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Jun26
THE ACID PHOBIA
Gastric acid has a longstanding reputation of being a corrosive agent that can eat through an unprotected stomach wall and "burn a hole in your stomach." , but the percieved dangers of gastric acid are more fantasy than fact. An acid environment can be corrosive for certain inorganic compounds like metals and enamels, but gastric acid is not all that destructive for organic matter. If you have ever spilled orange juice(pH=3) or lime juice(pH=2) on your hands, you have experienced the non destructive nature of acidity in the organic world.Infact the pickling process uses an acid(vineger) to preserve organic matter(food).
The perception of gastric acid as a destructive force is a direct result of the traditional notion that gastric acid is the main cause of peptic ulcer disease.However, recent evidence indicates that local infection with Helicobactor pylori is responsible for most cases of peptic ulcer disease.


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Jun23
HAZARDS OF TONGUE PIERCING
LIKE BODY PIERCING ie NOSE EAR LOBE, EYEBROWS BELLY ETC TONGUE PIERCING BCOMING POPULAR .
IT INVOLVES PLACING STUD THROUGH TONGUE.THIS STUD CAUSES CHIPPING OF TEETH,, RECESSION OF GUMS AND MAY B NERVE DAMAGE.
PEOPLE GOING FOR SUCH THINGS DONT REALIZE RISK FOR DEVLOPING FATAL INFECTIONS.
UNCLEAN PIERCING EQUIPMENT CAN GIVE RISE INFECTIONS LIKE BLOOD BORNE HEPATITIS ,,TOOTH FRACTURES , AND INSTRUMENT USED MAY PIERCE BLOOD VESSEL '


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Jun23
PREOPERATIVE MEASURES TO REDUCE ANASTOMOTIC LEAK
Anastomosis is used when a hollow organ such as intestine needs to be severed and reconnected to allow fluids to flow through it, most commonly because part of the organ needs to be removed.An anastomotic leak is a breakdown along an anastomosis which causes fluid to leak.Leaks can occur for number of reasons and it is not always the mistake on the part of the surgeon.other reasons could be poor wound healing and unexpected stress and pressure on the anastomosed area.Patients who undergo bariatric surgery usually have multiple comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, poor nutrition, less exercise tolerance, and sleep apnea which puts them on high risk for postoperative leaks.
All factors that improve intestinal blood flow and oxygen carrying capacity should be optimized preoperatively.These include anemia, iron, cardiac function, sleep apnea, preoperative hydration to prevent hypoperfusion and hypotension during surgery.Poor control of diabetes can adversely effect healing and HgbA1c should be stable and less than 6% prior to surgery.decreasing the size of the liver preoperatively affords better visualization of the operative field specially if its going to be a laparoscopic surgery.Steatohepatitis is frequently associated with morbid obesity and a two weeks preoperative low energy diet may help reduce the liver size thus resulting in a technically superior anastomosis.Specific preoperative antibiotic therapy may also help towards preventing postoperative anastomotic leak.


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Jun17
KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION: CONTINUED MEDICAL EDUCATION
Knowledge Dissemination: Continued Medical Education

Key words: Knowledge, Medical Knowledge , hoarding , dissemination


Introduction:

At the simplest level, dissemination is best described as the delivery and receipt of a message, the engagement of an individual in a process, or the transfer of a process or product. It is also helpful to think about dissemination in three broadly different ways, viz., dissemination for awareness, for understanding , and for action. Indeed, effective dissemination of a knowledge product will most likely require that it satisfy all three in turn: utilization is the goal. Knowledge is a "thing" that simply needs to find a good home… Nowhere is this more apparent than in the worthy effort to define dissemination as consisting of four activities: spread, exchange, choice, and implementation.

Definitions of dissemination also reflect differing assumptions and beliefs about the ways in which knowledge is used, indeed about the very nature of knowledge itself. The focus varies from perceiving dissemination and utilization as linear, mechanical processes of "transfer," in which knowledge is packaged and moved from one "place" to another, much as an appliance might be packaged and shipped, to characterizing the process as highly complex, nonlinear, interactive, and critically dependent on the beliefs, values, circumstances, and needs of intended users.

Scholarly research makes a profound contribution to the social, cultural and economic wealth of a country. The results of research, referred to here as "scholarly knowledge", is created, organized, preserved and disseminated within the scholarly communication system. Many countries are undertaking national research strategies aimed at understanding and navigating these changes. In order to optimize the dissemination of scholarly knowledge, it is critical that we develop a comprehensive research strategy to examine the future of scholarly communication in this country.

