番茄社区

Geriatrics

News, opinions and meeting coverage in geriatrics.

ASCO: Myeloma Study Results Inconclusive

CHICAGO -- A trial comparing two immunomodulatory regimens for myeloma failed to demonstrate noninferiority for the newer drug.

Lethal Injections, MOC, and E-Cigs on AMA Agenda

The American Medical Association is being asked to strengthen its ethical stance on physician participation in execution by extending its ban on doctors participating to include all health professionals.

ASCO: Combo Extends PFS in Relapsed Myeloma

CHICAGO -- Progression-free survival in relapsed/refractory myeloma increased significantly in patients treated with a three-drug regimen that included panobinostat versus a two-drug regimen, a randomized trial showed.

More Brain Bleeds With Stroke Drug in 'Real World鈥�

BOSTON -- Intracerebral hemorrhage was more common among patients receiving tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the real world compared with those in a clinical trial, a small, single-center study showed.

How To Tell Fake Neck Pain From Real: The Pain Medicine News Report

A regular update on what鈥檚 new in surgery from our friends at Pain Medicine News.

Calif. Docs Among Top Billers for Complex Visits

Three California doctors are among the top five nationally in billing for the most complex office visits, according to data released by Medicare and analyzed by ProPublica and KQED.

Medtronic's Infuse Moves From Operating Room to Courtroom

An investigative series by 番茄社区/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the spinal fusion device called Infuse in a 4-year-long series and now reports how a flawed FDA system for device approval may have led to a long string of adverse events culminating in thousands of liability suits.

FDA Slashes Starting Dose for Lunesta

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Patients starting on the sleep drug eszopiclone (Lunesta) should take no more than 1 mg at bedtime -- one-third the current label-recommended dose -- because of the risk of next-day impairment, the FDA said Thursday.

Shingle Risk High in Lupus, RA, COPD

Patients with autoimmune diseases and certain other chronic conditions are at increased risk for herpes zoster, a U.K. case-control study found.

Humira No Help for Arthritic Hands

Treatment of hand osteoarthritis with adalimumab (Humira) was unsuccessful, a randomized multicenter trial found.

Murder: Another Ambien Side Effect?

NEW YORK CITY -- Forensic psychiatrists are facing new challenges with murders committed by people under the influence of the sleep drug zolpidem (Ambien) -- not least to persuade the criminal justice system to take their conclusions seriously.

Aspirin: FDA Says 'No' Others Say 'Yes'

The FDA issued a message to consumers stating that the evidence does not support the "general" use of aspirin for the primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

Seroquel XR Helps in Borderline Personality Disorder

NEW YORK CITY -- Patients with borderline personality disorder showed significant improvements when treated with long-acting antipsychotic agent quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel XR).

RA Patients Living a Decade Longer

LIVERPOOL -- Life expectancy among patients with rheumatoid arthritis has increased dramatically over the past 25 years, a researcher reported here.

Pain Med Docs More Prone to Burnout

TAMPA -- Physicians who specialize in pain medicine appear to be at greater risk of experiencing professional burnout than physicians in other specialties, researchers reported here.

Humans Beat Stroke Scales for ICH Prognosis

PHILADELPHIA -- Physicians and nurses in stroke units more accurately predicted outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared with common prognostic scales, a researcher reported here.

APA Meeting Highlights Mental Health Biology

NEW YORK CITY -- The biological basis for normal and abnormal mental function is emerging as a dominant theme in psychiatry research, and the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting that starts here Saturday won't be an exception.

How To Get Medicare To Cover A Spa Trip

Good news for doctors who think their patients need a trip to the spa: Medicare will reimburse, with only two catches.

Forget Glucometers, Use Voodoo Dolls Instead: That's Improbable!

A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.

Fatty Liver Tied to Diabetes, Atherosclerosis

LONDON -- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an independent predictor of both type 2 diabetes and carotid atherosclerosis, according to two studies presented here at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

Urine Test Can Uncover BP Med Adherence

A simple urine test might help clinicians figure out whether their patients aren't responding to antihypertensive therapy because of true resistance or because of nonadherence, a small study suggested.

