Family Practice News articles from May 2004

Family Practice News archives from May 2004

Count pitches to avoid use injuries: youth baseball.
May 15, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Children who pitch should be followed closely with a pitch count to avoid overuse injuries, regardless of how many innings they have pitched, Dr. Tracy Ray said at the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for...

Update stresses stepwise approach to middle ear fluid: comprehensive guidelines: document calls for different treatment of children at risk for developmental delay.(News)
May 15, 2004... New treatment guidelines for otitis media with effusion are being hailed as an important step forward in educating physicians about the best evidence-based approach to treating the condition, which affects about 2.2 million children each...

Controversy continues over dust mite covers: one part of allergen reduction effort: recent studies were limited.
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Recent well-publicized studies have suggested that dust mite mattress covers are not effective for improving allergy and asthma. But before physicians tell their patients to throw away their mattress covers, they may...

Parent's in-home smoking negates allergy benefit of pets: reanalysis of data.(News)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Two years ago, Dr. Dennis Ownby published a report showing that children who grow up with at least two dogs or cats in their home have a 50% reduced risk of developing common allergies (JAMA 288:963-72, 2002). At this...

New take on peanut risk, prevalence trends: study of peanut allergy in kids.(News)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Much was learned about peanut allergy in the past year, including whether or not there really is any risk if a child with a peanut allergy sits next to another child eating a peanut butter sandwich in the lunchroom. The...

Resolved peanut allergy may flare: consumption drops rise.(News)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Children whose peanut allergy has resolved appear to have just a 4% risk of recurrence, and children who eat peanut products infrequently or in limited amounts may be at special risk, Dr. David M. Fleischer reported in a...

J curve confirmed for diastolic BP, heart risks study of 22,000 patients.(News)
May 15, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- The J-shaped curve for diastolic blood pressure is real, Dr. Franz H. Messerli said at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, based on data collected from more than 22,000 patients in a major hypertension...

Diuretic better choice than ACE inhibitor for hypertension in blacks: reduced efficacy faulted.(News)
May 15, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Monotherapy with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor is less effective than a diuretic for preventing the complications of hypertension in African Americans, based on results from the ALLHAT trial, which included more...

Only 2% will have a second reaction to sulfa Rx: weigh risks.(News)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Common drugs such as thiazide diuretics, glyburide, and celecoxib can be used safely by most patients who previously had a reaction to sulfonamide antibiotics, Dr. Matt Morgan said at the annual meeting of the American...

Ceftriaxone's first line for gonorrhea in gay men: new CDC recommendations.(News)
May 15, 2004... Fluoroquinolones should no longer be used to treat Neisseria gonorrhoeae in men who have sex with men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new recommendation comes after preliminary data showed that...

Guidelines advocate new colorectal cancer agents: bevacizumab, cetuximab, folfox.(News)
May 15, 2004... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Several new drugs and chemotherapy regimens are now recommended for treating advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer, according to updated clinical practice guidelines that were presented at a conference of the National...

Low-dose CT colonography identifies polyps: less radiation exposure.(News)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... CHICAGO -- Advances in high-resolution CT colonography now allow trained observers to reliably detect even small colorectal polyps with radiation doses much lower than previously necessary, said Dr. Rogier E. Van Gelder of the University of...

Drug-resistant infections drop with Prevnar use: across all ages.(News)
May 15, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- A drop in the incidence of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections is the latest, unexpected dividend from widespread use of Prevnar, the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine for infants and children, Dr. Cynthia G. Whitney said...

CDC will stockpile pediatric flu vaccine: details still being worked out.(News)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to stockpile the pediatric influenza vaccine this year, to head off another shortage. However, the particulars of the plan are still being worked out with the vaccine...

Allergic sensitivity to vaccine can wane over time, study says: diphtheria-tetanus.(News)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Some children who have an allergic reaction to diphtheria-tetanus vaccination lose their sensitivity over time and can resume vaccination, Dr. Marie-Noel Primeau said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy,...

Adolescent pertussis booster could decrease disease susceptibility to 7%: herd immunity.(News)
May 15, 2004... ST. LOUIS -- An adolescent pertussis booster could reduce the number of young people susceptible to the disease to as low as 7%, Dr. Lawrence D'Angelo said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. "Even if we are...

Preventing SCD in athletes.(Guest Editorial)(sudden cardiac death)
May 15, 2004... The issue of sudden cardiac death in young athletes--and what we can do to more effectively detect those at risk--is very much alive. A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (42[11]: 1959-63, 2003) adds weight to...

