Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Nursing for September 2007. 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.
Familiar Doctor Linked to More Satisfaction for Urgent Care
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive urgent medical care from family physicians or after-hours clinics affiliated with their physicians are more likely to be satisfied with the encounter than patients who use other sources of urgent care, according to research published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
One-Fifth of U.S. Adults Get Preventive Health Exams
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Approximately 44.4 million U.S. adults receive a preventive health exam each year at a total cost to the health care system of almost $8 billion, despite the fact that major clinical organizations do not recommend them, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Sept. 24.
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FDA Approves Rapid Test for Platelet Contamination
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a disposable test strip that can be used in hospitals to detect bacterial contamination of blood platelets prior to transfusions. The Platelet Pan Genera Detection Test System is made by Verax Biomedica Inc. of Worcester, Mass., and can be used to retest platelets shortly before use.
FDA Clears Genetic Test for Warfarin Sensitivity
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new genetic test for determining a patient's sensitivity to warfarin (Coumadin). The Nanosphere Verigene Warfarin Metabolism Nucleic Acid Test detects variants of two genes, CYP2C9 and VKORC1, which have been shown to account for some of the variation in response to the drug.
FDA Approves FluMist for Use in 2- to 5-Year-Olds
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the FluMist intranasal influenza vaccine for children ages 2 to 5. The vaccine should not be given to any patient with asthma or children under 5 with wheezing as it may increase the risk of wheeze.
Nocturnal Hemodialysis Improves Cardiac Health
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Dialysis patients randomized to receive hemodialysis six nights a week experienced improvements in left ventricular mass, blood pressure and select measures of quality of life compared to those undergoing conventional hemodialysis, researchers report in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Apolipoprotein E2 Linked to Favorable Cardiac Profile
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotypes correlate linearly with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and coronary risk, and the e2 genotype is associated with the lowest cardiovascular risk, according to the results of a large meta-analysis in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Risk May Outweigh Benefit of Prenatal Screen for Gaucher's
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Prenatal screening for Gaucher disease, an inherited disorder with a variable phenotype, results in the pregnancy termination of a modest number of affected fetuses, including some that are likely to have had asymptomatic or mild disease, according to a report published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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In U.S., Only One in Four Aware of Peripheral Arterial Disease
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The risks associated with peripheral arterial disease are poorly understood by the general public, and only one in four people over age 50 report that they've heard of the condition, according to a survey in the Sept. 18 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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FDA Approves Evista to Prevent Invasive Breast Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved raloxifene (Evista) for the prevention of invasive breast cancer in high-risk, postmenopausal women as well as those postmenopausal women taking the drug to prevent osteoporosis.
Basal-Bolus Therapy Works Well for Type 2 Diabetics
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Insulin levels of type 2 diabetic patients who are admitted to the hospital for non-critical illnesses can be more effectively managed when they are treated with basal-bolus insulin therapy instead of sliding-scale regular insulin therapy, according to the results of a randomized trial published in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
Proportion of New HIV Cases in Patients Over 50 Rising
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The proportion of patients over age 50 with newly diagnosed HIV grew significantly from 1992 to 2004 and warrants greater attention in the design of HIV prevention educational programs, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Genetic Variations Affect Response to Venlafaxine
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who have an adverse reaction to the antidepressant venlafaxine may metabolize the drug more slowly than other patients and should be considered for genotyping, according to a report in the September issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Carotenoids May Reduce Risk of Macular Degeneration
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults, high consumption of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin found in yellow and dark leafy vegetables may help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, according to a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Supplement Recalled Due to Undeclared Sildenafil
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the recall of a dietary supplement known as Zencore Tabs due to the presence of analogs of the erectile dysfunction drugs tadalafil and sildenafil. These undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin.
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Intestinal S. aureas Can Contaminate Hospital Surfaces
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- When hospitalized patients have Staphylococcus aureus in their stool and nostrils there is an increased risk of contamination of surrounding surfaces as well as their skin, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in BMC Infectious Diseases.
Adverse Drug Events Nearly Tripled Since 1998
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The number of adverse events reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has nearly tripled since 1998, with 20 percent of drugs accounting for 87 percent of those events, researchers report in the Sept. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Children's Blood Pressure on the Rise in United States
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of high blood pressure and pre-high blood pressure among U.S. children and adolescents is on the rise, which may result in an increased risk of early organ damage and cardiovascular disease, according to study findings published online Sept. 10 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Weight Gain Predicts Heart Failure Hospitalization
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Weight gains of as little as two pounds are associated with a greater risk of hospitalization in patients with heart failure, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Mediterranean Diet May Benefit Alzheimer's Patients
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The Mediterranean diet -- already linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease -- may also increase the longevity of patients with established disease, researchers report in the Sept. 11 issue of Neurology.
