CHRONIC PAIN
• Asthma Drug May Help Those With Chronic Hives: A drug already used to treat moderate-to-severe
allergic asthma appears to offer relief to people with chronic hives who
haven't been helped by standard medications, new research suggests. The
prescription drug -- omalizumab (Xolair) -- is already available to treat
hives, following U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval earlier this year
for that use. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 7/21/14
• Lidocaine Injection May Help Treat Fibromyalgia In the new study, injecting
lidocaine into peripheral tissues -- such as the muscles in the shoulders or
buttocks -- effectively reduced pain sensitivity, the researchers found.
European Journal of Pain
• Skipthe Steroids for Shoulder Pain: For relief of shoulder pain, physical
therapy and steroid shots provide similar results, a new study finds. Annals of
Internal Medicine Aug. 4
• Chiropractic Manipulation of the Neck and Stroke: Getting
your neck adjusted by a chiropractor or osteopathic doctor may be associated
with an increased risk of stroke, according to a scientific statement released
Thursday by the American Heart Association. The energetic thrusts and rotations
sometimes used in neck manipulation may cause a small tear in the artery walls
in the neck, a condition called cervical artery dissection, the statement
noted. A tear in the artery wall can result in a stroke if a blood clot forms
at the site and later breaks free to block a blood vessel in the brain.
• Inks in
some home tattoo kits are contaminated and could cause skin infections, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. The agency issued the warning after
tests confirmed bacterial contamination in unopened home tattoo kits marketed
by White and Blue Lion, Inc.
• Approved New Colorectal Cancer Screening Test
The noninvasive Cologuard test can be performed at home and has shown more than
90 percent accuracy in clinical trials, the agency said in a news release. From
a stool sample, Cologuard detects hemoglobin. It also identifies certain
genetic DNA mutations in cells shed by advanced adenomas. People who receive
positive results should have a colonoscopy, the FDA advised. Cologuard's
approval does not change current guidelines that recommend colorectal screening
using fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy for all adults
aged 50 to 75, the agency added.
• Benefits of e- Cigarettes Outweigh Harms: A major
scientific review of available research on the use, content, and safety of
e-cigarettes has concluded that -- although long-term health effects of
e-cigarette use are unknown -- compared with conventional cigarettes they are
likely to be much less harmful to users or bystanders. Addiction 2014
• Many Doctors Recommend E-Cigarettes for Anti –Smoking: "Even
in the absence of evidence regarding the health impact of e-cigarettes and
other vaping devices, a third of physicians we surveyed are recommending
e-cigarettes to their patients to help quit smoking.” Plos One
• Gardensa Center of Calm for Those with Dementia: Looking at 17 past studies,
British researchers found evidence that watering plants, or sitting or
strolling in a garden can help soothe some dementia patients' anxiety. Journal
of the American Medical Directors Association
• Is the PSA Test Worth It? The value of the PSA test to screen men
for prostate cancer has long been debated, and a new study of 162,000 men may
not resolve the issue.The European study, reported Aug. 6 in The Lancet, finds
that widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests does reduce
deaths from the disease by about one-fifth.
• Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risks for Older Women: Older
women intent on keeping breast cancer at bay may want to start and maintain a
regular exercise regimen, a new study shows. The researchers found that regular
physical activity cuts the odds of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, but
that protection disappears if women stop exercising. Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Prevention Aug. 11
• Doctors May Miss out on recommending aspirin therapy: Many doctors may not follow U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force guidelines that recommend aspirin as prevention therapy, according
to the University of Rochester researchers. They analyzed data from nearly
3,500 middle-aged Americans who didn't have heart disease, but qualified for
aspirin therapy based on their scores for heart disease risk factors such as
diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and use of cholesterol-lowering
drugs. Journal of General Internal Medicine Aug. 5, 2014
• Daily Aspirin May Help Prevent Cancer: Taking aspirin every day appears
to reduce the odds of developing and dying from colon, stomach or esophageal
cancer, a new study suggests. Based on a review of available studies,
researchers determined that the benefits of aspirin therapy for preventing cancer
outweigh the risks. Millions of people already take this inexpensive drug to
prevent or treat heart disease. Annals of Oncology Aug. 6, 2014
• Cholesterol
Drugs’ Benefits Far Outweigh Side Effects: The benefits of long-term use of
cholesterol-lowering statin drugs greatly outweigh the risks, according to a
review of research published over 20 years. British Medical Journal 7/31/14
• Prevnar-13 Should Be Routine for Seniors: A
second vaccine to protect seniors against pneumonia has been recommended by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices. The panel decided Wednesday that people 65 and older
should get Pfizer's Prevnar-13 vaccine, as well as an older pneumonia vaccine.
