Patient Advocate For You

INDEPENDENT RN PATIENT ADVOCATES CARE

Crisis intervention when you need us

Accessible and timely support

Responsible and knowledgeable clinicians

Expert navigators of healthcare systems

Newsroom

MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians

Combined Therapy Results Mixed in High-Risk Head, Neck Cancer

PHOENIX (MedPage Today) -- Adding chemotherapy to radiation therapy failed to improve disease control or survival in patients with high-risk head and neck cancer, long-term follow-up of a randomized trial showed. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:31:08 -0400)

White House: Don't Scrap ACA If Mandate Thrown Out

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- If the Supreme Court rules that the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate is unconstitutional, the entire law doesn't need to be thrown out, lawyers for the Obama administration argued in a brief filed Friday with the high court. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:18:21 -0400)

Medicare Overpaid Billions in 2010, GAO Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The U.S. government overpaid private insurance companies administering Medicare Advantage plans by as much as $3.1 billion in 2010, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:11:21 -0400)

New Psoriasis Guidelines Expand Treatment Options (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Newer biologic agents for treating moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis can be considered for first-line use in some cases, according to new treatment guidelines from the National Psoriasis Foundation. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:00:42 -0400)

Once-Weekly Diabetes Treatment Gets FDA OK

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The delay is over for the diabetes drug Bydureon (exenatide extended-release), with FDA approval making it the first once-weekly treatment for type 2 disease. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:22:39 -0400)

Hormone Effect May Be Why Boys Talk Later than Girls (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Prenatal exposure to testosterone appears to affect language development -- and to do so differently in males than in females, researchers found. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:11:34 -0400)

Lab Notes: Steak and Surgery May Not Mix

(MedPage Today) -- Tops in this week's edition, research in mice suggests that taking protein out of patients' diets a few days before surgery could reduce the risk of complications. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0400)

Docs Contradict NCAA on Sickle Cell Trait Tests

(MedPage Today) -- The American Society of Hematology is challenging the major college sports organization over its policy on sickle cell trait testing for athletes. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0400)

OIG: Feds Don't Know Who's Opted Out of Medicare

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Medicare doesn't adequately track which physicians are opting out of Medicare, making it nearly impossible to determine who is cutting ties with the program and why, according to an OIG memo. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:43:16 -0400)

FDA OKs Axitinib for Kidney Cancer

(MedPage Today) -- Another angiogenesis blocker, axitinib (Inlyta), has won FDA approval as a second-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer, the agency said Friday. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:37:41 -0400)

Traffic-Related Asthma Costs Underestimated (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The impact that motor vehicle exhaust has on asthma costs is much bigger than once thought, researchers warned. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:29:45 -0400)

Balloon Better Emboli Guard in Carotid Stenting (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Occluding the proximal carotid artery with a balloon may confer better protection against cerebral embolization than a filter device during carotid stenting, a randomized trial found. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:55:37 -0400)

Head, Neck Cancer Tx of Less Benefit for HIV Patients

PHOENIX (MedPage Today) -- Conventional therapy for head and neck cancer appeared more toxic and less effective for patients with co-existing HIV infection, according to data presented here. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:38:26 -0400)

Sleep Problems Tied to CV, Metabolic Troubles (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Reported difficulty falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much was associated with heightened cardiometabolic risk, a large, nationally representative survey showed. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:13:31 -0400)

Brachytherapy Ups Prostate Cancer Survival (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Treatment of high-grade prostate cancer with brachytherapy significantly reduced prostate cancer-specific mortality compared with external beam radiation alone, results of a large study showed. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:28:57 -0400)

Infant Brain Yields Autism Clues (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Infants' brain responses to people looking at or away from them may someday help identify those at risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers found. (Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:54:51 -0400)

Steroids May Soothe Joints for RA Patients (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- It's possible to control local inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis by interfering with protein changes in the joints, an international team of researchers found. (Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:00:00 -0400)

Gene Test Predicts Mortality Risk After Lung Cancer Surgery (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A new assay looking for 14 genetic signatures may help predict which patients with early-stage lung cancer are more likely to die even after their tumors have been removed, researchers found. (Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:30:00 -0400)

FDA Supplement Guidance Not Strict Enough, MD Says

(MedPage Today) -- An FDA proposal to require dietary supplement manufacturers to submit data proving their product is safe doesn't go far enough, one expert charged. (Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:19:42 -0400)

Bird Flu Research Debate Leaves Docs Up in the Air

(MedPage Today) -- What should be done about controversial research on the H5N1 avian flu that some think should be suppressed and others think has important benefits that should be pursued? (Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:53:59 -0400)