OB GYN News articles from April 2006

OB GYN News archives from April 2006

Good early results for ovarian CA test.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF. -- A panel of biomarker proteins developed by California researchers was able to diagnose early-stage mucinous ovarian cancer tumors with 100% sensitivity and specificity in a small study. In contrast, the biomarker CA 125...

Medicaid is the largest individual category of all spending by states.(VITAL SIGNS)
April 1, 2006... Medicaid Is the Largest Individual Category Of All Spending by States Medicaid 23% Elementary and secondary education 22% Higher education 11% Transportation 8%...

WHI data support existing RDA for calcium, vitamin D: results fall short of hip fracture benefit.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- The current recommended dietary allowance for calcium of 1,200 mg/day for people older than 50 was supported by the results of the calcium and vitamin D trial that was part of the Women's Health Initiative. Although the...

Oxytocin averts placental retention, cuts blood loss.(Obstetrics)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Intraumbilical vein injection with oxytocin following cord clamp was effective for preventing placental retention and reducing postpartum blood loss in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study presented at the annual...

Low estradiol tied to reduced stroke risk.(News)
April 1, 2006... KISSIMMEE, FLA. -- Serum endogenous estradiol levels in postmenopausal women appear to affect stroke risk, and raloxifene treatment may reduce that risk in patients with high levels of the naturally occurring estrogen, Dr. Jennifer S. Lee...

South Dakota enacts far-reaching abortion ban.(News)
April 1, 2006... The sweeping abortion ban signed into law last month in South Dakota has sent shock waves through reproductive medicine and could lead to a Supreme Court showdown on the legality of abortion. The law makes it a felony to perform an abortion...

ACIP recommends Tdap for health care workers.(News)
April 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Health care workers in hospitals or ambulatory care settings and those who have direct patient contact should receive the adolescent/adult formulation of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine, the Advisory Committee on...

More U.S. medical graduates match to ob.gyn.(News)
April 1, 2006... For the second year in a row, the number of U.S. medical graduates who have matched to residency positions in obstetrics and gynecology has increased. This year, 1,154 ob.gyn. residency positions were offered. Of those, 97.9% were...

How to slash accounts receivable.(physicians patient accounts receivable)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Quick, what's the largest asset on your balance sheet? Almost certainly it's accounts receivable. Many physicians fail to realize that, and many fail to appreciate that aggressive management of accounts receivable is key to any practice's...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2006... "It's e-mail from the patient in 914."

Canada to supply varicella postexposure prophylaxis.(Obstetrics)
April 1, 2006... The dwindling U.S. supply of varicella-zoster immune globulin has been replenished with a new unlicensed product made available under a Food and Drug Administration investigational new drug application, according to the Centers for Disease...

Bleeding, pathogens combined increase risk of preterm birth.(Obstetrics)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Unexplained vaginal bleeding and fetal exposure to oral pathogens have been linked individually with spontaneous preterm birth, and new data suggest the presence of both is associated with greater risk than either alone. Of...

Expedite assessment of postpartum blood loss.(Obstetrics)
April 1, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- By the time you detect changes in maternal blood pressure or heart rate suggesting postpartum hemorrhage, the woman already has lost a third of her blood volume, Dr. George R. Saade said at a conference on obstetrics,...

Fetal lung volume gain with FETO 'impressive'.(Obstetrics)(Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion, or FETO, results in "impressive" relative increases in lung volume in cases of severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia, Dr. Jacques C. Jani reported at the annual meeting of the Society...

Plan B has limited effect on bleeding patterns.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... BOSTON -- A single dose of Plan B (levonorgestrel) alters the timing and duration of the menstrual period that immediately follows emergency contraception, according to a new study. Taken early in the cycle, it causes the menstrual period to...

Anemia may be marker for poor cancer outcomes.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... DENVER -- Anemia is probably a symptom rather than a cause of radiation-therapy failure in women with cervical cancer, Dr. Patricia J. Eifel asserted at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. "In...

WHI low-fat diet flawed; some benefit shown.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- The biggest problem with the diet modification study of the Women's Health Initiative was the diet. Not enough women stuck with it, and it had an outdated design. Despite these flaws, the trial's results, first reported in...

