Internal Medicine News articles from May 2008

Internal Medicine News archives from May 2008

Waist size tied to hypertension risk.(News)(Report)
May 1, 2008... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Marginally increased waist circumference is strongly associated with prevalent hypertension in normal-weight and overweight adults, according to data from a large National Institute of Neurological Disorders and...

Diabetes drug prevents progress of atherosclerosis: pioglitazone stopped stenosis in diabetics.(News)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Treatment of type 2 diabetes with pioglitazone resulted in significant prevention of coronary atherosclerosis progression, compared with glimepiride, in a prospective, randomized study of 543 patients. Intravascular ultrasound...

Adverse work conditions tied to worse patient care.(News)
May 1, 2008... PITTSBURGH--Adverse working conditions are not only associated with stress and burnout for primary care physicians, but also result in diminished quality of care for their patients. The finding, from the third and final phase of the MEMO...

Hypertension Tx in elderly cuts mortality.(News)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Antihypertensive treatment with indapamide, either with or without perindopril, was associated with a significant 21% reduction in death from any cause among the very elderly in a randomized trial involving 3,845 patients. At a...

Arcalyst.(NEW & APPROVED)
May 1, 2008... Arcalyst Injection (rilonacept, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.) An interleukin-1 (IL-1) blocker approved for the long-term treatment of two cry-opyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) disorders, familial cold autoin-flammatory...

Avandia patient guide to be given with drug.(News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A patient medication guide that explains the risks associated with rosiglitazone (Avandia) will be dispensed to patients with each new prescription, including refills, according to the Food and Drug Administration and GlaxoSmithKline Inc. ...

Low reimbursement for medical homes.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Thank you for your recent headline article on "medical homes," a concept that I hope takes off over time ("Bonus Pay Planned to Boost Access to Medical Homes," March 1, 2008, p. 1). The concept sounds eerily similar to the traditional...

Global warming? Don't sweat it!(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... A little historical perspective might be in order regarding the article about Dr. Lise Van Susteren and global warming ("Why I Serve in Mother Earth's Cavalry," The Rest of Your Life, Feb. 15, 2008, p. 49). First, the temperature of the...

Population growth limits matter, too.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... It was delightful to read about psychiatrist Dr. Lise Van Susteren and her environmental activism ("Why I Serve in Mother Earth's Cavalry," The Rest of Your Life, Feb. 15, 2008, p. 49). The practical items mentioned are valuable tools to...

Simplify your practice: no insurance.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I want to add my encouragement to Dr. Ann Hamilton, who wrote a letter about CPT coding ("Heed the Call: Take on CPT Tyranny," Letters, March 15, 2008, p. 8). When CPT and diagnosis codes first came out, we were all bombarded with...

Treating hypertension in the very old.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
May 1, 2008... The results of the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial should change our practice, thereby improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival of patients 80 years of age and older (N. Engl. J. Med. 2008 March 31 [Epub doi: 10....

Meet the editorial advisory board of Internal Medicine News.
May 1, 2008... Roy D.ALTMAN, M.D., is professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and editor of Seminars in Arthritis and Rheymatism. JON O. EBBERT, M.D., is associate professor of medicine at the...

Hot tub lung can mimic tuberculosis, sarcoidosis.(Pulmonary Medicine)(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 1, 2008... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Hot tub lung is a common, frequently misdiagnosed, and particularly fascinating form of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, according to a researcher from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver....

Non-Small cell lung cancer: routine CT screening nixed.(Pulmonary Medicine)(computed tomography)
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Routine use of computed tomography screening for non-small cell lung cancer is deemed not ready for prime time in updated guidelines announced at the annual conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The...

Follow-Up care lacking for lung cancer survivors.(Pulmonary Medicine)
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Cure rates for locally advanced lung cancer are increasing, but obtaining good follow-up care remains a challenge for the growing number of lung cancer survivors, Dr. Mark G. Kris told attendees at the annual conference of...

Radiofrequency ablation improves lung ca survival.(Pulmonary Medicine)(cancer)
May 1, 2008... Senior Writer WASHINGTON -- Radiofrequency ablation resulted in 70% survival at 2 years in a study of 244 lung cancer patients. "Radiofrequency ablation is minimally invasive, with a high local success rate. It is a curative treatment...

Risk factors identified for prolonged stay after lobectomy.(Pulmonary Medicine)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Renal dysfunction and insulin dependency are the highest risk factors for prolonged length of stay following lobectomy for lung cancer, according to a database study of almost 5,000 such operations. "Following lobectomy for lung cancer,...

