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Geriatrics

News, opinions and meeting coverage in geriatrics.

Zilver Stent Recalled, System May Break

Cook Medical's Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent for peripheral artery disease has been recalled because of a defect in its associated delivery system, the company and the FDA said.

Hypothyroidism Hikes Death Risk in Blacks

African Americans with hypothyroidism face an increased risk of death, and in patients with congestive heart failure, even mild underactive thyroid disease raises mortality risk, a retrospective cohort study found.

APA Leaders Defend New Diagnostic Guide

SAN FRANCISCO -- The fifth edition of the "psychiatrist's bible" was officially released here in all its 947-page glory, with its developers offering a spirited rebuttal to their critics.

Hangover Risk Prompts Ambien Label Changes

New dosing recommendations for products containing zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar) are now included in their labels, along with warnings of next-day hangover effects, the FDA said Tuesday.

FDA Allows Opana Generics

The original formulation of extended-release oxymorphone (Opana ER) that lacked abuse-resistant mechanisms was not pulled from the market for safety reasons, and therefore generics based on that recipe are permissible, the FDA said.

Is Protein the Key to Fountain of Youth?

The cardiac clocks of aging mice were turned back to a more youthful time when they received a protein taken from the blood of younger mice, researchers found.

Preop Ketamine May Lower Pain in Fibromyalgia

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- In fibromyalgia patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery, low-dose, intraoperative ketamine appeared to reduce the need for post-surgical opioid therapy, researchers said here.

Migraine Drug May Set Stage for Kidney Stones

ORLANDO - Patients who take topiramate (Topamax) therapy for treatment of migraine appear to deplete citrate in the urine, creating an environment for kidney stones, researchers reported here.

Afib Benefits Seen with Yoga, Acupressure

Blood pressure and heart rate declined significantly in patients with atrial fibrillation after 3 months of weekly yoga sessions, results of a small clinical study showed.

Model Predicts MRSA in Septic Arthritis

CHICAGO -- A model that included easily obtainable values early in treatment successfully ruled out most cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in children with septic arthritis, researchers found.

ACC: Is Chelation Plus Vitamins a Winning Combo?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Vitamins alone won't improve outcomes for patients who've had a heart attack, but they do appear to have additive benefits when given in conjunction with controversial chelation therapy, researchers reported here.

ECG for Eyes Sorts Strokes from Vertigo

A device described as an ECG for the eye accurately distinguishes stroke from other causes of dizziness in the emergency department, a small proof-of-concept study showed.

Fatal Reactions Prompt Omontys Recall

All lots of the new anemia drug peginesatide (Omontys) have been recalled because of severe hypersensitivity reactions -- some fatal -- observed after the drug was approved last March.

Deaths Trigger DEA Probe of Pain Specialist

Treating pain is challenging, and sometimes perilous, for both physician and patient, as is illustrated by Lynn Webster, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, who is the subject of an investigation triggered by as many as 20 deaths among his patients.

ACE Inhibitors Linked to Hallucinations in Elderly

Elderly patients with memory problems who suddenly have visual hallucinations may need to stop taking ACE inhibitors, researchers suggested.

NuPathe's Patch for Migraine Wins FDA Approval

WASHINGTON -- Adults with migraine will soon have a new treatment option -- Zecuity, a transdermal, battery-powered sumatriptan patch.

Close-Up: When Hospice Patients Live Too Long

Across the country, Medicare is cracking down on the hospice industry's growing habit of embracing those whose deaths aren't imminent.

FDA Lowers Ambien Dosages

WASHINGTON -- Makers of sleep drugs containing zolpidem, including Ambien and Ambien CR, must cut the recommended dosages for women by half to reduce morning drowsiness, the FDA announced Thursday.

FDA: Booze and Xyrem Are Dangerous Mix

WASHINGTON -- The FDA is warning healthcare professionals that patients taking the muscle weakness and narcolepsy drug sodium oxybate (Xyrem) should not consume alcohol or use central nervous system depressants.

Infection High in Myeloma, with High Mortality

ATLANTA -- More than a fifth of patients with multiple myeloma died of infection within a year of diagnosis, Swedish investigators reported here.

