"When many cures are offered for a disease, it means the disease is not curable" -Anton Chekhov
''Once you tell people there's a cure for something, the more likely they are to pressure doctors to prescribe it.'' -Robert Ehrlich, drug advertising executive.
"Opinions are like sphincters, everyone has one." - Chris Rangel
Pulse of the People: The Cheney-Edwards debate didn't make as much of an impression on my patients as the Bush-Kerry debate. No one's mentioned it at all. But then, everyone's been preoccupied by the flu vaccine shortage. Did you know that's Bush's fault? That's what I kept hearing today.
As far as I can tell the thinking goes something like this: The flu vaccine is manufactured by a corporation. Corporations only exist to make money and are therefore evil. Republicans support policies that help corporations make more money. Bush is a Republican. Therefore, the shortage is his fault.
In other election trends, I can't help but notice that the people in my practice who complain the most about taxes and runaway litigation are also the most vocal Kerry-Edwards supporters. What's up with that?
Influenza Vaccine Update: Discovered yesterday that my flu shot supplier is the main distributor of Chiron vaccines and that I won't be getting any. Meanwhile, local drug stores are handing them out:
At least 30 people crowded the Discount Drug Mart store in Minerva half an hour before a flu shot clinic started Wednesday.
The customers were seeking vaccines while they could get them one day after public health officials announced this year's supply will be roughly half of what was expected.
....Discount Drug Mart has enough doses to continue its scheduled clinics, though doses are limited to high-risk patients, said Tom Nameth, director of pharmacy operations.
``I would say for the next week to 10 days, the clinics that are already scheduled are going to happen,'' he said.
After that, he said, the availability could start to be limited.
``The next step could be that they're going to limit the numbers at each clinic,'' he said.
But at least one drugstore chain is behaving responsibly:
The supply shortage forced at least one national drugstore chain to cancel its scheduled flu shot clinics.
In a statement posted Wednesday on its Web site, CVS announced it is suspending all its stores' flu clinics while it evaluates how to distribute the doses.
The Ohio Department of Health ordered their vaccines from Aventis, so they plan to go ahead as scheduled with their vaccine clinics. Other states weren't so lucky. Still other health departments are giving vaccines to all takers, regardless of risk. (Tough luck to the elderly of South Bend, Indiana) Who would have thought that a drugstore chain was capable of acting more ethically than a health department? Too bad the CDC doesn't have the power to enforce restrictions in crisis situations such as this. posted by Sydney on
10/07/2004 09:26:00 AM
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Jumping the Gun? A Colorado coroner has handed down an odd ruling:
A western Colorado coroner said Monday that two hospitals allowed vital organs to be removed from a man before they had proven he was brain dead, and he declared the death a homicide.
The cause of William Rardin's death was 'removal of his internal organs by an organ recovery team,' Montrose County Coroner Mark Young said. He said he did not believe the case should be a criminal matter, but that it 'should lead to a clarification of what the accepted standard is.
I'm not sure how a coroner could make that determination in an autopsy, unless he relied on the hospital's medical records. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why a coroner would be involved in an organ donor case. They usually only step in when the cause of death is unknown. There are a lot of unanswered questions in this story. But, I have to agree with this sentiment:
"I don't mind donating organs if I'm dead, but I want to be dead first."
Although he is the elected County Coroner, Mr. Young is not a medical doctor. He also conceded that he had no prior training or experience in the declaration of brain death. He indicated that he was learning about brain death through the internet commencing on or about September 28, 2004. The committee understands that Mr. Young had a conversation with a neurosurgeon regarding a 'hypothetical case.' That neurosurgeon was not directly involved in the case, nor did the neurosurgeon have the benefit of reviewing any of the medical records related to Mr. Rardin's case. posted by Sydney on
10/06/2004 08:50:00 AM
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Pain and Suffering: The sad case of a brain-damaged baby and his parents' $3 million settlement:
The settlement, approved by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Hugh Mundy, will be allocated as follows: $1.11 million to the Philadelphia law firm of Kline and Specter for fees and costs; $6,239 to the state Department of Public Welfare to satisfy a lien; and $1.83 million to the boy's estate.
