Drugs

Use of Prescription Opioids Before and After Lumbar Fusion Surgery

March 28, 2018 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Adults undergoing lumbar fusion surgery (N = 2491) for chronic back pain were retrospectively followed to evaluate patterns of opioid use following surgery. Long-term opioids were used by 1045 individuals before surgery and by 1094 individuals postoperatively. Long-term postoperative use of opioids was observed in 77.1% of preoperative users and […]

Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis An Increasing Public Health Concern – Full Text Article

March 26, 2018 Johannes G. Ramaekers, PhD Driving is a complex task that requires integrity of sensory, motor, and cognitive function. The driving task may be compromised by factors related to the vehicle, the driving environment, and the driver. Driver impairment is a major cause of motor vehicle crashes and commonly results from alcohol intoxication.1 […]

MRI evaluation of the effects of extension exercises on the disc fluid content and location of the centroid of the fluid distribution

Musculoskeletal Science and Practice Volume 33, February 2018, Pages 67-70 Vahid Abdollah Highlights The signal intensity weighted centroid (SIWC) is a novel reliable non-invasive method for quantifying the effects of loading. Except for a more anterior SIWC in the L4L5 disc after extension, there were no significant SIWC differences. No significant differences were found in […]

Stroke Risk Factors Unique to Women

March 19, 2018 Stroke; A Journal of Cerebral Circulation TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this literature review summarize woman-specific stroke risk factors, such as hormones, estrogens, and pregnancy. In addition, age at menarche and menopause impacts the stroke risk in women. Unique in this paper is a discussion of exogenous estrogen and testosterone for transgender […]

Stomach acid drugs may cause depression

MARCH 09, 2018 Top News in Neurology Healthline/Medical News Today A new study—now published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics—has found a link between a common class of stomach drugs called proton pump inhibitors and depression. The researchers suggest that the pills might lead to major depressive disorder by disrupting the gut’s bacteria. More and more […]

Effect of Opioid vs Nonopioid Medications on Pain-Related Function in Patients With Chronic Back Pain or Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

March 6, 2018 The SPACE Randomized Clinical Trial Erin E. Krebs, MD, MPH1,2; Amy Gravely, MA1; Sean Nugent, BA1; et al Agnes C. Jensen, MPH1; Beth DeRonne, PharmD1; Elizabeth S. Goldsmith, MD, MS1,3; Kurt Kroenke, MD4,5,6; Matthew J. Bair4,5,6; Siamak Noorbaloochi, PhD1,2 JAMA. 2018;319(9):872-882. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0899 Key Points Question  For patients with moderate to severe chronic back […]

Association Between Utilization of Chiropractic Services for Treatment of Low-Back Pain and Use of Prescription Opioids

J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Feb 22. doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0131. [Epub ahead of print] Whedon JM Abstract OBJECTIVE: Pain relief resulting from services delivered by doctors of chiropractic may allow patients to use lower or less frequent doses of opioids, leading to reduced risk of adverse effects. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the […]

NSAIDs Comparable to Other Oral Analgesics for Acute Musculoskeletal Injury

February 21, 2018 The Journal of Family Practice TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors evaluated the published evidence to compare the effectiveness of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with that of other oral analgesics such as opioids and acetaminophen for pain in acute musculoskeletal injury. The authors observe that NSAIDs are at least as effective as other […]

Viscosupplementation for Hip Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy on Pain and Disability, and the Occurrence of Adverse Events

APM&R March 2018 Volume 99, Issue 3, Pages 574–583.e1 Victor Figueiredo Leite, MD Abstract Objective To assess the efficacy of viscosupplementation (hyaluronic acid [HA]) on the pain and disability caused by hip osteoarthritis, and to determine the occurrence of adverse events. Data Sources PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov database, and specific journals up to March […]

Acetaminophen Use Alters Sex Hormones, May Cause Birth Defects?

Marlene Busko February 19, 2018 Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use has been linked with a depletion of sulfated sex hormones in a large metabolomic study, and the findings suggest that fetal exposure to the drug could even be linked with risk of male urogenital malformation at birth. Acetaminophen has been used for over 50 years, and more […]

Systemic Effects of Epidural Steroid Injections for Spinal Stenosis

February 16, 2018 Pain TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Individuals aged >50 years with spinal stenosis were randomized to receive epidural injections of local anesthetic with corticosteroid (n = 200) or local anesthetic only (n = 200) to evaluate the risk of cortisol suppression associated with epidural corticosteroids. Cortisol reduction of >50% at 3 weeks was seen in […]

Childhood Antibiotics and Adult Health – Video

Antibiotics play an important role in medicine, but as you may already know, the CDC states that they are frequently overused: up to 50% of antibiotic prescriptions are not optimal or effective.1 Systemic effects are particularly dramatic when antibiotics are given to infants, and research suggests that the effects of antibiotics on the pediatric microbiome […]

Intra-articular ozone or hyaluronic acid injection: Which one is superior in patients with knee osteoarthritis? A 6-month randomized clinical trial

Journal of Pain Research — | January 12, 2018 Raeissadat SA, et al. – This randomized clinical trial was planned to compare the efficacy of intra-articular ozone vs hyaluronic acid (HA) injection in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Observations suggested that both ozone and HA can be effectively used for improving function and reducing pain […]

Opioids for muscle and joint pain in older people may be harmful

12 February 2018 ~Risk for elderly treated with opioids for muscle and joint pain A new study has shown that opioids offer older people with muscle and joint pain little benefit, whilst significantly increasing the risk of serious negative side effects. Published in the Journal of Pain, the review focussed on the efficacy and safety of prescription […]

Long-Term Use of Inhaled Steroids May Up Fracture Risk in COPD

– Patients could benefit from regular monitoring for BMD, fracture risk by Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer February 07, 2018 Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at high doses was associated with a modest increase in risk for bone fractures in both men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), reported Canadian researchers. Use of […]

Study: Fever Treatments May Cause More Flu Deaths

January 26, 2014 at 7:29 am ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS Atlanta) – A new study has found that fever treatments may cause thousands of more flu deaths each season. To find the effects of widespread use of medications that suppress fever, researchers created mathematical models. Researchers found that fever-reducing drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen may lead […]

Nearly one out of five NSAID users exceed daily limit

Date: January 26, 2018 Source: Boston University School of Medicine Summary: Chances are you or someone you know has used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within the last month. NSAIDs, such as Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen) and Celebrex, are among the most commonly used medicines in the US. Now, for the first time, researchers have found […]

Maternal Acid-Suppressive Drug Use Is Associated With the Risk of Childhood Asthma

January 24, 2018 Pediatrics TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this systematic review of eight population-based studies evaluated the association between use of acid-suppressive drugs in pregnancy and the risk of childhood asthma in the offspring. The relative risk of asthma in childhood was 1.45 for those using acid-suppressive drugs in pregnancy compared with no use […]

Ibuprofen Linked to Men’s Fertility Problems

From: WebMd By Tim Locke TUESDAY Jan. 9, 2018 — Taking the common painkiller ibuprofen has been linked in a small study with a condition affecting male fertility problems. Male fertility is dropping around the world and the researchers wanted to see if ibuprofen might be contributing to this. Ibuprofen Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sold without a […]

Opioids now kill more people than breast cancer

By Nadia Kounang, CNN Updated 12:14 AM ET, Thu December 21, 2017 (CNN) More than 63,600 lives were lost to drug overdose in 2016, the most lethal year yet of the drug overdose epidemic, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of […]