Is it useful to label a patient with fibromyalgia?(Pro & Con)
May 15, 2004... YES Like Dr. Wolfe, I was part of the team that helped define fibromyalgia with the creation of the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria. But unlike Dr. Wolfe, I believe that the label that these criteria define is still a...

Should we prescribe a single daily "Polypill" to everyone at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and to the general population over age 55?(Pro & Con)
May 15, 2004... [YES] The idea for a "something-of-everything-that-works" combination cardiovascular pill has been around for about a decade. It was elegantly encapsulated in the "Polypill papers" (BMJ 326[7404]:1419-24, 2003). The authors argued that a...

Fibromyalgia alters sensory volume control: usually combined with other syndromes.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- Fibromyalgia research suggests that the condition is a diffuse problem of sensory volume control in which patients' thresholds are altered not just to pain, but to other stimuli such as heat, noise, and strong odors, Dr. Daniel...

Women fare better than men with duloxetine for fibromyalgia: fibromyalgia and depression.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Duloxetine improves fibromyalgia symptoms significantly more than placebo in women with the condition, but the dual serotonin /norepinephrine reuptake blocker appears ineffective in men, Dr. Lesley M. Arnold said at the...

Delay physical therapy to help hip fractures heal: longer, later rehabilitation.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Postsurgical discharge of hip fracture patients to subacute rehabilitation programs may cut short the healing time required for intensive physical therapy to be most effective, Dr. Charles N. Cornell said at the annual...

New gout care standards take aim at Rx errors: could be used to measure quality.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... Newly released quality of care indicators for gout management aim to improve treatment efficacy, while also stemming the frequency of medication-related errors. Gout care is often suboptimal, and the new indicators will help define...

Meat, seafood raise gout risk; dairy foods lower it: study confirms conventional wisdom.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... A 12-year study has largely confirmed the conventional wisdom about the dietary causes of gout. Diets high in purine-rich beef, pork, lamb, and seafood were found to increase the risk of gout. Diets high in dairy foods that are rich with...

Etoricoxib appears as effective as indomethacin for pain relief: acute gouty arthritis.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Etoricoxib is as effective as indomethacin for acute gouty arthritis, Dr. David I. Daikh reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Daikh and his colleagues pooled results...

Effort aims to educate doctors about food-borne illnesses: beyond gastroenteritis.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- A new primer released by medical groups and the federal government calls on physicians to sharpen their skills in detecting and treating food-borne illnesses. Physicians and nurses have been known to downplay food-borne...

Food may be vehicle for Shigella boydii 20: first study of its kind.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Shigella boydii 20, a newly described serotype of Shigella, may be carried into this country by people who travel to Mexico or other countries, and by people who bring foreign-made foods, such as salsa and cheese, into this...

Salmonella Enteritidis infections declined during 1985-1999: undercooked eggs major culprit.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... Outbreaks and sporadic infections of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis declined overall in the United States from 1985 to 1999, most likely due to prevention and control measures, wrote Dr. Mary E. Patrick of the DeKalb County Board of...

Guidelines increase hepatitis B treatment pool: emerging role of combination therapy.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... More patients with chronic hepatitis B infection may be eligible for treatment, according to recently developed guidelines. A panel of specialists convened by Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of adefovir dipivoxil, developed the...

Good long-term results seen with hemorrhoid stapling: 5-7 years of follow-up.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids is a safe and effective therapy that should be considered the gold standard for the treatment of prolapsed hemorrhoids, Dr. Angelo Stuto said at a colorectal disease...

Rocky Mountain spotted fever reported in Arizona: brown dog tick is new vector.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... ATLANTA -- Four cases of Rock) Mountain spotted fever identified in Arizona between 2001 and 2003 represent the first documented outbreak of the infection in which the widely distributed brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, was the...

Full recovery elusive up to 1 year after West Nile virus infection: first follow-up study.(Clinical Study)
May 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- Survivors of West Nile virus infection continue to experience significant impairment 1 year later, Denis Nash, Ph.D., said at a conference sponsored by Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In the first study to look at long-term...

Half of dengue fever cases do not present typically: 'breakbone fever'.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- Its nickname may be "breakbone fever," but dengue fever doesn't always live up to its reputation. Only about 45% of patients with dengue fever experience the classic severe myalgias and bone pain, so the absence of this...

Minorities benefit from improved depression care: in primary care settings.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Improving the delivery of depression treatments in primary care can diminish mental health disparities between whites and minorities, Dr. Kenneth B. Wells said at the annual meeting of the Institute of Medicine. During a...

