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Clinical Times: April 2007

Benefits of antidepressants could outweigh their risks

JAMA 2007;297:1683-1696 | 27 April 2007 | Mental Health & CNS

A review of previous studies has indicated that the benefits of antidepressants for children and teens with depression or anxiety disorders may outweigh their risks, and that the increased risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts from using these medications is... Read more

Mediterranean diet wards off childhood respiratory allergies

Thorax | 27 April 2007 | Nutrition, Respiratory

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and nuts protects against allergic rhinitis and asthma symptoms, according to new research. The researchers assessed the dietary habits, respiratory symptoms, and allergic reactions of almost 700 children living in four rural areas... Read more

Smoking ban dramatically reduces air pollution and airborne carcinogens

Colin Kerr | 27 April 2007 | Respiratory

The workplace smoking ban in Ireland has reduced air pollution in pubs by 83 per cent and airborne carcinogens by 80 per cent for both patrons and staff since the ban was introduced three years ago, a study has found.... Read more

Avoiding the cycle of depression

Dr John Wallace | 27 April 2007 | Mental Health & CNS

We know that depression affects an astounding number of people, with lifetime prevalence estimated between four and 12 per cent of the population and a mean age of onset of between 25-35 years. New prospective studies indicate that a much... Read more

Melanoma diagnoses made by a dermatologist may help survival rates

Archives of Dermatology 2007;143:488-494 | 27 April 2007 | Cancer, Skin

Individuals whose melanoma is diagnosed by a dermatologist may be more likely to have early-stage cancer and to survive five years than those with melanoma diagnosed by a non-dermatologist, according to a new report. Doctors linked records from two databases... Read more

Limited benefit from pentoxifylline drug in treating mouth ulcers

Archives of Dermatology 2007;143:463-470, 472-476 | 27 April 2007 | Skin

The drug pentoxifylline appears to have limited benefit in the first-line treatment of mouth ulcers due to recurrent apthous stomatitis, according to a new report. However, a second report has found that a cream commonly used to treat eczema may... Read more

Ibuprofen may boost heart risk in osteoarthritis patients

Annals of Rheumatic Diseases | 27 April 2007 | Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal

Ibuprofen may boost the likelihood of heart problems in high risk patients who have osteoarthritis, according to new research. The research team compared the cardiovascular health over one year of more than 18,000 patients aged over 50 with osteoarthritis. The... Read more

Aggressive treatment of blood pressure and diet control needed

Dr Mary Ryan | 27 April 2007 | Diabetes, Genito-urinary

Diabetic nephropathy is now a major cause of premature death in patients with all types of diabetes. Approximately one-sixth of patients entering renal replacement programmes in developed counties will now have diabetes, at least 50 per cent having type 2... Read more

Mothers need more support in caring for their crying infants

Colin Kerr | 20 April 2007 |

For many parents, coping with a crying baby can be a very stressful experience. This is especially the case if the baby is perceived by one or both parents to be crying excessively. The parents may be concerned that the... Read more

Fish oil helps statins reduce coronary events

The Lancet 2007;369:1062,1090-1098 | 20 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found naturally in fish oil, could be additionally cardioprotective for people taking statins to lower cholesterol, according to a new study from Japan. The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) tested the hypothesis that long-term use of... Read more

Early detection of SGA is crucial, part three

Dr Susan O'Connell, Ms Elaine O'Mullane & Prof Hilary Hoey | 20 April 2007 |

Growth hormone has recently been licensed in Ireland (and other EU countries) for use in children born SGA without catch-up growth. However, due to the short history of its use in such children, there are limited international studies and there... Read more

Possible drug resistance to influenza B medications found

JAMA 2007;297:1435-1442 | 20 April 2007 | Infections & Immunology

Use of certain common antiviral drugs during a recent influenza B epidemic in Japan showed the development of viruses with partial resistance to the drugs, according to a new study. In the study, doctors examined the prevalence and transmissibility of... Read more

Statin therapy continues to provide clinical benefit

Gary Culliton | 20 April 2007 | Cardiovascular, Diabetes

The Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS) showed a significant reduction in cardiovascular events in patients, Prof John Betteridge, a lead author of CARDS and Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at University College London Hospital, told the Pfizer Cardiovascular National Forum.... Read more

CML is now a very treatable disease

Colin Kerr | 20 April 2007 | Cancer

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) had a survival rate of four to five years in the late 1990s. The treatment has now radically changed and there are now new treatment options available for CML. CML is a slowly progressing cancer of... Read more

Combination treatment for migraine seen more effective than single drug

JAMA 2007;297:1443-1454 | 20 April 2007 | Mental Health & CNS

Combining sumatriptan and naproxen sodium to treat migraine results in better symptom relief than taking either one of the medications, according to a new study. In the study, doctors evaluated the effectiveness and safety of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium compared... Read more

A baby who doesn't respond to name may be at risk of autism

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2007;161:378-383 | 20 April 2007 | Mental Health & CNS

One-year-old babies who do not respond when their name is called may be more likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental problem at the age of two, making this simple test a potential early indicator... Read more