Creation, manipulation, management and dissemination of knowledge cannot go on forever without determining what impact it is having on those who create it and those who use it. This paper explores methods of determining the impact of disseminated Knowledge. It does this by first defining what knowledge is. This is followed by a discussion on different mediums through which knowledge may be disseminated. It then discusses two questions – when do we know when to disseminate knowledge and how do we know when it has been disseminated.(1)


MEDIUMS OF KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

Contrary to Plato and Foskett’s definition of knowledge, it is postulated that knowledge is information that is acceptable to a norm about a subject. In treating different mediums that may be used to disseminate knowledge, it is argued that mediums of disseminating knowledge can be grouped into two main categories, namely natural and man made mediums. Natural mediums of knowledge dissemination include audio and gestures, which are performed by all leaving beings whereas; man-made mediums include all mediums of communication that man has developed out of transforming matter.

Knowledge itself cannot be monitored, only presence in its carrier can. Ipso facto, analyzing different carriers of it or usethereof, not knowledge itself, can do evaluation of knowledge because an indisputable truth is that presence of knowledge is only manifest in its application. In monitoring and evaluating knowledge as transformed matter, the criteria of process and progress; relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability may be used respectively. Techniques of analyzing applied knowledge data abound. For something to count as knowledge, it must actually be true. I see knowledge as information that is acceptable to a norm about a subject. As long as the information that you have conforms to an established and acceptable societal norm, it is knowledge it does not have to be true. If it conforms to an established norm, it will always be believed. As soon as the norm changes, what you know becomes information. When people do not believe you, it is simply because what you say to them is not acceptable to their norm. Good knowledge is useful knowledge. It permits man’s survival by allowing him to use it to solve his problems.

When we attend schools or listen to priests preach to us and accept what they tell us as reasonable and pass it on to other people or use it to solve our problems, what we are doing is simply accepting new norms about new or existing subjects. According to Polanyi, “…tacit knowledge is what is in our heads and explicit knowledge is what we have codified” Given that tacit knowledge is knowledge that is in our heads the easiest and the only way to disseminate this type of knowledge is through organs of the body. We can communicate it through voice. This method of communication is largely applied in schools from primary to tertiary. Besides explicit communication, a lot of information and knowledge is passed on from one person to another through gestures. Laughing is a simple sign of happiness. Shrugging your shoulders indicates that you do not know. Of unique interest to note though is that gestures are not universal, they are unique to societies. Nodding one’s head means that one is in agreement with what is being said after the European fashion. The converse is true in the Asian culture. In the Asian culture when you shake you head from side to side this means concurrence with what is being said. One of the notable efforts to try to address the problem of different norms and standards on gestures is what has come to be known as the sign language which came into being as an effort to address different human beings impairments such as speech and hearing. This confirms the definition made earlier on that knowledge is that which conforms to a norm about any subject.

The second type of knowledge is explicit knowledge. This is knowledge that has been codified. How can knowledge be codified? Codification of knowledge came as a result of man’s application of tacit knowledge to transform matter into various useful objects for his survival. Writing is the oldest form of codifying knowledge. Most of the world’s knowledge is in written form in the form of books. With further transformation of matter through application of tacit knowledge other ways of codifying knowledge have emerged over time. We now find knowledge in medium such as recorders, the INTERNET and others. Of particular interest to me is knowledge that is manifest in transformed matter.

HOARDING KNOWLEDGE

There is no stipulated rule on where and when knowledge should be disseminated. The simple answer to this question is knowledge is ready to be disseminated when the holder of it feels it is ready to be. Besides, it does not make sense to acquire knowledge to hoard it. In fact, it is impossible to hoard knowledge because we need to constantly exchange it for survival. Hoarding of knowledge makes sense only when one does it in order to gain comparative advantage over other human beings. Even this is not eternal. Overtime, the hoarded knowledge gets known and is further exchanged. Dissemination of knowledge is often done with a certain intention in mind. When this is the key reason for knowledge dissemination, it is important to determine whether knowledge dissemination has really taken place. This is important for a number of reasons. One, it allows for learning on whether knowledge was successfully disseminated so that if not other means of disseminating it successfully could be devised. For example, at institutions of learning gauging of knowledge dissemination is done through tests and examinations as we all know and two, for accountability purposes. (4) However, the key gauge of whether knowledge has been disseminated is its application. As indicated earlier, as tacit knowledge, knowledge application is seen in the development of different solutions in the form of products and services. In a codified form, knowledge dissemination is seen in the use of the products and services to solve societal problems. Note before, knowledge use does not only lead to useful solutions to societal problems, at times it creates more problems and leads to societal ills. A clear epitome of this is the atomic bomb that was dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima and the current nuclear age in which nuclear bombs, which are an epitome of man’s application of his knowledge, are a threat to humanity.


