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Clinical Times: February 2008

OCD: managing responses

Dr Farhan Haq | 27 February 2008 | Mental Health & CNS

Dr Farhan Haq reports on the increase in interest in obsessive compulsive disorder and on the range of treatments available for this debilitating disorder The last 15 years has seen an enormous increase in interest in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),... Read more

Email 'may aid patient-doctor communication'

Archives of Surgery 2008;143:164-169. | 26 February 2008 |

Providing patients with e-mail access to their surgeon appears to improve communication without affecting patient satisfaction, says a new report. In the study, doctors in Australia studied 100 patients prior to undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery. Of those, 50 patients... Read more

New report says education programme can boost adolescents' knowledge about acne

Archives of Dermatology 2008;144:208-214 | 26 February 2008 | Skin

Both written handouts and computerised presentations with audiovisual components may be effective in teaching adolescents about acne, according to a new report. In the study, doctors investigated 100 teenagers aged 13 to 17 years who visited a private dermatology practice... Read more

Respiratory disease in children ups lung, heart risk in adults

Online First Thorax, available at http://press.psprings.co.uk/thx/february/tx86744.pdf | 26 February 2008 | Respiratory

Respiratory disease, particularly bronchitis, in early childhood boosts the risks of cardiac and pulmonary illness and premature death in adulthood, new research has found. The research was based on about 10,000 male graduates who went to Glasgow University between 1948... Read more

One in four stroke patients dead within a month, says study

BMJ 2008;336:337-338 | 26 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Despite advances in prevention, acute care and rehabilitation, 20-30 per cent of stroke patients die within a month and 13 per cent of survivors are discharged to institutional care, according to leading UK experts. That finding followed a study published... Read more

The societal link to ADHD

Prof. Michael Fitzgerald | 26 February 2008 | Mental Health & CNS

Prof Michael Fitzgerald reports on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and notes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for children found to have the condition Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AADHD) is characterised by a range of symptoms which can... Read more

Sharing the care of COPD

Dr Finbarr O’Connell | 21 February 2008 | Respiratory

Dr Finbarr O'Connell outlines the benefits of St James's Hospital's award-winning Respiratory Outreach Programme for the management of COPD in the community. Early discharge initiatives, initially set up six years ago for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),... Read more

Organ donation options

Mary Anne Kenny | 20 February 2008 |

Mary Anne Kenny investigates the recent suggestions by Gordon Brown that the UK might adopt an 'opt out' policy on organ donation - would such a policy work here? The controversial issue of automatic organ donation has once again come... Read more

Modifiable factors linked to exceptionally long life

Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168:284-290, 277-283 | 19 February 2008 | Men's Health

A healthy lifestyle during the early elderly years – including weight management, exercising regularly and not smoking – may be associated with a greater probability of living to age 90 years in men, as well as good health and physical... Read more

Autopsy findings suggest end of decline

Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168:264-270 | 19 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Autopsies of individuals in one county in the United States suggest that the decades-long decline in the rate of coronary artery disease there may have ended and possibly reversed after 2000, according to a new report from American and Canadian... Read more

Most patients with high BP do not follow their recommended diets

Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168:308-314 | 19 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Only a small proportion of individuals with hypertension eat diets that align with recognised guidelines for controlling the disease, according to a new report. Results of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, published in 1997, indicated that a... Read more

Women's high blood pressure rates worse

Online edition of Circulation, available at: www.americanheart.com | 19 February 2008 | Cardiovascular, Women's Health

A new study has found that blood pressure rates in the United States may be on the increase for women and stagnating for men. In the study, researchers examined blood pressure trends nationally using the National Health and Nutrition Examination... Read more

Genetics to help treatment of hearing loss

Dr Stephen Hone | 13 February 2008 | Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

Stephen Hone, Consultant in Paediatric and Adult Otolaryngology says that understanding the genes involved in inner-ear function should lead to new treatment approaches to hearing loss Our understanding of the genetics of hearing loss has advanced rapidly during the last... Read more

History crucial in epilepsy diagnosis

Natalya Anderson | 13 February 2008 | Mental Health & CNS

Natalya Anderson, the Irish Medical Times' UK correspondent, reports from a recent clinical update on epilepsy which was held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London Investigation of a patient’s history is crucial to achieving accurate differential diagnosis of... Read more

Heavy lifting: training no cure for back pain

BMJ Online First, at: http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/february/backpain.pdf | 12 February 2008 | Musculoskeletal

Training showing the correct way to lift heavy objects does not prevent back injuries, according to a systematic review of published studies. The reviewers looked at eleven studies: eight studies dealt with health workers who manually handled patients; the other... Read more

Drinking minerals linked to increased risk of gout in men

http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/february/gout.pdf | 12 February 2008 | Nutrition

Consumption of sugar- sweetened soft drinks and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men, a new study has found. Conventional dietary recommendations for gout have focused on the restriction of alcohol and meat, but with... Read more

BMI less predictive of stroke risk in lean people says study

www.strokeassociation.org | 12 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Although a high body mass index (BMI) often leads to higher blood pressure that may predispose to stroke, the link between BMI and stroke may not hold true for lean people, according to a new study of Chinese men. The... Read more

Stopping Clopidogrel: heart patients' risk

JAMA 2008; 299:532-539 | 12 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Patients who receive the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel following an acute coronary syndrome appear to be at greater risk of a heart attack or death in the first 90 days after stopping clopidogrel treatment, according to a new study. Randomized trials... Read more

