On the HCPLive news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.
Medical Marijuana: An Oncologist's Perspective
February 2nd 2010Nevada legalized medical marijuana in 2000. First, physicians determine whether patients have a qualifying medical condition such as cancer, AIDS, or glaucoma. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services then verifies an applicant is in compliance with the law and, if so, issues a registration card authorizing medical marijuana use. Click here to read a commentary on medical marijuana by Nevada oncologist Anthony V. Nguyen, MD.
Medical Marijuana: Smoke & Mirrors?
February 2nd 2010When our home state of New Jersey became the 14th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana, OBTN decided to take a closer look at the herbal remedy. With help from oncologists on our advisory board, we sought to filter through the smoke and examine the realities of medical marijuana.
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Approves New Diagnosis for Diabetes
February 2nd 2010The guidelines incorporate the use of A1c as an additional diagnostic criterion for type 2 diabetes. An A1c of 6.5 or greater is now considered an alternate criterion for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Biomarker Could Help Doctors Tailor Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis
January 29th 2010TNF antagonists are not highly effective in 30 to 50 percent of patients, but investigators have discovered that patients with higher baseline levels of type I interferon beta were more likely to respond to therapy.
Antiepileptic Drug Efficacy may not Be So Great
January 28th 2010AEDs are the mainstay of the treatment of epilepsy. A large number of new drugs have become available in the last two decades. These newer agents generally offer a better adverse effect profile and fewer drug-drug interactions compared with the older drugs. Efficacy, however, may not be much better.
New Ways to Use Social Networking Sites
USA Today has published an interesting opinion piece by Kevin Pho, MD, encouraging physicians to embrace social networking tools as a way to interact with patients. For me, the comments on the article were as interesting as the article itself.
Apple's iPad an Impressive Product in Need of Tweaking for Healthcare Success
January 28th 2010Apple's iPad is sleek, innovative, and should change the landscape of the tablet computer market going forward. But for all the things they got right, Apple has a few things to learn if it wants to become the the healthcare industry's tablet leader.
Millions of Huber Needles Recalled
January 28th 2010Over two million Huber needles, which are used in conjunction with implanted ports to deliver medications by infusion in patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer, are voluntarily being recalled because inspections of Nipro facilities in Japan, a manufacturer of the needles, found 60% to 72% of needles cored in tests, increasing the risk of port leakage or silicone entering the veins. This is a Class I recall, which is the most severe type of FDA recall, as there is a potential for serious injury or death.
Beta Cells Need Key Protein to Divide and Conquer Diabetes
January 27th 2010Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified a cell-cycle protein essential for beta-cell replication to respond successfully to insulin resistance. The finding may point toward eventual therapies for preventing or treating type 2 diabetes.