, Wireless Network Cards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... There are several ways to connect to the Internet with a handheld device. Newer personal digital assistant (PDA) phones from Palm, Samsung, Toshiba, and RIM/Blackberry feature the typical Palm or Pocket PC organizer functions and also include...

Surf this site: www.mobileplanet.com.(Web Browsers, Wireless Network Cards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Want to get hooked up to the Internet, but don't know where to start? Check out www.mobileplanet.com. Established in 1993, MobilePlanet is a leading reseller of name-brand mobile computing and wireless technology. Its expansive inventory...

Evidence can clarify complementary medicine use: assessing dietary supplements.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- Vitamins, soy protein, chondroitin, and other dietary supplements once thought to be of dubious therapeutic value are playing a growing role in medical practice, thanks to evidence supporting their use, speakers said at a...

Adjust tuberculosis regimen in HIV patients: consider longer continuation.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Physicians may want to lower the threshold for lengthening the continuation phase in treating tuberculosis in patients who are HIV positive, Dr. Charles L. Daley said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University...

New record set in 2003 for AIDS: most deaths in 1 year.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... AIDS claimed 3 million lives in 2003--the most ever in a single year. An additional 5 million people were infected with HIV last year, bringing the number of those living with HIV/AIDS to 40 million, the Joint United Nations Programme on...

Pluses and minuses of HIV drug resistance testing: better information coming.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Drug resistance results in HIV infection can be difficult to interpret and often are not useful, Dr. Robert M. Grant said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Several...

Relative risk of MI 26% higher within first 6 years on combo antiretrovirals: absolute risk remains low.(Clinical Rounds)(myocardial infarction)
March 1, 2004... Patients taking combination antiretroviral therapy show a 26% hike in the relative risk of myocardial infarction in the first 46 years of drug exposure, compared with those not taking the regimen. But the absolute risk of MI remains less...

HIV meds can be resumed after adverse events: HAART.(Clinical Rounds)(highly active antiretroviral therapy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- HIV-infected patients who interrupt highly active antiretroviral therapy can have serious adverse events, but they also can resume treatment successfully, according to a study of 40 patients. The 40 patients voluntarily...

Areas of success belie growing problem of STDs: latest research findings.(Clinical Rounds)(sexually transmitted diseases )
March 1, 2004... COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Examinations and discussions of sexually transmitted diseases too often fall by the wayside in the doctor's office, even though STDs continue to be a major health problem in the United States, Dr. Ted Rosen said at the annual...

Predictors can mitigate hepatotoxicity from HIV treatment: newly identified risk factors.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- The rate of severe hepatotoxicity associated with antiretroviral therapy for HIV is high regardless of the drug class used, but there are ways to predict such hepatotoxicity, according to data from more than 9,000 patients with HIV....

Asthma treatment not detrimental to bone health: inhaled corticosteroids.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Inhaled corticosteroids appear to have little effect on the bone mineral density of mildly asthmatic patients, according to the results of a 2year study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma,...

Guidelines improve clinical care in allergic rhinitis: study in primary care settings.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... VANCOUVER B.C. -- Following guidelines for the treatment of seasonal allergy makes a "stunning" difference in symptom reduction, Dr. Paul van Cauwenberge said at the World Allergy Organization Congress. The degree of difference is as...

OTC medicine brochure in Spanish.(Clinical Rounds)(over-the-counter )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Food and Drug Administration have launched a Spanish edition of the brochure, "Over-the-Counter Medicines: What's Right for You?" To obtain copies, contact the Consumer Healthcare Products...

New CDC data aid chronic disease prevention: local-level health risk data available.(Clinical Rounds)(Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Data that for the first time allow comparisons of behavioral risk factors between local communities should boost efforts by physicians and public health officers to prevent some chronic diseases, officials from the Centers for...

What's the best combo Tx for early rheumatoid arthritis? Head-to-head trial underway.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- The state of the art in treating early rheumatoid arthritis is this: Solid evidence now exists that for many recent-onset patients, starting them on combinations of multiple disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs produce...

Derm diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... A 43-year-old Hispanic female presented with a 3- to 4-month history of fissuring plaques on her feet. The lesions started as scaling patches on her heels. These progressively thickened, then spread to nearly cover the plantar surfaces of her...

