A new study finds high levels of stress may raise the risk of mild cognitive impairment, a condition that's often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/stress-linked-to-mental-decline-possible-alzheimers-risk/
Friday, December 11, 2015
APHIS National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP)
From: USDA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrcCpoEfZZQ
Iced tea recalled over glass fragments in bottles
Sweet Leaf Tea Company says some customers reported problems
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sweet-leaf-tea-recalling-glass-bottles-iced-tea/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sweet-leaf-tea-recalling-glass-bottles-iced-tea/
Can high stress raise your risk of Alzheimer's?
A study in older adults looks at stress and the development of early memory problems
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-stress-risk-of-alzheimers/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-stress-risk-of-alzheimers/
Message from Donna Deegan on behalf of Mayo Clinic
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKMQGOdBITk
Regenerative Medicine: Changing Medicine in the 21st Century - Mayo Clinic
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Sd4hcqREI
Christmas Traditions at Saint Marys Hospital-Mayo Clinic
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7McnguGsrTc
Laser: A Breast Cancer Treatment Alternative?
Procedure showed promise on tumors under 3/4 of an inch, but more study is needed
From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20151211/laser-a-breast-cancer-treatment-alternative?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Weight Loss Therapy with the ORBERA™ intragastric balloon - Mayo Clinic
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQtLMqnwL8
Mayo Clinic Minute: The New Holiday Heart
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPPmOyFvaUU
U.S. abortion rate hits record low
The number of pregnancies and abortions both declined significantly in recent years, a new study finds
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-abortion-rate-hits-record-low/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-abortion-rate-hits-record-low/
U.S. Abortion Rate Hits Record Low: CDC
Greater use of more effective birth control may help explain trend, expert says
From: http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20151211/us-abortion-rate-hits-record-low-cdc?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Moderate Drinking May Benefit Early Stage Alzheimer's Patients
2 to 3 alcoholic drinks daily linked to reduced risk of death over 3-year study period
From: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20151211/moderate-drinking-may-benefit-early-stage-alzheimers-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Two Drugs Equal in Preventing Early Breast Cancer's Return: Study
Women with ductal carcinoma in situ had similar outcomes with tamoxifen, anastrozole
From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20151211/two-drugs-equal-in-preventing-early-breast-cancers-return-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Vitamin D Won't Guard Against Colds in People With Asthma
Study showed no difference in number of infections after getting levels of the nutrient back to normal
From: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20151210/vitamin-d-wont-guard-against-colds-in-people-with-asthma?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Football Leads in College Sports Injuries, But Wrestling Most Dangerous
Study finds more than 47,000 football injuries per year, with games more hazardous than practices
From: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/20151210/football-leads-in-college-sports-injuries-but-wrestling-most-dangerous?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Maybe You Can Forecast Your Health Better Than a Doctor
Results of self-rating study predicted which participants would catch a cold
From: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20151210/maybe-you-can-forecast-your-health-better-than-a-doctor?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Fewer Teens, Young Adults Driving After Drinking, Smoking Pot: Report
But researchers add that too many are still under the influence while behind the wheel
From: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20151210/fewer-teens-young-adults-driving-after-drinking-smoking-pot-report?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Timing May Be Key to Success of Surgery, Chemo for Early Breast Cancer
Scheduling the operation soon as possible after diagnosis seems to raise odds for survival, study finds
From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20151210/timing-may-be-key-to-success-of-surgery-chemo-for-early-breast-cancer?src=RSS_PUBLIC
X-Rays May Miss Hip Arthritis, Study Finds
In people with hip pain, researchers found bone problem in fewer than one-quarter of images
From: http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20151210/x-rays-may-miss-hip-arthritis-study-finds?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Could a Scan Someday Replace Lymph Node Biopsy?
