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Confusion Over Whether Coated Aspirin Can Protect Your Stomach
Patients concerned about side effects associated with aspirin, particularly the risk of gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, often try taking versions of the drug that are coated with enteric. Though patients often believe these pills pose a lower risk of stomach upset, they actually don’t appear to Getty Images have much effect on the more serious damage that aspirin can cause. “That’s a huge misunderstanding,” says David A. Johnson, a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and a professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Here’s some background from Harvard Health Publications. Aspiri...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - February 25, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Anna Wilde Mathews Tags: Drugs Heart Disease Source Type: blogs

Genentech Announces Positive Results of Avastin Phase III Study in Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Genentech announces positive results of Avastin Phase III study (GOG 218) in women with advanced ovarian cancer. The study showed that women who continued maintenance use of Avastin alone, after receiving Avastin in combination with chemotherapy, lived longer without the disease worsening compared to those who received chemotherapy alone. This is the first Phase [...]
Source: Libby's H*O*P*E* - February 25, 2010 Category: Cancer Authors: Paul Cacciatore Tags: Biological Therapies Chemotherapy Clinical Trial Results Novel Therapies American Society of Clinical Oncol angiogenesis Avastin bevacizumab biologic antibody carboplatin FDA Fox Chase Cancer Center gastrointestinal perforations Source Type: blogs

Healthcare Update – 02-25-2010
Also see the Satellite Edition of this week’s Healthcare Update over at ER Stories. Seven secrets of the ER … including quotes from GruntDoc. Among them, fretch if you want to get to a room more quickly and never lie to your ER nurse. Secret #1 in my hospital: Stop calling it the “ER” already. It’s the emergency department. Want to know why it’s called the emergency department? Here’s an explanation from About.com. Defensive medicine accounts for $650 billion of the $2.5 trillion spent on healthcare annually – or about 25% of all health care dollars. Press release here. I kno...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - February 25, 2010 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs

Autism and the Link to Infectious Disease
Student guest post by Laura Vonnahme The recent explosion in the rate of autism has prompted an increase in research as well as media hype. The disease, first described in 1943 by Leo Kenner, is a serious health condition that is now estimated to effect 1 in 110 children in the U.S. The nature of the disease and how to best treat it continues to puzzle researchers, as the symptoms and severity of the disease differ dramatically in all children diagnosed with the disorder. The disease manifests itself differently in all children and health care providers think of autism as a spectrum disorder, a group of disorders with sim...
Source: Aetiology - February 24, 2010 Category: Epidemiologists Tags: General Epidemiology Source Type: blogs

HIV in Pregnancy
Clinical features of HIV 1-primary infection/seroconversion Asymptomatic or Accompanied by fever,fatigue,lymphadenopathy or rash 2-Latent phase 3.Symtomatic disease Opportunistic infections-Ex.pneumocystis pneumonia Secondary neoplasm-Ex.Kaposi’s sarcoma Investigation HIV antibody test-antibody to part of viral membrane/envelopeAnother test is Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for viral DNA/viral RNACD4 count reflect the current degree of immunosuppressionHIV-RNA level is the main predictor of disease progression. HIV1 vs HIV 2 Less virulent clinical disease Less likely to be vertically transmitted Mother to child tr...
Source: MRCOG FACTS - February 24, 2010 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Source Type: blogs

The Danger of Daily Aspirin
From WSJ.com If you’re taking a daily aspirin for your heart, you may want to reconsider. For years, many middle-aged people have taken the drug in hopes of reducing the chance of a heart attack or stroke. Americans bought more than 44 million packages of low-dose aspirin marketed for heart protection in the year ended September, up about 12% from 2005, according to research firm IMS Health. Podcast Ned Calonge, the chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, explains the new guidelines for recommending aspirin therapy. Jon Protas/The Wall Street Journal Now, medical experts say some people who are taking asp...
Source: Renegade Neurologist - A Blog by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN - February 24, 2010 Category: Neurologists Authors: Dr. Perlmutter Tags: Heads Up Source Type: blogs