Tilarginine does not reduce death risk in patients up to 6 months after heart attack

JAMA | 20 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

The medication tilarginine, a drug that was believed beneficial for patients who develop cardiogenic shock after a heart attack, did not reduce the risk of death up to six months after a heart attack. Cardiogenic shock is the leading cause... Read more

Bronchial thermoplasty a new treatment for asthma

New England Journal of Medicine 2007;356:1327-1337 | 13 April 2007 | Respiratory

A new treatment known as bronchial thermoplasty may offer asthma patients relief from their symptoms in combination with existing medication, according to a new study from the UK and Canada. In the study, doctors randomly assigned 112 subjects who had... Read more

Strokes linked to use of stimulant drugs

Archives of General Psychiatry 2007;64:495-502 | 13 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

The use of stimulant drugs, including cocaine and amphetamines, may be linked to a higher risk for stroke. In the study, doctors used a database of 3,148,165 discharges from Texas hospitals between 2000 and 2003 to assess the connection between... Read more

Reconstituted HDL may benefit coronary atherosclerosis patients

JAMA | 13 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

Preliminary research has suggested that use of reconstituted HDL cholesterol may have some benefit in coronary atherosclerosis. In the study, Canadian-led researchers assessed the effects of infusion with a reconstituted HDL, CSL-111, on coronary atherosclerosis. CSL-111 consists of apolipoprotein A-I... Read more

Smokers take almost eight extra sick days every year

Tobacco Control 2007;16:114-118 | 13 April 2007 | Respiratory

Smokers take an average of almost eight days more of sick leave every year than their non-smoking colleagues, according to new research from Sweden. In the study, researchers analysed nationally representative registry data on sickness absence among more than 14,000... Read more

Long-term aspirin use linked to reduced risk of dying in women

Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167:562-572 | 13 April 2007 | Cardiovascular, Women's Health

Women who take low to moderate doses of aspirin have a reduced risk of death from any cause, and especially heart disease-related deaths, according to a new report. In the study, doctors examined the association between aspirin use and death... Read more

Attitudes to lung cancer and its treatment make advances, part two

Dr Linda Coate | 13 April 2007 | Cancer, Respiratory

Erlotinib is useful both in the setting of patients who either progressed on or poorly tolerated traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. It is also worth consideration in patients whose baseline performance status precludes treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Its side effect profile is... Read more

The dangers of not treating SGA children, part two

Dr Susan O'Connell, Ms Elaine O'Mullane & Prof Hilary Hoey | 13 April 2007 |

There has been a tendency to supplement the low birth weight infant with high calorie feeds in order to achieve “normal” weight as quickly as possible. This is thought to put the child at increased risk of childhood obesity and... Read more

Lamotrigine and valproate work for stages of epilepsy

The Lancet 2007;369:1000-1026 | 06 April 2007 | Mental Health & CNS

Lamotrigine should be the drug of first choice for patients with partial epilepsy, and valproate for generalised and unclassifiable epilepsy, according to a major new study. Over the past few decades a large number of new anti-epileptic drugs have become... Read more

Good results for spinal disc transplantation

The Lancet 2007;369:993-999 | 06 April 2007 | Musculoskeletal

Transplanting human intervertebral discs could be the future for treating spinal-disc degeneration, according to a new study. In the Chinese-led study, surgeons reported on a preliminary study about the feasibility, safety and long-term clinical results of fresh-frozen allogenic disc transplantation... Read more

Tolvaptan shown to relieve heart failure symptoms

JAMA 2007;297:1319-1331 | 06 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

The tolvaptan heart failure medication appears to improve some symptoms and signs of heart failure during hospitalisation, but does not reduce the risk of re-hospitalisation or death, according to a new trial. Doctors in the Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in... Read more

Rosuvastatin shown to slow arterial thickening progression

JAMA 2007;297:1344-1353 | 06 April 2007 | Cardiovascular

Among low-risk middle-aged people with subclinical atherosclerosis,the cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin reduces the rate of progression of arterial thickening and stops– but does not reverse– atherosclerotic disease, according to a new study. In the study, doctors conducted a randomised study of... Read more

Attitudes to lung cancer and its treatment make advances, part one

Dr Linda Coate | 06 April 2007 | Cancer, Respiratory

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the Western World. Some 160,000 people die of this disease in the US and 1,500 lives every year are lost to this disease in Ireland. The overall survival rate among... Read more

Evidence of 'work hard, play hard' philosophy in young athletic men

Siofra Stirrat | 06 April 2007 | Men's Health

A majority of young male athletes surveyed in a study by the Institute of Technology, Sligo, were drinking above the recommended amount per night out and two-thirds were exceeding the recommended weekly limit. The athletes who spent the most time... Read more

Babies with SGA risk health problems, part one

Dr Susan O’Connell, Ms Elaine O’Mullane & Prof Hilary Hoey | 06 April 2007 |

The role of birth weight in predicting risk for future health problems is well recognised. Research has shown that babies who were small at birth will be at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes or hypertension during... Read more