Top News

Yes, hormone therapy reduces mortality for some The synthesis of data using Bayesian meta-analysis indicates a reduction in mortality in younger postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy compared with no treatment. This finding should be interpreted taking into account the potential benefits and harms of hormone therapy. The American Journal of Medicine (11/2009)

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Clinical Updates

   From AJM and other Elsevier publications

What lifestyle interventions can do in diabetes During follow-up after the Diabetes Prevention Program, incidences in the former placebo and metformin groups fell to equal those in the former lifestyle group, but the cumulative incidence of diabetes remained lowest in the lifestyle group. Prevention or delay of diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin can persist for at least 10 years. (Free registration required.) The Lancet (10/29)

Bariatric surgery, coronary atherosclerosis and markers This study found that gastric bypass surgery results in significant improvements in inflammatory, structural and functional markers of coronary atherosclerosis. The American Journal of Cardiology (11/1)

Tracing toxic shock This study reports that Clostridium sordellii and Clostridium perfringens are associated with undiagnosed catastrophic infectious gynecologic illnesses among women of childbearing age. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (11/2009)

What gene therapy can do for inherited sight disorders The safety, extent and stability of improvement in vision in all patients support the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy for treatment of inherited retinal diseases, with early intervention resulting in the best potential gain. (Free registration required.) The Lancet (10/24)

When adolescent access to immunizations is limited Although the number of school-based health centers (SBHCs) is relatively small, with roughly 2000 nationally, these SBHCs appear to be an important vaccination resource, particularly for low-income and uninsured adolescents who may have more limited access to vaccination elsewhere. (Full-text access is time-limited.) Journal of Adolescent Health (11/2009)

When dementia leads to resisting treatment: What to do? Nursing home residents who exhibit abusive behaviors many times are resisting the care that staff are trying to provide. This can be due to a lack of understanding, especially in dementia patients. This study inspects the importance of behavioral interventions and depression treatments that prevent escalation of resistiveness to care. (Free abstract only.) Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (11/2009)

Medical News

• Healthy cholesterol levels may ward off prostate cancer
  U.S. research showed the risk of aggressive prostate cancer may be lower among men with healthy cholesterol levels. One study found that men whose cholesterol was below 200 had less than half the risk of developing high-grade tumors, and a second report found that those with lots of HDL or "good cholesterol" were less likely to get any form of prostate cancer than men with low HDL. Both studies were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. ABC News/The Associated Press (11/3)

• Government study measures state-by-state sleeplessness
  A government study found people in West Virginia have the most trouble getting enough sleep, with almost one in five reporting they didn't get even one good night's rest in the previous month. Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma also were above the national average of one in 10, while in North Dakota only one in 13 people reported they had trouble sleeping. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (10/30)

• Chronic stress is linked to consumption of high-fat foods
  Researchers who interviewed more than 600 overweight or obese women found that those with chronic stress are more likely to eat high-fat foods and feel they lack control over their eating and hunger. The chronically stressed were also more likely to try to control their weight through "rigid restraint" techniques such as vowing to avoid certain foods or skipping meals -- strategies that often backfire. The study was presented at an Obesity Society meeting. USA TODAY (11/1)

Business Practice News

• Group cites 5 ways to improve medication adherence
  A group of consumer and medical organizations has cited the adoption of health IT as one of the five strategies toward achieving better patient adherence to medications, which they say could improve health outcomes and save up to $300 billion in health care costs. Other recommendations include care coordination and a focus on medication adherence in quality improvement initiatives and health research. Healthcare IT News (10/30)

• Alternative medicine part of medical, nursing curriculum
  The U.S. government has given medical and nursing schools more than $22 million to teach students about alternative medicine, according to an Associated Press report. Critics said the money pays for programs that teach unproven treatments, but the government said physicians need to know about popular remedies to provide nonjudgmental and competent advice to patients. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (11/2)

Patient's Perspective

• Survey finds Americans lack understanding of diabetes
  An American Diabetes Association survey found many misunderstandings and myths about diabetes. Less than 60% of respondents could correctly distinguish between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and 10% mistakenly thought there is a cure for the disease. The group launched a new public awareness campaign to encourage people with the chronic disease to share their stories and fight the social stigma associated with it. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (11/2)

SmartQuote

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it." --Andy Rooney, American journalist and commentator