Senators push for publicly accessible Medicare claims data
June 27th 2013Medicare claims data would be transparent to the public via a free, searchable database if a bill introduced June 18 becomes law. The Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act (Medicare DATA Act) is a bipartisan effort, led by US Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore).
Twice-weekly prenatal iron as effective as daily regimen
June 27th 2013An international study published in PLOS Medicine shows no benefit in birthweight or infant growth for daily versus twice-weekly prenatal iron supplementation. Conducted by Australian researchers in Viet Nam, the results support intermittent rather than daily iron administration for pregnant populations with low rates of iron deficiency.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies for Depression During Pregnancy
June 27th 2013Many choose to discontinue antidepressant treatment during attempts to conceive or during pregnancy, in spite of the risks of untreated perinatal depression. Safety profiles of antidepressant use during pregnancy are increasingly being studied, and many women seek alternatives during pregnancy. This article will review several complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments for prenatal unipolar depression: omega-3 fatty acids, folate, St John’s Wort, bright light therapy, massage therapy, and exercise.
Signs, Symptoms and Screening for Ovarian Cancer
June 26th 2013New research shows that symptoms exist in even early-stage ovarian cancer, disproving the myth that it's a "silent killer." Barbara Goff, MD, presents the latest in symptom research, tips on what physicians should be looking for, and what's on the horizon for ovarian cancer screening.
Report indicates employer bias against pregnant workers
June 20th 2013Discrimination against pregnant workers appears to be increasingly common, a new report issued by National Women’s Law Center, Washington, DC, reveals. The report indicates that pregnant workers do not garner the same breaks as workers with disabilities or those who were injured on the job.
Four lifestyle changes linked to reduced mortality
June 20th 2013A large multicenter study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provides new evidence that four lifestyle changes recommended by the American Heart Association can reduce risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and mortality.
PET Scan Not Cost Effective for Diagnosing Recurrent Cervical Cancer
June 19th 2013The addition of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) for the diagnosis of recurrent or persistent cervical cancer is not cost-effective, according to the results of a meta-analysis funded by the UK’s Research Health Technology Assessment program.
Down Syndrome and Other Trisomies Reliably Detected With Noninvasive Blood Test
June 14th 2013A noninvasive test that analyzes fetal cell-free (cf) DNA in a pregnant woman’s blood can accurately detect trisomy 21 and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester, according to the results of a new study.
Longer tamoxifen treatment drops risk of cancer recurrence, death
June 13th 2013Prolonging treatment with adjuvant tamoxifen from 5 years to 10 years decreases risk of breast cancer recurrence (15% reduction over 5 years of therapy) as well as mortality (25% reduction at year 10) for women in the initial stages of breast cancer. Richard Gray, MD, MSc, of the University of Oxford, UK, presented this finding from results of the aTTom trial (Adjuvant Tamoxifen: To Offer More?) at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago in early June.