Singulair: reports of suicidality under FDA review.(Pulmonary Medicine)(Food and Drug Administration)
May 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration has issued an "early communication" to health care professionals regarding its review of the postmarketing reports it has received of behavior/mood changes, suicidality, and suicide in patients who have taken...

Psychosocial care set as standard in cancer Tx.(Psychiatry)(Report)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The Institute of Medicine's report "Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs" has established routine provision of psychosocial services as a new standard in oncology, Dr. Jimmie C. Holland said at the...

Brief posttrauma intervention may prevent PTSD.(Psychiatry)(Post-traumatic stress disorder)(Report)
May 1, 2008... BALTIMORE -- Patients who receive a brief secondary prevention intervention shortly after experiencing trauma can avoid a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder up to 2 years later, research presented at the annual meeting of the...

Binge drinking common in psychiatric outpatients.(Psychiatry)(Survey)
May 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- A computer-based intake survey of 422 psychiatric outpatients showed that 27% reported having at least five drinks on a single occasion within the past 30 days, reported Derek D. Satre, Ph.D. In addition, 28% reported...

Verbal memory decline seen after ecstasy use.(Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... VIENNA -- Even a few low doses of the drug ecstasy were associated with a decline in verbal memory function in a unique prospective study of first-time users, Thelma Schilt said at the annual congress of the European College of...

EEG may identify antidepressant effectiveness.(Psychiatry)(Electroencephalography)
May 1, 2008... VIENNA -- A quantitative EEG bio-marker shows considerable promise for early prediction of antidepressant response in major depression, Dr. Andrew J. Leuchter said at the annual congress of the European College of Neuropsy chopharmacology. ...

New formulations increase contraceptive options: several short-and long-acting hormonal contraceptive methods have emerged or been improved upon.(Women's Health)
May 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The birth control landscape has transformed in recent years from a sparsely populated plain consisting of few effective choices to a more varied vista comprising a broader range of both new and improved options, Dr. Carrie Cwiak said....

DCIS patients can forgo radiation after surgery.(Women's Health)(ductal carcinoma in situ )
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- All women with ductal carcinoma in situ should have the choice of foregoing radiation therapy, according to updated breast cancer guidelines announced at the annual conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. ...

Ixabepilone, 21-gene assay added to breast ca guidelines.(Women's Health)(cancer)
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Despite safety concerns, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has endorsed ixabepilone, a new epothilone B analogue, for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. The updated guidelines also recommend...

Meta-Analysis of aromatase inhibitors' cardiovascular risks shows mixed results.(Women's Health)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... COLORADO SPRINGS--The cardiovascular disease risk profile of the third-generation aromatase inhibitors is a mixed bag, compared with that of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen, Eric L. Ding, Sc.D,, reported at a conference of the American Heart...

Algorithm flags 95% of epithelial ovarian tumors.(Women's Health)
May 1, 2008... A new blood test for the human epididymis protein 4 can flag most epithelial ovarian cancers when used preoperatively with cancer antigen 125-II testing in women with a pelvic cyst or mass, researchers reported in Tampa, Fla., at the annual...

Cervarix gives long-term protection against HPV.(Urology)(Human papillomavirus)
May 1, 2008... TAMPA, FLA.-- The Cervarix vaccine provides protection for as long as 6.4 years against precancerous cervical lesions associated with the four most common cancer-causing types of human papillomavirus, data from an extended follow-up study show....

Lower PSAs in obese men may hinder diagnosis.(Urology)(Prostate Specific Antigen)
May 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Obese men are less likely to have abnormal prostate-specific antigen test results, which may reduce the rate of prostate biopsies in these men, compared with lean men, according to a review of data on 4,789 men obtained in a...

Family history does not predict prostate ca outcome.(Urology)(cancer)(Editorial)
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES--DAD HAD prostate cancer. So did a brother. Does this mean a worse prognosis for the patient? To answer this, researchers compared rates of freedom from biochemical failure in a retrospective study of 1,738 men treated with...

Prostate cancer diagnosis boosts risk of cardiovascular event.(Urology)
May 1, 2008... San Francisco--Tellrnga man that he has prostate cancer can give him a heart attack--literally, Dr. Fang said at a symposium on genitourinary cancers. Men given a diagnosis of prostate cancer were 50% more likely to have a myocardial...

The effective physician localized prostate cancer.(Urology)(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 1, 2008... Background Clinical decision making and counseling about prostate cancer screening and treatment remain complicated and uncertain. In 2007, the American Urological Association published guidelines on the treatment options for localized...

