The addition of bevacizumab to cancer therapy significantly increases the risk of gastrointestinal perforation, according to a new study. Gastrointestinal perforation is a serious adverse event associated with bevacizumab, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), according to background information cited by the authors of the study. Although agencies such as the US Food [...]
Prof Eoin O’Brien writes that the results from the EUROASPIRE surveys show a continuing gap between the standards set in cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines and the reality of clinical practice. The first EURO-ASPIRE (European Action on Secondary and Primary Pre-vention by Inter-vention to Reduce Events) survey was carried out in 1995–96 in nine European countries, [...]
Scientific criticism could be harmed if a recent libel judgment the UK is upheld, according to a UK member of Parliament. Evan Harris, MP, has warned that a recent High Court judgment against science writer Simon Singh – if upheld – would have ‘major implications for the ability of scientists, researchers and other commentators freely [...]
Dr Liam O’Síoráin writes that investment in palliative care is not only in the best interests of patients, it is also cost-effective. It is almost a national sport today for people to comment on how we squandered our wealth during the Celtic Tiger era. But the development of palliative care in Ireland in recent years [...]
Dr Paul O’Connell and Dr Khalid Ali Khan look at the issue of early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and examine the different treatment options that are available. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common systemic inflammatory arthritis and also the one with the most potential to cause severe disability. The prevalence rate is approximately 0.5-1 [...]
Hospitalised patients who receive acid-suppressive medications such as a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) have 30 per cent increased odds of developing pneumonia while in hospital, according to a new US study. With the introduction of proton-pump inhibitors, used primarily in the treatment of ulcers and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, the use of acid-suppressive medications has increased over [...]
ED drugs have no visual side effects says study The erectile dysfunction medications, tadalafil and sildenafil, do not appear to have visual side effects when taken daily for six months, according to a new report. In the research, doctors led by researchers from Eli Lilly and Co. conducted a randomised placebo-controlled study to assess changes [...]
A prospective six-year study from Denmark has found that women with occupational exposure to wood dust, even at low levels, have a higher risk of asthma, cough or chronic bronchitis than their non-woodworking counterparts. Interestingly, male colleagues do not seem to be affected. In the study, doctors investigated 54 factories producing wooden furniture in the [...]
Thigh-length graduated support stockings (TL-GCS) do not reduce the risk of blood clots in stroke patients, new research has found. In the study, doctors analysed 2,518 patients from 64 centres in the UK, Italy and Australia. They were admitted to hospital within one week of an acute stroke and were immobile. Some 1,256 patients received [...]
Available evidence supports the use of online or smoking cessation programmes to help adults quit smoking, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies. In the paper, doctors identified 22 randomised controlled trials of web- and computer-based programmes published between 1989 and 2008. The trials included a total of 29,549 participants — 16,050 of whom [...]
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