Health News

Study finds high utilization of neuroimaging for headaches despite guidelines

Date: Mar-18-2014
Neuroimaging for headaches is frequently ordered by physicians during outpatient visits, despite guidelines that recommend against such routine procedures. Background: Most headaches are due to benign causes, and multiple guidelines have recommended against routine neuroimaging for headaches. The authors analyzed National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for all headache visits for patients 18 years or older from 2007 through 2010. There were 51.1 million headache visits during those four years, including 25.4 million for migraines. Neuroimaging was performed in 12.

COPD associated with increased risk for mild cognitive impairment

Date: Mar-18-2014
A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older adults was associated with increased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), especially MCI of skills other than memory, and the greatest risk was among patients who had COPD for more than five years. COPD is an irreversible limitation of airflow into the lungs, usually caused by smoking. More than 13.5 million adults 25 years or older in the U.S. have COPD. Previous research has suggested COPD is associated with cognitive impairment.

Supplements not associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly

Date: Mar-18-2014
Daily dietary supplements of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (also found in fish) or lutein and zeaxanthin (nutrients found in green leafy vegetables) were not associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in elderly patients with the eye disease age-related macular degeneration. Diet studies have suggested that increased intake of fish, a source of omega (ω)-3 fatty acids, can reduce rates of cardiac death, death from all other causes and heart attack.

Abbott issues recall of certain blood glucose monitoring systems

Date: Mar-18-2014
Abbott is voluntarily conducting a recall for the FreeStyle® Blood Glucose Meter and the FreeStyle Flash® Blood Glucose Meter. These two meters have not been in production since 2010. Other Abbott Diabetes Care meters are not affected by the recall.When used with the Abbott FreeStyle test strips, the FreeStyle Blood Glucose Meter and the FreeStyle Flash Blood Glucose Meter may produce mistakenly low blood glucose results. Abbott began notifying users on Feb. 19, 2014, immediately after the issue was discovered.

FDA approves Eliquis® (apixaban) to reduce the risk of blood clots following hip or knee replacement surgery

Date: Mar-18-2014
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Eliquis (apixaban) for the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which may lead to pulmonary embolism (PE), in patients who have undergone hip or knee replacement surgery.

Class, ancestry and medication are factors in cardiac risk for lupus patients

Date: Mar-18-2014
New research published in Rheumatology, the international, peer-reviewed scientific journal, has suggested that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients of African descent and from lower socioeconomic groups face a higher risk of primary cardiac disease. However, those taking anti-malarial drugs reduce their risk.The research found that 14% of patients experience cardiac problems as a result of the auto-immune disorder within five years of diagnosis.

Study finds risk of death among ICU patients with severe sepsis has decreased

Date: Mar-18-2014
In critically ill patients in Australia and New Zealand with severe sepsis or septic shock, there was a decrease in the risk of death from 2000 to 2012, findings that were accompanied by changes in the patterns of discharge of intensive care unit (ICU) patients to home, rehabilitation, and other hospitals, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Severe sepsis and septic shock are the biggest cause of death in critically ill patients.

New nanoparticle that only attacks cervical cancer cells

Date: Mar-18-2014
One of the most promising technologies for the treatment of various cancers is nanotechnology, creating drugs that directly attack the cancer cells without damaging other tissues' development. The Laboratory of Cellular Oncology at the Research Unit in Cell Differentiation and Cancer, of the Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) Zaragoza UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) developed a therapy to attack cervical cancer tumors.

Short term improvements only for shoulder revision repair surgery

Date: Mar-18-2014
Long-term outcomes of revision arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery is not as successful as in a first-time surgery, according to researchers from the Orthopaedic Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, who presented their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day."According to our results, patients with revision arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery had gained short term (six months post operatively) functional and clinical improvements.

Wrist fractures, complications related to healing more common in obese children

Date: Mar-18-2014
Children considered obese are more likely to suffer a distal radius fracture, a bone break near the wrist, and more likely to experience complications related to the healing of the fracture, according to research presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).