Cutaneous Metastatic Carcinoma – an Article Review
Most of us will never see skin metastases from carcinoma in our clinical practices as they are relatively uncommon.  It is estimated that 2% to 9% of patients with internal malignancy may develop cutaneous metastasis.  Often these will herald the diagnosis of the internal malignancy.  The short article in the Advances in Skin & Wound Care Journal on this topic is a review (full reference below) of the topic.  It comes out of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.  The authors had six patients with histological diagnosis of cutaneous metastatic carcinoma between 2000 to ...
Source: Suture for a Living - February 24, 2010 Category: Plastic Surgeons Tags: metastasis article review cancer skin Source Type: blogs

Hmmmm - Eli Lilly, Merck, Pfizer starting research center - BusinessWeek
NEW YORK Three major U.S. drugmakers, Eli Lilly and Co., Merck & Co. and Pfizer Inc., said Tuesday they have formed a not-for-profit company in Asia to focus on cancer research and treatments. The companies said they formed the Asian Cancer Research Group to focus on the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Asia, including lung and gastric cancers. They did not say in a news release how much funding they were committing to the project. Over the next two years, Lilly, Merck and Pfizer said they will create an extensive database that will be made available to researchers. "The goal of the Asian Cancer Research Group is t...
Source: PharmaGossip - February 24, 2010 Category: Pharma Commentators Source Type: blogs

HIV in Pregnancy
Clinical features of HIV 1-primary infection/seroconversion Asymptomatic or Accompanied by fever,fatigue,lymphadenopathy or rash 2-Latent phase 3.Symtomatic disease Opportunistic infections-Ex.pneumocystis pneumonia Secondary neoplasm-Ex.Kaposi’s sarcoma Investigation HIV antibody test-antibody to part of viral membrane/envelopeAnother test is Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for viral DNA/viral RNACD4 count reflect the current degree of immunosuppressionHIV-RNA level is the main predictor of disease progression. HIV1 vs HIV 2 Less virulent clinical disease Less likely to be vertically transmitted Mother to child tr...
Source: MRCOG FACTS - February 23, 2010 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Authors: Ravi Source Type: blogs

A Look into Obesity and Gut Microbiota
This study demonstrated overt differences between microbiomes of obese and non-obese mice and also indicated that this trait was transmissible among mice. Research has also shown that maintaining a proper ratio between Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes is necessary to maintain good health. Another study found that obese people have higher amounts of Firmicutes and lean people had higher amounts of Bacteriodetes. This study also found that the composition of bacteria shifted as the obese subjects lost weight. Enter: the probiotics push. An attempt to alter the composition of the microbiota in the gut. This idea was spread f...
Source: Aetiology - February 23, 2010 Category: Epidemiologists Tags: General Epidemiology Source Type: blogs

Colonoscopies Done By GI Doc More Accurate
If you go for a colonoscopy to check out the health of your bowels (colon), it may be in your best interest to ensure the doctor who is performing the test is a gastroenterologist, a GI doctor. While general practitioners can and do perform some colonoscopies, they don’t have the formal training of the GI doctors and can easily miss something that may otherwise have been noted. According to a study published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, GI doctors who performed colonoscopies had a higher colorectal cancer detection rate than did other doctors. Researchers looked at 110,402 residents who lived in t...
Source: A Hearty Life - February 23, 2010 Category: Nurses Authors: Marijke Durning, RN Tags: Diseases & Conditions colonoscopies colonoscopy colorectal-cancer gastroenterologist GI doctors Source Type: blogs

BETTER TO WEAR OUT THAN RUST OUT
Sitting around is a very unhealthy state that will kill you.  Half of women and one third of the men by age 70 do not participate in any physical activity. Expect most of them to die by age 74.  Just increasing your activity levels a little bit will make your life healthier and more enjoyable.As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I f...
Source: Dr. Needles Medical Blogs - February 22, 2010 Category: Physicians With Health Advice Tags: BETTER TO WEAR OUT THAN RUST OUT Source Type: blogs