It's impossible to tell whether the damage to the baby occurred during the one and half hour labor and delivery, but it's equally impossible to argue that it didn't. And who do you think a jury's going to side with? A hospital or bereaved parents? No wonder they settled. posted by Sydney on
10/06/2004 08:44:00 AM
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Flu Vaccine Update: It's still not clear why the British suspended the license of Chiron, the influenza vaccine producer. Even the CDC isn't sure:
We will need the help of the public, the public health community and the medical community to make sure that the vaccine goes to those who truly need it most.
We are in the process of learning more detailed information about why the UK regulatory authority suspended Chiron's license for three months and whether anything can be done to address the issues involved. The Department of Health and Human Services, including its Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health, are working with their counterparts in the British government as well as Chiron regarding this matter.
The Department also has begun exploring whether more flu vaccine can be manufactured for this flu season. This includes working with Aventis on its ability to provide more vaccine. At this point, however, it is not known whether it's possible to get more vaccine.
Chiron was taken by surprise, too. When their actions have such far-reaching consequences for public health, don't these regulatory bodies have an obligation to make public the reasons behind those actions? Our own regulatory bodies had no problem with the vaccine's production. Our vaccine supply is being held hostage to a British regulatory body. Maybe it's not such a good idea to outsource our public health this way.
*all children aged 6–23 months;
* adults aged 65 years and older;
* persons aged 2–64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions;
* all women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
* residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities;
* children aged 6 months–18 years on chronic aspirin therapy;
* health-care workers involved in direct patient care; and
* out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children aged <6 months.
If you're healthy, please refrain. You might miss a few days of work if you get the flu, but for the people in the above groups, the flu could be deadly.
More Vaccine Supply Woes: The second largest flu vaccine manufacturer is not releasing any vaccine this year. That means the "everyone go get your shot" advice the CDC was giving just last week is null and void:
Global and U.S. health officials warned Tuesday of major flu shot shortages after British health officials abruptly pulled the license of the maker of half the U.S. vaccine just as flu season was about to begin.
The news means the United States will face "a significant shortage," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's infectious disease chief.
Other countries will likely face similar problems.
...Chiron had planned to ship 46 million to 48 million doses, but that already had been delayed by a contamination problem discovered in August in the English factory where the vaccine is made. At the time, the company said only 4 million doses were tainted but that the entire supply would be held up and re-tested.
About 1 million doses already had arrived in the United States, but it remains under Chiron's control and has not been released for use.
..Worldwide, Chiron is the second leading flu vaccine manufacturer, behind French pharmaceutical company Aventis, which makes about 45 percent or 50 percent of the world's supply, Stohr said.
Chiron, based in California, makes four influenza vaccines, including Fluvirin, the top flu vaccine in Northern Europe and the No. 2 vaccine in the United States.
Guess that explains why no one can tell me when the vaccine I pre-ordered last winter will ship. No one knows. posted by Sydney on
10/05/2004 01:35:00 PM
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There Goes the Neighborhood: Here's a scenario that's been repeated in many urban neighborhoods:
Authorities were tipped to the alleged drug dealing by neighbors, who were suspicious of the high volume of people entering and exiting the office, sometimes at night.
The neighborhood contains many stately homes. West Pittston Police Chief Ralph Zezza said neighbors complained there would sometimes be 30 to 40 cars parked on the narrow street, blocking their driveways. Some.... would also urinate on neighbors' properties and bother children who were playing, he said.
'It's a very nice neighborhood. They stuck out like a sore thumb,' Zezza said.
Never Too Old: A 67 year old psychiatrist will be reporting for duty with the Army. He's not complaining:
“I really don’t mind helping my country,” Ham said. “I think it’s neat that an old man like me can still do something worthwhile for my country and the troops.” posted by Sydney on
10/05/2004 07:45:00 AM
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Market Medicine: Another reason we don't pay doctors only for successes, from a reader:
You mentioned recently that someone asked why physicians don't get paid only when their patients get well. A good retort would be that in such a scenario, we need to set our own prices (rather than have the mercenary insurance companies set them for us) so that we can make up for the ones that don't get well, often despite our best efforts. In addition, we MDs ought to be able to choose which patients we accept for
treatment in that scenario, which would not bode well for ominous illnesses.
"Approximately 65 percent of women on (hormone replacement therapy) stopped therapy after the (Women's Health Initiative),"said Dr. Isaac Schiff, chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Task Force on Hormone Therapy.
'Two years later, reports suggest that about 1 in 4 women who stopped (the therapy) went back on it because it still offers the best relief for menopausal symptoms.
