Study examines reasons for suboptimal outcomes following deep brain stimulation surgery
...esearchers found that 19 patients (46 percent) had suboptimal placements of electrodes and three patients' devices had failed due to end of battery life (although these findings may be due to selection bias, the authors suggest). There were also problems noted with programming the DBS device and with medication...Once in the doctor's office, racial and ethnic disparities in care nearly disappear: Stanford study
...ldhood immunizations. While their study confirms a suboptimal quality of outpatient care overall, Ma and Stafford were surprised by the results regarding equality of care. "When we set out to do the study, we expected to see these disparities," Ma said. "But our result was contrary to our hypothesis." The resea...Homing in on blood pressure genes may lead to targeted therapy
...ure. The World Health Organization estimates that suboptimal blood pressure is responsible for 62 percent of cerebrovascular disease and 49 percent of ischemic heart disease. The cause of 90 percent to 95 percent of the cases of high blood pressure isn't known, but is likely to be due to multiple genes and en...New strides being made in chemoprevention
...l oncology has rarely been dissuaded by an initial suboptimal therapeutic index. The risks posed by NA-NSAIDs and COXIBs should be seen as a stimulus for research to improve the balance of benefits versus risks, rather than a mandate to abandon one of the most consistent and powerful classes of chemopreventive ...Nearly half of people with diabetes are not using aspirin to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke
...h diabetes, given the heightened level of risk and suboptimal utilization in this patient group." Methodology Harris Interactive conducted the online survey October 21-29, 2004 among a nationwide cross-section of 1,299 U.S. adults aged 40 and over. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S....Patients with Hepatitis C using more healthcare resources
...nts continue to age and disease burden progresses, suboptimal decisions regarding HCV treatments will bring increasing opportunity costs for the health care system and society."...UCL scientists gauge pain in premature babies
...abies undergoing invasive procedures, this remains suboptimal in many units. Until now, there has been limited information about pain in premature babies because measuring pain in pre-verbal children is difficult. While previous research shows that even the youngest newborn infants are capable of displaying be...Survey finds care for Europe's adults with congenital heart disease is inadequate
...finitely say that the provision of care overall is suboptimal and there is much room for improvement. As participation in the survey was voluntary, it's likely that only the most motivated and active centres completed our questionnaire, so our results may actually mask the real situation. Certainly, our finding...Study shows racial/ethnic disparities in medical/oral health status and care for minority children
...sisted for one or more minority groups in terms of suboptimal health or dental status, overweight, asthma, activity limitations and behavioral/speech or emotional problems. There were also disparities in care, such as the likelihood of medical or dental visits in the past year, emergency department (ED) visits,...Hispanics and blacks with melanoma more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage
...ention efforts such as skin cancer examination are suboptimal in Hispanic and black populations," the authors conclude. "Although varying cultural values may account for some differences in health care use, public education regarding melanoma risk in black and Hispanic persons and delivery of skin cancer screen...Sub-Saharan Africans with HIV may achieve favorable levels of antiretroviral therapy adherence
...ve in poverty and lack formal education, will have suboptimal adherence to ART. Edward Mills, Ph.D., M.Sc., of...that there are patients in both settings that have suboptimal adherence and that factors beyond poverty play an important role. Clinicians should therefore proact...Polio outbreak from oral vaccine identified -- and controlled -- in China
...ant risk to eradication posed by the use of OPV at suboptimal rates of coverage. The study, reported in the Sept. 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, and now available online, describes the first outbreak of poliomyelitis in China in more than a decade and the first in that country caused by vaccine-...Report issued on outbreak of serious eye infection linked with use of certain contact lens solution
...e processes, perhaps in patients' homes. However, suboptimal contact lens hygiene practices appear unlikely as the major explanation for the outbreak," the researchers write. "Ongoing studies may help to determine if the infections were caused by an interaction of its ingredients with Fusarium that might hav...Ethnic disparities in Medicare claims?
...any procedures or whether these findings represent suboptimal Medicare billing by providers who serve minorities." They recommend further studies to clarify the causes of discrepancies in disparity estimates based on patient self-report and claims data....Second-generation antipsychotic medications appear to offer little advantage over older drugs
...ing considered for clinical reasons, most commonly suboptimal efficacy or adverse effects," the authors write. The participants were randomly assigned to receive one class of drug or the other. Physicians determined which of the many first- or second-generation medications would be best for each patient. Part......ting a single mutation can be readily performed on suboptimal DNA from archival tissue samples."...