Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Otolaryngology for March 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.
Safe Practice Scores Do Not Add Up to Fewer Patient Deaths
TUESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- In hospitals, higher self-reported scores for improvements in safe practices do not correlate with reduced mortality rates, researchers report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Children's Lung Function Linked to Genetic Variants
MONDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- In children, variants in GST mu genes are associated with decreased lung capacity and small airway flow, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Drinking Very Hot Tea May Raise Esophageal Cancer Risk
FRIDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking tea before it has cooled down slightly is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer, according to study findings published online March 26 in BMJ.
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Cost Barriers Slow Adoption of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Citing cost barriers, relatively few U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic health records, posing a major obstacle for policy makers who say health information technology is critical to the improvement of health care quality and cost-effectiveness, according to an article published online March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Reirradiation May Extend Life in Head and Neck Cancers
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- For some patients, reirradiation of recurrent head and neck cancer can extend life. But for those with comorbidities or organ dysfunction, such as feeding tube dependence, it is likely to offer only palliative support, according to a report in the March 16 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Lifestyle Affects Survival in Head and Neck Cancers
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Lifestyle factors, particularly smoking, can have a negative impact on survival for patients with head and neck cancers, according to a report in the March 16 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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TESTIN May Have Role in Head and Neck Cancer Survival
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Inactivation of the TESTIN gene may play a role in the survival odds of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, researchers report in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Botulinum Toxin Eases Symptoms of Frey Syndrome
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Frey syndrome, or gustatory sweating, who are given repeated treatments of botulinum toxin type A, experience less severe symptoms and a reduction in the area affected by the condition, according to a report published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Budesonide Nasal Wash Not Linked to Adrenal Suppression
WEDNESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- The use of budesonide as a nasal wash in adults with chronic rhinosinusitis appears to relieve symptoms without suppressing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, according to research published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Transdermal Patches Pose Burn Risk During Scans
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the risk of burns as a result of wearing medicated patches, such as those used for smoking cessation or pain relief, during MRI scans.
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Obama Wants to Spend $630 Billion on Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Achieving health care reform is one of President Barack Obama's major challenges, and his newly released spending plan calls on Congress to commit $630 billion over the next decade to finance that reform, according to an article published online Mar. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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US Motor Vehicle-Related Death Rates Vary Geographically
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Although the mortality rate related to motor vehicles remained almost unchanged from 1999 to 2005 in the United States, on closer inspection the data reveals wide variations from state to state, as well as by gender and ethnicity, according to a report published in the Feb. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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