Forging Stronger Social Connections for a Longer Life – NYTimes.com.
Read those senior questionnaires very, very carefully.
underwriting
Richard Lehman’s Journal Review – March 2012
BMJ Group blogs: BMJ » Blog Archive » Richard Lehman’s journal review – 5 March 2012.
BMJ Group blogs: BMJ » Blog Archive » Richard Lehman’s journal review – 12 March 2012.
BMJ Group blogs: BMJ » Blog Archive » Richard Lehman’s journal review – 19 March 2012.
BMJ Group blogs: BMJ » Blog Archive » Richard Lehman’s journal review – 26 March 2012.
DM Risk – White Rice Bad
Eating more white rice may up the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially for Asian populations, researchers said.Patients who ate the greatest amounts of the grain had a 27% greater risk of developing the disease than those who ate the least, and the relative risk was higher among Asian patients, Qi Sun, PhD, of Harvard, and colleagues, reported in BMJ.
This is very bad news for Chinese take out businesses.
Spider Angioma — NEJM Images in Clinical Medicine
Compression of the central arteriole caused the entire lesion to blanch, and it quickly refilled once the compression was released This pattern of blanching and refilling characterizes spider angiomas, which are suggestive of liver disease.
For the underwriter who always wondered what one of these things looks like. For the geekiest underwriters, click on and take a look at the video. And for the underwriter who thinks she should have a Medical Doctor, the following is from the NEJM Resident E-Bulletin of 02.23.12.
Clinical Pearls
- What is the differential diagnosis of a subacute confusional state in a patient with liver disease?
The differential diagnosis includes five major syndromes: hepatic encephalopathy, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, alcohol withdrawal, occult seizures, and infection. Hepatic encephalopathy refers to an alternation in cognitive function that is secondary to a metabolic process caused by liver failure. Wernicke’s encephalopathy refers to the triad of gait ataxia, ophthalmoplegia and confusion caused by thiamine deficiency, commonly seen in chronic alcoholics. Alcohol withdrawal, occult seizures, and underlying infection may also cause a subacute confusional state in a patient with chronic liver disease.
Circulating TNF Receptors 1 and 2 Predict ESRD in Type 2 Diabetes
Glass of Wine Eases Stroke Risk in Women
A study of more than 80,000 women found that low to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a 17% to 21% reduction in risk of stroke.
Minor Trauma Led to Death in Pradaxa Patient
Dabigatran etexilate is an oral anticoagulant that acts as a direct, competitive thrombin inhibitor. It does not require routine monitoring and has been approved by the FDA for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. Note, however, that no effective reversal agent for dabigatran in the event of catastrophic hemorrhage has been identified.
On the article’s webpage you’ll find a link to download a PDF copy of the source article.
Duration of Diabetes Raises Stroke Risk
Diabetes at baseline and duration of diabetes both significantly increased the risk of an ischemic stroke, according to a longitudinal study. Having diabetes for 10 years or more tripled the risk of an ischemic stroke in this racially and ethnically diverse population.
via Medical News:Duration of Diabetes Raises Stroke Risk – in Cardiovascular, Strokes from MedPage Today.
FDA Adds Diabetes Warning to Statin Labels
The diabetes warning has been rumored as a possibility since the findings from the JUPITER trial of rosuvastatin revealed an unexpected 27% increase in new onset diabetes among patients randomized to the statin.That finding was especially perplexing because JUPITER was a study of statins in patients who had no history of cardiovascular disease, the so-called healthy patient trial. Moreover, based on the JUPITER results, the FDA approved rosuvastatin for primary prevention.The FDA said hyperglycemia was also observed among patients treated with 40-mg atorvastatin in a substudy of PROVE-IT TIMI 22, and a meta-analysis of data from 13 statin trials “reported that statin therapy was associated with a 9% increased risk for incident diabetes.”
Inhaled Steroids Lower Pneumonia Mortality in COPD Patients
Of 15,768 eligible patients with COPD who were hospitalized for pneumonia, 8271 had prior ICS use and 7497 had no ICS use. Compared with patients with no prior ICS use, those with prior ICS use had a lower 90-day mortality rate 17.3% vs 22.8%; P < .001.
via Inhaled Steroids Lower Pneumonia Mortality in COPD Patients.
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