Category Archives: Medical Journal Briefs

Further Follow-Up On The New Anticoagulants

Posted on September 14, 2013 by

From the HeartWire there was further follow-up of prior data looking at Pradaxa (dabigatran) versus Coumadin (warfarin) in mechanical heart valve patients. It would appear for now at least that the traditional treatment of warfarin is still in the driver’s … Continue reading →

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Study Demonstrates Effectiveness of a New Generation of Anticoagulants

Posted on July 7, 2013 by

This recent article demonstrates that the new generation anticoagulants are as effective as our old gold standard but with less bleeding risk. The study compared a new Xa inhibitor with our present standard of care — low molecular weight heparin plus … Continue reading →

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Gastric Bypass Surgery and Cardiovascular Risk

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

Medical obesity is defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to 30. This index is calculated based upon a person’s height and weight. In my office this index is listed in the patient’s vital signs section of … Continue reading →

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Face Down Positioning is Effective For Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Posted on June 17, 2013 by

This article from the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that placing patients face-down while intubated for a condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) significantly improves survival. Roughly 230 patients were divided into different treatment groups. In one … Continue reading →

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When It Comes To The ICU, Less is Better

Posted on June 16, 2013 by

A recent New England Journal of Medicine article suggests perhaps less is better in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This came from the June 6, 2013  publication. The article analyzes the effectiveness of having a night-time ICU specialist in attendance … Continue reading →

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Is Cholesterol the Key to Understanding Alzheimer’s?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by

This article presents a brief analysis of the following study presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Variants in the ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter (ABCA7), Apolipoprotein E ϵ4,and the Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease in African Americans While this … Continue reading →

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We Need To Rethink Hormone Replacement In Women

Posted on October 19, 2012 by

A recent Danish study shows that 10 years of hormone replacement started early in menopause significantly improved cardiovascular risk (50% reduction).  A few years ago America was floored by the Women’s Health Initiative’s results which suggested no cardiovascular benefit and … Continue reading →

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Doctor Shortage May Swell to 130,000 With Caps

Posted on September 6, 2012 by

“Does anyone in this country beleive in a free market economy anymore? Here are some ideas. Why don’t my professional membership organizations such as the ACP, AMA or state Medical Associations start a volunteer fund that will use the monetary … Continue reading →

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Milk Thistle Extract for Liver Disease

Posted on July 24, 2012 by

Milk thistle extract (silymarin) was studied for potential benefit in refractory hepatitis C.  This study found that this supplement for this situation was no different than placebo. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1217238 There were no major harmful side effects, but there was more G.I. … Continue reading →

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