MEDICAL KNOWKEDGE

Medical doctors claim that their discipline is founded on scientific knowledge. Yet, although the ideas of evidence-based medicine are widely accepted, clinical decisions and methods of patient care are based on much more than just the results of controlled experiments. Clinical knowledge consists of interpretive action and interaction—factors that involve communication, opinions, and experiences. The traditional quantitative research methods represent a confined access to clinical knowing, since they incorporate only questions and phenomena that can be controlled, measured, and counted. (2)
Biomedical knowledge is expanding at an unprecedented rate-one that is unlikely to slow anytime in the future. While the volume and scope of this new knowledge poses significant organizational challenges, it creates tremendous opportunities to release and direct its power to the service of significant goals. One can achieve those by integrating numerous resource-intensive, technology-based initiatives-including personnel, services and infrastructure, digital repositories, data sets, mobile computing devices, high-tech patient simulators, computerized testing, and interactive multimedia-in a way that enables the center to provide information tailored to the needs of students, faculty and staff on the medical center campus and its surrounding health sciences colleges.
Emphasis must be made on discovering, applying, and sharing new knowledge, information assets, and technologies in this way is a collaborative process. This process creates open-ended opportunities for innovation and a roadmap for working toward seamless integration, synergy, and substantial enhancement of the academic medical center's research; educational, and clinical mission areas (5)
Continuing Medical Education
Continuing medical education (CME) plays a key role in test ordering, while pharmaceutical manufacturers’ representatives are important sources of information concerning new therapeutic agents. The dissemination of information is a complex process. Physicians frequently use multiple sources of information in the decision making process. Physicians and planners of CME must be aware of what types of educational activities are best suited for their needs (6)
The tacit knowing of an experienced practitioner should also be investigated, shared, and contested. Qualitative research methods are strategies for the systematic collection, organization, and interpretation of textual material obtained from talk or observation, which allow the exploration of social events as experienced by individuals in their natural context. Qualitative inquiry could contribute to a broader understanding of medical science. The Internet is a convenient but complex source for health information used by an increasing number of health consumers. Especially for people suffering from a chronic illness (e.g., diabetes), information seeking forms a part of the daily management of the disease, a “project of life.” The study of Web texts examines the citation patterns for a specific and controversial health issue: the beneficial or hazardous use of dietary chromium supplementation in diabetes self-management. Texts from different categories of Web sources (scientific, professional, educational, and commercial sources, as well as diabetes discussion groups) were analyzed in order to study how knowledge is transferred between sources, and how diabetics participating in discussion groups refer to and make sense of the information from different sources on the Internet. The citation patterns suggest that deviations from the traditional models of scientific knowledge dissemination can occur in the Internet environment (1).
It is beyond argument that Continued Medical education (CME) should play a very significant role in the changing health care environment. There are various types of literature (e.g., concerning learning and adult development principles, problem-based/practice-based learning, and other topics) that contribute to ways of thinking about and understanding CME. It is gratifying that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has made a commitment to helping CME be more effective in the professional development of physicians.
The professional development of physicians is a lifelong commitment that builds on formal and informal opportunities to learn emerging science, apply innovations in clinical settings, and expand understandings of caring for patients. One essential element in that commitment has been continuing medical education (CME), the final part of the education continuum. Although CME has a long history in supporting physicians as lifelong learners, it has become increasingly important and focused during the past ten to 15 years as a result of the impact of changing educational, social, and political forces on medical practice. People in academic medicine can support continuing medical education to respond to the changed and changing health care environment, and suggest new directions for individuals and institutions involved with continued learning.
CONCLUSION
As far as medical knowledge dissemination it is imperative that collaboration among the appropriate academic groups, professional associations, and health care institutions, with leadership from the state bodies, is essential to create the best learning systems for the professional development of physicians.
Building new knowledge-based systems today usually entails constructing new knowledge bases from scratch. It could instead be done by assembling reusable components. System developers would then only need to worry about creating the specialized knowledge. New systems should interoperate with existing systems, using them to perform some of its reasoning. In this way, declarative knowledge, problem- solving techniques, and reasoning services could all be shared among systems. This approach would facilitate building bigger and better systems cheaply. The infrastructure to support such sharing and reuse would lead to greater ubiquity of these systems, potentially transforming the knowledge industry. One sees a vision of the future in which knowledge-based system development and operation is facilitated by infrastructure and technology for knowledge sharing. It is believed that newer initiatives currently under way to develop these ideas would pave a long way in the complex yet simpler process of knowledge sharing and dissemination. The future is looking expectantly to realize this vision.