'So we're moving back to an appropriate balance -- accepting that (hormone therapy) has risks, but recognizing that it can be appropriate for conditions like hot flashes so long as women are informed about the risks and weigh their decision with their doctor,' he added.
UK angina patients are being offered a novel treatment - vibrating trousers.
The treatment, called Enhanced External Counterpulsation or EECP, works by increasing blood flow to the heart.
Long inflatable cuffs, like those used to measure blood pressure, are wrapped around the patient's calves, thighs and buttocks.
....When the heart is resting the cuffs inflate and then deflate again just before each heart beat.
The sequential inflation and deflation of the cuffs increases blood flow to the heart and encourages tiny new blood vessels to grow around the blocked arteries to feed the heart.
CNN discovers CMA: While getting ready for the debate in Cleveland tonight, a CNN director discovered the Cleveland Museum of Art:
Originally, CNN had planned to set up its outdoor studio in another location for better access to the students at Case Western Reserve University. But that was before director Tom Gaut took a little stroll.
Said special events coordinator Anne Brown: ``He called us on the cell phone and said, `You've got to come check this out! It's like Italy!' ''
Health Matters: The New York Times had a detailed and lengthy discourse on the state of John Kerry's health, including every single injury he's ever had, his cholesterol readings, and his brush with prostate cancer:
Mr. Kerry could become the first "cancer survivor" to be elected president, but he rejected the term as creating an unfair stigma. He is free of any vestiges of the cancer and characterized it as a nonissue in an interview in Las Vegas on Sept. 16. "I am cured," he said. "I am cancer-free, and the percentages of me being cancer-free 10 years from now are about as good as they get."
Mr. Kerry's doctors said they had told him that he was cured. They based their optimism on an array of tests and concluded that he had a less than 3 percent chance of a recurrence in the next nine years. Even if the cancer came back, it could be treated without seriously interfering with presidential duties, Mr. Kerry's doctors and experts said.
...The pathology report was the best that Mr. Kerry could receive: the cancer was confined to the left side of the prostate gland. And on the Gleason scale, a standard measure of the severity of prostate cancer, Mr. Kerry's score was 6 out of 10, considered a very favorable finding.
If Mr. Kerry had a recurrence, Dr. Walsh said, "he would be astonished, and so would I, and I am telling you this with the very conscious understanding of what happened to Senator Tsongas."
Dr. Peter T. Scardino, the chief urologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute in Manhattan, who is not connected with Mr. Kerry's case, said that while "there are no guarantees," he agreed with the prognosis given Mr. Kerry. "Something bizarre could happen as an exception to the rule, but it would be extremely surprising," Dr. Scardino said.
A Gleason score of 6 isn't exactly the "best that Mr. Kerry could receive." The higher the Gleason score, the worse the cancer is. The maximum score is 10. Kerry's prostate cancer was actually of moderate severity:
Grade refers to the histologic type, characterized by the Gleason score, with the prognosis worse for higher-grade cancers. Prostate cancers are often classified into three grades. Grade III includes those with a Gleason score of more than 7, grade II includes those with a Gleason score of 5 to 7, and grade I includes those with a Gleason score of less than 5. In the Hybritech study,1 the Gleason score was less than 7 in 60.0 percent of the black men and in 75.1 percent of the white men who were found to have prostate cancer. Patients with clinically localized cancer of a lower grade are considered to be the best candidates for curative treatment, especially radical prostatectomy.
...Clinical outcomes after surgery for localized prostate cancer are known to be good. A recent multi-institutional study that pooled the results of radical prostatectomy in men with clinically localized prostate cancer found disease-specific 10-year survival rates of 94 percent for grade I cancer, 80 percent for grade II cancer and 77 percent for grade III cancer.
That's not exactly the less than three percent chance his surgeons told the Times he had, and they were talking about recurrence, not survival. They may have done other testing on the tumor to arrive at their very low predictions, but that detail is missing in an otherwise exhaustively detailed report. Despite having a moderately high Gleason score, his PSA level was low, a factor definitely in his favor, and although he had a less-destructive-than-usual surgery to remove the prostate and preserve the nerves, the evidence so far is that the newer surgery has the same survival rates as the older, more extensive removals. But is his prognosis for a recurrence really less than 3%?