Journal of the American Medical Association 2010 (Vol. 303 No. 6)
This article compares the outcomes of gastric banding against an optimal lifestyle program in adolescent obesity. The article concludes that among obese adolescent participants, use of gastric banding compared with lifestyle intervention resulted in a greater percentage achieving a loss of 50% of excess weight, corrected for age. There were associated benefits to health and quality of life. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online Filed under: Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Adolescence, adolescents, Bariatric Surgery, Exercise, Gastric Banding, Healthy lifestyles, Nutrition, Quali...
Source: Fade Library - February 21, 2010 Category: Medical Librarians Authors: hmedley99 Tags: Current Awareness E-Journals Adolescence adolescents Bariatric Surgery Exercise Gastric Banding Healthy lifestyles Nutrition Quality of Life Randomised Controlled Trials United States Source Type: blogs

3 ways doctors can treat jet lag
Originally published in Insidermedicine As international travel becomes increasingly commonplace, the clinical problem of jet lag is highlighted in the New England Journal of Medicine. Here are some recommendations for managing jet lag from the American Academy of Sleep medicine: • Melatonin supplementation should be used as the standard treatment • Scheduling of sleep and timed exposure to light are reasonable treatment options • Pharmacotherapy with hypnotics and stimulants are also reasonable treatment options A sleep expert out of the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland defines jet lag as a sle...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 20, 2010 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Diagnosis and treatment drugs Source Type: blogs

For the weekend: Learn to love beans
Louis Armstrong is said to have loved red beans and rice so much that he ended some of his personal letters with "Red beans and ricely yours." Perhaps beans aren't as near and dear to your heart as they were for this jazz great, but your heart would thank you for sprinkling more of them into your meals. Beans of all varieties provide healthy amounts of folate, an essential nutrient that helps protect against heart disease, and they are a simple and inexpensive way to get more fiber. And if you’re diabetic, the fiber levels and low glycemic index of beans can help you maintain normal blood glucose levels and...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - February 20, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Diabetes Diet & nutrition Heart Natural health Source Type: blogs

Laparoscopic procedures injure the surgeons that perform them
Originally published in MedPage Today by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor Four out of five surgeons agree: Laparoscopic procedures cause substantial discomfort and pain for the surgeons who perform them. More than 80% of surgeons completing an online questionnaire reported pain or stiffness in the hands, neck, back, or legs after performing minimally invasive surgeries, according to Adrian Park, MD, of the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, and colleagues. For most symptoms, the strongest predictor was high case volume, the researchers reported online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeo...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 19, 2010 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: hospital surgery Source Type: blogs

U.K. General Medical Council Rules Wakefield & Co. "Dishonest," "Irresponsible" [9]
Conclusion re Dr. Wakefield: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of dishonesty and misleading conduct, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 55) Conclusion re Dr. Walker-Smith: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of your irresponsible conduct and not acting in the child’s best clinical interests in several instances, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 111) Conclusion re Dr. Murch: The Panel concluded that these findings, which included Dr. Murch failin...
Source: neurodiversity weblog - February 19, 2010 Category: Autism Authors: Kathleen Seidel Source Type: blogs

Esophageal Cancer
Pathophysiology most common types by far are adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma Signs and Symptoms 1) difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) – most common presenting symptom 2) pain on swallowing (odynophagia) 3) anorexia 4) cachexia 5) hoarseness (owing to compression of recurrent laryngeal nerve) 6) chronic cough (owing to tracheoesophageal fistula) 7) aspiration pneumonia chest pain Characteristic Test Findings Laboratory – 1) hypercalcemia (even in absence of bone metastates) Endoscopy – 2) test of choice for obtaining tissue biopsy Histology/Gross Pathology 1) occurs in polypoid, ulcerating, and ...
Source: Inside Surgery - February 18, 2010 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Surgpedia napkin ring lesion Source Type: blogs