HT for hot flashes didn't improve quality of life.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- Now that results from the Women's Health Initiative have shot down hormone therapy as a way to prevent coronary events, dementia, and urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women, the only indication left standing has been...

Do older women trust mammography too well?(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Older women with a family history of breast cancer place extraordinary faith in mammography over clinical breast exam for reassurance about their breast health, according to Karen Greco, R.N., Ph.D., lead investigator of a small,...

Integrated PET-CT best for detecting recurrent ovarian ca.(Gynecology)
April 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- The accuracy of PET-CT for detecting recurrent ovarian cancer is high, Dr. Sunit Sebastian said at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The diagnosis of early recurrence is challenging due to the small...

Diet adherence, not diet type is the key to success.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The right diet for your patient is the one she can stick to, Dr. Corey H. Evans said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "Adherence is the key to success in losing weight," Dr. Evans, a...

Watch for antipsychotic-induced rise in prolactin.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... NEW YORK -- Antipsychotics can induce elevated levels of prolactin that may require dosage changes or medication switches, Dr. Harold E. Carlson said at a psychopharmacology update sponsored by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent...

Antidepressant study may allay suicide risk fears: looking at patients both before and after treatment reveals risk drops 60% in first month of medication.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Psychiatrists say a new study should help convince the public that newer antidepressants do not appear to be associated with a high risk of suicide. In the study of about 60,000 enrollees at Group Health Cooperative (GHC), a nonprofit...

Quantitative assessment vital in depression management.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Routine, quantitative measurement of depression symptoms and treatment side effects at every clinical visit may help physicians to determine when to change their prescribing patterns for treating depression, findings from the STAR*D study...

Melasma is prevalent across many racial groups.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... PARK CITY, UTAH -- Melasma is a chronic, relapsing condition occurring across racial groups, Dr. Susan C. Taylor said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored by Medicis. Although the pigmentation disorder is seen primarily as a...

Extra vitamin D intake favored over sun exposure.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The burning issue of how best to make sure that patients get enough vitamin D comes down to this conclusion: Recommending intentional exposure to the sun's rays is inappropriate, Dr. Henry W. Lim said. Instead, for...

Glucosamine, chondroitin fail in knee OA trial: the two dietary supplements did not curb pain in the initial GAIT study and will be tested further.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... The dietary supplements glucosamine HCl and chondroitin sulfate failed to show overall efficacy for pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knee in a large double-blind trial, but questions concerning their potential benefits in patients with more...

Childhood exposure to infection may protect women from RA.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Healthy female babies might not make such healthy adults, at least when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, according to a group of British researchers. Exposure to infection in early childhood may help protect women from developing...

AMA's pay-for-performance pact ruffles feathers.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Specialty organizations are concerned that the American Medical Association is unilaterally setting performance goals that doctors won't be able to meet. A recent agreement between the AMA and leaders in Congress outlines an ambitious...

Physician writers share their zeal for storytelling.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)
April 1, 2006... Dr. Robert H. Bartlett was so mad that he had to find a way to channel his anger. He chose written words. It was the late 1970s and Dr. Bartlett was on the surgery faculty at the University of California, Irvine. He also directed the...

Reforms proposed to limit conflicts of interest: existing guidelines 'are not sufficiently stringent' and let professionalism and patient care be undermined.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... The relationship between physicians and the makers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices now is so fraught with conflicts of interest that broad reforms regulating their interactions are essential, according to a group of medical ethics...

Health care industry is exhorted to lean toward green.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- The link between environmental toxins and cancer and other diseases is so suggestive that health care professionals must do all they can to diminish the risks to public health, Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor declared at a meeting on...

MedPAC backs reimbursement hike for physicians.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... The committee advising Congress on Medicare payments has called for reimbursement increases for physicians and hospitals next year, but is proposing to slow the growth rate for hospital payments. In its March report, the Medicare Payment...

Misconceptions on menstruation.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
April 1, 2006... Many women have little knowledge about how their menstrual cycle works, according to the results of a recent national poll commissioned by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. For example, about two-thirds of women surveyed...

