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Nursing

News, opinions and meeting coverage in nursing.

CHIP Faces Uncertain Future

锘縒ASHINGTON -- The final implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be bad news for re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a congressional staffer said.

Finger Stick Has Promise as Prediabetes Test

PHOENIX -- Measuring capillary blood via finger stick assay was as accurate as venous blood sample assays in predicting 5-year likelihood of diabetes, researchers reported here.

Case Study Links 'Pot' to Pituitary Damage

PHOENIX -- Daily use of marijuana over 15 years was associated with a case of low testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone, researchers reported here.

On-Call Pay Varies Widely by Specialty

Surgeons commanded more than $1,000 a day for being on-call at the hospital, while primary care physicians reported compensation rates of around $150 a day, according to annually compiled data.

FDA Lowers Age for OTC Plan B

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has approved over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to women and girls as young as 15.

Sjogren's Carries Heavy Disease Burden

BIRMINGHAM, England -- Patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome are prone to develop serious complications over the long term, despite the presumption that this is a relatively benign autoimmune disease, a 25-year review found.

How Much Exercise to Burn Off a Burger?

Menus displaying the amount of exercise required to burn off calories in a meal had some impact on food choice, researchers found.

Cinnamon Game Harms Players

The "cinnamon challenge鈥� -- a party trick among youths who accept a dare to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon -- has led to a surge in calls to poison control centers with reports of spice-induced choking and aspiration, according to a new report.

Full Thyroid Removal May be Best in Graves' Disease

Removing the whole thyroid lessens the chance of hyperthyroidism recurrence in Graves' disease compared with partial thyroidectomy, but it also leads to increased temporary hypoparathyroidism, researchers found.

FDA Splits on Safety of Endo's Aveed for Low-T

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee was split Thursday on the safety of an injectable form of testosterone replacement, but voted overwhelmingly against a proposed risk mitigation plan.

Abortion Rate No Higher in Women on RA Drug

Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being treated with methotrexate had no increase in the rate of induced abortions despite the drug's known teratogenicity, a case-control study showed.

More Docs Joining Forces in ACOs

SAN FRANCISCO -- The number of physician-led accountable care organizations (ACOs) has recently surpassed the number led by hospitals, becoming the largest backers of the payment and delivery model, an analysis showed.

Docs May See Pay Delay Under ACA Exchanges

SAN FRANCISCO -- A provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) states that insurance companies will not process claims on patients who haven't paid their premiums in 3 months, leaving doctors on the hook to recoup payment directly from the patients.

Docs' Charting Falls Short of ICD-10 Demands

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearly 65% of clinical documentation doesn't contain enough information for coders to use for billing under the upcoming ICD-10 coding system, a survey of patient charts found.

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.

C. Diff Dangerous in ESRD

ORLANDO -- Kidney dialysis patients who are infected with Clostridium difficile have a greater risk of infection relapse and also have a higher all-cause mortality that patients who do not have kidney disease, researchers said 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.

Mixed Results for Metal Ions Test in MoM Hips

CHICAGO -- Measurement of metal ion levels in whole blood in patients with metal-on-metal hip implants is useful, but imperfect, for identifying those whose new hips are functioning poorly and may be likely to fail, a researcher said here.

'Latex-Free' Claims Not Valid, FDA Says

The claim "latex-free鈥� is impossible to guarantee and should not be used on labeling of medical products, according to a new FDA guidance.

PML Not Fatal if Caught Early

SAN DIEGO - All multiple sclerosis patients taking natalizumab (Tysabri) who were diagnosed with a serious condition called PML before symptoms appeared were still alive a year later, researchers said.

Tattoo Me: Tales of Regret and No Regrets

MIAMI BEACH -- Almost a third of people with tattoos regretted the decision to get body art, particularly men who obtained tattoos at a young age, a survey of more than 500 tattoo owners showed.

Lichen Planus in Ear Not Uncommon

MIAMI BEACH -- The autoimmune disease lichen planus may affect the ear more commonly than previously thought, researchers reported here.

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.

IL-4 Antibody Tames Atopic Dermatitis

MIAMI BEACH -- Atopic dermatitis disease activity declined significantly in patients treated with a monoclonal antibody directed against interleukin-4, according to pooled data from preliminary clinical trials.

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.

Zytiga Prolongs Prostate Cancer Survival

ORLANDO -- Survival improved and disease progression slowed in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated in first line with abiraterone acetate (Zytiga).

Steroids Reduce Benefits of Prostate Ca Tx

ORLANDO -- Men with castration-resistant prostate cancer had worse survival when treated with corticosteroids, regardless of their primary treatment, a post-hoc analysis of a randomized trial showed.

Early Radiation Boosts Prostate Cancer Survival

ORLANDO -- Immediate radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy led to a 50% increase in long-term biochemical progression-free survival for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, according to a study reported here.

More Insurance Claims Filed Electronically

Healthcare providers continue to file more insurance claims electronically and submit claims more quickly, a report from the leading health insurance industry group showed.

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.

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.

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.

Child Booster Seat Laws Work

锘縉EW ORLEANS -- States that implemented booster seat laws saw a drop in serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes among children ages 4 to 8 during a recent 11-year period, researchers found.锘�

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.

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