"Health News - Medicine, Diet and Fitness"

Washington — Physicians trying to keep up with the latest journal articles have their work cut out for them in more ways than one. First, there is the massive number of articles to read. Second, the possibility of publication bias must be considered. Both pose significant challenges when weighing the risks and benefits of therapeutic treatments.

“Evidence shows that even if physicians were to do their darndest to keep up with all of the literature … and even if they were just keeping up with the quality journals, they would still have to read 19 articles a day, 365 days a year. They just can’t do it,” said Kay Dickersin, PhD, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Clinical Trials at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

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(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A well-publicized report suggesting iPods may interfere with cardiac pacemakers is being debunked by a new study.

The report stemmed from the case of one man who became dizzy after listening to his iPod. When cardiologists tested the iPod during the man’s examination, they found it did interfere with his pacemaker. The report was published, and calls for warning labels on portable music and video devices ensued.

Statement of CALPIRG Health Care Advocate Emily Clayton on the prescription drug discount agreement

“CALPIRG is pleased to join a broad coalition of organizations representing consumers, seniors, working families and communities of color in supporting SB 1702 and AB 2911 by Senator Perata and Speaker Nez. This legislation is a crucial step forward in the ongoing fight to bring affordable medicine to all Californians.

“The discounts provided by this legislation will lower the cost of prescription drugs for more than five million low and moderate income uninsured Californians. The plan gives the pharmaceutical industry three years to voluntarily offer meaningful discounts. If they refuse, the state may, just as all large insurers do, use the weight of its purchasing power to induce discounts. The legislation also includes a series of strong consumer protections that ensure no Medi-Cal patient will be denied access to a medically necessary drug.

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New results from a substudy of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen-Alone Trial show that younger postmenopausal women who take estrogen-alone hormone therapy have significantly less buildup of calcium plaque in their arteries compared to their peers who did not take hormone therapy. Coronary artery calcium is considered a marker for future risk of coronary artery disease.

Results of the WHI Coronary Artery Calcium Study are published in the June 21, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The WHI is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

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(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Studies show up to 20 percent of a child’s IQ is influenced by prenatal and postnatal experience. Learn what you and your baby need before and after birth with these 15 compelling news reports produced by the leading medical news reporting team in the country:

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STANFORD, Calif. - The drug most commonly used to arrest preterm labor, magnesium sulfate, is more likely than another common treatment to cause mild to serious side effects in pregnant women, according to a study from researchers at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford University School of Medicine.

Their findings suggest that, since the effectiveness of the two drugs appears similar, physicians should consider side effects more strongly when choosing which drug to prescribe.

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SACRAMENTO—Members of the OURx Bill of Rights Coalition gathered in the state Capitol this morning to applaud Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature of AB 2911 (Nez/Perata), the California Discount Prescription Drug Program. The coalition, comprised of more than a dozen groups representing consumers, the AIDS community, seniors and communities of color, sponsored the bill in the legislature this year.

“This effort began more than 4 years ago with a small group of OURx members and has blossomed into real reform for millions of Californians,” said Michael Weinstein, President of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

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The state Senate and Assembly today approved AB 2911 (Nez/Perata), legislation that will create a prescription drug discount program for more than five million Californians without health insurance or with extremely high medical costs.

“With today’s passage of AB 2911, California is one step closer to bringing affordable medicine to more than five million Californians and one signature away from creating the largest prescription drug discount program in the nation,” said Emily Clayton, CALPIRG’s Health Care Advocate. “This legislation will go a long way toward bringing affordable medicine within reach of millions more Californians.”

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