How to Replace IV Nitroglycerin in the Shortage

What are the alternatives for IV nitroglycerin in the emergency setting as the shortage saps reserves? Several experts share their thoughts.

ACC: Still No Clear CHOICE for TAVI

WASHINGTON -- Head-to-head comparison of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) devices favored the second-generation Sapien XT over CoreValve, although the trial was criticized on several fronts.

ACC: Statins Tied to Boost in Men's Sexual Function

WASHINGTON -- Statins appeared to improve erectile function to a clinically meaningful degree, according to a meta-analysis.

Cologuard Cancer Test Aces FDA Panel Review

WASHINGTON -- An FDA advisory committee unanimously affirmed the safety and efficacy of a DNA stool test for colorectal cancer screening.

Shingles Vaccine OK in Mild Lupus

NEW YORK -- Vaccination against shingles may be safe for patients with mild, stable systemic lupus erythematosus, a researcher said here.

10 Ways to Safely Push Ketamine in the ED

A doctor recently took me on a Special K trip, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Rheuminations: Blame the Pain on the Rain?

Do your arthritis patients complain that their symptoms are influenced by the cold and wet weather? There's plenty of support for this, including a new study out of the Netherlands seeking to quantify this link and examine contributing factors.

FDA Approves Headband Device for Migraine

A headband delivering electrical nerve stimulation can prevent onset of migraine headaches and can be marketed for that purpose in the U.S., the FDA said Tuesday.

Stroke Rounds: Early Surgery Looks Safe After tPA

Performing carotid endarterectomy or stenting in patients who were recently treated with thrombolytic therapy for an acute stroke appeared to be safe, an observational study showed.

A Cure for Chlamydia Arthritis?

Increased understanding of the biology and survival tactics of Chlamydia trachomatis is suggesting that the post-infectious chronic arthritis experienced by many patients may actually be curable.

Medtronic Sued by 1,000 Infuse Patients

Medtronic said about 1,000 people have sued the company over its bone morphogenetic protein-2 product, Infuse, and that many more lawsuits may be coming.

CT Appears Safe in Patients With Pacemakers, ICDs

Patients with cardiac rhythm management devices showed no clinically significant major or minor events related to computed tomography imaging over a 10-year period at two large-volume care centers, researchers reported.

Killing Pain: Xanax Tops Charts

Alprazolam, more popularly known by its brand name -- Xanax--is America's favorite tranquilizer and one that is often used in combination with an opioid.

Killing Pain: Benzo 'Boost' Can Be Deadly

Adding a benzodiazepine to an opioid painkiller can increase the effect of the opioid, or in the language of addiction, benzos can boost the high -- but the combo can be deadly, according to this Killing Pain report from 番茄社区 and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

FDA OKs Northera for Hypotension

The FDA has approved droxidopa (Northera) for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, a rare disease that results in a drop in blood pressure when patients try to stand up.

Treating HCV -- Is the Price Right?

New drugs on the horizon hold out the promise of being able to cure up to 90% of people with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They are also promising to be expensive.

ER Briefs: DIY Laptop to AED Kit -- Good Idea?

Inventors aim to resurrect laptops and tablets as AEDs. We asked Clifton Callaway, MD, PhD, an emergency medicine doctor who heads up EM research at the University of Pittsburgh, to weigh in.

Lyrica Edges Mirapex for Restless Legs

Patients with restless legs syndrome treated with pregabalin (Lyrica) had as much symptom improvement as those receiving pramipexole (Mirapex) in a large year-long trial, with fewer showing "augmentation."

Ob/Gyns Uneasy With AHA's Take on Stroke in Pregnancy

NEW ORLEANS -- Recent guidelines from the American Heart Association on the management of stroke risk in pregnant women differ significantly from those issued by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists said here.

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