FDA Warning: Maalox Product Mix-Ups
A press release has been issued by the FDA warns consumers about possible Maalox mix-ups: FDA Warns about Serious Side Effects from Maalox Product Mix-Ups Maalox product maker agrees to name change to avoid confusion The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers about the potential for serious side effects from mistakenly using Maalox Total Relief instead of other Maalox products. The two products are intended for the relief of different symptoms and contain different active ingredients. Maalox Total Relief is an upset stomach reliever and anti-diarrheal medication, while traditional Maalox liquid products...
Source: A Hearty Life - February 17, 2010 Category: Nurses Authors: Marijke Durning, RN Tags: Diseases & Conditions maalox advanced regular strength maalox total relief Source Type: blogs

Maalox antacid warning: Dangerous name confusion
If you bought any Maalox drug product recently, you should double-check to make sure you got the one you expected. The Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday about potential mix-ups between Maalox over-the-counter drugs that treat completely different conditions, but that have similar names and packaging: Maalox Total Relief that treats upset stomach and diarrhea vs. other Maalox liquid antacid products for treating heartburn (Maalox Advanced Regular Strength and Maalox Advanced Maximum Strength). Mistaking Maalox Total Relief for one of the antacid products could lead to serious side effects. Five cases of serious...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - February 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Drug safety Source Type: blogs

Q&A: What's the best time of day to take daily low-dose aspirin?
My doctor prescribed daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a second heart attack. When is the best time to take it? —P.R., Arlington, Va. There’s really no best time, but you should take it at the same time each day. That helps keep aspirin’s anticlotting effect consistent and makes it easier to remember your dose. One exception: If you also regularly take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, and generic) or naproxen (Aleve and generic), you should take your aspirin at least four hours before. That’s because NSAIDs, like aspirin, can cause gastrointestinal bleeding; taking them clos...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - February 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Drug safety Heart Prescription drugs Source Type: blogs

Whole Grains: What's the Problem, People?
Photo: voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com I'm old enough to remember when "brown bread" was something exotic and vaguely threatening that only the hippie family down the street was brave enough to eat. As a kid, I assumed there was only one "normal" kind of flour: white. Same thing with rice. And the only variety we got as far as grains were bowls of Cheerios, Cornflakes, or Raisin Bran. But most often, we got our grains in the form of Wonderbread, Oreos, and Poptarts. Fast-forward a few decades: scientists have learned a lot more about nutrition, and we've all been urged a few hundred thousand times to eat more whole grains be...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 16, 2010 Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs

FDA Warns about Serious Side Effects from Maalox Product Mix-Ups
For Immediate Release: Feb. 17, 2010 FDA Warns about Serious Side Effects from Maalox Product Mix-UpsMaalox product maker agrees to name change to avoid confusion The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers about the potential for serious side effects from mistakenly using Maalox Total Relief instead of other Maalox products. The two products are intended for the relief of different symptoms and contain different active ingredients. Maalox Total Relief is an upset stomach reliever and anti-diarrheal medication, while traditional MaaloxMaalox Advanced Regular Strength and Maalox Advanced Maximum ...
Source: Medicine and Technology by Dr. Joseph Kim - February 16, 2010 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Dr. Joseph Kim Source Type: blogs

Whole Grains: What's the Problem, People?
Photo: voyageAnatolia.blogspot.comI'm old enough to remember when "brown bread" was something exotic and vaguely threatening that only the hippie family down the street was brave enough to eat. As a kid, I assumed there was only one "normal" kind of flour: white. Same thing with rice. And the only variety we got as far as grains were bowls of Cheerios, Cornflakes, or Raisin Bran. But most often, we got our grains in the form of Wonderbread, Oreos, and Poptarts.Fast-forward a few decades: scientists have learned a lot more about nutrition, and we've all been urged a few hundred thousand times to eat more whole grains becaus...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 16, 2010 Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs

AGA Issues Position Paper on Colorectal Cancer Screening in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
If you have IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and is wondering when would be a good time to get another colonoscopy, the American Gastroenterological Association has released a position paper on screening patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for colorectal cancer. The statement, published in Gastroenterology, says that disease duration, extensive disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and family history of colorectal cancer are associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer in patients with IBD. Among the recommendations: * Colonoscopy is advised within 8 years of IBD onset. After two negative examinatio...
Source: Malaysian Medical Resources - February 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Jimbo Tags: - Jimbo - Medical Updates Source Type: blogs

Don’t fall into the dementia trap when treating a developmental disability
by Lockup Doc In addition to correctional psychiatry, I spend about half of my professional time treating patients with developmental and intellectual disabilities (mental retardation). The majority of my patients have severe or profound mental retardation and are completely nonverbal. Over the years I have observed that when many of them are admitted to the hospital for acute medical or surgical problems, because they are severely cognitively and functionally impaired, they are treated as though they have terminal illnesses. The treatment approach is often akin to that for patients with end-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. B...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 16, 2010 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Diagnosis and treatment primary care specialist Source Type: blogs

U.K. General Medical Council Rules Wakefield & Co. "Dishonest," "Irresponsible" [8]
Conclusion re Dr. Wakefield: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of dishonesty and misleading conduct, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 55) Conclusion re Dr. Walker-Smith: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of your irresponsible conduct and not acting in the child’s best clinical interests in several instances, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 111) Conclusion re Dr. Murch: The Panel concluded that these findings, which included Dr. Murch failin...
Source: neurodiversity weblog - February 16, 2010 Category: Autism Authors: Kathleen Seidel Source Type: blogs

Lialda (mesalamine) [Highlight HEALTH Web Directory]
Learn about ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment with Lialda, including full safety and dosing information. Additional website resources can be found in the Gastrointestinal Agents category of the Highlight HEALTH Web Directory.
Source: Highlight HEALTH - February 13, 2010 Category: Medical Scientists Source Type: blogs

Longest pause in Blog ever....
Wow! I have been busy dealing with lots of abdominal pain and ass pain of course for several evenings over this two week span of not blogging and even getting some company (friends and family) a few days and evenings and then I would be tired to blog.  Check me out on the Indo Board with my gastric tube just hanging out like a tiny little penis!) Yes, true I could have done the whole video blogging which I hope to do plenty of in the future.   This has been the longest I think that I have even gone with out blogging.  I sometimes would be sitting on the couch with the heating pad on my ass and in a drugged u...
Source: ShoppingKharma: What comes around goes around - February 12, 2010 Category: Cancer Authors: Shopping Kharma Source Type: blogs

More fails for the Freedom of Information, and a bit of history
Every single request for information about course materials in quack medicine that I have ever sent has been turned down by universities, It is hardly as important as as refusal of FoI requests to see climate change documents, but it does indicate that some vice-chancellors are not very interested in openness. This secretiveness is exactly the sort of thing that leads to lack of trust in universities and in science as a whole. The one case that I have won took over three years and an Information Tribunal decision against the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) before I got anything. UCLAN spent £80,307.95.(inc...
Source: DC's goodscience - February 12, 2010 Category: Professors and Educators Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Academia Department of Health Edinburgh Napier University Freedom of Information Act Kate Chatfield MMR Michael Pittilo Robert Gordon's university TCM UCLAN Universities University of Central Lancashire acupuncture antiscience Source Type: blogs

Trastuzumab Approved for HER2 Gastric Cancer in Europe
MedScape reports Trastuzumab Approved for HER2 Gastric Cancer in Europe:Trastuzumab (Herceptin, Roche) has been approved for use in the treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer by the European Commission.  This is the first approval in the world for this label extension for trastuzumab, which is already marketed for use in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. This marketing authorization is effective immediately in all European Union countries, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, according to the manufacturer.  Similar approvals for this label extension in other regions of the world are ...
Source: The Daily Scan - February 11, 2010 Category: Pathologists Authors: Ole Eichhorn Source Type: blogs