References:

1. Enabling Technology for Knowledge Sharing
Robert Neches, Richard E. Fikes, Tim Finin, Thomas Gruber, Ramesh Patil, Ted Senator, William R. Swartout AI Magazine, Vol 12, No 3


2. Health discussions on the Internet: A study of knowledge communication through citations: Marianne Wikgrenv Department of Information Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Tavastgatan 13, FIN-20500 Åbo, Finland




3.Continuing Medical Education: A New Vision of the Professional Development of Physicians
Bennett, Nancy L. PhD; Davis, Dave A. MD; Easterling, William E. Jr. MD; Friedmann, Paul MD; Green, Joseph S. PhD; Koeppen, Bruce M. MD, PhD; Mazmanian, Paul E. PhD; Waxman, Herbert S. MD Academic Medicine: December 2000 - Volume 75 - Issue 12 - p 1167-1172

4. Www.researchutilization.org/matrix/resources/review/ -

5. Managing Knowledge and Technology to Foster Innovation at The Ohio State University Medical Center
Cain, Timothy J. PhD; Rodman, Ruey L. MLS; Sanfilippo, Fred MD, PhD; Kroll, Susan M. MLSAcademic Medicine:
November 2005 - Volume 80 - Issue 11 - pp 1026-1031

6. Information sources and clinical decisions: journal of General Internal Medicine Jeoffrey K. Stross Vol 2., No.3 May, 1987, 155-159


NB: This was a lecture delivered at the KNOWLEDGE GLOBALIZATION conference at Dhaka May 2010.Dr Patnaik was invited to chair the session on session of Education. The key note was delivered by Noble Laurate Dr Mohd Yunus. The conference was aimed at sharing knowledge with scholars and researchers across geographic and academic boundaries. It was a
global multidisciplinary conference with delegates from across the world.


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Jun13
BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS
Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the tissue lining the esophagus is replaced by tissue that is similar to the lining of the intestine. This process is called intestinal metaplasia. It is commonly seen in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) which occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter opens spontaneously for varying periods of time or does not close properly and the stomach contents rise into the esophagus. It is also called acid reflux. Persistent reflux that occurs more than twice a week is considered GERD.
People with Barrett's esophagus have a risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma. It may be several years before cancer develops. Barrett's esophagus can only be diagnosed using an upper GI endoscopy to obtain biopsies of the esophagus.Several endoscopic therapies are available to treat severe dysplasia and cancer.During these therapies, the Barrett's lining is destroyed(Photodynamic therapy) or the portion of the lining that has the dysplasia or cancer is cut out(Endoscopic mucosal resection).
Your surgeon will present the options and help determine the best course of treatment for u.Periodic endoscopic examinations with biopsies to look for early warning signs of cancer is recommended for people who have barrett's esophagus.This is called surveillance.Typically, before esophageal cancer develops, precancerous cells appear in the Barrett's tissue.This condition is called dysplasia and can be seen only through biopsies.Multiple biopsies may be needed because dysplasia can be missed in a single biopsy.Detecting and treating dysplasia may prevent cancer from developing.Surgical treatment is recommended if a person has severe dysplasia and can tolerate the procedure.many patients with this condition are older and may have other medical problems that make surgery unwise. The type of surgery varies, but it usually involves removing most of the esophagus, pulling a portion of the stomach and attaching it to what remains of the foodpipe.


