There is new evidence that annual prostate cancer screening does not reduce deaths from the disease, even among men in their 50s and 60s and those with underlying health conditions, according to data published from the Prostate, Lung, Cancer, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.¹ This publication updates a 2009 report of the same men, which also found no mortality benefit from prostate cancer screening.² The study comes just months after a draft recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) calling for an end to routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for healthy men age 50 years and older because of concerns that the test does not save lives and often leads to invasive biopsies and aggressive treatments.

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A new effort to help teens quit smoking will use one of today’s teen’s most constant companions—the mobile phone. Developed by smoking cessation experts, SmokefreeTXT is a free text message cessation service that provides 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to teens trying to quit smoking. The initiative is led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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A retrospective cohort study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that hospitalist care leads to higher total expenditures and more medical utilization following hospital discharge. Hospitalists are full-time hospital employees who assume the care of hospitalized patients in the place of patients’ primary care physicians (PCPs). According to the researchers, hospitalist care decreased hospital in-patient treatment costs; however, these savings were offset by higher rates of readmission and emergency department visits after discharge.

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Prevnar 13® (Pfizer Inc.), a pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine, was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people 50 years of age and older to prevent pneumonia and invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Prevnar 13 joins Pneumovax 23™ (Merck) as the only two approved vaccines for this indication in this age group.

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Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities for more than 40% of them, and are the third most common chronic disease for children under 18 years of age. However, a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urges clinicians to use caution when ordering allergy tests and to avoid making a diagnosis based solely on a skin test or the identification of an allergic-specific immunoglobulin (IgE).

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A new study published in Vaccine suggests that aluminum, used as an adjuvant in childhood vaccines, presents little risk to infants. The study also confirms that the benefits of aluminum-containing vaccines administered during the first year of life outweigh any theoretical concerns about the potential effect of aluminum on infants.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed a safety review of Multaq® (dronedarone). This review showed that Multaq increased the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including death, when used by patients in permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). The review was based on data from two clinical trials, PALLAS and ATHENA. The FDA is providing new information and recommendations for the use of Multaq to manage potential serious cardiovascular risks with the drug.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is updating its communication on the ongoing cardiovascular safety review of medications used for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many of which are known to increase heart rate and blood pressure. A large, recently completed study that included one study evaluating heart attacks and sudden deaths in a sample of adults, and a second study that assessed strokes in these adults, has not shown an increased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events in adults treated with ADHD medications.

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The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) have joined forces to launch a registry to monitor the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The TVT Registry™ is a new benchmarking tool developed to track patient safety and real-world outcomes related to the newly introduced transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure, a new treatment option for patients who are considered to be inoperable for conventional aortic valve replacement surgery.

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An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded that many men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer should be closely monitored, permitting treatment to be delayed until warranted by disease progression. The panel also recommended standardizing definitions and conducting additional studies to clarify which monitoring strategies are most likely to optimize patient outcomes.

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