Breaking the news about prostate cancer.(Urology)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- "You're not going to die of prostate cancer." That's the first thing Dr. Tanya B. Dorff, a specialist in genitourinary oncology, tells most of the patients with localized prostate cancer who are referred to her. Data bear out...

Temsirolimus backed for advanced kidney cancer new guidelines give the drug a category 1 endorsement based on phase III trial data.(Nephrology)
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. --Temsirolimus, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June 2007 for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer, is endorsed as a treatment option for advanced, poor-prognosis disease in updated guidelines from the...

Metastasectomy lowers risk of renal cancer recurrence.(Nephrology)
May 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Surgical resection of metastasis when renal cancer recurs after nephrectomy improves chances of survival regardless of the patient's prognostic risk score, researchers reported at a symposium on genitourinary cancers. Dr....

Therapy averts contrast nephropathy in diabetes.(Nephrology)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Targeted renal therapy significantly reduced the incidence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury in patients undergoing peripheral vascular procedures, including a subset of 210 diabetic patients. The diabetic group was...

MRI overused in assessing knee osteoarthritis.(Rheumatology)(Magnetic resonance imaging)
May 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Magnetic resonance imaging is often ordered before patients are referred for total knee arthroplasty, yet MRI confers minimal or no benefit, compared with taking weight-bearing and skyline patella-view x-rays of patients with...

Meniscal damage predicts likelihood of radiographic knee OA.(Rheumatology)(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 1, 2008... BOSTON--Preventing meniscal damage should be a top therapeutic priority in the fight against knee osteoarthritis, Dr. Martin Englund said at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. In a recent investigation, Dr. Englund...

Osteoarthritis guide in spanish.(Rheumatology)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has issued a guide in Spanish to help patients understand the latest evidence on osteoarthritis pain relievers. The guide, which is entitled "Escogiendo Medicamentos Para el Dolor por...

Botulinum toxin injections relieve plantar fasciitis pain.(Rheumatology)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... ORLANDO --- Bothlinum toxin injected at the plantar fascia insertion and at the gastrocnemius-soleus complex relieved chronic plantar fasciitis pain better than did standard treatment, according to the findings of a small, randomized,...

Ezetimibe's rapid U.S. adoption called flawed.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Drug overview)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO --- When data on ezetimibe's missing antitherosclerotic effect finally received their first airing at a scientific meeting, the consensus conclusion from a panel of cardiologists was that this was a case of a new-drug introduction run...

Senate seeks answers on Vytorin from manufacturers, American College of Cardiology.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
May 1, 2008... One day after the full ENHANCE data were presented at the ACC meeting, Sen. Chuck Grassley sent Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. executives a letter asking for the names of "key opinion leaders" who advised the companies on development and...

Rosuvastatin causes atherosclerosis regression.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Drug overview)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The ASTEROID trial results, showing that 2 years of high-dose rosuvastatin monotherapy resulted in significant regression of coronary atherosclerosis, were bolstered by quantitative coronary angiography assessments of the study...

Stroke risk in atrial fib patients jumps at age 85.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... COLORADO SPRINGS--The stroke risk without warfarin therapy in atrial fibrillation patients aged 85 years and older who have no other stroke risk factors is more than double that of patients aged 75-84 years, according to new data from the ATRIA...

Atrial arrhythmias double deaths in congenital heart disease.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... Chicago -- Adults with congenital heart disease who develop atrial fibrillation or another atrial arrhythmia have more than twice the subsequent mortality and triple the hospitalization rate of those without atrial arrhythmias, Dr. Ariane J....

Azithromycin matches penicillin for syphilis Tx.(Infectious Diseases)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- A single 2-g dose of azithromycin cures early syphilis as effectively as injected penicillin G benzathine, Dr. Edward W. Hook III said at a conference on STD prevention sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Syphilis infection rate rises most in gay men, blacks.(Infectious Diseases)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The rate of syphilis in the United States has increased for the seventh consecutive year, jumping 12% from 2006 to 2007, according to preliminary evidence released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The upsurge...

Azithromycin-resistant syphilis increases in San Francisco.(Infectious Diseases)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Azithromycin-resistant strains of Treponema pallidum continue to emerge in San Francisco, despite the cessation of the drug's use for syphilis treatment and prophylaxis and for the treatment of nongonococcal urethritis in gay men....