States vary on contraceptive access.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
April 1, 2006... According to a new analysis from the Guttmacher Institute, California, Alaska, South Carolina, Alabama, and New York are setting a national example of how to reduce unintended pregnancies in the United States, while Nebraska, North Dakota,...

Environmental fertility risks.(environmental contaminants induces infertility risks)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... More research and improved testing are needed to gauge the impact of environmental toxins on reproductive health and fertility, said Resolve: The National Infertility Association, which is calling on researchers to look into exposure from...

Wisconsin doctors want cap back.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
April 1, 2006... Wisconsin doctors hailed the state assembly's passage of a bill from Rep. Curt Gielow (R) that would reinstate a cap on noneconomic damages at $750,000. The 10-year-old cap was overturned by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2005, "throwing...

Antiabortion protesters win ruling.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
April 1, 2006... In the latest abortion-related court ruling, the Supreme Court decided that a federal extortion law--the Hobbs Act--cannot be used against antiabortion protesters. In the cases Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, and Operation Rescue...

Diabetes-related birth defects are preventable.(MASTER CLASS)
April 1, 2006... The World Health Organization judges the health of a country largely by its infant mortality rate. On this measure, the United States ranks 21st in the world. If we intend to improve the health of the nation, we must aggressively focus on...

Self-adhesive, disposable eye shields.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... MEDshields eyewear are disposable, antifog eye shields that adhere to the user's face with a medical-grade, hypoallergenic adhesive. They are designed for single use only. For more information, contact Shark-Lids EyeGear Inc. by visiting...

Kit spells out a reminder.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The Joint Commission Resources' "Spell It Out!" kit includes items to remind physicians and staff about the list of do-not-use abbreviations and the rationale for spelling out the terms. The kit includes clipboards, posters, quick reference...

Test identifies flu A or B.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The BD Directigen Flu A+B test kit differentiates flu A from flu B in two steps. In addition, analytical studies have demonstrated that the kit can detect avian influenza (H5N1) isolates and the A/California/07/2004 strain. For more...

Personal Medical Record.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The Healthcare Personal Medical Record is a passport-sized, fill-in-the-blank book that patients can use to collect medical information physicians need. It includes an acute medical visit template and an emergency treatment document The $14.95...

Technology offers CPR feedback.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Q-CPR provides real-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation monitoring and feedback for advanced life support-trained responders. The technology is available on the HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator and offers corrective feedback on the rate and...

Help for health care IT adoption.(Agency for Healthcare Research web site)(www.healthit.ahrq.gov)(Website overview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a Web site featuring tools and resources to help health care providers adopt information technologies quickly and effectively. The site offers a library with links to health information...

Web site offers bulimia resources.(FYIS)
April 1, 2006... ECRI, a nonprofit health services research agency, has launched a Web site to provide comprehensive, evidence-based resources for those affected by bulimia nervosa. The site includes information about risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment...

FDA has Patient Safety News video.(FYIS)
April 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration's Patient Safety News is a video news series that offers information about recently approved drugs, biologics, and medical devices; FDA safety notifications and product recalls; and ways patients can be...

Elective cesarean: honor her choice.(C-section on maternal request)
April 15, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Any decision between cesarean delivery by maternal request or trial of labor ultimately lies with the woman, once the potential risks and benefits associated with C-section have been discussed, concluded an independent panel of...

High-dose vitamin C, E may increase preeclampsia risk: new study reverses antioxidant findings.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... TORONTO -- High-dose antioxidant supplementation may be harmful in pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. The study, comparing placebo with...

FDA advisory panel okays icodextrin for adhesions.(Food and Drug Administration)(Innovata PLC)(Clinical report)
April 15, 2006... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- A 4% icodextrin solution was recommended for approval by a Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee for the reduction of postsurgical adhesions in women undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery that includes...

Trial results sink homocysteine theory in CVD.(News)
April 15, 2006... ATLANTA -- The homocysteine hypothesis for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease appears to be dead. Reports in March from two large, separate intervention trials failed to show any benefit from supplements of folic acid and B...

