Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Nephrology for October 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Additional Recommendations for Imaging on the Rise
THURSDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Recommendations for additional imaging in radiology reports at one institution increased steeply in recent years, and from 1980 to 2006, radiologic and nuclear medicine procedures increased roughly 10-fold and 2.5 fold, respectively, according to two studies the November issue of Radiology.
Abstract - Sistrom
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Abstract - Mettler
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Overweight Patients May Have Effect on Doctor's Attitude
THURSDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians have lower respect for patients with high body mass index (BMI), which may have an impact on patient care and outcomes, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Antibiotic Prophylaxis May Halt UTI Recurrence in Children
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- In children with recurrent urinary tract infections, low-dose, continuous oral antibiotic therapy may help prevent future recurrences, according to an Australian study in the Oct. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Noncardiovascular Deaths Add to Dialysis Patient Mortality
TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- High overall death rates among patients beginning dialysis are not just the result of higher cardiovascular death rates, but of significantly higher noncardiovascular death rates as well, according to a study in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Medical School Enrollment Continues to Expand
MONDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost 18,400 students enrolled in medical school in the United States in 2009, a 2 percent increase over the previous year, but even more expansion is needed to meet future demand, according to an Oct. 20 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
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Low-Dose Regimen Found to Improve Myeloma Survival
MONDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone is associated with better survival than lenalidomide plus high-dose dexamethasone for treating newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Some Hospital Staff Predicted to Be Infection Superspreaders
THURSDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital staff such as therapists and radiologists who are in contact with all patients have the potential to be superspreaders of infection if they fail to wash their hands regularly, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Higher Intensity Kidney Therapies Show Mixed Results
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In critically ill adults with acute renal injury, higher-intensity renal-replacement therapy does not reduce mortality; however, in children with chronic kidney disease, higher-intensity blood-pressure control has beneficial effects on renal function, according to two studies in the Oct. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Bellomo
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Abstract - Wühl
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Sources Find Different Numbers of Active Physicians
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Estimates from U.S. Census Bureau surveys find fewer older physicians remaining active compared with the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile data, according to research published in the Oct. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Coronary Angiography Found Safe in Chronic Kidney Disease
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Screening coronary angiography does not reduce renal function in high-risk patients with advanced chronic kidney disease awaiting a kidney transplant, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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FDA Launches Drug Disposal Advice Web Page
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a new Web page for consumers to educate them on the safe disposal of certain medicines that can be dangerous or even fatal if they end up in the wrong hands.
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Cell-Based Therapies May Be Beneficial in Alport Syndrome
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Cell-based therapies may offer hope to patients with Alport syndrome, according to an animal study published online Oct. 15 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Outcomes Studied in Nursing Home Patients With Dementia
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Nursing home residents with advanced dementia have a high mortality rate, and residents with end-stage renal disease who begin dialysis face a high risk of functional decline in the following year, according to two studies in the Oct. 15 New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Mitchell
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Abstract - Tamura
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Study Evaluates Hospital Quality and Mortality Rates
TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital mortality rates in the United States have improved, although major differences in quality still exist between the best and worst hospitals, according to a report published Oct. 13 by HealthGrades.
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Exercise Could Help Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People with or without chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are physically inactive have higher odds of mortality than their more active counterparts, and there may be survival benefits for CKD patients who become more physically active, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Health Care Disparities Among States Found to Be Widening
FRIDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Increasing health care costs and growing disparities in coverage among U.S. states point to the urgent need for national health care reform, according to an Oct. 8 state-by-state report card from the Commonwealth Fund Commission, a private foundation supporting research on the health care system.
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Organ Donor Family Consent Request Protocols Compared
FRIDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Organ donation using collaborative requesting instead of routine requesting by a patient's clinician may not provide increases in consent rates, according to an unblinded, multi-center, randomized controlled trial performed in the United Kingdom published Oct. 8 in BMJ.
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Roundtable Discussion Tackles Health Care Reform
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The health care payment system, the role of consumers in responsible health care spending, and the use of comparative-effectiveness research were topics covered in a roundtable discussion with several health economics experts published in the Oct. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Perspective - Cutler
Medical Students Want More Practice of Medicine Training
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Medical students in the United States perceive that they are not getting enough training in the practice of medicine, particularly in medical economics, according to a study in the September issue of Academic Medicine.
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Effectiveness and Cost Help to Make Coverage Decisions
TUESDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Countries using evidence-based cost-effectiveness and effectiveness to help make drug coverage decisions show how these factors can successfully support decision making and can also be adapted to the specific conditions of other countries, according to a study in the Oct. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Kidney Disease Risk May Be Higher in Allergic Diabetics
FRIDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- In male diabetics, there is a correlation between eosinophil counts and microalbuminuria that may point to increased risk of diabetic kidney disease in those with allergic rhinitis or asthma, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Surgical Masks Found to Be Non-Inferior to Respirators
THURSDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Surgical masks may be no less effective than N95 respirators in preventing influenza in health care workers, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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CDC Says States Not Meeting Fruit and Veggie Objectives
THURSDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a Sept. 29 press release, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no U.S. state is currently meeting the national Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption.
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