Medlogs - Recent stories in Physicians

New Video Game Powered Fitness Tools Announced

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:20 +0000

Electronic Arts, the video game development company, has announced its next generation of fitness tools. Following up on its popular EA SPORTS Active product line, the release scheduled for this fall should include a heart rate monitor, arm and leg accelerometers, and an online program to track and share one's workouts. The name for the new system has yet to be finalized, so for now EA just tacked on a "2.0" to the end of the current name. The new EA SPORTS Active 2.0 innovative wir

Environmentally Friendly Syringe Minimizes Packaging to Save Resources

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:20 +0000

Cambridge Consultants, a product design and development firm, has created a new prefilled syringe that uses fewer resources to manufacture than many current models. Unsurprisingly, the green syringe was named Syreen, but its environmental credentials are only part of the features of the new device. Instead of glass, Syreen syringes are made with COP (cyclic olefin polymer) plastic, which has enabled Cambridge Consultants to shed the need for secondary packaging altogether, a first in this med

VERTEX SELECT Occipitocervical Spinal Reconstruction System from Medtronic

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:20 +0000

Medtronic is making available in the US its VERTEX SELECT Reconstruction System, a package for performing cervical spinal stabilization procedures via the posterior approach. From the press release: When paired with the VERTEX SELECT? Occipitocervical Module this system comprises a comprehensive posterior cervical-upper thoracic spinal system that offers adjustability through multiple plate designs, rods, screws, and hooks that gives surgeons more options during surgery, enabling them to tail

Genetically Empty Virus Particles to Carry Drugs to Diseased Sites

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:20 +0000

Scientists at John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK managed to create Cowpea mosaic virus particles that are missing their genetic material, turning them into drug ferrying containers that may prove useful against cancer and other localized diseases. Unlike other research teams that tried to remove genetic material from already existing virus particles, the current research involved assembling these particles out of precursor chemicals without ever having to implant them with any genes. From the a

Health care reform needs to pass now, and here’s why

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:25:21 +0000

by Matthew Mintz, MD There are certain actions we take even though we know that ultimately we will not be successful. Sometimes we do this out of hope for a better tomorrow (like playing the lottery) or because we are taking a moral stand (like supporting a candidate that has no chance of winning). Supporting health care [...]Posted at KevinMD.com. Stay updated and subscribe, follow me on Twitter, or connect on Facebook.

Researchers ‘Discover’ Kids Don’t Like Homework

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:11:34 +0000

Our friends over at the Association for Psychological Science made sure that a new study about video games would get out (because, you know, it’s about video games and kids, and that always seems to get people’s attention), so we took a look and published a news story earlier today about the study. This, however, is an example of a fairly silly study that provides little additional insight into the impact video games may have in a child’s world. The researchers c

OK Go lead singer/guitarist Damian Kulash Jr. disses EMI (his record company)

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:25:17 +0000

In a lucid, scathing piece appearing on the February 19, 2010 New York Times Op-Ed page, he explained (convincingly, at least to me) why EMI's locking up his group's videos so they can't be viewed anywhere other than on YouTube's...

Can Grips

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:25:17 +0000

"They snap onto any standard 12 oz. can, providing a stein-style handle that also eliminates the need for a coaster." "Plus, your can stays cold while your hand stays warm." Put me down for a set (of 6): $9.98.

We're Looking for Help!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:40:18 +0000

Medgadget.com, the coolest medical technologies website in the world, is looking for an associate editor. The person that will join us will become an integral player in our editorial process. Together with our small group of MDs (and MD/PhDs), he or she will learn about the latest medical discoveries, technologies and medgadgets. Then there is more to learn about the blogging business, web production, future events, such as Medical Weblog Awards and Med SciFi competition, conferences, and pub

Autism in children can be missed early in life

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:20:19 +0000

Originally published in MedPage Today by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer The symptoms of autism tend to emerge in children after six months of age, with a loss of social and communications skills that is more common and more subtle than previously thought, according to a new study that questions previous assumptions about the progression of [...]Posted at KevinMD.com. Stay updated and subscribe, follow me on Twitter, or connect on Facebook.

