NIH action plan charts future challenges for liver disease research
...ing the severity of liver disease both in clinical practice as well as in clinical trials of new therapies. Availability of reliable and safe means of measuring fibrosis (tissue scarring) and cirrhosis (excessive scarring and destruction of liver structure) would improve management of liver disease and facil...New guidelines for treating pediatric migraine released
...urology and the Child Neurology Society, whose new practice guideline is published in the December 28 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The guideline has been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Headache Society. Among adolescents, sum...Genetically targeted therapies create opportunities to do business in new ways
...ore an art than a science. "For example, the usual practice today is that patients and insurers must pay, even if a treatment fails to work. As well-targeted therapies become more commonplace, people may start to question that rule," said Dr. Evans, a senior scientist in the Indiana University School of Medic...Acupuncture relieves pain and improves function in knee osteoarthritis
...thritis," said Dr. Berman. Acupuncture--the practice of inserting thin needles into specific body points to improve health and well-being--originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. In 2002, acupuncture was used by an estimated 2.1 million U.S. adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control ...Youki spray curbs spread of superbug MRSA
...his advice on preventing staph or MRSA infections: practice good hygiene; keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water; keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a proper dressing (e.g., bandage) until healed; avoid contact with other people's wounds or material contaminated from wound...Magnetic bracelets reduce the pain of osteoarthritis
...e United Kingdom, producing over 3 million general practice consultations in 2000. Manufacturers of magnetic bracelets claim that they can reduce pain and worldwide sales were estimated at 2.6bn ($5bn) in 1999. But evidence about their effectiveness is contradictory. Researchers from the Peninsula Medical Sch...Pacemakers could protect patients with epilepsy from sudden unexplained death
...ut caution that it is too early to change clinical practice until larger confirmatory studies are conclusive....Molecular test predicts risk of breast cancer recurrence and who will benefit from chemotherapy
...oup. "The test has the potential to change medical practice by sparing thousands of women each year from the harmful short- and long-term side effects associated with chemotherapy," said JoAnne Zujewski, M.D., senior investigator in NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program....U of MN researchers set new standard of care for adult cord blood transplant patients
...ble results represent a significant advance in the practice of adult cord blood transplantation. These approaches allow us to offer potentially life-saving transplant therapy to many patients who have previously been denied such treatment," said Juliet Barker, MBBS(Hons), assistant professor of medicine, Adul...Pharmaceutical marketing tactics hold little sway with prescribing physicians
...the bulk of spending, with $5.3 billion spent on a practice called "detailing" visits to physicians by pharmaceutical sales representatives in order to promote their firm's drugs. Free drug samples distributed during these visits were valued at roughly $16.4 billion. "As the cost of prescription drugs co...Studies reveal physicians' attitudes on end-of-life care
...d-of-life care. Known as "terminal sedation," the practice involves the use of sedating medications to contro...y of internal medicine physicians, who had been in practice for at least several years, involved 677 Connecticut members of the American College of Physicians (...Physicians may need to dig deeper when treating HIV-related lymphomas
...f Hematology, suggest that researchers rethink the practice of using the same uniform treatment for everyone with AIDS-related lymphomas. "Lymphoma is not one disease, but rather represents a group of over 30 different entities. Even lymphomas that were thought to be quite uniform and homogeneous are now reco...Nursing homes register 41 percent drop in residents' pain
...study-act" process is ongoing, with refinements in practice made along the way. Researchers modified the model to include mentoring and information sharing. Rapid-cycle quality improvement has been used to improve hospital care for nearly a decade. Last year, Brown Medical School researchers published res...Report finds new model of care can improve quality, lower costs and increase physician efficiency
...ientation Focus on quality and safety Enhanced practice finance Redesigned, more functional offices " Ca... system of reimbursement, a typical five-physician practice could use the increases in productivity created by the New Model to expand the time spent with each ...November/December 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...ordering behavior. They conclude that the current practice of merely sending written feedback reports to physicians does not have a significant impact on test-ordering behavior. They suggest that to be effective, feedback reports must be incorporated into a more ambitious continuous quality improvement prog...Guidance on chaperones hard to implement in general practice
...ommon chaperones, but a non-clinical member of the practice staff, a student or GP registrar, or another docto...ully. More flexible guidance is needed for general practice as well as further research into patients' views and wishes on the use of chaperones, they conclude....Dental x-rays could be first step in osteoporosis screening
...onditions affecting the teeth and jaws in clinical practice worldwide, the dentist could also look at the mandibular cortical shape and width and refer the appropriate women for further BMD testing," he said....Virtual colonoscopy shows significant promise as colorectal cancer screening option
...necessary. The AGA intends to help its members in practice and training understand the strengths and weaknesses of CT colonography and have the option to use this technology. This will necessitate a comprehensive approach to training and curriculum development, as well as the practical issues relevant to in...Holiday feasting could sabotage liposuction results
...han as a weight loss tool," said Dr. Rohrich. "My practice turns away approximately one in five patients requesting liposuction because they are not appropriate candidates - many are 50 to 70 pounds overweight. Patients need to understand that they are responsible for the long-term results of their liposuct......emphasis on learning disabilities in an optometric practice in Clear Lake, Texas, where she resides with her husband, Ron Hopping, O.D., a fellow optometrist, and her two sons. Before graduating from UH with her doctorate in optometry, she received her bachelor's degree in biology from Rice University and gr...