High vitamin D intake in pregnancy lowers childhood risk of asthma.(News)
April 15, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- High maternal vitamin D intake in pregnancy may help protect children from asthma and wheezing illnesses during early childhood, results of a large prospective study suggest. In multivariate analyses, every 100-IU increase in...

Human death toll from bird flu rises as researchers worry.(News)
April 15, 2006... Egyptian authorities have reported their country's first human death from avian influenza--which, if confirmed, would mark Africa's first human fatality from the disease. The 30-year-old woman from an area near Cairo developed symptoms and...

Two more deaths may be connected to mifepristone use.(News)
April 15, 2006... Two additional deaths following medical abortion with mifepristone (Mifeprex) have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a public health advisory alerting health care providers and advising review of the prescribing information....

Maternal asthma linked to prematurity, LBW.(News)
April 15, 2006... MIAMI -- Maternal asthma was a significant risk factor for premature birth and low birth weight, even if the mother's asthma was diagnosed years before delivery, Dr. Joel Liem reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy,...

Infant formula recalled due to metal particles.(News)
April 15, 2006... Mead Johnson & Co. has recalled 41,464 24-oz. cans of Gentlease powdered infant formula because samples from this batch were found to contain metal particles up to 2.7 mm in size. Such particles could present a serious risk to an infant's...

Antiangiogenic state may be key in preeclampsia.(News)
April 15, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Serum levels of soluble endoglin and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 are increased months before onset of clinical disease in patients with preeclampsia, Dr. Richard Levine said at the annual meeting of the Society for...

Late progesterone also cuts repeat preterm births.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
April 15, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Progesterone prevents recurrent preterm delivery to the same degree whether it is initiated earlier or later in the second trimester, according to a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal...

The perils of pay for performance.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
April 15, 2006... The concept of quality improvement in medical practice is laudable, but the "pay-for-performance" method--in which physicians are financially rewarded for reaching certain goals set by panels of "experts"--is particularly offensive to our...

Win a video-capable iPod!(Opinion)
April 15, 2006... It's time again for our annual Clinical Pearls contest. This year we are awarding video-capable iPods to six lucky winners. Bruce L. Flamm, M.D., will select the top six entries, which will be featured in upcoming columns. Ways to Submit...

A previously established link.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 15, 2006... I was quite surprised to read the assertion by Dr. Anuja Dokras of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics that the results of research she had conducted show "for the first time that depression in PCOS patients is significantly associated...

Connecting the musical docs.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 15, 2006... I was surprised to see the recent article on music, since I had just returned from playing in the 30th year of the Chicago "Do-It-Yourself Messiah" concerts--I play the trumpet ("Physicians of Note Share Their Love for Music," The Rest of Your...

My sentiments exactly.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 15, 2006... I appreciated Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman's recent comments ("Defending the Drug Man," Guest Editorial, Jan. 15, 2006, p. 9). I resent the assumption that without intrusive bureaucracies and uncountable regulations, I would engage in...

Five studies that could change obstetric practices.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Five studies may change the way physicians think about prolonged premature rupture of membranes, perinatal stroke in the fetus, and other topics, Dr. Michael A. Belfort said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology,...

Set low threshold for appendectomy in pregnant women.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF. -- The diagnosis of appendicitis can, of course, be exquisitely difficult in a nonpregnant patient. Pregnancy only makes the task more daunting. However, the challenge must be met because early diagnosis and prompt surgery...

Weighing new evidence on SSRI use.(DRUGS, PREGNANCY, AND LACTATION)
April 15, 2006... Until fairly recently, studies and reviews of global teratovigilance data have been relatively reassuring that SSRIs were particularly safe, especially with regard to their teratogenicity. In fact, there are more reproductive safety data...

For late-pregnancy choking, use Heimlich maneuver on the floor.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF -- The Heimlich maneuver becomes unwieldy during the late stages of pregnancy, requiring adaptations, Dr. J. Gerald Quirk said at the annual meeting of the Obstetrical and Gynecological Assembly of Southern California. ...