BONUS: Senator Kerry's urologist has made a movie of his nerve-sparing technique, in case you're interested.
posted by Sydney on
10/04/2004 08:24:00 PM
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Cultural Illiteracy: A few years ago, one of my patients, an Egyptian immigrant with very little English, needed to be referred to a specialist. In my infinite wisdom, I referred him to a physician who also happens to be from Egypt, thinking my patient would be better served by a doctor who could speak the same language.
Recently, I saw my patient's wife, who now also needs to see the same type of specialist. I recommended the same doctor. But she surprised me b y asking me to please send her to an American because "Americans are nice to everyone." Her husband, who was also in the exam room, agreed. He didn't particularly care for the specialist, either. Americans are "nicer."
At the risk of sounding conceited on behalf of all Americans, I think they've got a point. Americans, especially American physicians, tend to be egalitarian. We don't come close to the class-consciousness that is so prevalent in other cultures. If I were living in a foreign land, and needed medical attention, I would jump at the chance to see a fellow American. It wouldn't matter if he were black or white, Jewish or Baptist, or from the North, the South or East or West. I'd be pretty confident that he'd treat me the same as he would anyone else.
I hadn't taken into account the cultural prejudices of my patient's native land that must have come out in his encounters with the specialist - Muslims vs. Coptic Catholics, rich vs. poor, educated vs. uneducated, and who knows what else. I ended up giving his wife the names of two Americans. At least one is an American, the other is her new partner who has an Anglo-sounding name. But I warned them - he might turn out to be British. posted by Sydney on
10/04/2004 08:19:00 AM
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Sunday, October 03, 2004
Strange Bedfellows: The prominent pediatricians who support Kerry because he cares more about kids, might want to think about some of his other supporters who also feel he's done a good job of supporting their agenda:
MARTIN HASKELL, George Tiller, and Warren Hern have several things in common. All three are abortionists who specialize in late abortions. Haskell's name is closely linked with the partial-birth abortion method. Tiller and Hern may be the only two abortionists in the United States who openly advertise their willingness to perform third-trimester abortions.
Finally, all three men have opened their checkbooks to support Senator John Kerry's bid to be president of the United States. Their contributions to Kerry's campaign total $7,000.
That is not a vast sum compared with the millions being spent by liberal groups to attack President Bush. (Federal law limits a contributor to maximum total donations of $4,000 to a single presidential candidate, split between two types of campaign accounts.) Nevertheless, these contributions are worth scrutinizing because of what they reveal about John Kerry.
...But why would such men send their hard-earned dollars to Kerry? After all, Kerry told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, on January 25, 2004, "I'm against partial-birth abortion, as are many people." And Kerry told Peter Jennings of ABC News, in an interview broadcast July 22, 2004, "I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception."
My bet is that the abortionists know that during his 20 years in the Senate, Kerry has been an absolutely consistent defender of abortion. So why should they be bothered by statements intended only to mislead voters who are strongly opposed to the grisly business that these men are in--voters who are still unfamiliar with Kerry's actual record?
Most likely, these abortionists are quite aware that Kerry has promised to nominate only Supreme Court justices who share his real position on abortion policy--which would guarantee that partial-birth abortions and other late abortions, and of course earlier abortions, would remain almost entirely shielded from scrutiny or restriction by elected lawmakers for the foreseeable future.
How Long is Long Enough? The FDA is coming under criticism in the wake of the Vioxx withdrawl. Some critics expect drugs with no side effects, even attacking the very old and extremely important antibiotic erythromycin because it has the potential for drug interactions (something that doctors know, by the way, and are usually careful about before prescribing it). Others say drug trials looking for side effects should be longer:
The FDA could take a simple step that would improve clinical trial quality before it approved drugs, observers say. Drug companies with products comparable to Vioxx could be required to conduct longer clinical trials.
"If you're the FDA, you'll say `OK, all bets are off. We're going to make you do studies lasting 18 months,'" said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen.
At the time of approval, the FDA had data from clinical trials on Vioxx that lasted for 12 months. The increased risk of heart attack and stroke that prompted Merck to pull Vioxx did not begin to appear until older patients had taken took the drug for 18 months.
It's a valid criticism that drugs that are used long-term (like birth control or arthritis medication) should be tested longer than six or twelve months. But then, what about drugs whose long-term side effects only manifest themselves after two or three or five years, or even longer? No time frame is going to be perfect. And no drug is going to have zero side effects. Every doctor and every patient has to ask themselves if the potential risk is really worth the benefit.
posted by Sydney on
10/03/2004 08:35:00 AM
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Some of the nation's biggest drug manufacturers and health insurance plans confirm they have issued warnings to their sales representatives and other employees in recent weeks, telling them to be on the lookout for the shaggy filmmaker in his trademark baseball cap. And under no circumstances are they to talk to Moore.