It's Okay to Just be Sick
Why is it important to medically-intervene for each and every illness or symptom? Symptoms may actually be beneficial; masking them does not expedite healing. As kids, we welcomed a little illness from time to time so we wouldn't have to go to school. As adults, a day off from work, although inconvenient at times, is often a welcomed break. As long as the illness isn't too bad, it's okay to just be sick.The vast majority of human diseases are viral, and there are only a few viruses that can be treated, such as herpes or influenza. Most viruses are self-limited; lasting about a week or so. Viruses do not respond to antibiot...
Source: All Ears - February 11, 2010 Category: Physician Assistants Authors: Rod Moser_PA_PhD Source Type: blogs

French Lettuce Sickens Scandinavians
264 Danes suffer gastroenteritis after eating Lollo Bionda lettuce from FranceContaminated Lollo Bionda lettuce grown in southwest France was responsible for 11 food-borne disease outbreaks in Denmark and 3 in Norway during January 2010, according to a report in today's Eurosurveillance Weekly. Eight more outbreaks are still under investigation in Denmark.On January 22nd, the Danish Food Standards Agency announced a recall of Lollo Bionda lettuce after the lettuce was linked epidemiologically to an outbreak of Norovirus gastroenteritis. Norovirus also was been recovered from lettuce samples obtained from a catering company...
Source: eFoodAlert.com - February 11, 2010 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: produce E. coli food poisoning norovirus Source Type: blogs

Laparoscopy and reduction of teen obesity
From Science Daily and other media we learn about an experiment in Australia on 50 obese teens where Gastric Banding ( by laparoscope) showed a 50 % reduction in overweight.  Comment: This surgical secondary prevention worked in a small trial group (50) and is certainly worthy of follow up with larger groups, over a longer time to determine long term risks as the recipients of this surgery can expect to live with the results for another 50 years.
Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG - February 11, 2010 Category: Epidemiologists Tags: Chronic Disease Prevention behavioral change research Source Type: blogs

International Health News 11/02/2010
Children’s tantrums may be re-classed as psychiatric disorders – The Guardian 10th February 2010 “‘Condition’ may be included in new edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the industry bible” tags: Children, Mental Health, Diagnosis, Health, News, IHN, The Guardian A stammerer’s second life – The Guardian 10th February 2010 “Although my voice rebels against me on a daily basis, the internet has allowed me to finally say what I want” tags: Genetics, Speech and Language Therapy, Health, News, IHN, Stammering, The Guardian Additional Stories Frances Cook: Ear...
Source: Fade Library - February 11, 2010 Category: Medical Librarians Authors: western4uk Tags: Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from Fade Mass Media Source Type: blogs

Tube ‘em & Move ‘em: The Data Set
Greetings. This is my first guest-post on Pallimed; I’m hoping it won’t be my last. I had envisioned a cleverer debut, elucidating my inclination to HPM vis-à-vis my bio, as a non-traditional (read mid-life-crisis-old) entrant to medicine, and my specialty (PMR by way of EM). However, Drew is taking a hiatus and the article I’m posting on now fell into my lap while still printing-press warm. So, thanks to Drew, Christian and to the entire Pallimed Editorial Board for the encouragement and invitation. On to Pallimed… Drew just posted 'It just changes the complications' covering an ethnographic study that appeared i...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog - February 10, 2010 Category: Palliative Carer Workers Authors: Brian McMichael, M.D. Source Type: blogs

