Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Interactive health websites can help people live with their chronic illness

Contrary to the UCL group's original findings, the review - published by the Cochrane Library and revised after being found to contain errors - shows that people who use interactive health programs and websites generally have a better health outcome than non-users.

18 Oct 2005

Cutting-edge research to develop this range of next-generation biomedical devices

Revolutionary new self-diagnostic devices to provide early warning of deadly and debilitating illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are the aim of a Euro 22.5m Science Foundation Ireland research facility to be established at Dublin City University.

18 Oct 2005

Expert evaluates orlistat (Xenical)

A 60 mg low-dose version of the prescription weight-loss medication orlistat (marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Xenical 120 mg) was found to be safe, effective and tolerable in overweight individuals, according to new data presented today at the 2005 Annual Meeting of NAASO, The Obesity Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.

18 Oct 2005

Rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized

After 20 years of annual increases from 5 to 10 percent, rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized, according to new research from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). At the same time, dramatic racial disparities persist.

11 Oct 2005

Colorectal cancer screening rates remain low

Investigators failed to see improvement in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among patients enrolled in a managed care health plan after testing the effectiveness of a CRC screening promotion program targeting the physician organizations (POs).

10 Oct 2005

Large tumors that block the sinuses can be removed endoscopically through the nose

The endoscopic approach worked well not only to remove large inverted papillomas in 18 patients ages 36 to 74 but also to watch for regrowth of the tumors that have a high recurrence rate and a small chance of becoming cancer. Patients were treated as outpatients and 56 percent remained disease-free at 29 months.

5 Oct 2005

Half of childhood asthma hospitalizations could be prevented with improved parent-physician communication

Each year, some 196,000 children are hospitalized in the United States with asthma attacks. In addition to the severe breathing problems that the children may experience, it also costs the health care system an estimated $835 million to treat them.

4 Oct 2005

Third of pediatricians say they would dismiss a family from their practice for refusing all vaccinations

More than one-third of pediatricians say they would dismiss a family from their practice for refusing all vaccinations, according to a study in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

4 Oct 2005

Training for health workers improves the quality of tuberculosis care and control without requiring extra staff

Tuberculosis is a growing problem in lower and middle income countries, including South Africa. The World Health Organization estimates that about two thirds of people with tuberculosis are never diagnosed and so cannot benefit from treatment, leaving the epidemic unchecked despite global treatment programmes.

3 Oct 2005

Effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants studied

Because clinical depression is so disabling and affects more than 16 percent of adults in the United States at some time in their lives, researchers have worked hard to develop more effective treatments. But how much better are the newer pharmaceuticals?

21 Sep 2005

Heavy alcohol consumption can significantly increase men's risk of developing atrial fibrillation

A large-scale study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that heavy alcohol consumption - 35 or more drinks per week -- can significantly increase men's risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a dangerous type of arrhythmia and one of the leading risk factors for stroke.

20 Sep 2005

Government ignoring underlying capacity problems says

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's General Practitioners Committee (GPC), commenting on the Government's access announcement, said the Government was failing to tackle the underlying capacity problem behind the current difficulties in booking GP appointments.

7 Sep 2005

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese, according to a new study. This association between obesity and the type of health delivery system used was present regardless of race, ethnicity or geographic characteristics.

6 Sep 2005

Metabolic Syndrome, a map of the cardiovascular damage

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities with abdominal obesity (increased waist circumference) at its centre. Although all forms of obesity have a negative impact on human health, metabolic syndrome describes a set of particularly adverse biochemical changes accompanying (abdominal) obesity.

5 Sep 2005

New recommendations for screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations

The United States Preventive Services Task Force issues new recommendations for screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations in the Sept. 6, 2005, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

5 Sep 2005

Telemonitoring of multiple vital parameters of patients with chronic heart disease is feasible

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a frequent syndrome with an increasing prevalence. It is a frequent cause of impeding symptoms, has a negative prognosis and absorbs about two percent of the budgets of health-care systems in the industrialized nations.

5 Sep 2005

Recent evidence suggests caution in prescribing hormone therapy for breast cancer

One of the most effective new treatments for breast cancer is a hormone therapy. Aromatase inhibitors work by powerfully blocking the conversion of androgen precursors into estrogens, which lowers estradiol levels in the bloodstream and estrogen levels in peripheral tissues.

4 Sep 2005

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Interactive health websites can help people live with their chronic illness

Cutting-edge research to develop this range of next-generation biomedical devices

Expert evaluates orlistat (Xenical)

Rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized

Colorectal cancer screening rates remain low

Large tumors that block the sinuses can be removed endoscopically through the nose

Half of childhood asthma hospitalizations could be prevented with improved parent-physician communication

Third of pediatricians say they would dismiss a family from their practice for refusing all vaccinations

Training for health workers improves the quality of tuberculosis care and control without requiring extra staff

Effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants studied

Heavy alcohol consumption can significantly increase men's risk of developing atrial fibrillation

Government ignoring underlying capacity problems says

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese

Metabolic Syndrome, a map of the cardiovascular damage

New recommendations for screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations

Telemonitoring of multiple vital parameters of patients with chronic heart disease is feasible

Recent evidence suggests caution in prescribing hormone therapy for breast cancer

High care standards mean GPs are worth their weight in gold

Unrecognized hypertension is common among emergency room patients, especially African Americans

BMA(NI) initial response to Appleby Report

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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