....The planned movie, tentatively titled 'Sicko,' is expected to focus on health care industry business practices, specifically those of the managed-care and pharmaceutical industries, which have both been mentioned in Moore's recent speeches and interviews, his spokesman said.
Medical Movie Trivia: The doctor who separates the Tenor twins in the movie Stuck On You, really is a surgeon. He's pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson who has separated conjoined twins in real life. Funny, he doesn't mention the movie in his President's Council on Bioethics bio. posted by Sydney on
10/02/2004 09:44:00 PM
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Hearts and Bones: Two widely used blood pressure medications may also protect bones:
The team looked at data on 30,601 patients aged 30 to 79 from the UK General Practice Research Database who had been diagnosed with a fracture between 1993 and 1999.
Researchers then compared each of them with four people of the same age and sex who had not had a fracture - a total of 12,837 - to see who had been prescribed beta-blockers prior to that date.
They found that taking beta-blockers together with thiazide diuretics, which protect against bone loss, was linked to a reduced risk of fracture of 29%.
Using beta-blockers alone for around six months was linked to a 23% reduced risk. Taking thiazides alone was associated with a 20% risk.
What the study says is that more people who did not have fractures were taking beta-blockers and thiazide diuretics than those who had fractures. However, it's quite possible that the people who were taking beta-blockers and thiazide diuretics were in poorer health than those who took no medication - and thus were less physically active. A person who takes no medication and perceives himself as healthy may be more likely to do risky things like windsurfing or snowboarding than someone who has a heart condition and takes beta-blockers. The jury's still out on this one.
Swing State Notes: President Bush was in town today, and thanks to one of my very kind patients, I got a ticket to the event. The campaign stop was in the parking lot of a new community fitness center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Perhaps you've heard of Cuyahoga Falls, it gets a mention in Chrissie Hynde's song My City Was Gone. Muzak doesn't really fill the air there, and it isn't a paved parking lot, but it does have a shopping mall.
The afternoon was rainy and cold, but there was still a sizable crowd
The crowd was a diverse one, too. There were young families, college kids, service men, senior citizens, Firefighters for Bush, Policmen for Bush, Sportsmen for Bush, Veterans for Bush, and the sighting of one of my patients made me wonder if somewhere there wasn't drug dealers for Bush. Not everyone was a Bush fan. The little girl in front of me in the refreshment line said if she was old enough she'd be voting for Kerry. He's going to tax gasoline so no one can drive cars and kids will be free to ride their bikes in the streets, don't you know?
The hour before the President's appearance was filled with the usual local and state politicians. The best speaker by far was the mayor of Youngstown, a Democrat who has endorsed Bush. He gave a fiery sermon-like speech a la Zell Miller, about how far the Democratic party has strayed from the days of FDR and JFK, with many allusions to the unholy alliance of the Democratic party and the Hollywood elite. Best soundbite (I'm paraphrasing, didn't have a pen and paper with me): "Some in the Democratic party embrace film maker Michael Moore with so much enthusiasm you would think they want to make him the next Secretary of State. FDR and JFK would have wasted no time showing him the door, with the imprint of their shoe on his backside."
By the time Bush arrived, just a few minutes behind schedule, the rain was gone and the sun shone. My ticket was the wrong color to get a good view,
and I couldn't always hear because I was in the Toddlers for Bush section,
but it was a much better performance than last week's debate. The biggest applause lines, from where I was standing:
And, yet, the most fundamental of our systems -- the tax code, health coverage, pension plans and worker training -- were created for yesterday, not tomorrow. I am running to change those systems so all citizens are equipped, prepared and, thus, truly free to make your own choices, so you can pursue your own dreams.
..First of all, you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2.2 trillion. You raise about $680 billion -- therefore, there is a tax gap. Guess who always gets to fill the tax gap? Yes, you do. "Tax the rich," yes, we've heard it. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason, because they want to stick you with the bill.
..I'll tell you another thing we need to do to make sure health care is available and affordable. We've got to do something about these junk lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and running good doctors out of practice... I made my choice: I'm standing with the docs and patients; I'm for medical liability reform now. (Applause.) In all we do, we'll make sure the medical decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
But because there's a lot of baby boomers getting ready to retire, we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of their own tax money and set up a personal savings account that they can call their own that the government cannot take away. (Applause.)