Capsicum cream greatly soothes soft tissue pain: used as monotherapy.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... LONDON -- Capsicum cream provided significant relief from soft tissue pain in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Dr. Stefan Schmidt reported at a symposium on alternative and complementary therapies sponsored by the Universities of...

Many patients with chronic pain turn to CAM for comfort: data on 5,750 patients.(Clinical Rounds)(complementary and alternative medicine)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. --The use of complementary and alternative medicine is common among chronic pain patients, Dr. Carmen R. Green of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain...

Acupuncture for headache.(Alternative Medicine: an evidence-based approach)
May 15, 2004... * A large randomized trial recently reported acupuncture to be effective for headache. * Acupuncture appears to be safe, with serious adverse effects being very rare. History: Ancient and Modern Acupuncture is thought to have...

Hypogonadism in men.(Clinical Guidelines For Family Physicians)
May 15, 2004... Postpubertal hypogonadism often presents slowly and subtly over time. Symptoms include loss of libido, progressive loss of muscle mass, impotence, decreased concentration, and oligospermia or azoospermia. Untreated hypogonadism causes low...

Panel outlines treatments for excessive sweating: primary focal hyperhidrosis.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Botulinum toxin type A, iontophoresis, and sweat gland resection are treatment options for patients with primary focal hyperhidrosis who fail to respond to their initial treatment, according to recommendations from a 26-member...

Hyperpigmentation pales with combo therapy: benefits seen in patients of all skin tones.(Clinical Rounds)(EpiQuin Micro)(Tri-Luma)
May 15, 2004... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- Newer combination topicals offer relatively quick, safe, and effective treatment for hyperpigmentation, Dr. Patricia Farris said at a symposium sponsored by the Dermatology Foundation. "Tri-Luma is the Cadillac of...

Be prepared for patients' sun protection questions: have sunscreen answers ready.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... DORADO, P.R. -- Plenty of patients complain about having to wear sunscreen, so it's a good idea to have answers already prepared for the questions that they're likely to ask, said Dr. Vincent A. DeLeo at the Caribbean Dermatology Symposium....

UVA fingerprints found in skin cancer cells: changes to sunscreen labeling urged.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... For the first time, the sun's ultraviolet A rays have been shown to cause more genetic damage than ultraviolet B rays in the basal-layer keratinocytes of actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinomas, concretely fingering UVA as a culprit in...

Additional primary melanomas were seen in 12% of patients: twice as likely to occur in men.(Clinical Rounds)
May 15, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- One primary cutaneous melanoma was followed by another in 12% of 1,258 patients seen over a 10-year period, with the lesions often appearing many years apart, Dr. William M. Burrows said at a melanoma update sponsored by the...

Heart-healthy walnuts.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Product labels for walnuts can now claim to lower the risk for coronary heart disease, the Food and Drug Administration announced. Based on data from 11 human and several preclinical studies, the FDA concluded that there is supportive,...

Post-MI blues doubles mortality.(Clinical Capsules)(Myocardial infarction)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Depression occurring after an MI was associated with a 2.5-fold increased cardiac mortality during the subsequent year in a new metaanalysis of 21 prospective studies, Dr. Joust P. van Melle reported at the annual meeting of the American...

Preventing acute pancreatitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Antibiotic prophylaxis is no better than antibiotics "on demand" for patients predicted to have severe acute pancreatitis, according to results of the first double-blind, randomized trial of its kind, conducted by Dr. Rainer Isenmann of the...

Late-onset seizures and stroke.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... People who develop unexplained seizures late in life are at strikingly high risk of subsequent stroke, reported Dr. Paul Cleary of Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, and his associates. Using a database that drew from more...

Hypogonadism and depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Hypogonadal men appear to have a fourfold increased risk of depression, compared with men with normal testosterone levels, reported Dr. Molly M. Shores and her associates at Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle. Of 23...

Trimester of recurrent fetal loss sets evaluation: infection looms large in pregnancy loss.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- A diagnostic work-up is indicated when a woman has had at least three first-trimester spontaneous abortions or just one pregnancy loss in the second or third trimester, Dr. Anthony Vintzileos said at an obstetrics symposium...

No rise in fetal anomalies seen with azithromycin use: prospective study.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- Gestational exposure to azithromycin was not associated with an increased risk above baseline for major fetal anomalies in a prospective, controlled trial of 369 pregnant women. The antibiotic had a safety profile...

