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News, opinions and meeting coverage in primary care.

Cologuard Cancer Test Aces FDA Panel Review

WASHINGTON -- An FDA advisory committee unanimously affirmed the safety and efficacy of a DNA stool test for colorectal cancer screening.

Culture Shock: Homeopathic Recall is No Joke

Did you hear about the homeopathic physician who was treating himself and one day forgot to take his pills?

Anti-PARP Tx Works in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

TAMPA, Fla. -- Advanced ovarian cancer treated with PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy had significant improvement in progression-free survival, extending beyond first progression, investigators reported.

Small, Frequent Meals Don't Rev Metabolism

Dieters are often told to eat small, frequent meals instead of two or three bigger meals a day to shed extra pounds, but eating this way does not boost metabolism and may increase cardiovascular disease risk, researchers found.

Cancer Ascites Responds to Outpatient Tx

TAMPA, Fla. -- Outpatient treatment of malignant ascites with a monoclonal antibody proved safe and feasible and led to a survival benefit in gynecologic cancer patients who could receive chemotherapy, a small clinical study showed.

Shingles Vaccine OK in Mild Lupus

NEW YORK -- Vaccination against shingles may be safe for patients with mild, stable systemic lupus erythematosus, a researcher said here.

OncoBriefs: Myeloma Tx, In Situ Melanoma

Superficial melanoma conferred a risk of recurrent invasive melanoma similar to that of primary invasive melanoma, Australian investigators reported. The study is one of several oncology-related news items summarized in OncoBriefs.

In AKI, Dialysis Works Better With Higher Creatinine

For patients with acute kidney injury, dialysis is associated with better survival among those with higher creatinine levels, but higher mortality for those with lower levels, researchers found.

Higher BMI May Be Better for Older Adults

Adults over 65 at the high end of the healthy body mass index range were at lower risk of mortality, and those at the low end were at highest risk, according to a recent meta-analysis.

10 Ways to Safely Push Ketamine in the ED

A doctor recently took me on a Special K trip, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Abbott Continues Glucose Meter Recall

Abbott Diabetes Care is continuing its recall of FreeStyle and FreeStyle Flash blood glucose meters because of the potential for erroneous low blood sugar readings, the company said.

Top 5 Reasons Cardiologists Get Sued

Problems with diagnosis -- failing to make one, making the wrong one, or taking too long to get to one -- lead the list of reasons behind cardiology-related lawsuits, revealed closed claims data from a medical malpractice insurer.

Environmental Factors Tied to Autism Clusters

An analysis of an insurance claims database of 100 million patients has found clustering of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability in counties across the U.S.

HIV Case Linked to Lesbian Sex

In an uncommon occurrence, a Texas woman appears to have acquired HIV through sex with another woman, the CDC reported.

Bupivacaine Formula Cuts Narcotic Use

NEW ORLEANS -- A long-lasting formulation of the analgesic bupivacaine (Exparel) can do as good a job reducing post-surgical pain among knee replacement patients as continuous femoral nerve blocks, researchers said here.

FDA Approves Headband Device for Migraine

A headband delivering electrical nerve stimulation can prevent onset of migraine headaches and can be marketed for that purpose in the U.S., the FDA said Tuesday.

Parent's Death Has Long-Term Effect on Kids' Grades

The death of a mother or father in childhood was associated with lower grades and school failure in adolescence, but the effect was less pronounced when such things as mental health were taken into account, researchers found.

Stroke Rounds: Early Surgery Looks Safe After tPA

Performing carotid endarterectomy or stenting in patients who were recently treated with thrombolytic therapy for an acute stroke appeared to be safe, an observational study showed.

Can Antibiotics Trigger Arrhythmias?

Azithromycin and levofloxacin were both associated with elevated risks of death and serious cardiac arrhythmias during standard lengths of prescription, a study of mostly male military veterans showed.

ICD-10 Follies: Watch Where You're Walking

Yes, there's a code for that. To mark the forthcoming move to the ICD-10 coding system, 麻豆传媒 is spotlighting some of those thousands of new codes that might just be getting a bit too granular.

A Cure for Chlamydia Arthritis?

