OB/GYN Clinical Alert articles from July 2004

OB/GYN Clinical Alert archives from July 2004

Perinatal mortality and assisted reproductive technologies: a meta-analysis.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... SOME EUROPEAN STUDIES INDICATE THAT 2-3% OF PREGNANCIES occur through assisted reproductive techniques (ART) while US statistics suggest that about 0.9% of all pregnancies result from ART. Although there has been much written about the...

Endometrial biopsy using intrauterine lidocaine plus naproxen sodium.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... Synopsis: Endometrial biopsies were performed using intrauterine lidocaine only, naproxen only, both, or neither. Intrauterine lidocaine significantly reduced the pain when used in conjunction with oral naproxen sodium. Source: Dogan E, et...

Ovarian carcinoma treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... Synopsis: Patients in clinical remission are most likely to benefit from autologous transplantation, with the exception of patients with clear cell histology. Source: Donato ML, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004 May 3. (E-pub ahead of...

Ultrasonographic occiput position in early labor in the prediction of cesarean section.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... Synopsis: The occiput posterior relationship with Cesarean section is worth exploring. Source: Akmal S, et al. BJOG. 2004;111:532-536. References ********** AN ENLIGHTENING ARTICLE RECENTLY APPEARED IN the British Journal of...

Laparoscopic uterine vessel occlusion vs uterine artery embolization for fibroids.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... Synopsis: In a comparison with uterine artery embolization, laparoscopic occlusion of uterine vessels for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids had less associated postoperative pain and comparable effects on fibroid-associated...

Genomic imprinting in disruptive spermatogensis.(Abstract & Commentary)
July 1, 2004... Synopsis: Oligoasthenospermia (male factor infertility) is associated with abnormal genomic imprinting of the sperm, a feature that may predispose to abnormal embryogenesis, including a risk of rare developmental abnormalities and cancer in...

CME questions.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... 1. Genomic imprinting refers to: a. the process by which the diet of the mother predisposes the fetus to diabetes in later life. b. the process whereby the fetus recognizes certain features of the gestational mother, such as voice,...

Alendronate for osteoporosis.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... THE BISPHOSPHONATES ALENDRONATE (ALE) and risedronate are the most commonly used pharmacologic agents for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (OSPS). Bisphosphonates have been shown to reduce fracture rates and improve bone mass, but...

Exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... IN THE NOT TOO-DISTANT PAST, CLINIcians were apprehensive about exercise for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Evolution of knowledge about optimizing treatment in CHF has recognized that exercise may indeed provide symptomatic...

Cardiovascular prognosis of "masked hypertension".(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... THERE IS CONSISTENT AGREEMENT that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) provides a better indicator of ultimate cardiovascular risk than office blood pressure (OBP). Because measurement of BP at home (HBP) often frees the patient from...

Short-term intensive insulin therapy in newly diagnosed DM2.(type 2 diabetes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... THE BEST INITIAL TREATMENT FOR THE newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic (DM2) remains a matter of debate. Although there is consensus that DM2 is characterized by both insulin secretory and insulin responsivity defects, and that hyperglycemia may...

Endothelial dysfunction and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF MORTALITY IN type 2 diabetes (DM2) is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Indeed, our most recent national guidelines have recognized that at the point of diagnosis, a person with DM2 has a similar or greater risk of subsequent...

Treatment of Parkinson's disease with pergolide and relation to restrictive valvular heart disease.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... EVEN MEDICATIONS THAT ARE GENERally considered safe and effective may cause adverse effects that are sufficiently uncommon that they escape adequate identification. Although valvular heart disease (VHD) has been described as potentially...

Britain to allow over-the-counter sales of Zocor.
July 1, 2004... THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL SOON ALLOW over-the-counter (OTC) sales of Merck's sirnvastatin (Zocor), marking the first time any country has allowed the OTC sale of a statin. The drug lost its patent protection in England last year, and Merck is...