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Jun13
New inguinal hernia repair without mesh-Dr. Desarda repair
“Complete cure from groin hernia is now possible with Dr.Desarda's repair technique.......”
Mesh is a foreign body. Therefore, its use in hernia repairs is known to cause all sorts of complications like pain, recurrence, infection etc. We have developed an innovative new technique of inguinal hernia repair without mesh. It uses your own body muscle for repair and gives virtually complete cure from inguinal hernia problem. An undetached strip of the external oblique aponeurosis is stitched on the weak area between the muscle arch and the inguinal ligament to form a new, strong and physiologically dynamic posterior wall that gives protection and prevents re-herniation. Normally patient goes home in a day after surgery and can drive car and go to office in 3-4 days time. This "Dr.Desarda's hernia repair" is now followed in many countries all over the world. We are surprised to see the enquiries from many patients in the developed countries asking for this repair in their country. This is because this operation does not use any foreign body like mesh for repair and therefore there are no complications that are seen in mesh repairs. A visit to Topix or other hernia forums show thousands of posts showing sufferings of many patients due to mesh repairs. But still why surgeons from developed countries are interested in mesh repairs is a big question for us. Please visit our website for more details: http://herniasurgery.tripod.com or http://www.desarda.com Our cell number: +91 9373322178


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Jun13
AGING GRACEFULLY AND VICTORIOUSLY
AGING

GRACEFULLY
AND
VICTORIOUSLY


Dr.
Shriniwas Kashalikar

The purpose of anti-aging efforts is aging gracefully and victoriously; and not prevention of the aging altogether!

However, aging is usually associated with dwindling of efficiency of all the body systems and organs, debility, dependence, disease, despondence, despair, decreased income, and dejection; which are frightening! This to some extent; is because; all this scenario of aging; appears almost unavoidable and insurmountable; especially to a many of us; bordering the 40s, 50s and 60s, who have “failed” to accomplish their dreams and aspirations (in their own eyes).

The guides in print and electronic media on fitness, home remedies, diet, exercise, yogasanas, entertainment, hobbies and charitable activities are in plenty. The guidance in all these is valuable and helps many individuals.

Thus many individuals try to improve health, avoid disease, preserve independence, develop fitness, enhance performance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, physical form, looks etc. and also engage in philanthropy. They practice NAMASMARAN, i.e. remembering the name of God, take regular bath, eat green leafy vegetables and sprouted beans and other nutritionally rich foods, drink cow milk with halad [turmeric] and sunth [dried ginger], do not grumble, practice pranayama and some exercises/yogasanas!

But having said this in appreciation; it has to be conceded; that there are not adequate efforts (which are required urgently); for a holistic perspective, policy and implementation; for individual and universal blossoming; a part of which is graceful and victorious aging!

What are the reasons for this?

It is obviously because the holistic perspective, policy making and its implementation have not become the convictions of a huge majority of us; the people in the world!

But why has this been the case? Why majority of us tend to think in a sectarian and fragmented manner, especially when they are not criminals, vicious or bad as such?

It is because the holistic perspective is not being studied, understood, assimilated, promoted and propagated adequately!

Why is this so?

This is because the holistic perspective is not recognized as the necessity for the basics needs of billions; even though apparently it is not essential for satisfaction of basal needs of life!

What is the reason for such unawareness about even the need of understanding and propagation of holistic perspective and such dearth of motivation amongst apparently intelligent, kind hearted and well meaning people?

Is this reason hidden in our ego, our passionate involvement in our subjective self identity, our strong and selective sentiments about our own bodily, emotional, intellectual and other considerations?

Does our ego prevent us from zealously sharing the objective wisdom?

Do we tend to remain self content or unhappy in our individual and subjective “achievements” or “failures” respectively?

Are we unable to see the benevolence of objective wisdom, because of undue apprehension and judgmental attitude; about the shortcomings or drawbacks of the person who propounds holistic perspective?

Are we are unable to rise above our relationship/s and prejudices?

Do we; more often than not; ridicule and oppose such efforts of sharing objective or holistic wisdom; actively or passively and overtly or covertly; and knowingly or unknowingly boost the sectarian and retrogressive forces? Do we infect others also; with our cynicism?

Strange it may appear; but is it not a fact that frequently our ego is associated with; not merely our material success in terms of popularity, power or prosperity; but our egalitarianism, righteousness and even our practice of NAMASMARAN and other things referred to above?

Is it because, we are unable to surmount the “clouds our ego” and enjoy the “sky of supreme bliss of universal unity”?

Is it because we are unable to realize that we do not “see” and even strive for the beauty beyond the ego?