Tomayto
Nothing to write home, or anywhere else, about. Just an old feller with some indistinct shoulder pain that might, or might not indicate some sort of cardiac origin. Dezzie is running through the standard questions. “Any medical problems in the past?” “No, none.” “And do you take any medication?” Because they ALWAYS say that they’ve never had anything wrong with them and then they ALWAYS have a list of medications that you can reverse engineer a medical history from. You don’t get taught about common medicines on your Technician course. You should do, it wouldn’t be a hard module to drop in, just an after...
Source: Trauma Queen - February 10, 2010 Category: Ambulance Crew Authors: Kal Tags: Ambulance Source Type: blogs

International Health News 10/02/2010
Michelle Obama launches US campaign to eliminate childhood obesity – The Guardian 9th February 2010 “The Obama administration today embarked on a programme to eliminate childhood obesity, one of the biggest health problems in the US, “within a generation”. Launching the initiative at the White House, Michelle Obama spoke about an “epidemic of childhood obesity”, saying that over the last three decades childhood obesity rates had tripled, with one in three children now overweight or obese.” tags: Children, Young People, Obesity, Health, News, IHN, The Guardian Additional Story Mich...
Source: Fade Library - February 10, 2010 Category: Medical Librarians Authors: western4uk Tags: Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from Fade Mass Media Source Type: blogs

Is Banding or Bypass Surgery Best for Obese Teens?
A new study in JAMA reports that teens who got bariatric surgery lost a substantial amount of weight. But the clinical trial only looked at one type of surgery — gastric banding, which involves wrapping a silicone band around the upper stomach to restrict food intake. There’s another bariatric procedure, gastric bypass surgery, which typically involves creating a small stomach pouch and a passage so food bypasses the rest of the stomach and parts of the small intestine. The authors argued in their paper that gastric banding is more appropriate for young patients because it is safer than gastric bypass as well a...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - February 9, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Anna Wilde Mathews Tags: Obesity Research Surgery Source Type: blogs

12 Health Risks of Heavy Drinking
Dr tansplanting a cirrhotic liver Health Risks of Alcohol: 12 Health Problems Associated with Chronic Heavy Drinking It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases. “Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and we’re not fully aware of all its effects,” says James C. Garbutt, MD, “It’s a pretty complicated ...
Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com - February 9, 2010 Category: Addiction Authors: Sparrow Tags: Alcohol Alcoholism Disease Men Women Youth cancer Chronic Heavy Drinking cirrhosis depression Health Risks of Alcohol Source Type: blogs

If there's one thing we can learn from the woosters
---it's that we need to spend more time with patients:The demand for complementary medicine (CM) is growing worldwide and so is the supply. So far, there is not much insight in the activities in Dutch CM practices nor in how these activities differ from mainstream general practice. Comparisons on diagnoses and visit length can offer an impression of how Dutch CM practices operate...The CM physicians registered activities in a total of 5919 visits in 1839 patients. In all types of CM practices general problems (as coded in the ICPC) were diagnosed more often than in mainstream general practice, especially fatigue, allergic ...
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - February 8, 2010 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Source Type: blogs

Microbiology Conferences and Meetings
Microbiology Conference ListAny conference missing from this list? Please send detailsMicrobiology conferences 2010February 14 - 19, 2010 Antibiotics and Resistance: Challenges and SolutionsSanta Fe, NM, USA Further informationIn the face of a growing crisis in antibiotic resistance and the emergence of new bacterial pathogens, there is a pressing clinical need for new antibiotics. Paradoxically, this call for new drugs comes at a time when investment in antibiotic development in the pharmaceutical industry is at historically low levels. Despite the promise of the genomic revolution to inform drug development and innovatio...
Source: Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. - February 7, 2010 Category: Microbiology Tags: Conferences Source Type: blogs

more nursing tips and tricks.
Clean up those pesky hairs. Use a length of elastoplast to pick up the residue hairs after shaving/clipping for ECG, suturing, cannulation etc. Bleeding tooth. If a patient presents with persistent bleeding post dental extraction (or knuckle extraction), get them to bite down on a moistened tea bag. The tannic acid in the tea will curb the bleeding. If they present with a tooth that has been knocked out: First try to sit it back in the socket it came from. If that isn’t going to happen, put in in a urine jar filled with milk. And off to see a dentist ASAP. Naso Gastric insertion. Patient getting distressed whilst you...
Source: impactEDnurse - February 5, 2010 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: Features Source Type: blogs

