Archive for April, 2010
Next Entries »Risk for second primary cancers increases significantly after melanoma
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Melanoma survivors have a 9-fold increased risk for developing subsequent melanoma compared with the general population, report researchers in the Archives of Dermatology.
The team therefore recommends that “survivors should remain under surveillance not only for recurrence but also for future primary melanomas and other cancers.”
Porcia Bradford (National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA) and [...]
San Francisco Now Urging HIV Patients To Start Antiviral Medicines Right After Diagnosis.
Thursday, April 15th, 2010The New York Times (4/4, A25, Russell) reported, “In a major shift of HIV treatment policy, San Francisco public health doctors have begun to advise patients to start taking antiviral medicines as soon as they are found to be infected, rather than waiting…for signs that their immune systems have started [...]
Low-Dose Colchicine May Be Safe, Effective In Treating Acute Gout.
Thursday, April 15th, 2010MedPage Today (4/5, Walsh) reported that, according to a study published in the April issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, “low-dose colchicine (Colcrys) was as effective as the commonly prescribed high-dose regimen for pain reduction in acute gout and had a much better side-effect profile.” In a study of “575 [...]
Antidepressants, Mood Stabilizers Might Help People Recover From Stroke.
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010HealthDay (4/12, Dotinga) reported that “antidepressants and mood stabilizers might help people recover from stroke,” according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These medications “have been linked in rodents to a growth of brand-new neurons — a change in the nervous system that reduced [...]
CENTAURUS suggests early apoB/apoA-1 ratio effect with rosuvastatin
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Treatment for 1 month with rosuvastatin 20 mg decreases the ratio of apolipoprotein (apo)B to A-1 more than does of atorvastatin 80 mg in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), trial findings suggest.
Both statins reduced apoB/apoA-1 ratio to a similar extent at the primary endpoint of 3 months in the Comparison of [...]
Medication nonadherence in schizophrenia linked to suicide risk
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Poor adherence to antipsychotic drugs in outpatients with schizophrenia can be predicted by current alcohol and substance abuse and a history of previous nonadherence, among other factors, researchers report.
Patients who reported poor medication adherence were at increased risk for relapse, hospitalization, and suicide attempts – a largely unexplored consequence of nonadherence.
“Greater understanding of [...]
Statin Treatment Linked To Lower Cardiovascular Mortality In Very Elderly Patients After MI.
Friday, April 2nd, 2010Medscape (4/1, Barclay) reported that “statin treatment is linked to lower cardiovascular mortality rates in very elderly patients after myocardial infarction, but without an increased risk for cancer mortality,” according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. According to the study’s authors, “These observations suggest that [...]
Companies May Drop Retiree Drug Coverage In Order To Meet New Costs.
Thursday, April 1st, 2010The AP (3/26, Funk) reports that the new healthcare law “will cost US companies billions and make them more likely to drop prescription drug coverage for retirees because of a change in how the government subsidizes those benefits.” In the “first two days after the law was signed, three major companies — [...]
Avodart May Help Lower Prostate Cancer Risk In Men At High Risk.
Thursday, April 1st, 2010Source: DIA Daily
NBC Nightly News (3/31, story 4, 2:20, Bazell) reported, “Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Avodart [dutasteride],is asking the FDA to allow sales of the drug for a new use, to reduce cancer risk. The head of” a new “study which was paid for by the company agrees.” Dr. Gerald [...]
Acarbose offers superior endothelial function improvement in Type 2 diabetes
Thursday, April 1st, 2010Source: MedWire News
The α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose has a greater beneficial effect on endothelial dysfunction than the insulin-secretagogue nateglinide in patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, Japanese scientists have shown.
Outlining the background to their study, Teruo Inoue (Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi) and associates explain: “The α-glucosidase enzymes metabolize non-absorbable oligosaccharides into absorbable monosaccharides and, thus, [...]
