Medscape Medical News Headlines

Latest European and US STEMI Guidelines Compared and Contrasted

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:40:01 EST

The latest recommendations for the treatment of ST-elevation MI issued by American cardiology associations and the European Society of Cardiology are compared and contrasted in a new paper.
Heartwire

Enrollment Halts in Randomized Trial of CPR for Out-of-Hospital Arrest

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:25:46 EST

No survival differences after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were seen at a preliminary DSMB review in the ROC PRIMED trial, which compared early vs delayed post-CPR assessment for defibrillation and tested the effectiveness of a device for optimizing intrathoracic pressure during CPR.
Heartwire

Dutch Pull Pfizer Vaccine Batch After Infants Die

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:13:39 EST

Dutch authorities say they have banned use of a batch of Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) Prevenar, or Prevnar, after three infants died within two weeks of receiving the anti-infection vaccination.
Reuters Health Information

FDA Approves Romidepsin for Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:58:08 EST

The FDA has approved the HDAC inhibitor romidepsin for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in patients who have received at least 1 prior systemic therapy.
Medscape Medical News

Dietary Supplements' Effect on Radiation for Prostate Cancer

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:40:55 EST

In a phase 2 trial, 2-year data suggest that antioxidants do no harm to men taking them during radiotherapy for prostate cancer.
Medscape Medical News

RT-PCR Sentinel Lymph Node Assay Comparable to Cytology for Detection of Breast Cancer

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:48:12 EST

Real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of sentinel lymph nodes during surgery compares well with intraoperative cytology in detecting breast cancer metastases.
Medscape Medical News

PTSD Linked to Patient-Reported Cardiovascular Health Status

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:01:12 EST

In the Heart and Soul Study of patients with heart disease, posttaumatic stress disorder was more associated with patient-reported cardiovascular health status vs objective cardiac function measures.
Medscape Medical News

New Combination Drug Improves Gastroprotection, Adherence Compared With EC Naproxen Alone

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:53:02 EST

Enteric-coated naproxen 500 mg + immediate-release esomeprazole 20 mg improves gastrointestinal symptoms, and the fixed-dose combination promotes adherence to long-term NSAID therapy.
Medscape Medical News

Varenicline Effective for Highly Nicotine-Dependent Smokers With COPD

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:32:27 EST

Varenicline was associated with a 42.3% quit rate at 40 weeks for the hard-to-treat population of smokers with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Medscape Medical News

Gram-Negative Hospital Infections Now Showing Resistance to Polymixin B

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:03:41 EST

Resistance is slowly growing to polymixin B, a drug once rejected but brought back to life to treat the growing numbers of resistant gram-negative infections in hospitalized patients.
Medscape Medical News

Limiting Working Hours May Compromise Surgeons' Education and Patient Care

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:56:16 EST

Reducing the number of hours physicians in training can work may compromise their education and put care of patients in jeopardy, surgeons warn.
Medscape Medical News

Video Intervention May Improve Treatment for Partners of Teen Girls With Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:49:12 EST

In a randomized controlled trial, girls assigned to a community-specific video intervention were 3 times more likely to have their partners treated than those in the control group.
Medscape Medical News

Stereotactic Radiosurgery Reduces Tremor, Complications in Parkinson's and Essential Tremor

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:40:49 EST

Results from a long-term cohort study in patients with medically refractory PD and ET suggest that stereotactic radiosurgery provided outcomes comparable to deep brain stimulation and radiofrequency.
Medscape Medical News

MS Relapse Affects Short-Term Prognosis but Has Minimal Long-Term Effect on Disability

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:26:42 EST

Early MS relapses are linked to earlier need for a cane but have little effect on long-term disability.
Medscape Medical News

Quick Radiation Works for Breast Cancer

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:22:11 EST

A study shows positive results with a 3-week course of treatment.
WebMD Health News

Cancer Patients Want Honesty From Doctors

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:22:11 EST

A survey shows patients want straight talk about chances of survival.
WebMD Health News

Obesity Linked to Many Cancer Cases in U.S.

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:22:11 EST

Researchers say excess body fat may be a cause of multiple cancers.
WebMD Health News

Pathologists Should Be Wary of Contracts for Interpretation Services

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:43:01 EST

Pathologists who contract with small nonpathology practices for their services in interpreting pathology reports should be aware that some of these contracts might be illegal.
Medscape Medical News

Most Medicaid Programs Fail to Provide Unrestricted Access to Smoking Cessation Therapies

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:06:25 EST

Although the majority of state Medicaid programs offer coverage for some tobacco-dependence treatment, the majority fall far short of a stated mandate to provide unrestricted access to therapies.
Medscape Medical News

Newer Fluoroquinolones May Improve Outcome in Extensively Drug-Resistant TB

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 09:57:23 EST

Later-generation fluoroquinolones, such as levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and sparfloxacin, show efficacy in the treatment of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).Later-generation fluoroquinolones, such as levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and sparfloxacin, show efficacy in the treatment of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).
Medscape Medical News