Oral Azacitidine Safe, Effective in Low-Risk MDS

ATLANTA -- Oral azacitidine (Vidaza) given for up to 21 days per 4-week cycle for myelodysplastic syndrome appeared safe and effective in patients with lower-risk disease, a researcher said here.

Cardio Notes: Stress Test Finds Heart Disease in Seniors

Researchers are taking a second look at the accuracy of treadmill exercise testing for women over 65. Also this week, the birth of a subspecialty for adults with congenital heart disease and leg artery stenting.

Extended Apixaban Stops VTE Recurrence

ATLANTA -- Apixaban taken for an additional year after standard venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment reduced recurrent events in a placebo-controlled trial, researchers said.

FDA Panel Gives Thumbs Down to Opioid

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee voted 11-2 on Friday against recommending approval of a single-entity hydrocodone product, raising questions about its abuse potential.

Enbrel Best Buy Among Anti-TNFs

LAS VEGAS -- The tumor necrosis factor inhibitor etanercept (Enbrel) was more cost-effective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis than were two other biologic agents in this class, a budget impact analysis found.

Enbrel Best for RA If Taken Over Long Term

WASHINGTON -- Most rheumatoid arthritis patients who achieve a state of low disease activity taking etanercept (Enbrel) fare better if they remain on therapy, even if only at a lower dose, a researcher reported here.

Early Stroke Risk After Hip Replacement

Patients undergoing a total hip replacement appear to have an elevated risk of stroke in the weeks following the operation, researchers found.

AHA: No Excess Bleeding Risk with Dabigatran

LOS ANGELES -- Patients starting dabigatran (Pradaxa) did not have a higher risk of bleeding compared with new users of warfarin, according to a postmarketing data review by the FDA.

Drug Relieves Opioid-Induced Constipation

LAS VEGAS -- An investigational opioid antagonist provided effective and durable relief from opioid-induced constipation in patients with chronic pain without interfering with analgesia, a randomized trial showed.

Novel Drug Stars in Phase III PAH Trial

ATLANTA -- Macitentan, a next-generation endothelin receptor antagonist for pulmonary arterial hypertension, met its efficacy endpoint and was said to be well tolerated in a large clinical trial.

BP Drug Linked to Severe Diarrheal Illness

LAS VEGAS -- A patient's insightful question led to the identification of almost two dozen cases of severe enteropathy associated with use of blood pressure medication, investigators reported here.

Subjective Effects Drive COPD Outcomes

ATLANTA -- For patients with COPD, their own assessment of breathing problems is more predictive of outcomes than spirometry or doctor-diagnosed exacerbations, a researcher said here.

Cardio Notes: Sex Improves with Stenting

Opening the arteries of those with stable coronary disease also opens the door to an improved sex life. Also this week, bariatric surgery helps remodel the heart.

Watchdog Group Wants Black Box on BP Meds

WASHINGTON -- The consumer watchdog group Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to add a black box warning to three classes of hypertension drugs, cautioning against their combined use.

Working with Weights May Help Stroke Rehab

Resistance training -- which is often overlooked in stroke rehab -- may help improve thinking and memory in stroke survivors, researchers found.

Pot Smokers Who Quit Find It Harder to Function

The more severe a person's marijuana withdrawal symptoms when they quit using the drug, the bigger the effect on their functional ability and the more likely they were to start using again, results of an Australian study showed.

Suboxone Maker Pulls Pills in Favor of Film

The buprenorphine-naloxone combination product (Suboxone) in sublingual tablet form will soon be pulled from the U.S. market because its child-resistant packaging isn't effective enough.

Cranberry Juice May Help Lower BP a Bit

Cranberry juice modestly lowers blood pressure in healthy adults when consumed daily, a carefully controlled trial showed.

Afinitor Helps Breast Tx in Older Patients

SAN FRANCISCO -- Older patients with advanced breast cancer had significant improvement in progression-free survival when everolimus was added to exemestane, a new analysis of a randomized trial showed.

Anatomy of an Epidemic: The Opioid Movie

The national clamor over abuse of prescription opioids is now at a fever pitch, but little has been said about what drove the boon in opioid prescriptions. This latest report from 番茄社区/ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzes a pivotal Oxycontin marketing video, it's impact and its aftermath.

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