Prescribe Fewer Tests for Better Care: Ordering fewer tests and prescribing fewer antibiotics will not only curb healthcare spending but also improve the quality of primary care, a large group of U.S. doctors said Monday. After soliciting input from more than 250 members, the National Physicians Alliance (NPA) came up with 15 recommendations it believes will help doctors practice medicine more efficiently. The group's report follows concerns over the growing use of new technologies, such as CT scans, that in many cases don't have a clear medical value. The report lists five evidence-based recommendations in three areas: family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. The gist of the advice? Leave well enough alone. Archives of Internal Medicine, online May 23, 2011
CDC Warns Against Exposure to Mad Dow Like Brain Diseases: .U S. researchers have new information about how humans are exposed to "prion" diseases, which are rare, progressive conditions that affect brain function, such as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as "mad cow disease." The study found that eating wild deer meat (venison) is one of the most common ways people are exposed to these serious, debilitating diseases. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June
NIH Stops Study of Niacin: On Thursday the National Institutes of Health halted a major study of high-dose niacin, a type of B vitamin, more than a year ahead of schedule because of the lack of benefit. It was the latest setback in the quest to harness good cholesterol to fight the bad kind. A study of 3,400 statin users some of whom received Niaspan or a placebo, found that while the HDL levels rose and triglycerides dropped in the Niaspan group, the combination of statin and Niaspam didn’t reduce heart attacks, strokes or the need for artery-clearing procedures such as angioplasty, the NIH said. NIH
6.5 percent of adults active enough at work: Health researchers say only about 6.5 percent of U.S. adults meet physical activity guidelines while they're working. And those that do are disproportionately Hispanic men and men with less than a high school education. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports
Lists of Prescription Meds' Side Effects Keep Growing: Lists of the side effects for prescription medications on drug labels, packaging and advertisements have mushroomed up to an average of 70 per medication, a new study reports.
Cautions about side effects were designed to inform doctors and consumers of potential hazards, but this expansion may have more to do with worries about litigation rather than actual health concerns, say the study authors, who argue the information could be presented much more efficiently. Archives of Internal Medicine May 23
With Calcium, More May Not Be Better: Getting enough calcium for bone health is essential, but getting more than that doesn't appear to confer any additional benefit, Swedish researchers have found. BMJ May 24
Omega 3 Fatty Acids May Help Heart Patients with Stents: Combining omega-3 fatty acids with blood-thinning drugs may reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients who've had stents placed in their coronary arteries, a new European study suggests. While other research suggests that foods rich in omega-3s, including fatty fish such as salmon, help reduce the risk of heart problems in those with existing coronary artery disease, the new study is thought to be the first to look at the effect of the omega-3s on those treated with blood-thinning medications after stent placement. May 26, 2011, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association
Special Tinted Glasses My Stymie Migraines: Precision-tinted glasses seem to help prevent migraines in people whose pain is triggered by certain visual patterns, new research indicates. May 26, 2011, Cephalalgia
A Cultured Man is a Healthier, Happier Man: Both men and women who engaged in sports, religious and cultural events reported better health and satisfaction with life than those who were less engaged. But men, especially, saw benefits. Men who attended cultural activities were 9 percent more likely to report being in good health than men who didn't attend, while women who attended cultural activities were 3 percent more likely to report good health. May 23, 2011, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Heart Failure Risk Lower in Women Who Often eat Baked/Broiled Fish: The risk of developing heart failure was lower for postmenopausal women who frequently ate baked or broiled fish, but higher for those who ate more fried fish This study showed that they type of fish and cooking method may affect heart failure risk. The researchers found that dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) were associated with a significantly greater risk reduction than either tuna or white fish (sole, snapper and cod). In a similar analysis, eating fried fish was associated with increased heart failure risk. Even one serving a week was associated with a 48 percent higher heart failure risk. Circulation: Heart Failure
Mexican Flu Pandemic Study Supports Social Distancing: Eighteen-day periods of mandatory school closures and other social distancing measures were associated with a 29 to 37 percent reduction in influenza transmission rates in Mexico during the 2009 pandemic. NIH Press Release
New Tests of US Airport Scanners Find Radiation OK: New tests of full-body scanners deployed at airports found that the radiation they emit was within acceptable levels, the Transportation Security Administration said on Tuesday after previous checks found some anomalies in results. Reuters
Regular Brisk Walks May Protect Prostate Cancer Patients: Prostate cancer patients who take brisk walks on a regular basis fare better than those who don't, a new study suggests. They not only lower their risk for disease progression, they lower their chances of dying from the disease, the researchers reported. Cancer Research
CT Heart Scans No Benefit to Patients without Symptoms: For people who show no symptoms of heart disease, there is little short-term benefit to having their heart vessels scanned for plaque buildup, a new study suggests. Archives of Internal Medicine 5/23/11
Eating Less Fat May Cut Diabetes Risk: For the study, published online May 18 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers put 69 overweight people at risk for diabetes on diets for eight weeks with only small reductions to their fat or carbohydrate intake. Those in the lower-fat group consumed a diet comprised of 27 percent fat and 55 percent carbohydrate. The low-carb group's diet was 39 percent fat and 43 percent carbohydrate.
Significant Benefits of Yoga in People with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis who practice yoga showed statistically significant improvements in disease activity, according to a small study presented at the EULAR 2011 Annual Congress.
Losing More than 15% of Body Weight Significantly Boosts Vitamin D Levels in Overweight Women. Overweight or obese women with less-than-optimal levels of vitamin D who lose more than 15 percent of their body weight experience significant increases in circulating levels of this fat-soluble nutrient, according to a new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011
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