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News, opinions and meeting coverage in hospital-based medicine.

Skin, Vessel Damage Seen with Tainted Cocaine

MIAMI BEACH -- People who use cocaine contaminated with the veterinary drug levamisole may experience more than just dermatological effects, including end-organ damage and stroke, researchers reported here.

Small Brain Bleeds Not So Bad for Preemies

Low-grade hemorrhage in very premature infants doesn't appear to hurt their early neurodevelopment, a longitudinal study suggested.

UVB Exposure May Boost Low Vitamin D

MIAMI BEACH -- Narrowband UVB therapy may be a better treatment for vitamin D deficiency than supplementation, Swedish researchers reported here.

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.

FDA Warns About Codeine Following Tonsillectomy

Products that contain codeine should not be used for pain relief in children following tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy because of a possible risk of serious adverse events or death, the FDA said Wednesday.

Is Pot Smoking a Stroke Trigger?

HONOLULU -- Middle age stroke patients were twice as likely to be pot smokers than healthy middle age controls, researchers found.

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.

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.

FDA to Look at Tainted Skin Preps

Antiseptic skin preparation products can be contaminated by microbes, a problem the FDA will address at an upcoming public hearing.

Eating Before Lipid Test OK

It may not be necessary to fast before a routine cholesterol check, a large community-based population study suggested.

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.

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.

Low Preop Sodium Raises Mortality Risk

Preoperative hyponatremia significantly increased the risk of 30-day postsurgical mortality, a risk that extended across all subgroups of surgical patients, investigators reported.

Lying Prone for Radiation Best for Breast Tx

Lying face down for radiation therapy lessens the amount of collateral damage to breast cancer patients' heart and lungs, researchers found.

Tattoos Replace Bracelets for Medical Alerts

PHILADELPHIA -- As more people with diabetes replace their medical alert bracelets with tattooed warnings, there might be a need for a standard design and body location, a researcher here said.

Facebook Status: Need Kidney

WASHINGTON -- Promoting living kidney donation on social networks could increase the organ donor pool, researchers said here.

SocialMed: Drafting a Social Media Policy

As more hospitals and medical centers join Facebook and Twitter, developing a social media policy may be topping more agendas.

Most ICD Patients Die of Heart Failure

Patients with implantable defibrillators or resynchronization devices with defibrillator were most likely to die of heart failure or non-cardiac causes, not sudden death, a single-center study found.

'Visual Snow' Called Real, Not Drug Related

NEW ORLEANS -- A mysterious and troubling phenomenon called "visual snow" is a distinct syndrome that does not appear to stem from illicit drug use, nor is it a migraine aura, a researcher said here.

Smoking Cuts Risk of Benign Brain Tumor

The risk of developing an acoustic neuroma was greatly reduced among male smokers, but not among those who take snuff, researchers reported.

OTC Bug Bite Remedies of Little Help

Treating simple bug bites isn't usually necessary and there's little evidence to support doing so, a review warned.

Persistent Pus in Ear May Signal Unusual TB

SAN DIEGO -- Ear involvement is a rare, but potentially devastating, manifestation of tuberculosis, as was shown in a case report presented here.

Renal Function Key in C. Diff Therapy Choice

SAN DIEGO -- Patients with Clostridium difficile infection and underlying impaired renal function fared better with fidaxomicin treatment than with vancomycin, a researcher said here.

Extreme Obesity Adds More Risk in Hysterectomy

AUSTIN, Texas -- Increasingly severe obesity drives up complication rates after hysterectomy, and outcomes continually worsen with rising body mass index, according to results from a study reported here.

Cheney's Heart Makes Him a Million Dollar Man

Keeping former Vice President Dick Cheney's heart beating probably will cost the healthcare system at least a million dollars, cardiac transplantation experts told 番茄社区.

Antibiotic Clears Stubborn E. Coli

Patients in last spring's outbreak of severe Escherichia coli who were treated with azithromycin had a lower frequency of long-term infection, German investigators reported.

Hormones Out of Whack With Long Opioid Therapy

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- Intractable pain patients on long-term, high doses of opioids should be screened for hormonal abnormalities, researchers said here.

In Cocaine Users Think About Levamisole

HOUSTON -- Half of a group of cocaine users tested positive for levamisole, a potentially hazardous veterinary drug that cocaine dealers often use to prepare street product, investigators reported here.

Epidural Plus Fever During Labor Put Baby at Risk

A temperature spike during labor with epidural analgesia may indicate serious risks for the baby in an otherwise low-risk delivery, researchers found.

Big BP Variation Between Arms Raises Red Flag

A substantial difference in blood pressure from one arm to the other could be a warning sign for overall cardiovascular and mortality risk, a meta-analysis determined.

ER Presentation Not the End for Colon Cancer Patients

SAN FRANCISCO -- Curative therapy is still a possibility, even if a colon cancer patient is seen for the first time in the emergency department with acute symptoms, researchers said here.

Higher LDL Level Linked to Lower Incidence of Afib

Although physicians usually aim to lower patients' total and, in particular, LDL cholesterol, lower LDL levels are associated with developing atrial fibrillation, a study has found.

Parkinson's Called Hidden Killer

Life expectancy for patients with Parkinson's disease is poorer than some previous studies have suggested, with barely one-third of patients surviving six years with the condition, researchers said.

Two-Drug Combo Appears Best for Refractory Epilepsy

For patients with refractory epilepsy, a combination of lamotrigine and valproate may be the best option for preventing seizures, a retrospective analysis showed.

'Upset Stomach' Feels Better After Killing H. pylori

Eradicating Helicobacter pylori with antibiotics provided significant benefits to primary care patients with functional dyspepsia, according to results of a randomized trial.

Low-Dose Zolpidem Gets FDA Okay for Wee-Hours Awakening

A new formulation of the insomnia drug zolpidem tartrate (Ambien) has been approved to treat middle-of-the-night awakenings followed by difficulty returning to sleep, the FDA said.

Breast Reduction Riskier After 50

Outcomes of breast reduction surgery worsen with age, with more infections and a tendency toward wound-healing problems in women older than 50, researchers found.

Acetaminophen OD More Deadly if Taken in Stages

Acetaminophen overdoses were more likely to be fatal if patients consumed a series of high doses spread over the course of a day rather than downing, say, a bottle of pills at one time, outcomes among patients admitted to a specialized liver center showed.

FDA Revokes Avastin Approval for Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has announced that bevacizumab (Avastin) is no longer approved for the treatment of breast cancer; the Genentech drug retains its other indications and will remain on the market.

Use of Psych Drugs Up, Women Biggest Users

One American in five takes psychiatric medication for conditions such as depression and anxiety, and use of the drugs is more common among women, researchers found.

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