|
ER
referral madness
PETERBOROUGH,
UK — Training new ER physicians how to refer
patients could play a key role in improving patient
care according to a study published in the May 1 issue
of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Researchers
handed out questionnaires to 30 junior MDs and then
another 42 docs. They found that 56% of respondents
admitted to having difficulty with referrals. What's
more, with followup questioning all of the MDs admitted
to having some referral woes. The study authors recommend
that med schools include formal teaching on how to properly
refer patients. The authors claim that Lister Hospital
in Stevenage, UK, tried out referral training and the
results were very encouraging.
Texas-sized
uninsured rates
PRINCETON —
A new study on American healthcare coverage found that
the Lone Star State has the dubious distinction of leading
the nation in the percentage of citizens who are uninsured.
A shocking 30.7% of adults — 26.6% of working Texans
— have no health insurance. The state with the
best record is Minnesota, where only 6.9% of workers,
and 8.3% of all adults, lack heath insurance. The study
used CDC data and was funded by the Robert Woods Johnson
Foundation, a pro universal healthcare coverage lobby.
Cancer
comes out from under the umbrella
ROCHESTER, MN
— Lumping similar but distinct hereditary
conditions together should not be the rule of thumb,
according to a paper in the April 27 edition of JAMA.
The research shows that the label hereditary nonpolyposis
colon cancer (HNPCC) actually covers a multitude of
distinct cancers. The study of 161 North American and
German families found that people without defects in
the MMR gene have a lower risk of colon cancer than
those with the defect, indicating that HNPCC is really
an umbrella term covering several distinct variants
of hereditary colon cancer. The authors conclude that
the presence of the MMR gene should be taken into account
when assessing cancer risk.
Herceptin:
a promising breast cancer Tx
WASHINGTON —
Two herceptin trials have ended early thanks
to overwhelmingly positive results — the researchers
had seen enough and wanted to make their findings public,
right away. Both studies, sponsored by the National
Cancer Institute, compared the drug plus chemo to chemotherapy
alone following surgery in women with HER2-positive
metastatic breast cancer. Women in the herceptin group
were 52% less likely to develop a recurrence of tumours.
The interim data is based on results from 3,300 women.
HER
gene affects him too
CHAPEL HILL, NC
— When it comes to cancer genes, it appears
that what's bad for the goose is bad for the gander.
The gene called HER-2, which is involved in breast cancer,
has now been implicated in prostate cancer too. Research
published in the April 15 issue of Cancer Research
reveals that compounds that inhibit HER-2 action also
inhibit prostate cancer. The research, which was done
on human cancer cells, opens the door for new prostate
cancer treatment possibilities.
West
Nile virus bites the big one?
BESTHESDA, MD
— Mosquitoes, once considered merely tiresome
pests in North America, now rank among the most fearsome
beasts in the wilderness, taking their place alongside
bears and wolves ever since the West Nile virus (WNV)
first arrived here in 1999. But they may go back to
being lowly pests soon, if vaccine trials are successful.
A trial that started on April 18 enrolled 15 healthy
volunteers aged 18-50 who will receive three injections
of DNA that codes for two of the virus's surface proteins.
Participants were vaccinated once at the start of the
trial and will receive two more shots at four-week intervals.
They will be monitored for immunity and side effects.
You're
getting sneezy...
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
— A team of researchers in Switzerland have
taught 66 people with hay fever how to control their
symptoms through hypnosis. The study took place over
two years. Participants were put into two groups; the
first practiced self-hypnosis and took their normal
allergy meds; the second group just used their medication.
Those in the hypnosis group reported fewer allergy symptoms.
In the second year of the study, all participants were
using the hypnosis/allergy med combo. Researchers found
that patients who used hypnosis had increased nasal
flow. Results of the study appear in the April issue
of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
High
flying angina risk
BELFAST —
A study of 84 airline passengers found that oxygen levels
during a plane trip drop by about 4% — upping the
risk of breathing difficulties, headaches and angina.
The study, published in the May issue of Anaesthesia,
looked at 55 passengers on long-haul flights and 29
passengers on shorter trips. On average, passengers'
blood oxygen levels dropped to between 97-93% —
regardless of the length of the flight. Physicians usually
give oxygen to hospital patients with blood oxygen levels
below 94%.
Positive
news for HIV-positive kids
HOUSTON —
Over 800,000 kids are HIV-positive worldwide, according
to the UN. Thankfully, a study published in April's
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology may
lead to better management of these patients by helping
doctors predict the course of the disease in infected
infants. Researchers found that a lower immune response
(ie lower CD8, HLA antigen and T-lymphocyte levels)
at age two months could predict which kids would be
immunologic longterm nonprogressors in whom treatment
could be deferred. In their study, 10 out of 127 HIV-positive
kids were accurately pegged as nonprogressors.
|
