Internal Medicine News

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Addiction medicine adds new specialties.
The newly formed American Board of Addiction Medicine has certified more than 1,600 physicians as specialists in addiction medicine so far this year, including more than 200 internists. Doctors from . . .

Diet, exercise may decrease risk of cognitive decline: three studies suggest possible benefits.(Report)
VIENNA -- Diet and exercise appear to exert positive influences, even as people age, in terms of significant reductions in the risk of developing cognitive decline or dementia. Researchers at the . . .

Medicare proposal would boost primary care pay.
Increased pay for primary care physicians, decreased pay for specialists, and a potential way to get rid of the sustainable growth rate formula are addressed in the Obama Administration's proposed r . . .

Total U.S. promotional spending on prescription products.(VITAL SIGNS)
Professional promotion Direct-to-consumer advertising 2003 $7.4 $3.3 2004 $7.8 $4.0 2005 $7.2 $4.2 . . .

Smoking cessation drugs get boxed warning.(NEWS)
Accumulating reports of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with the smoking cessation medications varenicline and bupropion have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to require new bo . . .

Colon Ca deaths cut by postdiagnosis aspirin.(NEWS)(cancer)(Clinical report)
CHICAGO -- The regular use of aspirin after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer significantly decreases the risk of colon cancer--specific death, especially in patients with cyclo-oxygenase-2--positive . . .

IOM: 100 areas merit comparative effectiveness research.(NEWS)(institute of medicine)
A special panel convened by the Institute of Medicine has identified 100 areas ripe for study as part of a federal comparative effectiveness research program. The panel called on the federal gover . . .

FDA panel confronts acetaminophen toxicity.(NEWS)
ADELPHI, MD. -- Clinicians should educate patients about the potential for hepatotoxicity with acetaminophen and emphasize that the drug is the active ingredient in Tylenol and is contained in many . . .

Multaq approved for A-Fib.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Brief article)
The Food and Drug Administration has approved dronedarone to help maintain normal heart rhythms in outpatients with a history of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. The agency approved the drug . . .

Roche ceases Accutane sales.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Brief article)
Citing a significant loss of market share, Roche announced that it will cease manufacturing the retinoid Accutane, but dermatologists say that the company's pullout will not affect patients' access . . .

Propoxyphene gets boxed warning.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Brief article)
To reduce the risk of fatal propoxyphene overdoses, the FDA is mandating that manufacturers of propoxyphene-containing pain products add risk information to the boxed warning in product labels. Th . . .

Panel backs refractory gout drug.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
An FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 14 to 1 to recommend the approval of pegloticase for management of refractory chronic gout. Several rheumatologists on the panel commented on the drug's uni . . .

Cefepime is appropriate, FDA says.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Brief article)
A review of data on cefepime indicates that the antibiotic is appropriate for its approved indications, despite earlier concerns that it may have been associated with an increase in mortality risk c . . .

vCJD risk from plasma very small.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)(Brief article)
An FDA advisory panel agreed that a probable case of preclinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) attributed to a plasma product in the United Kingdom showed that the transmissibility of the . . .

Are TB screening and prophylaxis necessary in rheumatoid arthritis patients?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)(tuberculosis)
Screen ... and rescreen! All rheumatoid arthritis patients being treated with a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor must be screened for tuberculosis. Ideally, screening should occur before trea . . .

Arterial function deteriorates on Atkins diet.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
BOSTON -- Proponents of the Atkins low-carbohydrate/high-saturated-fat diet say that you can have your steak and eat it, too, and still lose weight. But the adverse metabolic consequences are too . . .

Weight-loss diets best when matched to patient preferences.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
BOSTON -- The most successful diet for weight loss is the one that patients will stick with, provided that it has a balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. "Successful diets for weight loss c . . .

Obesity rates continue to increase nationwide.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
Not a single state showed signs of a decline in adult obesity rates in the past year, according to the annual obesity report released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Fo . . .

Myths connect hypertension and headaches.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Hypertension causes headaches. Treating hypertension decreases headaches. Headaches increase the risk for stroke and heart disease. Really? Not quite, Dr. Dara G. Jamieson said at . . .

'J curve' persists despite intensive lipid control.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(Report)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bringing blood pressure levels too far down increased the risk for cardiovascular events in a post hoc analysis of data on 10,001 patients with coronary artery disease in a trial of . . .

FDA scrutinizes ultrafiltration for heart failure.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- Randomized clinical trials are needed to allow blood filtration devices to be labeled for heart failure treatment, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said. The tria . . .

Oral steroid use tied to bladder cancer.(UROLOGY)(Report)
DENVER -- Prolonged oral glucocorticoid use may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, findings from a population-based case-control study suggest. The working hypothesis for the . . .

NSAIDs may lower risk of bladder Ca in nonsmokers.(UROLOGY)(nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents )(Report)(Brief article)
DENVER -- Use of nonaspirin NSAIDs more than twice per week was associated with a 45% reduction in the risk of developing bladder cancer in a pooled analysis of three prospective cohort studies tota . . .

'As needed' SSRI for premature ejaculation.(MINDFUL PRACTICE)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
The Problem A 63-year-old retired mechanic with a history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension presents to you for a new medical issue. One year ago you treated him for tobacco dependence with 6 . . .

CDC panel updates guidance on use of antivirals for influenza.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
ATLANTA -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted to update its guidelines on antiviral treatment of influenza to include new information about antiviral resis . . .

The effective physician: seasonal influenza diagnosis and treatment.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
Background Seasonal influenza is a common clinical problem that results in more 35,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States. The Infectious Diseases Society of America . . .