Expert advice on choosing a hair removal system: consider your patient population.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Stumped about what type of hair removal device to purchase? Should you go with laser- or light-based technology? While the efficacy of the various devices on the market is about the same, the characteristics of your patient...

New fragile X condition affects males over age 50: develops a pseudo-Parkinson's disease.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SACRAMENTO -- Men who are carriers of fragile X syndrome but not affected can develop a pseudo-Parkinson's disease when they reach their 50s, according to a published report from the University of California, Davis. Previously it had been...

Inpatient delirium costly and largely preventable: often unrecognized, underdiagnosed.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- The impact of delirium on hospitalized patients is profound, yet it often goes unrecognized, underdiagnosed, and incorrectly treated, even in a major university hospital, Stanford University researchers discovered in a trio...

Prescribe homework to lessen distress of chronic pain: targeted educational materials.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- Patients with chronic pain benefit from receiving targeted self-study materials as a component of behavioral therapy for living with their condition, the late David M. Dush, Ph.D., then of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant,...

Subarachnoid hemorrhage misdiagnosis common: rebleeding rates are high.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- About 25%-40% of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage initially receive an incorrect diagnosis, Dr. David W. Dodick said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. The chief problem is the...

Tailor migraine prevention efforts to patient needs: best candidates for Tx.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... CANCUN, MEXICO -- So many medications are available for migraine prevention that choosing the right one requires persistence by the physician as well as the patient, Dr. Todd D. Rozen said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache...

Differential diagnosis is crucial in handling cluster headache: exclude secondary headache.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... CANCON, MEXICO -- A careful differential diagnosis will help distinguish patients with cluster headache from those with other short-lasting headaches--a crucial step, because the treatments for these disorders differ greatly, Dr. Richard B....

Closing patent foramen ovale may ease migraine: percutaneous therapy for headache?(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... VIENNA -- Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale might constitute a novel treatment for migraine, Dr. Stephan Windecker said at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Transcranial Doppler studies indicate that up...

Daily topiramate may be good choice for migraine prevention: pooled prospective data.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- For migraine prophylaxis, 100 mg/day of topiramate significantly reduced migraine frequency compared with both 50 mg/day and placebo, and was as effective as 200 mg/day in a large cohort of patients with chronic migraine. Those...

Screen for migraines with three simple questions: choose from two tests.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Busy clinicians now have at least two simple, three-question screening tools for migraine headaches. One screening survey, recently given to 3,014 patients with migraine headaches, had an overall sensitivity of 77% for...

High homocysteine levels linked to hip fracture risk: data from Framingham participants.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... MINNEAPOLIS -- Elevated plasma levels of homocysteine correlate with a significantly increased risk of hip fractures in the elderly, Robert R. McLean reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In...

Post-hip fracture: low albumin tied to mortality: chart review.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... ALBUQUERQUE -- Low serum albumin, emphysema, and heart disease are significant predictors of in-hospital mortality among patients admitted with hip fractures, Dr. Bryan J. Pimlott and colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the...

At-risk patients overlook atypical MI symptoms: results from small study.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Older adults at risk for acute myocardial infarction are aware of the typical symptoms of acute MI, yet are less knowledgeable about the atypical symptoms, results from a small study showed. The finding suggests that...

Exercise + education prevents decline in elderly: compared with education alone.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- A home-based exercise and education program that targeted underlying disabilities slowed functional decline and decreased falls and nursing home admissions in a controlled study of 188 frail elderly participants. The...

Simple questions screen for elder neglect: common indications listed.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Suspect neglect until proved otherwise if an elderly patient presents to the emergency room with tattered clothing, poor skin integrity, decubitus ulcers, diarrhea, urine burns, or urine excoriation, Terry Fulmer, Ph.D., advised in...

Ultrafast MRI cuts time needed for brain imaging: triage tool for stroke patients.(Clinical Rounds)(Magnetic resonance imaging)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- A new MRI technology minimizes brain-imaging time for stroke patients while maintaining accuracy, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Brain-imaging time was reduced from...

Medical costs of injuries on par with obesity, smoking: called 'staggering'.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2004... Motor vehicle crashes, debilitating falls, and other injuries cost the United States an estimated $117 billion in medical expenses each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. That figure, which amounts to about 10% of...

