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Clinical Times: December 2006

Optimism on treatment of osteoporosis

15 December 2006 | Musculoskeletal

Osteoporosis affects all age groups and both sexes and in many cases the associated fractures can be prevented, according to Prof Moira O’Brien, President of the Irish Osteoporosis Society. She was speaking at the Irish Osteoporosis Society annual scientific meeting,... Read more

Antihistamine study on effect of improving infant sleep

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2006;160:707-712 | 15 December 2006 |

An antihistamine often recommended to parents whose infants do not sleep through the night may not be effective in reducing nighttime awakenings or improving parents’ happiness with their children’s sleep, according to a new report. In the study, doctors conducted... Read more

Aspirin reduces heart problems in women and men

JAMA 2006;295:306-313 | 15 December 2006 | Cardiovascular

An analysis of previous studies indicates that use of aspirin significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in women and in men, due to reducing the risk of stroke in women and reducing the risk of heart attack in men,... Read more

Remission is a realistic goal for schizophrenia

15 December 2006 | Mental Health & CNS

Irish psychiatrists have been urged to re-examine some of their assumptions about prescribing long-acting injectable antipsychotics for patients with schizophrenia. When considering treatment goals for such patients there are a number of beliefs that colour many psychiatrists’ thinking, according to... Read more

Statin use linked to lower risk of death in heart failure

JAMA 2006;296:2105-2111 | 15 December 2006 | Cardiovascular

Patients with heart failure who used statins for the first time had a reduced risk of death of nearly 25 per cent, compared to non-users, and also a lower risk for hospitalisation, according to a new study. In the study,... Read more

Testosterone therapy may help elderly men with Alzheimer’s

Archives of Neurology 2006;63:1-9 | 15 December 2006 | Men's Health

Testosterone replacement therapy may help improve the quality of life for elderly men with mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new US study. Researchers conducted a 24-week, randomised study to evaluate the effects of testosterone therapy on cognition,... Read more

Quit smoking to avoid lung cancer

Norma Cronin | 15 December 2006 | Cancer

The National Cancer Registry reports that there are approximately 1,576 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in Ireland every year, with 563 of these are in females and 1,014 in males. The Registry also estimates that there are approximately 1,499... Read more

EU charter aims to fight obesity

08 December 2006 | Diabetes, Nutrition

The Irish Heart Foundation says the landmark European Charter on Counteracting Obesity has not got the coverage it deserves. Irish Medical Times prints an edited version of the document 1.1 The epidemic of obesity poses one of the most serious... Read more

Folic acid cuts heart disease

BMJ 2006;333:1114-1117 | 08 December 2006 | Cardiovascular, Nutrition

The scientific evidence is strong enough to justify using folic acid as a cheap and simple way of reducing heart disease and strokes, according to researchers. That advice followed an analysis of the debate over whether raised homocysteine levels in... Read more

Understanding of wheeze crucial to investigation of asthma

European Respiratory Journal, December 2006 | 08 December 2006 | Respiratory

A new study has found that parents may not know what constitutes a ‘wheeze’, an ignorance that may be leading to an undertreating of asthma. In the study, researchers investigated the understanding of the term ‘wheeze’ in medical questionnaires. Parents... Read more

'Fight fire with fire' in the battle against lung cancer

Colin Kerr | 08 December 2006 | Cancer

Dr Oscar Breathnach tells Colin Kerr that there is a need to get the message across that when young people begin smoking, it is often the start of the ‘cancer curve’ The smoking ban in public places has been a... Read more

Strategy to reduce teenage pregnancies is working in UK

The Lancet 2006;368:1879-1886 | 08 December 2006 | Women's Health

The number of under-18s conceiving and having babies in England has declined since the implementation of the government’s national teenage pregnancy strategy in 1999, according to a new study. Conception rates for women younger than 18 years in England are... Read more

Complexity of bipolar disorder treatment in clinical practice

Dr Patrick Devitt, Consultant Psychiatrist and Dr Sinead Murphy, Registrar, Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Tallaght | 08 December 2006 | Mental Health & CNS

Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Patrick Devitt and Registrar Dr Sinead Murphy at Adelaide and Meath Hospital look at the current use of mood-stabilisers in an empirical mix-and-match fashion to treat bipolar affective disorder Severe cases of bipolar affective disorder are very... Read more

Precautionary approach best for pregnant women

The Lancet | 08 December 2006 | Women's Health

Exposure limits for chemicals should be set at values that recognise the unique sensitivity of pregnant women and young children, and they should aim to protect brain development, according to experts in environmental medicine. According to the experts, the two... Read more

Oncologist calls for patient protection against alternative medicines industry

BMJ 2006;333:1129 | 08 December 2006 | Cancer

It is time to protect patients from “vile and cynical exploitation” by the alternative medicines industry, according to a leading UK oncologist. It is estimated that up to 80 per cent of all patients with cancer take a complementary treatment... Read more

Marathon runners may be at more risk from skin cancer

Archives of Dermatology 2006;142:1471-1474 | 01 December 2006 | Cancer, Skin

In an Austrian study, marathon runners had more atypical moles and other skin lesions suggestive of a risk for skin cancer, according to a new report. The report was based on a study by doctors of 210 marathon runners, 166... Read more

Hypertension and heart failure management: best practice

Colin Kerr | 01 December 2006 | Cardiovascular

In assocaition with A.Menarini, Colin Kerr reports form their Cardiovascular Symposium which reviewed hypertension guidelines and featured an update on the management of heart failure That was the keynote message from Professor John Feely, clinical pharmacologist and consultant general physician... Read more

CT scan modelling useful for facial surgery

Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery 2006;8:381-389 | 01 December 2006 | Skin

A preliminary study suggests that high-resolution computed tomography (CT) modelling allows surgeons to custom-design acrylic implants prior to reconstructive surgery for patients with severe defects in their faces and eye cavities. Such implants appear to offer excellent aesthetic results and... Read more

Healthcare workers at twice risk of TB

European Respiratory Journal December 2006 | 01 December 2006 | Infections & Immunology, Respiratory

A new Dutch study has found that healthcare workers are twice as likely as members of the general population to acquire tuberculosis. The study drew on five years of data concerning TB cases declared by healthcare workers in the Netherlands,... Read more

Herniated disk patients improved with or without surgery

JAMA 2006;296:2441-2450 | 01 December 2006 | Musculoskeletal

Patients with lumbar disk herniation who had surgery or non-operative treatments showed similar levels of improvement in the reduction of pain over a two-year period, according to a new randomised trial. In the study, doctors looked at outcomes from the... Read more