Health News

Promising Phase II Data For New Parkinson's Disease Drug Presented

Date: Mar-22-2013
A new levodopa product (ODM-101) developed by Orion Corporation could improve the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease patients. According to a Phase II study, presented yesterday at American Academy of Neurology's Annual Meeting in San Diego, ODM-101 significantly decreased daily OFF-time without increasing ON-time with troublesome dyskinesias compared to reference product Stalevo®, which is an established standard medication for advanced Parkinson's patients experiencing so-called end-of-dose wearing off symptoms associated with levodopa therapy...

Article Published In JAMA Dermatology Shows Long-Term Effectiveness Of Ingenol Mebutate In Treating Actinic Keratosis

Date: Mar-22-2013
Two-three day treatment provides clinically relevant, sustained clearance of AK after 12 months An analysis of long-term clearance rates of actinic keratosis (AK) lesions after treatment with ingenol mebutate (Picato(R)) gel is today published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Dermatology,[1] formerly known as the Archives of Dermatology...

Men With Early Prostate Cancer Should Be Offered Additional Testing To Confirm Severity Of Disease

Date: Mar-22-2013
Research from NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center Improves Decision Making for Patients and Their Doctors New research from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center suggests that men who are considering their treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer may benefit from additional biopsy testing before making a decision. Based on this research, doctors at the medical center are modifying their practices to more accurately distinguish early and low-risk prostate cancers from more aggressive disease...

Study Tracks Variation Between Hospitals In Vena Cava Filter Use

Date: Mar-22-2013
The frequency of vena cava filter (VCF) use to prevent migration of blood clots to the lungs in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) appears to vary widely and be associated with which hospital provides the patient care, according to a study of California hospitals published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. The placement of a VCF may be the only treatment option available if anticoagulation treatment cannot be given. The use of VCFs continues to increase despite uncertainty about the relative benefits vs...

Study Examines Outcomes Of Screening Mammography For Age, Breast Density, Hormone Therapy

Date: Mar-22-2013
A study that compared the benefits and harms of the frequency of screening mammography to age, breast density and postmenopausal use of hormone therapy (HT) suggests that woman ages 50 to 74 years who undergo biennial screenings have a similar risk of advanced-stage disease and a lower cumulative risk of false-positive results than those who get mammograms annually, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. In 2009, the U.S...

Study Investigates Prolonged Antibiotic Use In Long-Term Care Facilities

Date: Mar-22-2013
JAMA Internal Medicine Study Highlights An analysis of antibiotic prescribing in long-term care facilities in Canada by Nick Daneman, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues suggests that antibiotic treatment courses are often prescribed for long durations and seem to be influenced by prescriber preference more than patient characteristics. (Online First) Of 66,901 long-term care residents from 630 facilities, 50,061 (77.8 percent) received an incident antibiotic treatment course...

Combination Of Hypertension, Genetic Risk Factor For Alzheimer's May Be Associated With Increased Brain Amyloid Deposits In Cognitively Normal Adults

Date: Mar-22-2013
JAMA Neurology Study Highlights A study by Karen M. Rodrigue, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Dallas, and colleagues suggests that patients with hypertension with at least one genetic risk factor for Alzheimer disease (an apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele) showed more β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation than patients with only one risk factor or no risk factors. The study included 118 cognitively normal adults ages 47 to 89 years...

Study Suggests Nurse Understaffing Associated With NICU Infection Rates

Date: Mar-22-2013
JAMA Pediatrics Study Highlights A study by Jeannette A. Rogowski, Ph.D., of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, and colleagues suggests nurse understaffing in US neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is associated with higher rates of nosocomial infections among infants with very low birth weights (VLBW). (Online First) The retrospective study included all inborn VLBW infants, with a NICU stay of at least 3 days, discharged from the NICUs in 2008 (n=5771) and 2009 (n=5630) and all staff registered nurses with infant assignments from sixty-seven U.S...

Study Examines Link Between Maternal Exposure To Childhood Abuse, Autism Risk

Date: Mar-22-2013
JAMA Psychiatry Study Highlights A study by Andrea L. Roberts, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues suggests that maternal exposure to childhood abuse is associated with an increased risk for autism in their children. (Online First) Researchers analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study II. Participants included nurses with data on maternal childhood abuse and the autism status of their children. A group of control participants was randomly selected from among children of women who did not report autism in offspring...

Study Investigates Association Between Race And Use Of Revascularizaton Vs Amputation In Lower Extremity Ischemia

Date: Mar-22-2013
JAMA Surgery Study Highlights A study by Tyler S. Durazzo, M.D., and colleagues at the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, examined the difference between white and nonwhite patients in the rates of use of amputation or revascularization procedures for treatment of critical lower extremity ischemia (restriction in blood flow), with a focus on factors such as access and hospital resources...