Perimortem C-section demands quick trip to OR.(cesarean section)(operating room)
April 15, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF. -- Get a pregnant woman with cardiac arrest to the operating room. That is where the best hope lies for her survival and that of her fetus, said Dr. J. Gerald Quirk at the annual meeting of the Obstetrical and...

Subsequent infants are at risk after SIDS death.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... Women who have had a baby who died from SIDS are more likely to have preterm birth or intrauterine growth restriction in their next pregnancy than are other women, reported Dr. Gordon C.S. Smith of the University of Cambridge (England) and his...

Continuous insulin infusion rated superior.(Obstetrics)
April 15, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Continuous subcutaneous insulin lispro infusion appears to be superior to multiple daily insulin lispro injections for the treatment of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, Dr. Giorgio Mello reported at the annual meeting of the...

Imaging advances assist gyn. cancer detection.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF. -- Imaging for gynecologic cancer has been greatly improved with fusion techniques that combine the structural and anatomic information from ultrasound, MRI, and CT with metabolic clues highlighted by PET scans. "This is...

Be all-inclusive when advising on cervical Ca.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Think of both ends of the fertility spectrum when advising women about preventing or treating cervical cancer, Kimberly D. Baker, J.D., said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and...

Perimenopausal depression link to hot flashes affirmed.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- When a female patient presents with hot flashes, consider screening her for depression, Dr. Marlene Freeman advised at a psychopharmacology conference sponsored by the University of Arizona. The risk of depression is known...

Extra vitamin D cuts fall risk in elderly women, not men.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... Elderly women, particularly those who are less active, can significantly reduce their risk of falling by taking a daily supplement of vitamin D, according to a new study. However, the supplement does not protect men in the same age group. ...

Eszopiclone aids sleep, but has no effect on hot flashes.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Perimenopausal women who took eszopiclone for 1 month experienced significant improvements in sleep problems brought on by hot flashes, results from a randomized trial have found. However, the drug had no apparent effect on the...

Many adhesion mysteries unraveled, but questions remain.
April 15, 2006... PASADENA, CALIF. -- Adhesion formation probably occurs within the first 3-5 days following surgery, when hypoxia triggers a cascade of cytokines, growth factors, and clotting factors that form a fibrinous, clotlike mass, Dr. Michael P. Diamond...

New tests urged for breast cancer gene mutations.(Gynecology)
April 15, 2006... Patients at high risk for breast cancer are not getting the full story from the genetic tests now being carried out in the United States, according to a study by Tom Walsh, Ph.D, and his associates. Genetic testing is recommended for women...

Vitamin D often low in obese children, teens.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... OLD GREENWICH, CONN -- Vitamin D deficiency, sometimes quite severe, is common in obese adolescents, according to a recent study by Dr. Margarita Smotkin-Tangorra and colleagues at Maimonides Medical Center, N.Y. Speaking at a meeting of...

Depression in diabetics rises with CHD risk.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... DENVER -- Increased risk of coronary heart disease is significantly associated with stronger symptoms of depression in diabetic adults, Susan M. Barry-Bianchi, Ph.D., reported in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Depression hits patients told of type 2 diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... DENVER -- Depression was nearly twice as common among adults who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, compared with adults who had either normal or impaired fasting plasma glucose levels and those with undiagnosed diabetes, Mirjam J. Knol...

Guidelines urge early in-hospital glucose control.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Hyperglycemia should be identified and vigorously treated in all hospitalized patients to improve medical and surgical outcomes, according to new guidelines from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. The new...

Clinical picture still emerging in CAPS registry.(catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome)
April 15, 2006... ABANO TERME, ITALY -- Much has been learned about triggering factors and the range of clinical manifestations in catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome to describe a constellation of events including multiple organ failure, thrombotic...

Infections raise mortality risk in women following CABG.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... Higher rates of infection are the primary cause of the increased mortality risk observed in women during the months after cardiac surgery, according to the results of a recent retrospective study. A cohort analysis found that women...

Modest weight loss can improve plasma glucose, insulin sensitivity.(Clinical Rounds)
April 15, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- A relatively modest amount of weight loss can normalize fasting plasma glucose and greatly improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study reported by Dr. Gerald I. Shulman at the Third World...