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Candidate HPV Vaccine Cervarix Poised to Compete with Gardasil
Results of a large multinational trial of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Cervarix indicate that it protects against more cancer-causing types of the virus than does Merck’s Gardasil, said Dr. Warner Huh, principal investigator at the UAB trial site.
SUSAN ROBINSON |
Catch-22 for Hospital/Physician Joint Ventures
The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) published an advisory opinion on June 19 that could have a chilling effect on hospital/physician joint ventures.
The opinion (OIG Advisory Opinion No. 07-05) addresses a proposed ambulatory surgery center (ASC) joint venture between a hospital and existing physician owners of the ASC.
DANIEL MURPHY |
Children Feel Pain, Too
For decades, it has been recognized that children frequently are not medicated enough for pain that results from disease or surgery. The under-medication has resulted, in part, from fear of the effects of strong analgesics on children but also has occurred as a result of the failure to recognize the presence or degree of pain in pediatric patients.
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
CMS Proposes Changes to the E-prescribing Standards
Electronic prescriptions, with their many advantages, may be on the verge of gaining popularity in the United States. E-prescribing is the process by which providers electronically transmit patient prescriptions directly to a pharmacy of the patient’s choice, thereby eliminating the need for paper prescriptions.
KELLI CARPENTER |
Fresh Air Family Offers Referring Tool for Area Physicians
Natalie Cowling couldn’t have imagined her son could thrive with so little medical intervention. She calls her 13-year-old, with what she calls classic ADHD and mild Asperger’s syndrome, “just a walking miracle.” In recent months he has reduced his medication needs by 45 percent and is thoroughly engaged in the world around him.
Cowling credits her son’s weight loss, focusing abilities and growing interests to proper nutrition and their involvement in Fresh Air Family (FAF).
JEAN M. MCLEAN |
Grand Rounds August
UAB Anesthesiologist Receives Calverley Fellowship
Mark Mandabach, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at UAB, has received the 2007 Calverley Fellowship from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) for his project “The History of Anesthesia in Alabama.” The ASA’s Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, in Park Ridge, Illinois, awards several fellowships each year, providing chosen researchers access to its extensive collection of anesthesia history materials.
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New Substance Changes Lives of Chronic Pain Patients
Because chronic pain sufferers frequently need narcotic drugs to relieve their discomfort, they are at risk of developing psychological and physiological dependence and addiction to the pain medications that are prescribed for them. “Most pain medicines cause some euphoric brain effects that promote addiction
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
Peripheral Artery Disease: Taking it Seriously
Cardiologists have a message for frontline caregivers: peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a serious condition that, when caught early, can be treated with new technologies that offer improved results.
The key, they say, is screening for the disease and finding it in the early stages.
MARTI WEBB SLAY |
Physician Spotlight: James Flanagan, Jr., MD
Skiing may be a big source for orthopedic injuries, but that doesn’t stop Birmingham orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist James Flanagan, Jr., from hitting the slopes in Colorado several times a year.
DEBORAH LOCKRIDGE |
Physicians Use Variety of Methods to Treat Chronic Pain
Chronic nonmalignant pain is one of the most difficult types of pain to treat. Treating chronic pain is problematic because there may be little known as to what causes the pain, and the pain often occurs in the absence of any ongoing illness or disease.
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
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