Resistant acne may respond to hormone adjunct: helps quell excess androgen.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... DORADO, P.R. -- When a woman does not respond adequately to conventional acne treatment, it's time to start thinking about adding hormone therapy, Dr. Diane Thiboutot said at the Caribbean Dermatology Symposium. "Most times I add...

By a nose: tazarotene edges tretinoin for photodamage repair: face-to-face comparison.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Tazarotene cream was better than tretinoin emollient cream for the global improvement of photodamaged facial skin in a study of 157 patients, although the difference was not statistically significant as treatment progressed. ...

Roundup of cognition studies yields mixed bag: tamoxifen, serms, soy.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Raloxifene may benefit verbal memory and attention in women, but tamoxifen may have detrimental effects on verbal memory and attention in women, Pauline Maki, Ph.D., said at a meeting sponsored by the International Association...

Women's activity, obesity linked to cancer risk: endometrial ca, acute myeloid leukemia.(Women's Health)
May 15, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- A reduced risk for endometrial cancer was linked to increased physical activity in two separate reports at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. A third report linked obesity to an increased...

Low-impact alternatives cut girls' knee injuries: ACL tears 10 times more common in females.(Women's Health)(Anterior Cruciate Ligament )
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Girls and young women in competitive sports outdistance their male counterparts in the number of knee injuries they sustain. However, a new prevention strategy promises to even up the score. A training program aimed at...

Limit activity to prevent overuse injuries of shoulder, elbow: joint problems possible later in life.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Limiting or at least modifying athletic routines is always necessary when treating overuse injuries of the shoulder and elbow in children and adolescents, Dr. Brian Grottkau said at a meeting on primary care pediatrics...

Hospitalization due to orthopedic injuries rising: femur fracture #1.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Orthopedic trauma is taking a heavy toll on America's children, accounting for more than 84,000 pediatric hospitalizations and costing an estimated $933 million in 1997 alone, Dr. Michael G. Vitale reported at the annual...

Setting a broken elbow right avoids nonunion fracture: may need internal fixation.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Elbow fractures appear to be at special risk of failure to mend, accounting for nearly half of all nonunion fractures in children seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., over 15 years, Dr. Michael Wade Shrader reported...

When a limp signals something more serious: make sure to examine the hips.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Of all the conditions that may cause a child to limp or refuse to walk, septic arthritis is an emergency with a time-dependent outcome, Dr. Michael J. Goldberg said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and...

Childhood hip pain may flag later arthritis: due to impingement. (Children's Health).
May 15, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Hip pain in a child-can flag abnormalities in bone development that are correctable early in life but can lead to arthritis if left untreated, Dr. Robert Trousdale cautioned at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Female athletes: more calories, not supplements: basic energy needs.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... BELLEVUE, WASH. -- Female adolescent athletes do not need any kind of a special diet or supplements to ensure proper nutrition, but it is important to make sure they are eating enough, Alicia Dixon Docter said at a conference sponsored by the...

Female athletes seem more prone to concussion: NCAA surveillance data.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Women who play sports may not only be more prone to anterior cruciate ligament injuries than men, they may get more concussions too, Randall W. Dick said at the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports...

Proper history is linchpin to good sports exam: sports medicine.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... BELLEVUE, WASH. -- Most of the key information you need to obtain during a sports examination is going to come from the history, Dr. Michael C. Koester said at a conference sponsored by the North Pacific Pediatric Society. While the...

Teens looking to lighten up often light up: national study data.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... ST. LOUIS -- Adolescents who want to lose weight may be at a significantly increased risk of initiating smoking, Dr. Eric Chesley said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Chesley of Strong Children's Research...

Antidepressants, children: safety questions persist: fluoxetine still deemed safe.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... Despite concerns raised by recent British analyses of antidepressants, parents must remain vigilant about seeking help for their children who have depressive symptoms, Dr. David Fassler said. "The most important thing is that parents need...

States debut Medicaid's child mental health screening plan: coordination key to ABCD initiative.(Children's Health)(Assuring Better Child Health and Development)
May 15, 2004... Over the next few years, five state Medicaid agencies will design ways to increase developmental mental health screening for young children. These efforts are part of the second phase of the Assuring Better Child Health and Development...

Driving on methylphenidate.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Teenage boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who took osmotic release oral system (OROS) methylphenidate once daffy scored better on computer tests of driving ability than boys who took methylphenidate three times daily,...