We believe in a culture of life in which every person matters and every being counts. (Applause.) We stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society. (Applause.) We stand for the appointment of federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. (Applause.)
...Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We're strengthening our all-volunteer army -- which will remain an all-volunteer army. (Applause.) We are staying on the offensive. We are striking the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
And my personal favorite:
Wasn't all that long ago that our country was at war with Japan. My dad fought him, your dads and granddads fought him, as well. They were the sworn enemy. And after World War II, Harry Truman and other Americans believed that liberty can transform an enemy into an ally, and worked with Japan to promote democracy. Now, a lot of people then, I'm confident, were skeptical about that being able to happen. You understand why. We had just fought them. A lot of lives had been lost. But because Harry Truman stuck to those values, today I sit down at the table with the head of a former enemy, talking about the peace we all want, talking about how to work together to keep the peace. (Applause.)
Liberty is powerful. It is powerful. I am confident that someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq talking about how to keep the peace in the greater Middle East, and our country will be better off for it, and our children and grandchildren will be able to grow up in a more peaceful world. (Applause.)
I believe -- I believe that the women in the Middle East want to live in freedom. (Applause.) I believe that everybody wants their child to grow up in a free and peaceful society. I believe if given the chance, the people in that part of the world will embrace the most honorable form of government ever devised by man. And I'll tell you why I believe these things: Freedom is not America's gift to the world. Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world. (Applause.)
I don't ever remember hearing or reading anything that positive in the Kerry campaign speeches. Nothing positive in the Kerry representatives, either. They had mostly anti-Bush signs, like "Get Out of My City," although one woman did have a sign that called Kerry a "towering tree of strength" compared to the tiny Bush.
(Sorry for the long shot. The police wouldn't let us get very close.)
And finally, as I was waiting to cross the street on my way back to the car, the President's campaign bus came around the corner. And there was the President, sitting next to the bus door with a microphone, waving to us all and thanking us for coming. Didn't get a picture, though. I had put the camera away.
Hurrican Victims: The CDC is looking out for you. They want you to be safe with those chain saws while clearing away debris. posted by Sydney on
10/01/2004 07:18:00 PM
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Pulse of the People: The patient consensus on the debate, even among Bush supporters, is that Kerry won. posted by Sydney on
10/01/2004 04:35:00 PM
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Vioxx Recall Update: To their credit, Merck is offering to reimburse patients who have unused Vioxx. Details are here, and at Vioxx.com. posted by Sydney on
10/01/2004 04:33:00 PM
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University of Toronto researchers say they are a step closer to a diabetes cure using adult stem cells. The team found pancreas cells from adult mice could be transformed into new islet cells - the cells that produce insulin. The scientists are hoping the same effect will be reproducible in humans.
....Meanwhile, scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago, using adult stem cells derived from a patient's sister's bone marrow, have successfully treated the woman for crippling rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers reported that her morning stiffness was alleviated before she left hospital, and now, one year later, she is no longer affected by the disease, and able to discontinue all medications.
...Finally, scientists in Germany have successfully re-grown a man's jaw bone, by using his own stem cells, and growing the bone within muscle tissues in his back. The man, whose jaw and half his tongue was removed due to mouth cancer, had his first real meal - a bratwurst sandwich - in nine years.
Speaking of Doctor Supply: Was the care of an injured college athlete compromised in northeast Pennsylvania because he had to be transferred to southeast Pennsylvania for care?
The Sabo case has revived the issue of the scope of General Hospital's neurological services over the past few months due, at least in part, to a conflict between Dr. William Host, chief executive officer of the Wyoming Valley Health Care System, which owns General Hospital, and Dr. David Sedor, a neurosurgeon at General Hospital for many years.
A clash between Host and Sedor resulted in Sedor being terminated from the hospital's medical staff. His efforts to gain readmission have been unsuccessful.
Following that event, General Hospital began to use neurology services from physicians associated with the Hershey Medical Center. General and Hershey have forged a cooperative agreement.
Hershey is 90 to 120 minutes away from the Wyoming Valley area. It's also an area that's been hard-hit by the medical malpractice crisis, although in this case that appears not to have played much of a role in the access issue.
posted by Sydney on
10/01/2004 08:22:00 AM
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