Chronic long-term costs of COPD

Dr Jarlath Healy | 12 February 2008 | Respiratory

Dr Jarlath Healy writes that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be more common than previously thought and estimates the cost of care in the longer term Recent research from a large international study published in The Lancet indicates that chronic... Read more

New test developed for Alzheimer's

Gary Culliton | 12 February 2008 | Mental Health & CNS

Gary Culliton looks at a new Irish study whose purpose is to predict which patients suffering from pre-dementia will go on to develop full Alzheimer's disease. Recently the focus of research into Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has shifted to the pre-dementia... Read more

Drugs, care and practice guidelines reduce heart disease and strokes

www.americanheart.org | 05 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

The American Heart Association is crediting improvements in drugs, care and practice guidelines for a steep fall in the rates of death from heart disease and stroke. Those comments followed the publication of new mortality data from the Centers for... Read more

Drug-releasing coronary stents have similar patient outcomes

JAMA 2008;299:409-416 | 05 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

A comparison of use of the first two commercially available drug-releasing coronary stents - for the medications sirolimus and paclitaxel - among patients in everyday clinical practice indicates no significant differences for outcomes such as heart attack or cardiac death,... Read more

Second-hand smoke worsens lung function in cystic fibrosis

JAMA 2008;299:417-424 | 05 February 2008 | Respiratory

Exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with adverse effects on lung function among persons with cystic fibrosis, with this effect being worse for persons with certain gene variations, according to a new study. In the study, doctors examined several issues... Read more

Diuretics just as effective in treating hypertension

Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168:207-217 | 05 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Use of calcium-channel blockers, alpha-blockers or ACE inhibitors appears to offer no advantages in improving clinical outcomes compared with use of diuretics when treating hypertension among individuals with metabolic syndrome, according to a new report. In the study, doctors analysed... Read more

Controversies in breast cancer treatment

Author requested to remain anonymous | 05 February 2008 | Cancer

A Dublin-based surgeon expresses his opinion on the history of surgeons treating breast cancer, and details what many do not know about mammograms. We have all read about breast-screening failures over the last few months. The health authorities used a... Read more

Low vitamin E levels linked to physical decline in elderly

JAMA 2008;299:308-315 | 05 February 2008 | Nutrition

Low serum concentration of vitamin E is associated with physical decline for older persons, according to a new study. In the study, doctors randomly selected 698 patients 65 years or older from a population registry in Tuscany, Italy. To measure... Read more

Climate change poses huge threat to human health

BMJ 2008;336191-194 | 05 February 2008 |

Climate change will have a huge impact on human health and bold environmental policy decisions are needed now to protect the world’s population, according to a leading public health specialist. The threat to human health is of a more fundamental... Read more

Does the Pill protect against cancer?

Gary Culliton | 05 February 2008 | Cancer

Gary Culliton reports on a study in The Lancet, which says that oral contraceptives offer long-term protection against ovarian cancer Oral contraceptives offer long-term protection against ovarian cancer, with the reduction in risk persisting for more than 30 years, a... Read more

Men come under pressure to adhere to aesthetic ‘ideal’

Liam Quaide | 05 February 2008 | Men's Health, Mental Health & CNS

Liam Quaide examines the seismic changes in public attitudes towards the body in recent years and notes the increase of body dysmorphic disorder amongst men. As Western culture has become increasingly sexualised over the past few decades, a sea change... Read more

Non-specific immunomodulation: possible heart advance

The Lancet 2008;371:228-236 | 01 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Non-specific immunomodulation therapy (IMT) could have a role for treating large numbers of patients with heart failure, according to leading experts in the field. Those comments followed a study in which doctors conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a device-based... Read more

Increased risk of heart attack and stroke in aspirin-resistant patients

BMJ | 01 February 2008 | Cardiovascular

Being resistant to aspirin makes patients four times more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or even die from a pre-existing heart condition, according to a new meta-analysis of previous studies. There is currently no agreed method of accurately... Read more

Undernourished stroke patients have worse outcomes

Archives of Neurology 2008;65:39-43 | 01 February 2008 | Cardiovascular, Nutrition

Patients who are undernourished when they enter the hospital with an acute ischemic stroke are likely to remain undernourished in the hospital and may have worse clinical outcomes, according to a new report. The report followed a study by doctors... Read more

Multiple nutrients are better than iron and folic acid alone

The Lancet 2008;371:215-227 | 01 February 2008 | Nutrition

Multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMN) for pregnant women is more effective than iron and folic acid supplementation (IFA) alone at preventing early infant death and foetal loss, a new trial has found. In the trial, doctors studied 31,290 of pregnant women... Read more

Short birth length 'link to violent suicide bids'

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2008:62: 168-173 | 01 February 2008 | Mental Health & CNS

Short male babies run more than double the risk of a violent suicide attempt as an adult, a new study has suggested. Catch up growth during childhood does not lessen the impact of short stature at birth, the research also... Read more

Combination therapy improves survival in prostate cancer

JAMA 2008;299:289-295 | 01 February 2008 | Cancer, Men's Health

Men with localised prostate cancer who were treated with male hormone suppression therapy and radiation treatment had longer survival, but those with moderate to high levels of other illnesses did not experience this effect, according to a new study. Several... Read more

Bone fracture rates are grossly underestimated

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2008;62:174-180 | 01 February 2008 | Musculoskeletal

If the findings of a new study from England are any indication, the rate of bone fracture in Ireland may be grossly underestimated. That study showed that the annual bone fracture rate in England is just short of 4 per... Read more