August 29th, 2011 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Chinese Traditional Therapy, Cold, Complications, Fever, Flu, Flu Symptoms, H1N1, Herbal Remedies, Herbs, Influenza, Maxingshigan–Yinqiaosan, Oseltamivir, Placebo, Research, Science Based Medicine, Side Effects, Study, TCM
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During the early days of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, the popular herbal formula maxingshigan–yinqiaosan was used widely by TCM practitioners to reduce symptoms. (It’s hard to pronounce and spell, so I’ll refer to it as M-Y.) A new study was done to test whether M-Y worked and to compare it to the prescription drug oseltamivir. It showed that M-Y did not work for the purpose it was being used for: it did not reduce symptoms, although it did reduce the duration of one sign, fever, allowing researchers to claim they had proved that it works as well as oseltamivir.
“Oseltamivir Compared With the Chinese Traditional Therapy: Maxingshigan–Yinqiaosan in the Treatment of H1N1 Influenza” by Wang et al. was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine earlier this month. The study was done in China, which is notorious for only publishing positive studies. Even if it were an impeccable study, we would have to wonder if other studies with unfavorable results had been “file-drawered.” It’s not impeccable; it’s seriously peccable.
It was randomized, prospective, and controlled; but not placebo controlled, because they couldn’t figure out how to prepare an adequate placebo control. They considered that including Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
August 29th, 2011 by Medgadget in Research
Tags: Benign Cyst, Biomedical Optics Express, Brandeis University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Histology, Imaging Technique, Malignant Cysts, Mass General, Mucinous Cyst, OCT, Optical Coherence Tomography, Pancreatic Cysts, Radiology
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Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been demonstrated to be able to differentiate between benign and potentially malignant pancreatic cysts. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Physical Sciences, Inc., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Brandeis University have published their findings in Biomedical Optics Express. In their study they used surgically removed pancreas specimens of patients with pancreatic cysts to assess them with OCT and compare the results with histology examinations. OCT was able to reveal specific morphological characteristics used to differentiate between the low-risk and high-risk cysts. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 28th, 2011 by Michael Kirsch, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Cardiac Surgeons, Cost, Defensive Medicine, Efficiency, Fairness, Lawyers, Malpractice, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Medical Malpractice Reform, Negligence, NEJM, Neurosurgeons, New England Journal of Medicine, Plantiff, Quality Improvement, Sued, Surgeons
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Medical malpractice reform is in the news again. Of course, for the medical profession, the medical malpractice system is the wound that simply will not heal. For the plaintiffs bar, in contrast, the medical liability system is the gift that keeps on giving. I have argued that the current system fails on four important fronts.
- Efficiency
- Cost
- Fairness
- Quality Improvement
I admit readily that my profession has not been as diligent as it should be in holding ourselves accountable. We have not been forthright in admitting our medical errors, although can you blame us under the current medical liability construct? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at MD Whistleblower*
August 28th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Cancer, Cosmetic Surgery, Effectiveness, FDA Approval, Fibroblast removal, Laugh Lines, laViv, Plastic Surgery, Safe, Scar Tissue, Side Effects, Wrinkles
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The FDA has granted a license to the maker of laViv which is said to improve the appearance of smile lines without freezing the muscles of your face. Have you heard of this new drug? Does it work like it claims? Are there any side effects that are worrisome?
Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2028456/New-biological-wrinkle-cure-touted-alternative-Botox-frozen-face.html
Maybe.
As we have discussed before, FDA approval is not a stamp of approval that a drug is effective. It just means that as far as current studies show, it is not harmful. Some drugs are FDA approved for years until later the FDA reconsiders and removes them from the market. Look at the relatively recent removal of Darvocet from the market after many years of FDA approval.
LaViv is an interesting concept. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
August 28th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Research
Tags: Air, Bony Nasal Cavity, Climate, Dry, Ear Nose and Throat, ENT, Evolution, Germany, Human, Humidity, Internal Nasal Cavity, Lungs, Nasal Interior, nasopharynx, Nose, Shape of Nose, Temperature
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The basic function of the human nose is to warm and humidify the air before it reaches the lungs. Because of the wide variation of human habitats from the polar cold and dry air to the equatorial hot and humid weather, one would expect the nose to accommodate to these climate extremes accordingly through evolutionary pressures.
In essence, logically one would expect the nose to change shape to enhance time that air is in contact with the warm and moist nasal interior in cold and dry climates compared to the opposite environmental extreme.
German scientists evaluated this hypothesis through Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
