Jan
27

changes in autism diagnostic criteria

Concerns that proposed changes to autism criteria in the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) will exclude many individuals from diagnosis and treatment are unfounded, says the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

These changes would include merging diagnoses currently listed separately in the DSM-IV, such as autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (NOS). The DSM-5 proposal calls for incorporating these disorders under a single umbrella category of “autism spectrum disorder.”

“The proposed criteria will lead to more accurate diagnosis and will help physicians and therapists design better treatment interventions for children who suffer from autism spectrum disorder,” said James Scully, MD, medical director of the APA, in a release.

“While final decisions are still months away, the recommendations reflect the work of dozens of the nation’s top scientific and research minds and are supported by more than a decade of intensive study analysis,” the APA states in the same release. Read the rest of this entry »

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neurology, psychiatry Comments Off
Jan
19

Clinically Proven Weight Loss

Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center
For over 8 years, the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, MD has chosen Medifast products for their very low calorie diets. In clinical studies conducted by Johns Hopkins, males lost an average of 67.41 lbs. and females lost an average of 47.5 lbs. after being on the Medifast program for 16 weeks. Researchers concluded that the Medifast weight loss program provides a safe, effective means of weight reduction and are accompanied by significant improvements in coexisting health problems.
To learn more about this study please download the clinical abstract (PDF format).

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied the efficacy of Medifast Plus for Diabetics by comparing Medifast to basic nutrition recommendations provided by the American Diabetic Association. Results of the study show that Type II Diabetics, using Medifast Plus for Diabetics, lost twice as much weight as those following the ADA’s recommended food guidelines and were twice as likely to stick with the diet. Other improvements in health included: Read the rest of this entry »

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Weight Loss No comments »
Jan
19

Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the most frequent and life-threatening infection in patients with liver cirrhosis requiring prompt recognition and treatment. It is defined by the presence of >250 polymorphonuclear cells (PMN)/mm3 in ascites in the absence of an intra-abdominal source of infection or malignancy. In this review we discuss the current opinions reflected by recent guidelines (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, European Association for the Study of the Liver, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten),[1–4] with particular focus on controversial issues as well as open questions that need to be addressed in the future. First, diagnostic criteria and tools available for rapid and accurate diagnosis are reviewed. Second, since prophylaxis is of crucial relevance when trying to improve survival, we discuss who should be treated, when, how and for how long to prevent episodes of SBP. Identification of risk factors and individualisation of timing and selection of prophylactic measures are the key to success without major development of resistant bacteria. Finally, effective therapy is essential since treatment failure is associated with poor outcome. Since the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria has accelerated, criteria for the choice of antibiotic regimen in the individual patient are pivotal for optimising therapy. Read the rest of this entry »

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Internal Medicine Comments Off
Jan
17

ACP Advises Judicious Use of Screening

Unnecessary screening can have a considerable cost beyond that of the test itself, warn members of an ad hoc committee convened by the American College of Physicians (ACP). Screening tests should be performed judiciously, and the committee has assembled a list of common clinical situations in which more testing is unlikely to be helpful and may be harmful. The ACP workgroup consisted of experienced internal medicine physicians whose goal was to identify “common screening and diagnostic tests relevant to internal medicine that they believe are commonly overused.”

The overuse of screening is a significant part of healthcare expenditures. “Efforts to control expenditures should focus not only on benefits, harms, and costs but on the value of diagnostic tests — meaning an assessment of whether a test provides health benefits that are worth its costs or harms,” write Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, from the ACP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and colleagues in the January 17, 2012, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

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health article Comments Off
Jan
14

Red-Wine Researcher Charged With ‘Photoshop’ Fraud

A University of Connecticut researcher known for touting the health benefits of red wine is guilty of 145 counts of fabricating and falsifying datawith image-editing software, according to a 3-year university investigation  made public Wednesday.

The researcher, Dipak K. Das, PhD, is a director of the university’s Cardiovascular Research Center (CRC) and a professor in the Department of Surgery. The university stated in a press release   that it has frozen all externally funded research in Dr. Das’s lab and turned down $890,000 in federal research grants awarded to him.  The process to dismiss Dr. Das from the university is already underway, the university added.

A university special review board (SRB) found evidence of research fraud in 2 dozen published papers dating back to 2002 as well as 3 grant applications.  The university said it has notified 11 journals that published the studies of its findings. The publications include The American Journal of Physiology  —  Heart  and CirculatoryPhysiology and the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.  Some of the studies asserted that a substance in red wine called resveratrol promoted heart health. Read the rest of this entry »

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general topics Comments Off
Jan
13

For Women Who Imbibe, Red Wine May Be Healthier Option

When it comes to the consumption of alcohol, the message is very mixed. Some studies show that moderate consumption may offer some health benefits, especially for the heart, other studies show an increased risk of certain cancers with the consumption of a very small amount of alcohol.

A new study has found that the consumption of red wine may offer some degree of protection against breast cancer. The results of this small study, online 7th December 2011 in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenge findings suggesting that all types of alcohol consumption may increase the risk of developing breast cancer published.

In the study were researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, that in healthy women before menopause, red wine is associated with significantly more free testosterone (mean difference, 0.64 pg / mL, p = 0.009) and less sex hormone-binding globulin (mean difference, 5.0 nmol / L, P = .007) than white wine. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cancer Comments Off