Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Rheumatology 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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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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Patient Concerns Hamper Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Control
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Many rheumatoid arthritis patients are reluctant to take pain medications and tolerate more pain than necessary as a result, researchers report in the March issue of the Journal of Pain.
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Injection for Hip Osteoarthritis Pain Found Ineffective
THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A single intraarticular injection of hyaluronic acid for the treatment of hip osteoarthritis was ineffective in achieving significant pain relief in comparison to placebo, according to research published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Biomarkers Signal Women's Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated biomarkers of inflammation in the blood may help identify women with a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis years before symptoms appear, according to study findings published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Vitamin C May Help Prevent Gout in Men
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 11 (HealthDay News) -- High vitamin C intake in men is independently associated with a significantly lower risk of gout, according to a report published in the Mar. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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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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Rituximab May Be Effective for Severe Lupus Nephritis
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with relapsing or refractory lupus nephritis, rituximab may be an effective treatment if early B-cell depletion is achieved, according to research published online Mar. 4 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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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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Arthritis Restricts Exercise in Heart Disease Patients
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Heart disease patients who also have arthritis are significantly less likely to engage in physical activity than those without arthritis, 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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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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