Aspirin plus ACE inhibitors.(Clinical Capsules)(Angiotensin converting enzyme )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Taking aspirin in addition to ACE inhibitors did not impair survival in a study of patients who had stable congestive heart failure with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Small doses of aspirin (less than 200 mg/day) therefore can be...

Ciprofloxacin XR for UTIs.(Clinical Capsules)(urinary tract infections )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A new once-daily extended release formulation of ciprofloxacin that could enhance treatment compliance was as safe and effective as conventional twice-daily ciprofloxacin for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and acute...

Antidepressant-related deaths.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are implicated in suicide and accidental deaths when used in combination with other drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressants, reported Survjit Cheeta, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of London....

Colorectal ca family history.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Patients with and without colorectal cancer substantially underreport family histories of colorectal cancer, reported Rory J. Mitchell of the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and his associates. During interviews, 199 persons with...

Home pregnancy test kit can detect PPROM: small pilot study.(Women's Health)(premature preterm rupture of membranes)
March 1, 2004... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- A small pilot study shows the potential of using a bedside pregnancy kit and cervical washings to detect premature preterm rupture of membranes. When used to measure human chorionic gonadotropin in cervical washings of...

Amniocentesis decision hinges more on demographics than risk: prospective study called for.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- Social, cultural, and demographic factors seem to exert a stronger influence than numeric risk on a woman's decision to undergo amniocentesis following ultrasound and a maternal serum screen positive for Down syndrome, according...

Singletons more often preterm, weigh less: assisted conception.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... Singleton pregnancies due to assisted conception have significantly worse perinatal outcomes than other singleton pregnancies, reported Dr. Frans M. Helmerhorst of University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands, and his colleagues. In...

Good enough? Or good enough to increase the odds of an MI in the next ten years?(myocardial infarction)
March 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...

New forms of radiotherapy target breast cancer: partial-breast irradiation.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Stung by criticism that the radiotherapy component of breast-conserving therapy is such an ordeal that many favorable candidates opt instead for mastectomy, radiation oncologists have responded by developing an array of far more...

No radiation leads to unacceptable recurrence in DCIS: wide excision alone.(Women's Health)(ductal carcinoma in situ)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Treatment of even the smallest low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ with wide excision alone, omitting radiotherapy, results in an unacceptable recurrence rate, Dr. Jennifer S. Wong reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored...

No increased risk of endometrial cancer seen after ablation: low-risk women studied.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Low-risk women who underwent endometrial ablation between 1978 and 1995 did not increase or decrease their risk for endometrial cancer, compared with age-matched controls in a retrospective study. Anecdotal reports of...

Ideal cervical spectroscopy screening device remains elusive: new way to find cervical neoplasia.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... Measuring the way light is reflected or fluoresced off a woman's cervix may provide a means to objectively detect precancerous cells. It's an attractive way to refine current methods--Pap smears, colposcopy, and biopsy--for screening,...

Cognitive deficits may follow chemo: subtle adverse effects.(Women's Health)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Chemotherapy for breast cancer appears to exert subtle adverse effects on cognitive function, Barbara Collins, Ph.D., reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Specifically,...

Permanent hair dye can cause anaphylaxis: itching, urticaria warning signs.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Encourage patients to pay attention to allergic reactions to hair products but not to worry that hair dyes will cause cancer, advised Dr. Marianne N. O'Donoghue at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy 2003 meeting. She...

Dermabrasion plus topicals improved acne-scarred faces: aided sun-damaged skin also.(Women's Health)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- A combination facial regimen of serial microdermabrasion and topical treatment with a cocktail of agents led to improvements in acne, acne scarring, and sun damage in a study conducted on 54 patients. But the improvements...

Chemical peels are top resurfacing technique.(Data Watch)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... DATA WATCH Chemical Peels Are Top Resurfacing Technique Chemical Peels 41% Microdermabrasion 27% Laser 15% Other 17% Note: Based on a random sample of 1,000 ASDS members surveyed...

Metronidazole beats placebo for recurrent BV: randomized, controlled trial.(Women's Health)(bacterial vaginosis )
March 1, 2004... PLAYA HERRADURA, COSTA RICA -- Women with bacterial vaginosis treated with vaginal metronidazole gel had a lower recurrence rate and prolonged time to recurrence compared with those who received a placebo gel, according to initial results of an...