It's the way she tells 'em!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:35:24 +0000

Low Yield Seen for Elective Coronary Angiography

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:15:36 +0000

Fear of feeding

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:23 +0000

It’s an extremely frustrating problem I see every single day of my life. Whether we’re talking about my exam room patients, puppy park players, a neighbor’s pooch or my family members’ dogs, the problem is the same: Their pets are fat and they know it...but they’re scared of offering them too little to eat.? OK so that’s my personal interpretation of the psychology that underlies the problem. And I may be wrong. But I believe it&

Single and unhappily married men are at 64% higher risk of dying from stroke

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:35:10 +0000

Men who were single in the 1960s were 64% more likely to suffer a fatal stroke over the next three decades than their married counterparts.The risk of fatal stroke was also 64% higher in men who reported dissatisfaction with their marriages than in men who rated their marriages as successful.That figure is comparable to the risk of fatal stroke faced by men with diabetes.References:Single Men Have Higher Risk of Stroke. WebMD.Image source: CT scan slice of the brain showing a right-hemispheri

My thoughts on March 8 acid-base

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:20:07 +0000

First, thanks to the great discussion.? Readers will learn as much from the discussion as they will from me.? To repeat the presentation: The patient is an 81 year old man found with altered mental status.? He has known diabetes mellitus, hypertension, COPD and CHF, but has not taken any medications for the past year. Electrolyte panel Na 142 Cl 96 BUN 99 K 5.5 HCO3 21 creat 2.3 Blood [...] Related posts:AMS – an acid-base problem II 17 days at the VA – day 12 A

Nurse practitioners will not solve the primary care shortage

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:10:27 +0000

With health reform possibly passing within the next few months, attention now turns to the primary care doctor shortage. Regular readers of this blog know that there are not enough primary care doctors currently; it’s frightening to think what would happen if an additional 40+ million newly insured patients start looking for care. A recent piece from [...]Posted at KevinMD.com. Stay updated and subscribe, follow me on Twitter, or connect on Facebook.

Therapists, Social Networking and Blogging, Oh My!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:55:58 +0000

Therapists are turning out in droves to the online landscape, making our marks with blogging, article writing, social networking and other creative efforts. In Psychotherapists Unmasked on the Internet last October , I examined how this landscape had changed with the increasing prevalence of therapist websites with photos (ethically taboo not so long ago), raising interesting conversation about how we are “supposed” to be presenting (or not presenting) ourselves. The wave of the “t

PharmaTimes - AZ falls foul of ABPI Code of Practice with Seroquel ad

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:25:25 +0000

A preliminary ruling by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority says AstraZeneca broke advertising rules by failing to accurately reflect the side-effects of its antipsychotic Seroquel.The policing arm of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has allegedly found the Anglo-Swiss drugmaker to be in breach of the Code on three counts, with claims made in an ad – published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2004 - that Seroquel (quetiapine) has a favourable w

J&J - Risperdal; Did J&J Plan to Break Rules?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:25:25 +0000

Documents from a lawsuit by the state of Louisiana accusing J&J of off-label marketing shed fresh light on the company's long-standing desire to broaden the market for Risperdal beyond the ailments listed initially on the label—psychotic disorders linked to schizophrenia. J&J disclosed the documents from the suit, filed in the Opelousas district court in September 2004, after Bloomberg News asked the court to unseal them. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September. As early

J&J - Risperdal: uh oh more kickback trouble

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:25:25 +0000

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office joined a federal lawsuit yesterday that contends that Johnson & Johnson paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to get its drugs, especially the powerful antipsychotic Risperdal, prescribed in nursing homes. The action was taken as Coakley’s office disclosed that it is also scrutinizing companies that market antipsychotics to Massachusetts nursing homes. These drugs are widely used in some homes for residents suffer

Women: Drink Moderately, Gain Less Weight

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:30:08 +0000

© yashimaHear ye ladies! What's recently published at the Archives of Internal Medicine requires toasting for cheers: Healthy-weight women who drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol - no more than two servings a day of red wine, white wine, beer or liquor - tend to gain less weight over time than non-drinkers. Warning: don't binge on alcohol just yet. The key words are healthy-weight women and light to moderate amount of alcohol. According to cardiologist Lu Wang

Glomus Tympaniucm-MRI &CT

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:59 +0000

Glomus tympanicum tumors are chemodectomas that arise from the glomus bodies that run with the tympanic branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve. They are are the most common primary neoplasms of the middle ear located along the jacobson nerve. Our case shows a small glomus tympanicum in the hypotympanum.Reported by Teleradiology Providers.From Sumer's Radiology Site http://www.sumerdoc.blogspot.com -The Top Radiology Magazine. Teleradiology Providers at www.teleradproviders.com Mail us at telera

The Family Practitioner

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:26 +0000

Found this illustration via The Examining Room of Dr. Charles. I'd say it captures the feel of most family doctors' offices just right except that the tape the woman sitting behind the doctor is tangled up in should be red instead of white. For other depictions of various medical specialties, go to this exhibition on the art of Jose Perez.