Effective vaginal microbicide remains elusive.(Infectious Diseases)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Safety concerns and lack of efficacy continue to dash researchers' hopes of a vaginal microbicide that would protect women from sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. "In the last year, we have had some major, huge...

Prediction rule estimates likelihood of STIs in men.(Infectious Diseases)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO --A prediction rule that takes into account penile discharge, sexual contact history, age, and insurance status can help emergency physicians rule out potential chlamydia or gonorrhea infections. "While the ability to predict the...

Self-collected swabs okay for chlamydia testing in men.(Infectious Diseases)(Report)
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Patient-collected rectal swabs are just as accurate as provider-collected swabs for diagnosing chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in men, Dr. Christine Wigen reported at a conference on STD prevention sponsored by the Centers for...

Erythropoietin for HCV may lack clinical benefit the drug's expense along with its unproven survival benefit are enough to signal caution in many settings.(Gastroenterology)(Report)
May 1, 2008... BOSTON--Erythropoietin is quickly becoming an integral part of hepatitis C treatment regimens, despite a lack of firm data supporting its long-term clinical benefit, Dr. Eric Yoshida said at the annual meeting of the American Association for...

Hepatitis C infection rate surges in Canada and the U.S.(Gastroenterology)(Report)
May 1, 2008... MONTREAL--The escalating numbers of new and existing hepatitis C infections in Canada are reinforcing the evidence of a U.S. epidemic, Dr. Robert P. Myers said at Canadian Digestive Diseases Week. "The burden of hepatitis C has grown...

Don't delay cholecystectomy in biliary pancreatitis.(Gastroenterology)(Report)
May 1, 2008... Huntington Beach, Calif. -- It's better to perform a cholecystectomy in a patient with biliary pancreatitis during the patient's first hospital admission than to wait several weeks, according to a study presented by Dr.Kaori Ito at the Academic...

Preventing pancreatitis after ERCP: risk stratification is important.(Gastroenterology)(Report)
May 1, 2008... MONTREAL -- Prophylactic administration of allopurinol before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography does not reduce the risk of postprocedure pancreatitis, compared with placebo, in average-risk patients, but the therapy may be...

Return to normal diet OK in mild pancreatitis.(Gastroenterology)(Report)
May 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- An early return to a normal diet was not harmful and might even have expedited the hospital discharge of patients with mild, acute pancreatitis in a randomized, prospective study with 62 patients. "Early feeding appears...

Medicare panel backs medical home pilot study.(Practice Trends)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The concept of a medical home is a step closer to reality for Medicare patients, after it received strong backing from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission at its April meeting. All 17 commissioners present at the meeting...

Medical home coalition wins backing of physician groups.(Practice Trends)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON-- A who's who list of physician organizations, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and employers is throwing its weight behind the idea that the medical home model can cure much of what ails the health care system. At...

Massachusetts enrolls more of its uninsured.(Practice Trends)
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Don't believe what you read in the national media: The Mass-achusetts health coverage plan enacted in 2006 is actually doing quite well, thank you very much. That was the message from John McDonough, D.P.H., executive...

Ga. docs collaborate on EHRs.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Georgia physicians are collaborating with the state's Department of Community Health on adoption of Medicare electronic health records, the department said. The department intends to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to...

Consumer-directed enrollment low.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... More employers are offering consumer-directed health plans in efforts to shift greater responsibility to workers for health care costs, lifestyle choices, and treatment decisions, according to a new survey on the plans. However, enrollment...

MA, part D changes announced.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The out-of-pocket threshold for a beneficiary enrolled in a standard Medicare Part D drug plan will rise from $4,050 to $4,350 next year, while the initial deductible rises from $275 to $295, CMS announced. The out-of-pocket threshold is the...

Workers struggle with health costs.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Almost all of those polled in a recent AFL-CIO survey said they were struggling with the cost of health care, even though most were insured and employed and more than half were in union jobs or were college graduates. One-third of respondents...

Side effects underreported.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... One in six Americans who have taken a prescription drug experienced a side effect serious enough to send them to the doctor or hospital, but only 35% of consumers said they know they can report these side effects to the FDA, according to a...

AAMC adopts medical home.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Association of American Medical Colleges has adopted a formal position stating that every person should have access to a medical home. "We believe the medical home model holds great promise for improving Americans' health by ensuring that...

Helping children with HIV/AIDS: global perspectives on medical practice.(WORLD WIDE MED)(Interview)
May 1, 2008... For Dr. Teresa Fritts, it felt like she didn't choose Lesotho--it chose her. Dr. Fritts trained in a combined internal medicine/pediatrics residency at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and completed the 4-year program in 2005. After she...

