March/April 2005 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...Disease In a thoughtful essay, a family physician calls for caregivers to adopt an ecosystem health perspective helping people avoid unwanted pregnancies, using resources prudently, staying engaged in the natural world to help prevent the collapse of the biological systems upon which all we all depend. ......f the product labeling on statins, which currently calls for monitoring of liver biochemistries before and during usage. "It is now evident that elevated aminotransferases are insensitive to detect underlying hepatic steatosis and patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis may have entirely normal amin...Billions in cost estimated for firefighter injuries
... fires, and reduce the incidents of arson. It also calls for early detection of fires using smoke detectors...s firefighter bravery as "legendary and real," but calls for new ways to instill safety awareness in firefighters. It also says that training injuries can be...Recovered king of beasts returns to his home, thanks to unique operation
... received letters from kindergartens and telephone calls from many who inquired about his welfare. I want to thank the entire staff of the veterinary Hospital of the Hebrew University for their wonderful work." Dr. Merav Shamir, a specialist in veterinary neurology and neurosurgery, who diagnosed Samson's ...Minorities, poor, uneducated bear the burden
.... Researchers noted that despite several national calls to action for aggressive prevention and control of cardiovascular risk factors, little progress has been made in reducing physical inactivity, poor nutrition and prevalence of hypertension. "Most importantly," Mensah said, "although some significant ...Cardiovascular health disparities must be eradicated
...y to increase the validity of studies. The report calls for developing more minority research investigators, as well as encouraging minority participation in these studies. The group felt that organizations should advocate for funding needed to identify gaps in access to quality health care services; to p...Community care tops medical care at preventing heart disease in black Americans
...ice on how to quit smoking, and received follow-up calls from a nurse practitioner or community health worker. All participants in both groups had access to free medication in the form of a charge card good at the local pharmacy. Free access to risk-factor-reduction programs and health services, includi...New study shows how very low-carb diets take off the pounds
...ate Diets?" Bray notes that the study is small but calls it "a nicely done, short-term metabolic ward study." He says that using "many different diets with different approaches to food restriction for individual patients at different times in their efforts to lose weight may be the most effective way a cli...In solution, tiny magnetic wires scatter light
...easily take various shapes," Bentley adds. Bentley calls her microscopic wires "nanowires" after nanotechnology, the booming, cutting-edge science of small. The "nano" in nanotechnology derives from the nanometer, which is equivalent to a billionth of one meter. Several types of nanoparticles are already i...Age shouldn't be a factor in kidney transplantation
...tion. Using kidneys from these donors, which UNOS calls expanded criteria donors (ECDs), permits more patients to benefit from transplantation, Stratta said, but requires careful matching. Wake Forest Baptist has doubled its number of transplants using ECD kidneys. "We are matching based on age, weight an...Philanthropist Paul F. Glenn launches labs for aging research at Harvard Medical School
...ed a master controller of the SIRT genes, which he calls PNC1 in yeast and is called PBEF in mammals. Experiments to test whether mice that overproduce PBEF live longer, as his yeast cells did, are in progress. Mr. Glenn's interest in biology of aging began as a teenager, as he observed the decline in heal...Houston meeting kicks off collaboration to advance cancer research
... to eradicate cancer. The collaboration agreement calls for the establishment of a research program focused on identifying new molecular targets for cancer diagnosis and treatments that the two institutions will carry out over the next few years. Both are internationally renowned for their commitment to a...Unsafe water and poor sanitation causes 4000 children to die each day
...y in east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The article calls for immediate concerted efforts to confront the reality that sanitation coverage rates in the developing world barely keep pace with population growth. Four out of ten people in the world do not have access to a simple pit latrine. The authors state ...Study: Young adults can be motivated to eat fruits, veggies
...interviews, some study participants received phone calls and materials that were tailored to their readiness to make dietary changes. Others received a standard pamphlet and no personal contact, other than telephone interviews. The results, says Nitzke, were clear. "The participants who received the tailor...How often should women get mammograms?
...ernative screening schedule derived from the model calls for fewer mammograms at early ages, but increasingly often later on. This "threshold" method provides for 18 screenings between 40 and 79, and predicts a mortality reduction of 26 percent. Women who have a higher breast cancer risk because of their ...Culture-specific exercise sparks interest of older women
...tyle, but researchers have not completed follow-up calls to determine how many women have continued the program at home. "Tai Chi is a very successful exercise program for these women," said Taylor-Piliae. "The Yang style of Tai Chi tends to have slower and more gentle movements compared to other styles a...Heart attack treatment gap may be closing for women
... teaching hospitals and again with follow-up phone calls six-months after discharge. The good news is that both 90 percent of men and women received aspirin and beta-blockers at hospital discharge. Two-thirds of women received statins while 78 percent of men received this lipid-lowering medication. Women...Study finds happiness persists, despite illness
...o poor at estimating the effect of illness on mood calls into question some of the ways we use such quality-of-life estimates in policy making and research." In addition to recording the "snapshots" of mood, and the predictions of what life would be like in the other group's shoes, the researchers also had...Simpler blood thinning medication effective for preventing blood clots and stroke
... with atrial fibrillation at high risk of bleeding calls for safer, more dependable alternatives. Ximelagatran offers fixed oral dosing without need for coagulation monitoring, rapid onset and offset of action, stable pharmacokinetics with little potential for drug interactions, and no known food interacti......ruptcy is their last chance to stop the collection calls and try to put their lives back on track.," noted Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard and a study co-author. Professor Warren, a leading expert on personal bankruptcy, went on: "Bankruptcy costs these families substantial ass...