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Vitamin D Modestly Reduces Death Risk from Any Cause
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D supplements modestly reduce the risk of mortality from any cause, according to a report in the Sept. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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FDA Approves Drug for Treatment of Acromegaly
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate) to be used for the treatment of patients with acromegaly who don't respond to or who are not candidates for surgery or radiation. The injectable drug, which was approved under the orphan drug program, is marketed by Tercica, Inc., of Brisbane, Calif.
Food Additives May Increase Hyperactivity in Children
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Artificial food color and additives found in food, candy and drinks may increase hyperactivity in children at least up to age 9, according to the results of a randomized study published online Sept. 6 in The Lancet.
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U.S. Teen, Young Adult Suicide Rates Are on the Rise
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Youth and young-adult suicides steadily declined for 13 years in the United States, then jumped by 8 percent in 2003-2004, particularly among teenage girls, according to a report in the Sept. 7 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
HIV Patients Feel Stigmatized by Health Care Providers
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income patients with HIV may feel stigmatized by health care providers, which may prevent them from receiving an optimal level of care, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
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Newer Cell Phones Still Interrupt Medical Equipment
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- New-generation mobile phones should still be kept at least one meter away from hospital equipment, as they can cause electromagnetic interference with critical care devices, according to a report published online Sept. 6 in Critical Care.
Bipolar Diagnoses Among Youth Increase Dramatically
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The number of young people diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the United States has increased dramatically -- nearly 40-fold -- in recent years, and the medications they receive to treat the disorder are similar to those adults receive, researchers report in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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FDA Halts Sale of Injectable Tanning Product
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned a Tennessee-based company, Melanocorp, Inc., to cease the sale and marketing of an injectable tanning product called Melanotan II on the basis that it is unapproved and mislabeled.
Procrit Does Not Reduce Need for Transfusion in Critically Ill
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Procrit (epoetin alfa) does not reduce the need for a blood transfusion in patients in the intensive care unit, although it may lower mortality in trauma patients and increase hemoglobin concentration and thrombotic events, according to the results of a trial published in the Sept. 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Movies Linked to Adolescents' Risk of Smoking Later On
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents' exposure to movies that feature characters who smoke is associated with their risk of becoming established smokers, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Diabetics Misunderstand Blood Glucose Monitoring
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with type 2 diabetes are uncertain about the benefit of blood glucose monitoring, partly because they perceive a lack of interest on the part of their providers, researchers report in the September issue of BMJ.
Family Involvement Boosts Teens' Odds of Beating Bulimia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents with bulimia nervosa who receive family-based treatment may be more likely to become binge-and-purge abstinent, according to a report published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Residents Lack Tools to Interpret Medical Literature
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Many medical residents have a suboptimal knowledge of basic biostatistics, which may hamper their ability to correctly interpret many of the results in published clinical research, according to a report in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Resident Work-Hour Limits May Have Improved Mortality
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Resident work-hour reform, implemented by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2003, does not appear to have had a negative effect on patient outcomes and may actually have improved mortality rates, according to two studies published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Children's Television Viewing Linked to Short Attention Later
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Television viewing during childhood is associated with attention difficulties during adolescence, according to the results of a longitudinal study that followed a cohort from age 5 into their teenage years. The research is published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
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FDA Approves Test for West Nile Virus in Blood Donors
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional test that can detect the West Nile virus in donated blood, cells and other tissues shortly after infection. The cobas TaqScreen WNV test, which is made by Roche Molecular Systems Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif., is the second such test to be approved.
Nicotine in Breast Milk Affects Infants' Sleep Patterns
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The breast milk of lactating smokers contains significant amounts of nicotine that has short-term effects on their infants' sleep/wake patterns, according to a report published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
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Parents' Concerns About Asthma Meds May Lower Use
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with asthma have concerns about the medications their children take, although they feel those medications are necessary, and their degree of concern is associated with the consistency with which they administer those medications, according to a cross-sectional survey published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
Breast Cancer Screening Reassuring for At-Risk Women
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Young women with a family history of breast cancer are reassured by annual mammograms and take false positive results in stride, according to a report published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