• High
Dose Trivalent Flu Shot Better for Seniors: A high-dose, trivalent,
inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-HD) is associated with improved protection
for seniors against laboratory-confirmed influenza infection compared with
standard-dose trivalent, inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-SD), according to
a study published in the Aug. 14 issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine.
• Using Dietary Supplements: CAM Basics from the Nat’l Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM)
• Probiotics and
High Blood Pressure: Regular intake of
probiotics, such as those found in certain yogurts or supplements, may help
ease the condition. Researchers looked at data from nine studies that examined
links between probiotics and blood pressure. The studies involved a total of
543 adults with either normal or elevated blood pressure. Hypertension 7/2/1/14
•
Fruits, Veggies May Have Their Limits in Boosting Lifespan: The
nutrients in fruits and vegetables are vital to good health and a long life,
but only up to a point. Once you've hit five servings of fruits and vegetables
each day, additional daily servings don't appear to boost longevity, a new research
review suggests. Before you reach that five servings a day recommendation,
however, the review suggests that the risk of death from any cause drops 5
percent for each additional daily serving of fruits or vegetables consumed.
And, the risk of death from heart disease seems to decrease 4 percent for each
additional daily serving of fruits and vegetables, according to Hu's research.
BMJ
• Eating baked, broiled fish weekly boosts brain health: Eating
baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much
omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers. The findings add to
growing evidence that lifestyle factors contribute to brain health later in
life. American Journal of Preventive Medicine
• Coffee May Keep Your Ears from Ringing: Researchers found that women who
consumed higher amounts of caffeine were less likely to have tinnitus, which is
a steady ringing or buzzing in the ear. American Journal of Medicine
• Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Alzhemier’s: Older adults with too little
vitamin D in their blood may have twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
as seniors with sufficient levels of the "sunshine vitamin," a new
study finds. But the findings aren't enough to recommend seniors take vitamin D
supplements to prevent mental decline. "Clinical trials are now urgently
needed in this area," said study researcher David Llewellyn, a senior
research fellow in clinical epidemiology at the University of Exeter Medical
School in England. Neurology Aug. 6
• What type of generics do physicians and pharmacists buy? Doctors and pharmacists buy
generic pain medicine more often than laypeople do. But they're much less
likely than the rest of us to buy generic Alka-Seltzer. Is there something we
should know about generic Alka-Seltzer? NPR
• Guidelines
Issued for Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The new guidelines, released
this week by the American College of Gastroenterology, say there's evidence to
support the following treatments for irritable bowel syndrome:
•
Fiber (psyllium especially when compared
to bran)
•
Probiotics
•
An antibiotic called rifaximin (Rifagut)
Medications known as linaclotide (Linzess) and
lubiprostone (Amitiza)
• No Link Between Sleep Apnea and cancer: Canadian researchers have found no
apparent connection between sleep apnea and cancer in a new study of more than
10,000 people with this common sleep disorder. Canadian Medical Association
Journal Aug. 5
• Worm pill could ease autoimmune disease symptoms: Experts believe a molecule in
parasitic worms could help explain why worm infections can effectively treat a
range of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, psoriasis,
rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The study successfully identified peptides from
parasitic worms that suppress the body's immune response. Researchers believe
this could pave the way for a new drug containing the peptide to provide relief
from the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. he FASEB Journal, 2014; DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-251967
No comments:
Post a Comment