Noninvasive technique shows promise for detecting spread of skin cancer
From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20151210/could-a-scan-someday-replace-lymph-node-biopsy?src=RSS_PUBLIC
First Dengue Vaccine Gets Approval in Mexico
First Dengue Vaccine Gets Approval in Mexico
From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20151210/first-dengue-vaccine-gets-approval-in-mexico?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Imaging tests: Using them wisely
Follow me at @ashishkjha
Half a century ago, physicians had few options for diagnostic tests to obtain images of the body. Worried about a brain tumor? A physician might order a pneumo-encephalogram (PEG), which entailed injecting air into the spinal cord and taking x-rays of the head, hoping to spot an abnormality. Tests like these were painful and ineffective, leading physicians to shy away from excessive imaging. The last five decades have seen dramatic progress in technology and innovation, but not without consequences.
The upside — and downside — of innovation in imaging
In the 1970s, CT scans became available. For the first time, physicians could visualize the living brain without opening the skull. The march of diagnostic innovation continued into the 1980s with the advent of the MRI and into the 1990s with the rise of the PET scanner. By the year 2000, the American physician had a broad set of diagnostic tools with which to visualize and evaluate every body part. These breakthroughs have been lifesaving, allowing us to identify lung cancers while still curable and diagnose appendicitis without having to perform surgery first. Given how easy (and painless) these tests have become, they have become commonplace.
But this proliferation comes at a cost. Most obvious is the financial cost, often into the thousands of dollars for each test. But there are clinical costs as well, such as the meaningful amount of radiation exposure patients get with each CT scan. And finally, many of these tests reveal information that clinicians don’t know how to interpret. For instance, one might find a mass incidentally during a CT scan that is likely benign — but having seen it, clinicians often feel compelled to biopsy the tissue, subjecting patients to further risk with unclear benefit. And yet, the number of imaging tests done each year continues to climb and Americans receive more MRIs and CT scans, per capita, than nearly any other nation in the world.
A new model for medical imaging
In a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Daniel Durand and colleagues laid out an approach to curtailing unnecessary testing. The current testing process is often inefficient and frustrating. The large number of tests available can be confusing to clinicians — and the ease of ordering has made multiple tests (an x-ray followed by an ultrasound followed by a CT scan, for example) all too common. And insurance companies are putting up barriers, asking doctors to justify their orders to an administrative entity that decides which tests are appropriate. But Dr. Durand and colleagues offer a different approach: medical-imaging stewardship. For this system, which replicates other recent efforts in hospitals that ensure appropriate use of antibiotics, they call for imaging experts (e.g., a radiologist versed in best practices) to work directly with clinicians to help decide when a test will be most helpful, and to select the right test. With the computerization of medicine well under way, the authors note that computer-based decision aids can help physicians make better choices, and imaging experts can step in when pre-determined algorithms are not applicable.
The goal of such a stewardship program is to let evidence and peer feedback drive more appropriate use of imaging. It’s a worthy goal. But will it reduce unnecessary tests while also ensuring appropriate, often life-saving, uses of these technologies? The jury is still out. This approach has worked well for promoting more appropriate use of antibiotics. But changing clinician behavior around diagnostic tests is hard. Many physicians are used to certain diagnostic algorithms and breaking those habits is challenging. More importantly, many patients don’t fit into an algorithm and require a customized approach. Unless the imaging expert has substantial clinical credibility, it is unlikely that physician practices will change to satisfy organizational guidelines.
Improvements in diagnostic imaging represent one of the biggest areas of clinical progress over the past half century. But all progress has costs. As we think about how to ensure that patients reap the benefits of these advances and avoid the harms of over-testing, imaging stewardship — clinicians being guided by evidence-based algorithms and imaging experts — will become increasingly important. It may not be a cure-all, but it’ll be an important part of how we deliver the right care for all patients.
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The post Imaging tests: Using them wisely appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
From: Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/imaging-tests-using-wisely-201512118809
Prenatal yoga: What you need to know
From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-yoga/art-20047193
WHO: Universal Health Coverage Universal Health Coverage - What does it mean?
From: World Health Organization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZHiIGFLN8Y
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