Picture Quiz: Airfighters

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:37 +0000

The internet is only coming through in fits and starts tonight, so I’m going to have to put off my annual best of/worst of comic book medicine until tomorrow. Here’s a scene from the first story in Moonstone’s Airfighters #1. The setting is the Normandy beaches on D-Day, and one American commander is running into [...]

Medicare Fraud - forget whistleblowers, meet the "bounty hunters"!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:15:26 +0000

Mr. Obama said the auditors would have an incentive to find improper payments because they would receive a small percentage of the savings. “It’s estimated that improper payments cost taxpayers almost $100 billion last year alone,” he said. “If we created a Department of Improper Payments, it would actually be one of the biggest departments in our government.” The auditors — whom some White House officials are already referring to as “bounty hunters” — would have high-tech

NEJM -- The Missing Voice of Patients in Drug-Safety Reporting

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:10:25 +0000

A patient wants to know about symptoms she may have from a prescription drug she is taking. Consulting the label's "Adverse Reactions" section, she finds a wealth of data. Little does she realize that this information, largely collected during clinical trials, is based almost entirely on clinicians' impressions of patients' symptoms — not on patients' own firsthand reports of their experiences with the drug.via content.nejm.org Posted via web from Jack's posterous

Berlin, March 31st: HCSMEU Camp

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:10:25 +0000

http://www.hcsmeucamp.com/

Tough Break! - FDA to review bisphosphonates for atypical fractures

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:10:25 +0000

Bisphosphonates are commonly prescribed to treat osteoporosis and are designed to build bone mass. Drugs in the class include Actonel, marketed by Sanofi Aventis SA and Procter & Gamble Co.; Boniva, marketed by Roche Holding AG and GlaxoSmithKline PLC; and Merck & Co.'s Fosamax.Posted via web from Jack's posterousvia online.wsj.comA bone expert once said to me: "what if these drugs make bones harder, but not necessarily stronger?"Two studies presented Wednesday at the Ameri

Jury Verdict Against Novartis Pharmaceuticals For Retaliating Against Drug Sales Rep Who Took Maternity Leave

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:55:28 +0000

"The jury of 12 believed Ms. Breeden and disbelieved the executives of Novartis in arriving at this verdict. She was committed to her job, but her employer questioned her commitment. No employee should have to choose between having a family or keeping their job, and this jury verdict will help teach that lesson to all employers covered by the FMLA."via healthnewsdigest.com Posted via web from Jack's posterous

Pharma industry spent $6.3 million lobbying U.S. lawmakers |

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:55:28 +0000

via nj.com Posted via web from Jack's posterous

ICON CPAP Machines from Fisher & Paykel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:55:21 +0000

Fisher & Paykel out of Auckland, New Zealand has released a new line of CPAP machines that smudge the line between medical devices and consumer products. The ICON line features a built-in alarm clock and an mp3 player, along with all the company's latest CPAP technology. From the announcement: The product range spans three models; Auto, Premo and Novo. The Auto detects interruptions to normal breathing and provides the appropriate positive airway pressure to meet the breath-by-breath need

Resistance training for bugs: Antimicrobial resistance, redux

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:05:22 +0000

Are we really training an army of superbugs? Yep. No doubt about it. Ever since we started killing microscopic organisms with drugs we call antimicrobials (of which antibiotics are the most famous subset), these “bugs” have been looking for ways to survive the wrath of chemicals that would see them dead. Mutation has been their MO, an approach that’s worked out better and faster than we ever expected when we first designed our drugs. Which is why we now find ours

Yesterday’s acid-base challenge

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:40:05 +0000

We have a brilliant debate ongoing in the comment section of yesterday's problem.? I will refrain from commenting for 24 hours.? Please join the debate – then I will weigh in some time tomorrow. I cannot answer every question about this patient, but I can answer some key questions. Related posts:Duty hours – no easy answers (h/t [...] Related posts:Duty hours – no easy answers (h/t @FutureDocs) 15 days at the VA – day 2 March 8, 2010 – an

What is it?

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:35:26 +0000

Answer here this time tomorrow.