Is it because we do not try to realize the universal and eternal value of holistic and objective wisdom born out of NAMASMARAN in providing us complete rejuvenation, revitalization, reorientation and realization of self; and its expression (for all ages and for all people); for individual and global blossoming; the part of which is aging gracefully and victoriously?


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Jun11
Dr. Colin Campbell on Nutrition
Dr. Colin Campbell's ground breaking observations in his book " The China Study" is a must read for health professionals & Doctors.

Some snippets from this fantastic book -

Many of the common notions you have been told about food, health and disease are wrong:

• Synthetic chemicals in the environment and in your food, as problematic as they may be, are not the main cause of cancer. Animal Protein is closely correlated with Liver Cancer.
. Dietary protein proved to be so powerful in its effect that we could tum on and tum off cancer growth simply by changing the level consumed. So stop eating those Burgers, KFC and Big Macs.
• The genes that you inherit from your parents are not the most important factors in determining whether you fall prey to any of the ten leading causes of death.
• The hope that genetic research will eventually lead to drug cures for diseases ignores more powerful solutions that can be employed today. i.e. Plant based Nutrition.
• Obsessively controlling your intake of anyone nutrient, such as carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol or omega-3 fats, will not result in long-term health.
• Popping Vitamins and nutrient supplements do not give you long-term protection against disease. Plant based nutrition will do the job.
• Drugs and surgery don't cure the diseases. Drugs & Surgery kills more people after Cancer and Cardiac diseases. ( JAMA)
• Your doctor probably does not know what you need to do to be the healthiest you can be. The Doctor is not to be blamed because Medical Schools teach Nutrition for only a week or a month in a semester.

Some of the findings, published in the most reputable scientific journals, show that:

• Dietary change can enable diabetic patients to go off their medication.
• Heart disease can be reversed with diet alone.
• Breast cancer is related to levels of female hormones in the blood, which are determined by the food we eat.
• Consuming dairy foods can increase the risk of prostate cancer.
• Antioxidants, found in fruits and vegetables, are linked to better mental performance in old age.
• Kidney stones can be prevented by a healthy diet.
• Type 1 diabetes, one of the most devastating diseases that can befall a child, is convincingly linked to infant feeding practices.

The EGG & Milk lobby in India should learn from the deep research findings presented in this book. We should advocate a Nutritious Plant based Diet with balanced mix of Veggie/Fruit/Fibre/Carb diet. The beauty is that Dr. Colins learned about the 'Protein Cancer' connection from an Indian lab study!

Read this book - it is an eye opener.


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Jun10
TEXTING WHILE DRIVING will claim more Lives than any deadly disease!
NEJM Perspective: 'It's Time for Us to Ask Patients About Driving and Distraction'

A perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine stresses the necessity of counseling patients about the dangers of texting and talking on cell phones while driving. The author concludes that by not educating patients about the risks, physicians "place in harm's way those we hope to heal."

The author shares her strategy: After asking patients about their habits, she tells them that "driving while distracted is roughly equivalent to driving drunk." She then asks whether they could limit their cell phone use in the car, and offers alternatives, including pulling over to make calls.

She says that "although no direct correlation can be made, we know that counseling patients about dangerous behaviors can have powerful consequences." As evidence, she points to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which says that talking to a patient for just 3 minutes about the dangers of smoking increases the odds that the patient will quit.


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Jun10
Diclofenac 'Exerts the Same Risk' for Cardiovascular Events as Rofecoxib
Diclofenac (e.g., Voltaren), the widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent, "exerts the same risk for cardiovascular adverse events as rofecoxib," according to a Danish study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. (Rofecoxib [Vioxx] was removed from the market in 2004.)

Using national databases, investigators identified a cohort of over 1 million healthy individuals aged 10 and older. Over a 9-year period, the investigators tracked the subjects' use of NSAID therapy within 30 days of a major cardiovascular event.

Use of the nonselective NSAID diclofenac was associated with an almost twofold increased risk for cardiovascular death (odds ratio, 1.91); in comparison, the odds ratio with rofecoxib was 1.66. There was a dose-dependent increase in risk. Both ibuprofen and naproxen showed increased stroke risk, although naproxen had the safest overall risk profile.

Acknowledging the limitations of their observational study, the authors conclude that their findings expose "a major public health issue." They caution physicians to carefully assess cardiovascular risks before starting NSAID treatment.


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