Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Otolaryngology for February 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.
Guidelines for Prevention of Rheumatic Fever Updated
FRIDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Prevention of rheumatic fever relies on proper identification and treatment of the bacteria responsible, with penicillin being the preferred treatment, according to updated guidelines published online Feb. 26 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Insurance Essential for Good Health, Well-Being
TUESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Having health insurance is vital for health and well-being, and when rates of uninsurance are high, even insured people are more likely to struggle to obtain necessary care, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine released online Feb. 24.
More Information
US Health Spending May Have Hit $2.4 Trillion in 2008
TUESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Health spending in the United States was estimated to be $2.4 trillion last year, and is expected to account for an unprecedented share of the economy this year, according to a report published online Feb. 24 in Health Affairs.
Abstract
Full Text
Proposed Changes to Health Care Would Reduce Costs
THURSDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Simultaneous gains in universal health coverage, improved health outcomes and slowed spending growth would have a major impact on the development of public policy, according to a perspective published in the Feb. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text
Transparency, Globalization Growing in Clinical Research
THURSDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- All clinical trial data and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration database should be publicly available, and global clinical research should be conducted in relevant populations for potential applications of the intervention, according to two articles published in the Feb. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Wood
Full Text
Abstract - Glickman
Full Text
Eye Problems Found in Many Children with Hearing Loss
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Routine ophthalmologic examinations may be helpful in supporting proper development in children with sensorineural hearing loss, according to research published in the February Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text
Implementing a Quality Improvement Faculty Path
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new career pathway in academic medicine, termed clinicians in quality improvement, is a justified concept to achieve and recognize excellence in patient safety, according to a commentary published in the Feb. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Videofluoroscopy Useful in Observing Apneic Changes
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with obstructive sleep apnea demonstrated soft palate changes during normoxygenated and desaturated periods while sleeping, as viewed with sleep videofluoroscopy (SVF), according to research published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Ads Featuring 'Drug Facts Box' Help Educate Consumers
TUESDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Replacing the brief summary in direct-to-consumer ads with a "drug facts box" may result in improved consumer knowledge and judgment about medication benefits and side effects, according to study findings released online Feb. 17 in advance of publication in the Apr. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text
Pain Varies After Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeries
TUESDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Certain factors may be helpful in predicting postoperative pain in patients undergoing ear, nose and throat surgery, according to research published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Chinese Remedies May Offer Benefits in Treating Allergies
MONDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Several types of herbal therapies from traditional Chinese medicine may hold promise for treating asthma and food allergies, according to research published in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Abstract
Full Text
No Signs of Epidemic in Current Influenza Season
MONDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The mortality rate due to pneumonia or influenza is below the epidemic threshold for the flu season so far, according to a report published in the Feb. 13 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
More Information
Sequencing Advances Help Crack Code of Human Rhinoviruses
FRIDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Newly completed genomic sequences of the human rhinovirus may lead to the first effective treatments for the common cold, according to a study published online ahead of print Feb. 12 in Science.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Care Coordination Programs Don't Benefit Medicare Patients
TUESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- For Medicare beneficiaries with chronic illnesses, most care coordination programs have little impact on reducing hospitalizations and costs or improving quality of care, according to a report published in the Feb. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Corticosteroid Use Associated with Pneumonia in COPD
MONDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term inhaled corticosteroid use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia, though without a significantly higher risk of pneumonia-related death, according to a review article published in the Feb. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Footballers at Risk for Drug-Resistant Staph Infections
MONDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Poor hygiene, skin injuries and living in close proximity to teammates contributed to an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in 2007 among members of a high school football team, according to a report published in the Jan. 30 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
More Information