INCONVENIENCE CAUSED IS REGRETTED

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:35:26 +0000

[via hektik.org]

Stentys Self-expanding Coronary Bare-Metal Stent System for Unusual Vessels

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:50:19 +0000

Stentys Inc. of Paris, France has received the CE Mark of approval to take to the European market the firm's self-expanding coronary stent. The bare-metal system has been developed to allow physicians to work on coronary arteries that have an uneven diameter in the treatment area and when large branch vessels are involved. From the product page: The stent’s short, expandable segments and its self-expansion features allow for excellent vessel conformability as well as continuous appo

intendiX Brain-Computer Interface Might Be Available Soon

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:50:19 +0000

Three years ago we wrote about an EEG brain-computer interface that was going to be available to consumers. Well, it turns out, there's been a slight delay and g.tec Guger Technologies from Graz, Austria has only just launched a marketing campaign for its technology. The intendiX system supposedly uses visually evoked EEG potentials to detect which on-screen option a user wants to select. The EEG triggers can be letters, words, actions, or just about anything that can be programmed into a com

Patient handoffs limit residents work hour cap gains

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:30:33 +0000

by Vineet Arora MD Anyone affiliated with a teaching hospital knows that the controversy regarding resident work hours is heating up again. It’s been over 5 years since the ACGME limited resident hours to 80 hours per week with a maximum of 30 consecutive hours. While this may not sound like ‘reform’, as someone [...]Posted at KevinMD.com. Stay updated and subscribe, follow me on Twitter, or connect on Facebook.

Baby Sling Safety Reminder

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:10:13 +0000

Reports of deaths and serious injuries in a small number of infants using baby slings is likely going to prompt the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a new warning on the use of these popular baby products. While some people will likely take this warning as an overreaction, when you consider that few people would ever think their baby could be harmed in a baby sling carrier, an extra warning seems like a good idea, especially since these aren't the easiest baby products to learn to

Neuropsychology Abstract of the Day: The New Wechsler Scales

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:50:06 +0000

Today's recommended reading deals with a very important issue in neuropsychological assessment:Loring DW, & Bauer RM. Testing the limits: cautions and concerns regarding the new Wechsler IQ and Memory scales. Neurology, 2010, 74(8), 685-690.Department of Neurology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, Suite 6000, Atlanta, GA, USA. 30322The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) are 2 of the most common psychological tests used in clinical care and r

Assistive Aid for Persons with Memory Deficits

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:50:06 +0000

A Little Black Box to Jog Failing MemoryBy YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEEThe New York TimesPublished: March 8, 2010"Researchers have tested the Sensecam, which contains a digital camera and an accelerometer, as an aid to people with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders."Read the full article

Why medical research isn't as useful to you as it could be - Boing Boing

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:27 +0000

Medical journals are full of research comparing new treatments to existing treatments or comparing new treatments to placebo treatments. But researchers apparently aren't keen on comparing existing treatments with each other -- despite the fact that this kind of information may be of the most immediate use to consumers. In a study published Tuesday, researchers at Keck School of Medicine at USC and Harvard, found that only 32% of medication studies published in top medical journals compared t

Dr Grumpy explains gouging!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:27 +0000

By gad, sir!

Time for drug giants to jump into the patent pool? | Society | guardian.co.uk

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:27 +0000

via guardian.co.uk Posted via web from Jack's posterous

LOLPharma contd...... call me Tony

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:27 +0000

Story

Now Available: Stem Cell Therapeutics in US Without FDA Approval

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:23 +0000

Stem cell therapies are still a long way from receiving FDA approval in the US, but it turns out there is at least one group of doctors that's actually offering it right now. Regenerative Sciences in Broomfield, Colorado makes available the Regenexx procedure, a bone and cartilage regeneration technology, as an alternative to orthopedic surgery or a life time dependence to NSAIDs. Because Regenerative Sciences operates exclusively within Colorado, the company believes that Federal laws do not

WebMD Embracing Social Networking With "Health Exchanges"

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:23 +0000

WebMD Health Corp. finally bought into the hype of social networking and has integrated its own community platform into WebMD.com. WebMD Health Exchange allows consumers to connect to others that have similar conditions and health concerns, and to discuss these matters with the help of a physician moderator that can keep the service from becoming a medical rumourville. From the announcement: WebMD Health Exchange is being integrated throughout each of the core content areas of WebMD.com, givi

Help doctors to best care for their patients

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:25:31 +0000

by Alex Lickerman, MD Part four of a series. See also parts one, two, and three. When dealing with your doctor’s biases, you have on your side a fact I firmly believe to be true: most doctors want to do a good job and help their patients as best they can. So what exactly [...]Posted at KevinMD.com. Stay updated and subscribe, follow me on Twitter, or connect on Facebook.

Corn Griller

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:25:28 +0000

Four at once, what's not to like? $29.95. [via Bem Legaus!]

How to make it big in Hollywood

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:25:27 +0000

Stephen Pastis's "Pearls Before Swine."