Cancer experts now back Seattle doctor's findings
Some natural supplements interfere with chemo
By TOM PAULSON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Some of the nation's top cancer researchers have rediscovered what a Seattle naturopathic physician, Dr. Dan Labriola, reported more than half a decade ago -- that it can be dangerous to combine some cancer therapies and certain natural supplements.
Scientists at the prestigious Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City reported this week in the journal of the American Cancer Society that the use of anti-oxidant supplements such as vitamins C and E could significantly undermine the effectiveness of common chemotherapeutic agents.
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Guidant Recalls 170,000 Pacemakers - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 23-Guidant said it is recalling 170,000 of its Insignia and Nexus pacemakers. It was Guidant's fifth recall of pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) since June.
In a statement issued Thursday, the company urged patients with Insignia or Nexus pacemakers to consult with their doctors. The company did not suggest across-the-board explants of the devices.
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Study: second-generation antidepressants
Because clinical depression is so disabling and affects more than 16 percent of adults in the United States at some time in their lives, researchers have worked hard to develop more effective treatments. But how much better are the newer pharmaceuticals?
Many second-generation antidepressants, despite differences in drug classification and cost, offer patients essentially the same benefits with little variation in risks, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found.
Such antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other drugs that affect the activity of neurotransmitters in a selective way.
In a paper published online today (Sept. 19) and to be published in the October issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Richard A. Hansen and colleagues examined the effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants. Those drugs included familiar brand-name drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Click on the linkEffexor, Wellbutrin and Paxil.
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Digital mammograms found better for younger women
Digital mammograms work at least as well as standard film technology at detecting early-stage breast cancer, and the newer method offers clear advantages to younger women and those whose breast scans are hard to read.
A major study released Friday gave new impetus to a digital revolution already under way in breast cancer screening. But experts insisted there's nothing wrong with an old-fashioned mammogram, either.
"Nobody has to run out and demand digital," said Dr. R. James Brenner, chief of breast imaging at UCSF and the current president of the Society of Breast Imaging, the nation's largest such organization.
Digital mammograms work at least as well as standard film technology at detecting early-stage breast cancer, and the newer method offers clear advantages to younger women and those whose breast scans are hard to read.
A major study released Friday gave new impetus to a digital revolution already under way in breast cancer screening. But experts insisted there's nothing wrong with an old-fashioned mammogram, either.
"Nobody has to run out and demand digital," said Dr. R. James Brenner, chief of breast imaging at UCSF and the current president of the Society of Breast Imaging, the nation's largest such organization.
Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT-Birth by Cesarean Section may occur for a variety of reasons, including a large baby, placenta previa, prior Cesarean Section or a breech presentation. The process of childbirth remains an amazing miracle when accomplished through this surgical procedure. Watch Hartford Hospital physicians bring a new life into the world in this live webcast September 23 rd at...
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American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for September 2005 (second issue)
It's High Blood Pressure That Triggers Heart Disease in Obese - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today
By Peggy Peck, Senior Editor, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. September 14, 2005
Also covered by: Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post (Registration Req.)
Review
PARIS, Sept 14-It's not the fat per se that leads to cardiovascular disease mortality among the obese, according to a team of researchers here. The real culprit is the high blood pressure that is part and parcel with obesity.
"The important message in our study is that we observed that cardiovascular risk is not clearly increased unless hypertension is present in these overweight and obese subjects," said Athanases Benetos, M.D., Ph.D., of the Medical School of Nancy. "In our population, if the subject didn't have hypertension we didn't find that the subject had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease."
By Lynne Peterson, Special Correspondent, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
September 13, 2005
Review
ATHENS, Sept. 13-The first Global Guidelines for Type 2 Diabetes were issued today by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and they call for a more aggressive treatment target than the American Diabetes Association guidelines' goal.
The IDF Guidelines, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting here, recommend maintaining glycosylated blood glucose levels (HbA1c) below 6.5%.
Now a page that links you to PDA resources from NLM. Including:
MD on Tap
PubMed for Handhelds
Wireless System for Emergency Responders (WISER)
NCBI Bookshelf
Heavy Drinking Increases Risk of Atrial Fibrillation - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today
Heavy Drinking Increases Risk of Atrial Fibrillation.
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PORTLAND, Oregon - Some people call it "the dark time," the period between when a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and when treatment with medication begins. Julie Carter, R.N., knows it all too well. The associate professor of neurology in the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine hosts workshops to help newly diagnosed Parkinson's patients and their families cope with the prospect of fighting a chronic, degenerative, incurable neurological disease the rest of their lives.
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myDNA.com - News: Review of radiosurgery to treat brain tumors
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology gathered a panel of experts to compile and analyze existing studies on the use of radiosurgery, a specialized type of external beam radiation therapy that pinpoints high doses of radiation to treat brain tumors. The panel has developed evidence-based reviews that consolidate the information available and identify questions to be answered in future research. The two new reviews are published in the September 1, 2005 issue of the International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology and Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- West Nile Virus continues to infect Americans across the country and case counts have risen significantly in
recent weeks.
So far this year public health officials have reported 732 West Nile infections, which are caused by mosquito bites. Most cases have been
diagnosed within the past month. Illinois officials reported 46 new WNV cases last week, raising their total this year to 89. Nearly all are in the Chicago area, primarily Cook County (46). California, which for the second straight
year has the most WNV cases (268 so far this year, 779 in 2004), is seeing a slow decline after a peak in August.
West Nile Virus activity peaks in August and September, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and floodwaters and rain from Hurricane Katrina has heightened concern in many states. The CDC last year
reported of 2,749 human cases of WNV, with 900 the serious "neuroinvasive disease" and 88 deaths.
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