Increased understanding of the biology and survival tactics of Chlamydia trachomatis is suggesting that the post-infectious chronic arthritis experienced by many patients may actually be curable.

Severe Eczema Eases with Novel Biologic

SAN DIEGO -- The novel monoclonal antibody dupilumab dramatically cut the severity of moderate-to-severe adult atopic dermatitis, a phase II trial showed.

Medtronic Sued by 1,000 Infuse Patients

Medtronic said about 1,000 people have sued the company over its bone morphogenetic protein-2 product, Infuse, and that many more lawsuits may be coming.

13 Mobile Apps Every ER Doc Should Test Drive

Here are the best mobile apps for emergency medicine physicians gleaned from a recent EMJ paper by Michelle Lin, MD, Iltifat Husain, MD, Salim Rezaie, MD, and remixed with a talk from last month's AAEM meeting by Graham Walker, MD.

5 Ways Doctors Can Use Data Analytics

Data analytics takes claims data, a providers' electronic health record, and any of piece of information available to help physicians become more aware of the patients they're treating. Here are five ways the technology can help meet payers' demands for higher-quality, higher-value care.

CT Appears Safe in Patients With Pacemakers, ICDs

Patients with cardiac rhythm management devices showed no clinically significant major or minor events related to computed tomography imaging over a 10-year period at two large-volume care centers, researchers reported.

Killing Pain: Xanax Tops Charts

Alprazolam, more popularly known by its brand name -- Xanax--is America's favorite tranquilizer and one that is often used in combination with an opioid.

Killing Pain: Benzo 'Boost' Can Be Deadly

Adding a benzodiazepine to an opioid painkiller can increase the effect of the opioid, or in the language of addiction, benzos can boost the high -- but the combo can be deadly, according to this Killing Pain report from 麻豆传媒 and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

ICD-10 Follies: Struck by an Orca

Yes, there's a code for that. To mark the forthcoming move to the ICD-10 coding system, 麻豆传媒 is spotlighting some of those thousands of new codes that might just be getting a bit too granular.

Vitamin D Blog: Cutting Edema in Athletes' Bones

Vitamin D supplementation might help professional athletes who are being treated for bone marrow edema with bisphosphonates, according to a new study.

Which Bullets Are Safe in an MRI?

Don't go ballistic -- only steel bullets will cause problems in MRI, says a study of 39 kinds of the projectiles.

ICD-10 Follies: The Birds

Yes, there's a code for that. To mark the forthcoming move to the ICD-10 coding system, 麻豆传媒 is spotlighting some of those thousands of new codes that might just be getting a bit too granular.

FDA OKs Northera for Hypotension

The FDA has approved droxidopa (Northera) for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, a rare disease that results in a drop in blood pressure when patients try to stand up.

Rituxan Offers Little Help for Sjogren's

Treatment for primary Sjogren's syndrome with the B-cell depleting antibody rituximab (Rituxan) failed to provide statistically significant improvements, despite the increasing evidence for B cells in the pathogenesis of this disorder, French researchers reported.

Treating HCV -- Is the Price Right?

New drugs on the horizon hold out the promise of being able to cure up to 90% of people with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They are also promising to be expensive.

ER Briefs: DIY Laptop to AED Kit -- Good Idea?

Inventors aim to resurrect laptops and tablets as AEDs. We asked Clifton Callaway, MD, PhD, an emergency medicine doctor who heads up EM research at the University of Pittsburgh, to weigh in.

Tamoxifen Found in Bodybuilding Supplement

British researchers have found tamoxifen in supplements used by bodybuilders -- an active ingredient that isn't clearly labeled on the bottle.

Lyrica Edges Mirapex for Restless Legs

Patients with restless legs syndrome treated with pregabalin (Lyrica) had as much symptom improvement as those receiving pramipexole (Mirapex) in a large year-long trial, with fewer showing "augmentation."

Can You Get Paid For Prescribing Exercise?

How do doctors get reimbursed when they prescribe exercise? We asked Jordan Metzl, MD, author of the new book, "Exercise Cure."

Levoxyl Returns, But Will Patients Switch Back?

After being recalled about a year ago for unusual odors, Levoxyl is set to come back on the market in March, but clinicians may not be inclined to switch back, some experts said.

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