Cutting vs. poisoning.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Adolescents who cut themselves may be acting more impulsively than those who poison themselves, reported Karen Rodham, Ph.D., of the University of Bath (England) and her colleagues. In a self-harm survey of 5,737 15- and 16-year-olds,...

Measles in overseas adoptees.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Six confirmed and three suspected cases of measles were identified in toddlers who arrived in the United States after being adopted from China, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nine cases...

Self-collected vaginal swabs usable for HPV dx: adolescent population.(Children's Health)(human papillomavirus)
May 15, 2004... ST. LOUIS -- Vaginal swabs self-collected by adolescents appear to he a reasonable alternative to clinician-collected cervicovaginal swabs when testing for human papillomavirus, Dr. Jessica Kahn reported at the annual meeting of the Society...

Risk factors don't predict HPV infection in teen girls: routine testing may be indicated.(Children's Health)(human papillomavirus)
May 15, 2004... ST. Louis -- Medical and social histories don't reliably predict which adolescent girls are at risk for infection with human papillomavirus, so clinicians may want to consider universal testing for all sexually active girls, Dr. Oscar Taube...

Chlamydia is common in teen males: prevalence similar to that in females.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Chlamydia may be almost as common in adolescent males as in adolescent females, according to results of a new study presented at a conference on STD prevention sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Sickle cell disease: maintain the steady state: identifying common crises.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- Newborn screening identifies sickle cell disease, but it's up to the child's physician to manage it. Clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease become apparent when a child is 3-4 months of age, Dr. George Buchanan said...

ALL gene predicts children's response to chemotherapy: chance of long-term remission: 87%.(Children's Health)(OPAL-1)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- A single gene has been identified that predicts--almost by itself--which children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia will respond to standard chemotherapy, and which will have ALL that resists therapy, Dr. Monica Mosquera-Caro...

Elevated factor VIII, D-dimer predict outcome in kids with acute thrombosis: after standard anticoagulation.(Children's Health)
May 15, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Persistent elevated factor VIII and/or D-dimer values after standard anticoagulation therapy may predict poor outcomes in children, Dr. Neil Goldenberg said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Dr....

One pill works for concomitant HT, Dyslipidemia: Caduet boosts treatment success rates.(Rx)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- The recently approved single-pill amlodipine/atorvastatin combination markedly ups the likelihood that patients with concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia will reach both their blood pressure and LDL treatment goals, Dr....

Cost-effectiveness of eplerenone confirmed: post-mi heart failure.(Rx)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Addition of eplerenone to optimal multidrug therapy in patients with heart failure after an acute MI is highly cost effective, Dr. William S. Weintraub said at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. ...

Provigil.(New and Approved)(wakefulness-promoting agent)
May 15, 2004... (modafinil, Cephalon) A "wakefulness-promoting agent" approved to improve wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA/HS) and shaft work sleep disorder (SWSD). First...

Ketek.(New and Approved)
May 15, 2004... (telithromycin, Aventis) A macrolide derivative for acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis; acute bacterial sinusitis; and mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), including infections caused by...

New migraine drug rivals early promise of triptans: CGRP peptide antagonists.(Rx)(calcitonin gene-related peptide)
May 15, 2004... The first agent in a new class of antimigraine medications to become available for clinical testing proved safe and effective in a small pilot study--as effective as triptans were in their initial clinical studies. Researchers are...

Duragesic patch recalled for potential medication leak, overdose: may cause inadequate pain relief.(Rx)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Five lots of Duragesic (fentanyl transdermal system) 75-[micro]g/hr patches have been recalled. The affected lots are 0327192, 0327193, 0327294, 0327295, and 0330362. The patches have the potential for a leak in the product seal, the...

Loratadine and hypospadias.(Drugs, Pregnancy, And Lactation)
May 15, 2004... Loratadine, available as Claritin since 1993 and now available in several generic and over-the-counter formulations, is a popular nonsedating antihistamine used by many women of childbearing age. For some time, we have been counseling women...

Study: market forces fail to rein in medical costs: cost and quality measures missing.(Practice Trends)
May 15, 2004... WASHINGTON -- The inability of market forces to control rising health care costs is causing some to call for a larger role for the government, according to a study published in Health Affairs. "No solution is evident, accepted, or...

Physician: protect thyself and thy patients from ID Theft: employee background checks.(Practice Trends)(identity theft)
May 15, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- By taking simple steps to safeguard information, office-based physicians can protect themselves and patients from becoming victims of identity theft, called "the crime of the new millennium" at a symposium sponsored by the...