U.K. General Medical Council Rules Wakefield & Co. "Dishonest," "Irresponsible" [7]
Conclusion re Dr. Wakefield: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of dishonesty and misleading conduct, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 55) Conclusion re Dr. Walker-Smith: The Panel concluded that these findings, which include those of your irresponsible conduct and not acting in the child’s best clinical interests in several instances, would not be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct. (p. 111) Conclusion re Dr. Murch: The Panel concluded that these findings, which included Dr. Murch failin...
Source: neurodiversity weblog - February 5, 2010 Category: Autism Authors: Kathleen Seidel Source Type: blogs

Ins and Outs
Public Share of Health Tab to Top 50%... [WSJ] Lancet retracts MMR doctor's paper... [Nature] Democrats Change Health-Care Tack ... [WSJ] The Anthrax Attacks Remain Unsolved... [WSJ] California Doctors Sue To Stop Unsupervised Nurse Anesthetists from Administering Anesthesia... [HealthLeaders Media] Internet use linked to depression... [Press Association] Brain scan allows unconscious patient to communicate... [Nature] Researchers identify regulator of human sperm cells... [UCSF] In-mouth hearing aid co AudioDent closes down... [Globes] MassDevice Q&A: Myomo CEO Steve Kelly... [MassDevice] Boston Scientific Settles Longsta...
Source: Medgadget - February 4, 2010 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Michael Source Type: blogs

Autism and the MMR: Finally a Retraction
By NAOMI FREUNDLICH Are we finally ready to close the door on the much-disputed link between the MMR vaccine and autism? On January 30, Britain’s General Medical Council ruled that Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist, had acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 4, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Matthew Source Type: blogs

Daniele Adds Two More Ready-To-Eat Meats To Recall List
Action comes after second supplier of contaminated pepper identifiedDaniele International, Inc. expanded its recall list late this afternoon to include the following two items:Daniele Naturale Salame coated with coarse black pepper (3 oz. packages)Daniele Salame Grande coated with pork fat & pepper (approx. 6-lb packages)The additions to the recall list bring the total amount of recalled ready-to-eat meat to 1,263,754 pounds. The outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo gastroenteritis that has been linked to Daniele meat has grown to 207 confirmed cases in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Although some of the recalled...
Source: eFoodAlert.com - February 4, 2010 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: recalls Salmonella food poisoning spices meat poultry eggs Daniele Source Type: blogs

ReShape Inflatable Gastric Balloon Going on Trial as Weight Loss Option
Here's the latest report from the obesity epidemic front. The Orange County Register is reporting that clinical trials are soon to begin on the intragastric balloon developed by ReShape Medical out of San Clemente, CA. The device, already approved in Europe, is inserted endoscopically using the ReShape delivery system into the stomach and then inflated with normal saline, effectively reducing the capacity and will of the patient to intake and digest food. Unlike gastric banding, the procedure is done on an outpatient basis and the device can be easily removed at a later time. From the product page: The delivery system is...
Source: Medgadget - February 3, 2010 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Michael Source Type: blogs

Autism and the MMR: Finally a Retraction
Are we finally ready to close the door on the much-disputed link between the MMR vaccine and autism?On January 30, Britain’s General Medical Council ruled that Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist, had acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in conducting his research that established a link between autism and the MMR vaccine. And yesterday, the British medical journal Lancet finally retracted the resulting 1998 study authored by Wakefield that helped drive MMR vaccination rates in the U.K. down to the point where in 2008, measles was officially declared “endemic” in the country.The Lancet’s editor, Richard Hor...
Source: Health Beat - February 3, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Naomi Freundlich Source Type: blogs