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News, opinions and meeting coverage in primary care.

ACC: Statins Tied to Boost in Men's Sexual Function

WASHINGTON -- Statins appeared to improve erectile function to a clinically meaningful degree, according to a meta-analysis.

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.

Rheuminations: Blame the Pain on the Rain?

Do your arthritis patients complain that their symptoms are influenced by the cold and wet weather? There's plenty of support for this, including a new study out of the Netherlands seeking to quantify this link and examine contributing factors.

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.

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.

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."

Is There a Flaw in This Large Vitamin D Trial?

A co-principal investigator of the VITAL trial addresses the possibility that out-of-study testing of vitamin D levels and initiation of high-dose supplementation could be a limitation, but not a serious one.

CardioBuzz: More Money Needed for Heart Research?

The NIH dedicates a lot of money for research into heart disease and stroke, but it still might not be enough, a new study suggested.

Droxidopa for OH Slammed by FDA Reviewers

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Droxidopa (Northera) is getting a second look by an FDA advisory committee for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension stemming from neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, but an agency review doesn't look promising for approval.

Colonoscopies: The Longer the Better

Polyp and adenoma detection rates were highest when the colonoscopy withdrawal time was 9 minutes long, near the upper limit of the recommended 6 to 10 minutes withdrawal time, researchers found.

Testosterone Levels: Middle Range Best in Old Age

Older men whose natural testosterone levels were in the middle range tended to live longer than those with the highest and lowest levels, a study found.

FDA Flags Risk of Nuclear Stress Test Drugs

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Two agents used in cardiac nuclear stress tests may carry a greater risk of heart attack and death than previously believed, the FDA said Wednesday.

ACA: When Is a Screening Not a Screening?

A provision in the Affordable Care Act that waives patients' payments for colonoscopies is an example of how good intentions in the law can lead to a tangle of unforeseen consequences.

Striking a Nerve: Heinz Kerry Recovers

Teresa Heinz Kerry is back at work less than 4 months after a mysterious seizure hospitalized her. Striking a Nerve is a blog by John Gever for readers interested in neurology.

Sleep Problems, Poor Angioplasty Outcomes Linked

Disturbed sleep is common in heart patients following coronary angioplasty and is an independent risk factor for poor cardiac outcomes, researchers reported.

MoCA Beats MMSE to Assess Dementia

NEW ORLEANS -- The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was better than the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at teasing out subtle differences in cognitive performance among mildly impaired individuals, researchers reported here.

FDA Approves Device to Treat Enlarged Prostate

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An implanted suture-based system to help men with enlarged prostates urinate more freely has been approved by the FDA, the agency said Friday.

Exposing the Truth About ED: An Hour 'Changed the World'

Medical conferences come and go, but memories live on. Just ask anyone who attended the 1983 American Urological Association meeting.

A Little Estrogen Goes a Long Way in Preventing UTI

Short-term estrogen therapy induced cellular changes in urothelium consistent with improved ability to fight off urinary tract infection, results from clinical and preclinical studies suggested.

Zilver Stent Recalled, System May Break

Cook Medical's Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent for peripheral artery disease has been recalled because of a defect in its associated delivery system, the company and the FDA said.

Is Protein the Key to Fountain of Youth?

The cardiac clocks of aging mice were turned back to a more youthful time when they received a protein taken from the blood of younger mice, researchers found.

Afib Benefits Seen with Yoga, Acupressure

Blood pressure and heart rate declined significantly in patients with atrial fibrillation after 3 months of weekly yoga sessions, results of a small clinical study showed.

ACC: Is Chelation Plus Vitamins a Winning Combo?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Vitamins alone won't improve outcomes for patients who've had a heart attack, but they do appear to have additive benefits when given in conjunction with controversial chelation therapy, researchers reported here.

Fatal Reactions Prompt Omontys Recall

All lots of the new anemia drug peginesatide (Omontys) have been recalled because of severe hypersensitivity reactions -- some fatal -- observed after the drug was approved last March.

ACE Inhibitors Linked to Hallucinations in Elderly

Elderly patients with memory problems who suddenly have visual hallucinations may need to stop taking ACE inhibitors, researchers suggested.

Close-Up: When Hospice Patients Live Too Long

Across the country, Medicare is cracking down on the hospice industry's growing habit of embracing those whose deaths aren't imminent.

Infection High in Myeloma, with High Mortality

ATLANTA -- More than a fifth of patients with multiple myeloma died of infection within a year of diagnosis, Swedish investigators reported here.

Oral Azacitidine Safe, Effective in Low-Risk MDS

ATLANTA -- Oral azacitidine (Vidaza) given for up to 21 days per 4-week cycle for myelodysplastic syndrome appeared safe and effective in patients with lower-risk disease, a researcher said here.

Early Stroke Risk After Hip Replacement

Patients undergoing a total hip replacement appear to have an elevated risk of stroke in the weeks following the operation, researchers found.

AHA: No Excess Bleeding Risk with Dabigatran

LOS ANGELES -- Patients starting dabigatran (Pradaxa) did not have a higher risk of bleeding compared with new users of warfarin, according to a postmarketing data review by the FDA.

Subjective Effects Drive COPD Outcomes

ATLANTA -- For patients with COPD, their own assessment of breathing problems is more predictive of outcomes than spirometry or doctor-diagnosed exacerbations, a researcher said here.

Afinitor Helps Breast Tx in Older Patients

SAN FRANCISCO -- Older patients with advanced breast cancer had significant improvement in progression-free survival when everolimus was added to exemestane, a new analysis of a randomized trial showed.

Melatonin Can Help Seniors Get More Sleep

BOSTON -- Over-the-counter melatonin appears to provide a measure of sleep for older individuals who have insomnia, a meta-analysis showed.

Repeat Surgery Less Likely After Prostate Resection

ATLANTA -- Transurethral resection of the prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia reduced the reoperation rate by half compared with newer procedures, a case review showed.

Prolia Linked to Serious Skin Side Effects

RALEIGH, N.C. -- More than 40 serious cutaneous adverse events linked to the osteoporosis formulation of denosumab (Prolia) were discovered in a review of FDA records, investigators reported here.

DSM-5 Panel Tiptoes on Grief, Depression

PHILADELPHIA -- Psychiatrists writing new diagnostic criteria for major depression hope an explanatory note will mollify critics of a proposal to let patients grieving a dead loved one receive a formal diagnosis.

Brain Bleed Size Affects Therapy in Afib Patients

NEW ORLEANS -- The size of a brain bleed appears to determine which medications, if any, are given to atrial fibrillation patients after an intracerebral hemorrhage, a retrospective study showed.

Eye Tremors May Be Early Sign of Parkinson's

Eye tremors are pervasive in Parkinson's disease and could be an early warning sign of the neurodegenerative movement disorder, according to a case-control study.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

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