A survey by Harris Interactive? found that large numbers of people believe that they are influenced by the direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Between 21 and 51 percent agree with 10 statements about how they are influenced by DTCA, with 30 percent or more agreeing with eight of the 10 statements.
Five minutes of straight talk between doctors and problem drinkers could help reduce the toll of alcohol-related injuries, violence and accidents. Doctors have long questioned whether a single, short discussion with patients about their drinking could have significant effects on alcohol-related problems, despite dozens of studies supporting such “brief interventions.” However, a new review should lay those doubts to rest.
As a birth-control surgery technique grows in popularity, a new review of studies underlines the importance of physician training for no-scalpel vasectomies, a method that is more difficult to learn than conventional surgery.
Potential drug interactions from prescribed medications are common among cancer patients and may cause unnecessary harm, according to a study in the April 18 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
A phase III trial of 1,298 colorectal cancer patients has found that a combination of the drugs cetuximab (Erbitux) and irinotecan showed a significant improvement in progression-free survival over just irinotecan alone, according to an international team of researchers.
Those persons who are labeled a ?night owl? report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).
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 nondermatologist, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
People with a family history of pancreas cancer now have a way to accurately predict their chance of carrying a gene for hereditary pancreas cancer and their lifetime risk of developing the disease.
Neurologists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have found that many patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis are not taking or being prescribed drugs approved to treat the disease.
In an editorial published in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Malaz Boustani, M.D., M.P.H., of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc., writes that assessing the safety of older drivers is not a responsibility that should reside with the primary care physician.