Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for April 2013. 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.
Renewed Efforts From AAFP to Repeal OTC Provision in ACA
TUESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Members of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and other medical associations are urging further consideration of Section 9003 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires holders of tax-preferred health care accounts to obtain a physician's prescription to use funds from those accounts to pay for over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The concerns have been laid out in a letter to the chair and the ranking member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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FDA Announces New Network to Focus Exclusively on Patients
MONDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the launch of a new interactive tool for educating patients, their advocates, and consumers about the processes involved in medication development.
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Medical Interns Spending Less Time With Patients
FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Medical interns are spending less time with patients and more time at a computer since new rules limiting total work hours were instituted in 2011, according to a study published online April 18 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Saturday Marks Sixth Annual Rx Drug Take-Back Day
FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- United States residents across the nation will have an opportunity to safely and anonymously unload expired, unwanted prescription medications on Saturday, April 27, during the sixth annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
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Smoking Water Pipes Is Not a Safe Cigarette Alternative
FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking tobacco in water pipes is associated with a different pattern of carcinogen exposure than smoking cigarettes, according to a study published online March 5 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Air Pollution Linked to Marker of Atherosclerosis
THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Greater exposure to air pollution is associated with greater progression of carotid artery thickness, a marker of atherosclerosis, according to a study published online April 23 in PLOS Medicine.
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Prevalence, Costs of Heart Failure Estimated for 2030
THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- The impact of heart failure is likely to increase, with more than eight million U.S. adults anticipated to have heart failure by 2030, at an estimated total cost of $70 billion, according to a study published online April 24 in Circulation: Heart Failure.
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Physicians Less Empathetic in Talking to Heavy Patients
THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Primary care physicians (PCPs) are less likely to bond with overweight and obese patients, according to research published online March 20 in Obesity.
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Diagnostic Errors Are the Leading Type of Malpractice Claim
WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- In the past 25 years, diagnostic errors have been the leading type of malpractice claim and account for the highest proportion of total payments, according to a study published online April 22 in BMJ Quality & Safety.
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Asthma Health Care Access Worse for Young Adults
WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Young adults with asthma have worse health care access and utilization compared with adolescents with asthma, according to a study published online April 22 in Pediatrics.
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American Lung Association Stresses Clean Air Act Benefits
WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- More than four in 10 people in the United States live in counties that have unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution, according to the State of the Air 2013 report published April 24 by the American Lung Association (ALA).
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Peri-Noncardiac Op Exposure to β-Blockers Improves Outcome
TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- For patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery with two or more Revised Cardiac Risk Index factors, early exposure to β-blockers is associated with improved 30-day postoperative outcome, according to research published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Study Describes Outcomes, Tx for HER2-Mutated Lung Cancers
MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- For HER2-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), half of tumors are detected at stage IV, and anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) treatments are associated with encouraging response rates and disease control rates (DCRs), according to a study published online April 22 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Dangers of the 'Cinnamon Challenge' Need Emphasis
MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- With the increasing popularity of the "Cinnamon Challenge," especially among adolescents, the potential dangers need to be emphasized, according to a perspective piece published online April 22 in Pediatrics.
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Patient-Centered Decision Making Ups Health Outcomes
FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Patient-centered decision making (PCDM) is associated with improved health care outcomes, according to a study published in the April 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Guidelines Issued Relating to Online Medical Professionalism
THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians should be aware of the benefits on online media and should recognize the implications for patient confidentiality and public perception, according to a position paper published in the April 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Family-Centered Teaching Rounds Good for Patients, Students
THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Teaching and conducting rounds in the presence of patients and their families can be beneficial for patients and learners, according to research published online April 15 in Pediatrics.
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Relative Proportion of MRSA Increasing in S. aureus Isolates
THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- The relative proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasing in S. aureus isolates, and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, according to a study published in the April issue of JAMA Dermatology.
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Community Benefit Spending Varies for Tax-Exempt Hospitals
WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- There is considerable variation in the level of community benefit expenditure by tax-exempt hospitals, according to a study published in the April 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Glutamine, Antioxidants No Benefit to Critically Ill Patients
WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- For critically ill patients with multiorgan failure, early supplementation with glutamine or antioxidants does not improve clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the April 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Presenting Fee Data to Docs Cuts Number of Tests Ordered
WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Presenting fee data to providers at the time of laboratory test orders is associated with a small reduction in the number of tests ordered, according to a study published online April 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Speech Details Practices to Improve U.S. Health Systems
THURSDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- There are specific steps health care providers and policymakers should take to create high-quality, patient-centered care at lower costs, according to remarks made in an April 9 speech to the National Press Club.
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ACS: Room for Improvement in Cancer Prevention, Detection
THURSDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Despite improvements in aspects of cancer prevention and early detection, more systematic efforts to reduce tobacco use and obesity, and expand the use of screening tests could prevent much of the suffering and death of cancer, according to a report published online April 11 by the American Cancer Society.
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Sleep Apnea Tied to Behavioral, Attention Problems in Youths
WEDNESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Children with sleep apnea are at higher risk for behavioral, adaptive, and learning problems, according to a study published April 1 in SLEEP.
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Smoking on Waking Increases Risk of Lung and Oral Cancers
MONDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers who smoked within five minutes after waking have higher levels of tobacco smoke carcinogen and may be at higher risk for lung and oral cancer, according to research published online April 2 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
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Rural Hospital Mortality Rates Climbed From 2002-2010
WEDNESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Thirty-day mortality rates for patients admitted to critical access hospitals (CAHs; designated hospitals for individuals living in rural communities) increased from 2002 to 2010 compared with patients admitted to other acute care hospitals, according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most Partners of U.S. Docs Satisfied in Their Relationships
MONDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- Most spouses/partners of U.S. physicians report being satisfied with their relationships, with satisfaction linked to time spent together each day, according to research published in the March issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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