BY MARY OTTO | JANUARY 4, 2016 In a recent seven-part series for the Dallas Morning News, investigative reporter Brooks Egerton explores dental treatments that have ended tragically and gaps in the enforcement system that is supposed to hold the nation’s dentists accountable. The Deadly Dentistry series opens with the story of a 4-year-old Dallas boy, […]
Janis C. Kelly December 21, 2015 A notable disregard for basic vaccine safety that included reuse of syringes for influenza vaccinations given to employees at a New Jersey company sparked a massive, multiagency scramble to determine whether any of the vaccine recipients had been infected with HIV, hepatitis C virus, or hepatitis B virus as […]
Judith A. Racoosin, M.D., M.P.H, Sally M. Seymour, M.D., Laurelle Cascio, Pharm.D., and Rajdeep Gill, Pharm.D. N Engl J Med 2015; 373:2299-2301December 10, 2015DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1511754 At times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must grapple with safety concerns related to off-label uses of FDA-approved medications. Over the past several years, we have sought to understand […]
David Katz, M.D. Posted: 14/11/2015 07:38 AEST A recent report in JAMA Internal Medicine highlights prevailing medical practices that should be “reconsidered” in 2015 based on the weight of evidence. The paper, appropriately, is written in the matter-of-fact style customary for the peer-reviewed literature. To some extent, that semblance of analytical calm belies the storm […]
Marcia Frellick November 12, 2015 Proton-pump inhibitors are commonly used in hospitals to prevent gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, but may increase the risk of dying both for those who start use in the hospital and for those have used them before admission and continue use in the hospital, new data show. Matt Pappas, MD, MPH, from […]
November 12, 2015 JAMA internal medicine TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this Canadian study, the authors evaluated rates of off-label prescription drug use in >46,000 adults as well as its effect on adverse drug events (ADEs). The incidence rate of ADEs for off-label use was 19.7 per 10,000 person-months, which was higher than that for on-label use […]
JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Nov 9:1-5. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.5614. [Epub ahead of print] Morgan DJ, Dhruva SS, Wright SM, Korenstein D. Abstract IMPORTANCE: Overuse of medical care, consisting primarily of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, is a common clinical problem. OBJECTIVES: To identify and highlight articles published in 2014 that are most likely to influence medical overuse, organized […]
JAMA Internal Medicine, 10/07/2015 Lee CC, et al. Fluoroquinolones have been associated with collagen degradation, raising safety concerns related to more serious collagen disorders with use of these antibiotics, including aortic aneurysm and dissection. To examine the relationship between fluoroquinolone therapy and the risk of developing aortic aneurysm and dissection. Use of fluoroquinolones was associated […]
Robert Lowes October 07, 2015 Ophthalmologist David Ming Pon, MD, in Leesburg, Florida, was found guilty last week of cheating Medicare by pretending to perform procedures on patients who did not need them in the first place. A federal jury in Jacksonville, Florida, convicted Dr Pon on 20 counts of healthcare fraud. He faces a […]
Diana Swift October 07, 2015 Findings from a Danish population-based study suggest a twofold increased relative risk for central demyelinating diseases in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who receive tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. “If true, the observed association could either be attributed to the unmasking of a latent demyelinating disease or to the […]
Kate Johnson October 05, 2015 LAS VEGAS — In the first year after a postmenopausal women discontinues hormone therapy, her risk for cardiovascular mortality is higher than if she had continued the therapy, according to an observational study. Hormone therapy guidelines for postmenopausal women recommend the lowest dose for the briefest period. “This has led […]
Half of legal actions result from non-physician performing the procedure TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Legal cases relating to soft-tissue filler most often involve physicians, frequently relating to a non-physician performing the procedure, according to a research letter published in the October issue of theJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Navid Ezra, […]
Date: September 22, 2015 Source: National Academy of Sciences Summary: Most people will experience at least one diagnostic error — an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis — in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences, says a new report. Most people will experience at least one diagnostic error — an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis — in their […]
DPP-4 Inhibitors for Diabetes Can Cause Severe Joint Pain, FDA Says Robert Lowes August 28, 2015 Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes may cause joint pain so intense it is disabling, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned today. Fortunately, the pain goes away, usually in less than a month, once patients […]
Date: August 31, 2015 Source: American College of Cardiology Summary: Cardiologists failed to identify more than half of basic and about 35 percent of advanced pre-recorded murmurs, but skills improved after a 90 minute training session, according to new research. Cardiologists failed to identify more than half of basic and about 35 percent of advanced […]
Miriam E Tucker August 27, 2015 Antibiotic use was associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in a new population-based, case-control study. The findings were published online August 27, 2015 in theJournal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by Kristian Hallundback Mikkelsen, MD, a PhD student at the Center for Diabetes Research, Gentofte Hospital, […]
December 09, 2013 By Reuters Staff NEW YORK (Reuters) Dec 09 – Merck & Co has agreed to settle hundreds of lawsuits over jaw injuries allegedly caused by the osteoporosis drug Fosamax, lawyers disclosed at a court hearing Monday. Lawyers for Merck and plaintiffs pursuing litigation over the once-blockbuster drug revealed at a court hearing […]
Katie Pavlich | Jul 30, 2015 The Center For Medical Progress has released a fourth undercover video showing Planned Parenthood Vice President of the Rocky Mountains and Medical Director Dr. Savita Ginde discussing how babies that are “delivered before procedure,” aka born alive, are used to harvest “intact” organs. “Sometimes, if we get, if someone […]
Beth Skwarecki August 03, 2015 Pediatric professional organizations are not transparent enough about their relationships with pharmaceutical companies and comply with fewer than half of best practice guidelines, according to a study of nine influential organizations. “Although issues of conflict of interest are relevant for all [professional medical organizations (PMAs)], they may be of particular […]
August 07, 2015 JAMA internal medicine TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this retrospective population study examined the incidence of allopurinol hypersensitivity and its risk factors. The annual incidence of allopurinol hypersensitivity among new users was 4.68 per 1000, the incidence of related hospitalization was 2.02 per 1000, and the incidence of mortality was 0.39 per […]