Heart failure is associated with a 30% increase in major fractures and also identifies a high-risk population that may benefit from increased screening and treatment for osteoporosis, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vismodegib (Erivedge™; Genentech) to treat adult patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. The drug is intended for use in patients with locally advanced basal cell cancer who are not candidates for surgery or radiation and for patients with metastatic cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is generally a slow growing and painless form of skin cancer that starts in the top layer of the skin (epidermis). The cancer develops on areas of skin that are regularly exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet radiation.

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Organ transplant recipients in the United States have a high risk of developing 32 different types of cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) evaluated medical data from more than 175,700 transplant recipients, accounting for approximately 40% of all organ transplant recipients in the country.

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The percentage of U.S. citizens screened for cancer remains below national targets, with significant disparities among racial and ethnic populations, according to the first federal study to identify cancer screening disparities among Asian and Hispanic groups. The report, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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A new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reinforces previous findings that second-generation antidepressants are equally effective in treating major depressive disorder and its symptoms. There is no evidence to support choosing one antidepressant over another based on either greater efficacy or effectiveness. Although second-generation antidepressants are similar in efficacy, they cannot be considered identical drugs. Evidence supports some differences among individual drugs with respect to onset of action, side effects, and some measures of health-related quality of life.

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The rate of leg and foot amputations among U.S. adults aged 40 years and older with diagnosed diabetes declined by 65% from 1996 to 2008, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in Diabetes Care. Diabetes is the leading cause of lower–limb amputations in the United States.

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Two new studies suggest that, compared with current care or self-care, yoga classes can provide relief for patients with moderate low back pain (LBP), at least over the short term. As current treatments for LBP have proven largely ineffective, these studies confirm that there is at least some benefit in recommending yoga and other stretching programs for patients with mild to moderate LBP before pursuing more radical interventions.

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According to an article just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, exposure to iodinated contrast media (ICM) during imaging procedures is associated with changes in thyroid function and increased risk of developing hyperthyroidism in patients with no history of thyroid dysfunction.

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The annual report of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), “Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America,” Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America, released this week shows that the number of patients served remains fairly constant at 1.58 million in 2010 (a slight rise from 1.56 million served in 2009). Yet a statistic of concern to hospice and palliative care professionals is the drop in both median and average length of service.

• The median (50th percentile) length of service in 2010 was 19.7 days, a decrease from 21.1 days in 2009.
• The average length of service dropped to 67.4 days in 2010 from 69 days in 2009.

In other words, half of hospice patients received care for less than 20 days. With drops in both the median and average length of service, there is concern that hospice providers are not reaching the patients and family caregivers who need hospice support in a timely manner. In previous decades, hospices overwhelmingly cared for people with cancer. In 2010, cancer diagnoses dropped to 35.6% (from 40.1% in 2009). At 14.3%, heart disease—the leading cause of death in the U.S.—is the leading non-cancer diagnosis among hospice patients.

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Shortages of key drugs used to fight infections represent a public health emergency and can put patients at risk, according to a review published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Frequent anti-infective shortages can substantially alter clinical care and may lead to worse outcomes for patients, particularly as the development of new anti-infectives has slowed and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens is increasing.

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