Hospital 'report cards' found not effective for quality improvement
..., of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., comments on the study in this week's JAMA on quality improvement (QI). "The report by Beck et al and other similar studies exemplify valuable prototypes for the emerging science of QI. Better means are needed to ensure that medical discoveries are adopted ra...AIDS is not a problem for Africa alone
An Editorial in this week's issue of The Lancet comments that "Africa is not the only country struggling against AIDS." The Editorial emphasises the danger of making the campaign against AIDS synonymous with other Africa-focused anti-poverty efforts. 76% of unmet need for antiretroviral treatment is in sub...Specific regions of brain implicated in anorexia nervosa, finds Univ. of Pittsburgh study
... ignore the most obvious warning signs and dismiss comments from loved ones that suggest they are seriously and medically ill. People with anorexia nervosa have extreme self-denial, not only of food, but often of many comforts and pleasures in life. Yet people with anorexia nervosa can be very energetic and p...Global survey reveals personal impact of bipolar disorder
...currently works with MDF The BiPolar Organisation, comments "Without the right treatment, management and support for bipolar disorder, the condition means that you will be unable to live a normal life. After several years of battling with the condition, I am now able to successfully treat and manage it I pla...Assuring the supply of vaccines
...out the Committee's recommendations. Questions and comments were raised by The Winter Immunization Forum of the National Partnership for Immunization and in an editorial comment in the journal Pediatrics by the past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC...National medical and public health groups sue EPA
...ored nearly 700,000 overwhelmingly negative public comments during the recent public comment period. The EPA also ignored the annual economic costs of methyl mercury toxicity attributable to mercury from American power plants. Researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine estimate the annual cost from lost...One-a-day tablet treats common infection among head and neck cancer patients
... acute and chronic side-effects due to treatment", comments Dr. Dirk Schrijvers from the Department of Medical Oncology of the ZNA Middelheim, Antwerp, Belgium. Everything that can improve the quality of life of these patients during and after treatment will have an impact on treatment compliance and disease ...Experimental shingles vaccine proves effective in nationwide study
...les can result in months or even years of misery," comments study leader Michael N. Oxman, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at the San Diego VA Healthcare System and the University of California, San Diego. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by reactivation of the virus that causes chicke...Medical whistleblowers speak out
...S) and the Government Accountability Project. In comments that echoed his now infamous testimony to the US Senate Finance Committee, Graham said that, "Nearly 60,000 people probably died from that drug. That's as many of our soldiers that were killed in the Vietnam war [who] died as a result of Vioxx use. ...Computed tomography has potential to offer accurate, safer method for detecting artery disease
... Garcia, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, comments on the findings by Hoffmann et al. "Despite these promising results, several important limitations of MSCT must be considered. First, MSCT requires ionizing radiation," Dr. Garcia writes. "This dose [in this study] is equivalent to 2 to 3 times the...Earlier treatment of perinatal HIV associated with decreased HIV progression, better outcomes
...v, M.D., of Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, comments on the HIV studies in this week's JAMA. "While it is possible to celebrate the tremendous change in the outcomes of HIV-infected children treated with HAART, it is even more important to continue to prioritize research for the survivors who are now l...Steve Morgan comments on the fact that spending on Canadian prescription drugs has surpassed $18-billion in 2004. Morgan states that with such a large investment, investment in pharmaceutical products should not be made on faith in promised outcomes. Morgan adds that wit...Officials simulate bioterrorist attack to test APL-developed disease surveillance
...inue to fine-tune the system's algorithms based on comments from today's participants."...Research reveals emotional trauma parents face when a child is diagnosed with diabetes
...a chronic and unpredictable illness." Parents' comments included: "You wake up in the night and it's the first thing that comes into your head. You wake up in the morning and it's the first thing that comes into your head." - Mother of a 13-year-old boy, 10 days after diagnosis. "The actual reality hi...American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for April 2005 (second issue)
...o listen and respond appropriately and directly to comments made by family members. Sometimes, the doctors involved answered a different question than that posed by the family member. The study appears in the second issue for April 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Re...Study reveals drinking alcohol reduces breast milk supply in women
...uries. "This information is important for women," comments Julie Mennella, PhD. "If a mother is drinking alcohol just to improve the quality or quantity of her milk, she needs to know that there is no evidence to support this claim. In fact, the hormones underlying lactation and her milk production will be a...