Olympic athletes, beware the air.(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Air pollution might determine more Olympic medals than the judges at the games in industry-heavy Beijing this August, it appears, based on a statement from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). "Not only will athletes...

The couple that CPAPs together ...(INDICATIONS)(continuous positive airway pressure)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... In other news on the breathing front, Chicago researchers found that apnea-afflicted married men adhered better to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy when their nonafflicted wives slept in the same bed with them. According to...

MRI chamber music: tough gig?(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... After scanning the brains of improvising musicians, two Johns Hopkins University scientists say they have located the region of the brain that lights up when musicians "jam." It's great to know that the medical prefrontal cortex (also...

Rx for a missed plane: bomb threats.(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... And speaking of brains, we have to wonder what a Nashville physician was thinking when he made three 911 calls reporting bomb threats in an effort to get the flight he had just missed returned to the gate at Seattle's airport last July....

Rx for monkey stress: cocaine, food.(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... In the world of cynomolgus macaque monkeys stressed out by unfamiliar surroundings, cocaine or food rewards are chosen depending on social status, Wake Forest University experimenters tell us. Subordinate monkeys favored a cocaine-delivery...

For low libido, hold the hair spray.(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... In seeking help for women with self-reported low libido, a team of Australian researchers tried applying testosterone-laced spray to subjects' abdomens at six Down Under medical centers. Unfortunately, reports of increased sexual satisfaction...

Payments promote smoking cessation.(News)
May 15, 2008... PITTSBURGH -- Financial incentives for smoking cessation offered by employers in large workplace settings succeed in getting employees to quit, the findings from a government-funded study suggest. The subject is controversial. Two 2005...

New evidence ties alcohol intake to breast cancer risk: highest risk seen among heavier drinkers.(News)
May 15, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- Further evidence of a relationship between alcohol consumption and development of breast cancer were presented in two studies at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Postmenopausal women who...

Osteoporosis guidelines add risk assessment tool.(News)
May 15, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- New guidelines for preventing and treating osteoporosis and a new online tool to quantify fracture risk should help clinicians target therapy to patients who are most likely to benefit from it. "Quantitative fracture risk...

Hypoglycemic events tied to dementia in elderly.(News)(Report)
May 15, 2008... CHICAGO -- Hypoglycemic episodes increase the risk of dementia among elderly patients with diabetes, according to the first study to evaluate the association in this older patient population. The findings suggest that possible benefits of...

Onset of Alzheimer's disease seen earlier in heavy drinkers, smokers.(News)(Report)
May 15, 2008... CHICAGO -- Heavy drinking and smoking are associated with a significantly earlier age of development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. In a...

High midlife cholesterol increases dementia risk.(News)(Clinical report)
May 15, 2008... CHICAGO -- High cholesterol levels in midlife are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, data from a large, diverse cohort suggest. The analysis of more than 9,500 individuals showed that patients...

Is 'subclinical hyperthyroidism' a Misnomer?(GUEST EDITORIAL)
May 15, 2008... The term "subclinical hyperthyroidism" is used to refer to patients with levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) that are not low enough to qualify as overt hyperthyroidism but lower than one would see in a normal patient, accompanied by...

Early use of insulin improves [beta]-cell function.(Should insulin therapy be started earlier in type 2 diabetes?)
May 15, 2008... We should be using insulin earlier in type 2 diabetes. More than 40% of people with type 2 diabetes are not at the hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] goal of less than 7%. More than 50% are not at an [A.sub.1C] goal of 6.5% or less. The problem, I believe,...

Aggressive combination treatment is often enough.(Should insulin therapy be started earlier in type 2 diabetes?)(Report)
May 15, 2008... Is there a compelling reason to add insulin early? Dr. Abrahamson cited a few studies that used intensive insulin therapy for a period of time, with some follow-up. But is it the insulin or aggressive early therapy in general that gets...

ACP stand on marijuana is appropriate.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2008... In our primary care clinic, I see many patients patients with chronic pain disorders ("Medical Marijuana Gets ACP's Okay," March 15, 2008, p. 1). These patients either have used marijuana or are currently using it for its presumptive...

ACP sends the wrong smoke signals.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2008... Apparently, the left-wing radicals have gone from doing sit-ins at the college president's office to occupying the American College of Physicians ("Medical Marijuana Gets ACP's Okay," March 15, 2008, p. 1)! First, they announce they're in...