Health workers top priority for vaccine.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Report)
Health care workers should be the top priority to receive immunization with the pandemic influenza vaccine, and individual countries should take their nations' domestic needs into account when deter . . .

Stop lab testing once pandemic flu is found.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Report)(Brief article)
Countries with existing cases of pandemic virus influenza A(H1N1) should stop widespread laboratory testing and move to wider indicators of disease, a top World Health Organization official said. . . .

Concussion outcomes tied to specific symptoms.(SPORTS MEDICINE)(Clinical report)
KEYSTONE, COLO -- For high school athletes who recently had a mild concussion, the symptom that's the single most potent predictor of a prolonged and complicated recovery is "fogginess," according t . . .

Surgery unfounded for tarsal navicular stress fracture.(SPORTS MEDICINE)(Report)
KEYSTONE, COLO. -- For patients with tarsal navicular stress fractures, healing rates and return-to-activity times are similar, regardless of whether they are managed with non-weight-bearing cast im . . .

Maternal bariatric surgery yields healthier kids.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(Clinical report)
GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Obese women who have bariatric surgery prior to pregnancy have less complicated gestations and their children are markedly less obese than are siblings born prior to mom's surgery . . .

Dollar store pregnancy tests are worth the buck.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
CHICAGO -- Ultra-low-cost pregnancy tests seem able to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at the same low levels as tests costing many times the price. What's more, their results may be eas . . .

Contraceptive types don't differ in effect on atherogenic lipids.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(Clinical report)
BOSTON -- The route of hormonal contraceptive administration--transdermal or oral--does not make a difference in terms of the hormone's effect on plasma lipids and lipoproteins, according to the fin . . .

Frailty markers tied to Postop death.(GERIATRICS)(Report)
INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. -- Elderly patients with at least four of six markers of frailty before elective major surgery were significantly more likely to die within 6 months after surgery, a prospective . . .

Falls lead to ED visits by nursing home residents.(GERIATRICS)(emergency department)
NEW ORLEANS -- Falls are by far the most common reason for emergency department visits by nursing home patients, a national survey showed. After injuries from falling, which led to an estimated 14 . . .

Moderate drinking may help prevent dementia.(GERIATRICS)(Report)
VIENNA -- A drink or two a day seems to protect against the development of dementia in cognitively normal elderly adults, a study suggests. But moderate alcohol consumption doesn't improve thinkin . . .

PTSD nearly doubles risk of later dementia.(GERIATRICS)(post-traumatic stress disorder)(Report)
VIENNA -- Post-traumatic stress disorder nearly doubled the risk of later dementia in large cohort of male veterans, a retrospective study has determined. The finding points to the importance of c . . .

Online resources relevant to elderly patients.(GERIATRICS)(Brief article)
Information about Parkinson's disease and current treatment options for it has been added to the National Institutes of Health's senior health Web site. The site is geared toward older adults and fe . . .

New markers for RA could aid early diagnosis.(RHEUMATOLOGY)(Report)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The identification of 14 new target antigens and autoantibody markers for rheumatoid arthritis could help improve early diagnosis, especially in patients who are negative for conven . . .

First-line methotrexate upheld by Euro panel.(RHEUMATOLOGY)(Report)
COPENHAGEN -- Methotrexate is the "anchor drug" for treating rheumatoid arthritis, and treatment should start at the time of diagnosis, according to the first European League Against Rheumatism reco . . .

MI risk starts rising 1 year after arthritis Dx.(RHEUMATOLOGY)(myocardial infarction)(Report)
COPENHAGEN -- The increased risk for myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis starts to become apparent a year after rheumatoid arthritis is first diagnosed, based on a case-contr . . .

Hyperuricemia linked to atherosclerosis in young adults.(RHEUMATOLOGY)(Clinical report)
COPENHAGEN -- Young, asymptomatic adults with elevated serum uric acid levels had a significantly in creased risk for coronary atherosclerosis in a study of nearly 3,000 people. "Hyperuricemia see . . .

Dual view of colon increases detection rate.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)(Clinical report)
CHICAGO -- Using a retrograde viewing device that looks behind haustral folds and flexures in the colon during colonoscopy was associated with the detection of significantly more polyps and adenomas . . .

Post-bariatric surgery guidelines previewed.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)
WASHINGTON -- Adult bariatric surgery patients need to be monitored in the long-term postoperative period for nutritional deficiencies, risks to bone and joint health, and changes in obesity-related . . .

Cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery assessed.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)(Report)
NEW ORLEANS -- Although not cost-saving, bariatric surgery appears to be a good value for the money, the results from a large single-center study showed. "The long-term cost-effectiveness of baria . . .

High bariatric surgeon volume predicts low adverse event rate.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)(Brief article)
GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Even for experienced bariatric surgeons operating at recognized centers of excellence, the adverse event rate for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass declines by 10% for every additional 10 . . .

Hospitals OK cuts for reform.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
The American Hospital Association and two other hospital organizations have agreed to accept $155 billion in reimbursement cuts for hospitals over the next 10 years as part of health care reform. In . . .

FDA seeks tobacco comments.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
The Food and Drug Administration wants public input on how to implement its new authority to regulate tobacco products. In a Federal Register notice, the FDA said it will rely on the public comments . . .

Malpractice payments are down.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
Medical malpractice payments reached record lows in 2008, according to an analysis by the consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen. For the third straight year, 2008 saw the lowest number of malpracti . . .

Tool tracks environmental health.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(www.cdc.gov/ephtracking)(Brief article)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched an online tool so health professionals, scientists, and--for the first time--the public can track environmental exposures to pollutants an . . .