Drugs

Multiple Sclerosis Risk Tied to Some Oral Contraceptives

by John Gever, Managing Editor, MedPage Today September 16, 2014 Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. BOSTON — Women using combined oral contraceptives containing norethindrone or levonorgestrel were substantially […]

Zithromax Linked to Belly Blockage in Infants

Azithromycin Linked to Belly Blockage in Infants Published: Sep 10, 2014 By Ed Susman , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Story Source Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. WASHINGTON — […]

Subtrochanteric femoral fracture – bisphosphonate related

Case contributed by: Dr Patsy Robertson Story Source Presentation: 78 year old female, thigh pain following a fall from a car Patient Data: Age: 78 Gender: Female Displaced subtrochanteric fracture of the left femur. The left hip is enlocated. Note is made of the widening of the lateral cortex proximal and distal to the fracture. […]

Aspirin Advised When Preeclampsia Risk Is High

Medscape Medical News USPSTF: Aspirin Advised When Preeclampsia Risk Is High Jenni Laidman September 09, 2014 Healthy pregnant women at high risk for preeclampsia should take low-dose aspirin daily after 12 weeks of gestation, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends in new guidelinespublished online September 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. This new recommendation takes […]

Stopping SSRIs Before Pregnancy Does Not Reduce Miscarriages

Medscape Medical News Neil Osterweil September 09, 2014 Women who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression during early pregnancy and those who stop taking the drugs up to a year before becoming pregnant have similar risks for miscarriage, investigators in a large, population-based study have found. The results suggest there is no causal […]

No Anticoagulation Option for VTE Prevention? Try Aspirin

Steve Stiles August 26, 2014 DALLAS, TX — Daily aspirin can cut the adjusted recurrence risk by more than a third over three to four years after acute therapy for a first “unprovoked” venous thromboembolism(VTE), suggests a combined analysis of two trials comparing aspirin at 100 mg/day vs placebo in patients with recent deep vein thrombosis […]

Unexpected effect of proton pump inhibitors – Full Text

Circulation, 08/20/2013  Exclusive Author Commentary Clinical Article Ghebremariam YT et al. – Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are gastric acid–suppressing agents widely prescribed for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Recently, several studies in patients with acute coronary syndrome have raised the concern that use of PPIs in these patients may increase their risk of major […]

Antipsychotics Linked to Acute Kidney Injury and Death

Medscape Medical News > Psychiatry Deborah Brauser August 19, 2014 (Updated Aug. 20, 2014) Atypical antipsychotic medications are linked to acute kidney injury (AKI) in elderly patients, new research suggests, causing investigators to call for their use in this population to be reevaluated. A population-based study examining medical records for nearly 200,000 adults older than […]

Antibiotic Overuse in Kids: Lessons Learned – Video

Theoklis E. Zaoutis, MD, MSCE August 18, 2014 Story Source May Require Free Registration Hello. My name is Theo Zaoutis. I’m Chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I am here today to discuss antibiotic use as specifically related to a recent survey that was conducted by WebMD and Medscape in cooperation […]

Antibiotics Early in Life May Boost Obesity Risk

MedPageToday.com Published: Aug 17, 2014 By Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Exposure to antibiotics early in life may permanently alter gut microbes in a way that could increase obesity risk years later, researchers reported. In a study that compared outcomes in mice given low-dose penicillin versus those who were not, infancy was identified as […]

Aspirin and Cancer Prevention

Benefits Add Up for Regular Aspirin Use Published: Aug 5, 2014 | Updated: Aug 6, 2014 Discussant: Joseph Chao, MD. Average-risk adults in the general population who used aspirin regularly for at least 5 years had a lower risk of cancer, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and premature death, according to a comprehensive review of potential […]

Significant link found between osteonecrosis and corticosteroids

Dilisio MF. Orthopedics. 2014. doi:10.3928/01477447-20140626-54. Story Source A low but statistically significant link was determined between osteonecrosis and short-term, low-dose oral corticosteroids, according to study findings. Researchers utilized a software platform to evaluate data from 24,533,880 patients who received either single or multiple methylprednisolone taper pack (MTP) prescriptions during a 12-year span. They then compared […]

Tylenol (paracetamol/acetaminophen) does not affect recovery time compared with placebo in acute low-back pain

Dr Christopher M Williams PhD The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 24 July 2014 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60805-9 Efficacy of paracetamol for acute low-back pain: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial Summary Background Regular paracetamol is the recommended first-line analgesic for acute low-back pain; however, no high-quality evidence supports this recommendation. We aimed to assess the efficacy of paracetamol taken […]

Acetaminophen Fails in Back Pain Trial

by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today July 23, 2014 The use of acetaminophen for acute low-back pain was no more effective than placebo, with similar times to recovery regardless of whether the drug was taken regularly or as needed, a large randomized trial found. Among patients who took acetaminophen on a regular schedule, median time […]

Aspirin Therapy in Primary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

CONSENSUS AND GUIDELINES · July 22, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This review discusses the advantages and drawbacks of using aspirin in primary cardiovascular prevention.The authors favor the use of low-dose aspirin as a prevention treatment in patients at high cardiovascular risk and who do not have increased risk for bleeding. Expert Comment Primary Care Peter Lin […]

Inhaled Steroids May Suppress Growth in Children With Asthma

Laurie Barclay, MD July 18, 2014 Inhaled corticosteroids may suppress growth in the first year of treatment in children with asthma, but lower doses may minimize the effects, according to findings of 2 systematic reviews published online July 17 in the Cochrane Library. Inhaled corticosteroids are the most effective drugs for asthma control, reducing asthma mortality, […]

New Study Finds Diabetes Risk Rises With Statin Adherence

Diabetes Risk Rises With Statin Adherence Miriam E. Tucker July 17, 2014 The risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes rises with adherence to statin therapy, providing further confirmation of the previously reported link. However, the benefits of statins still “clearly” outweigh the risks, according to a large new population-based study and analysis. The findings were published […]

Daily Inhaled Corticosteroids Marginally Stunts Children’s Growth

Frontline Medical News, 2014 Jul 16 MA Moon Daily use of low- to medium-dose inhaled corticosteroids for mild to moderate persistent asthma suppresses growth to a “small” degree in children of all ages, according to a Cochrane review published online July 16 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This level of use was associated […]

NSAIDS, The Gut, and Inflammation – Is Aspirin Linked to Gluten Sensitivity?

DrPerlmutter.com As I have discussed on many occasions in this forum, the process of inflammation is a cornerstone of virtually any degenerative condition in the human experience. This includes diseases like cancer, diabetes, coronary artery disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, arthritis, and so many more. So it’s really important that we take a step […]

Emergency Department Visits by Adults for Psychiatric Medication Adverse Events

PracticeUpdate RESEARCH · July 09, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This study used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance system to estimate the number of adverse drug events (ADEs) involving psychiatric medications among US adults resulting in emergency department (ED) visits. Annually from 2009 to 2011, there were nearly 90,000 ED […]