Heparin Contaminant Identified
The contaminant found in samples of heparin that had been linked to an increase in adverse reactions has now been identified as oversulfated chondroitin sulfate.
FDA Goes After ‘Natural’ HRT Claims
Todd ZwillichFederal regulators warned several pharmacy companies Wednesday to stop marketing so-called "natural" hormone replacement therapy, calling their sales to women "false and misleading." The FDA took aim at seven compounding pharmacy companies that it says use a product called estriol in reformulated hormone replacement therapy for women.
Risk Factors Identified for Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury in Critically Ill Patients
By Will Boggs, MDTransfusion factors and patient characteristics contribute to the risk of acute lung injury (ALI) following blood transfusions in critically ill patients, according to a report in the November 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Critically ill patients, their families, and physicians need to be aware that […]
Expert Viewpoint: William J. Gradishar, MD
Professor, Division of Hematology and Medical OncologyNorthwestern UniversityThe Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, IL William J. Gradishar, MD, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. […]
Blood Transfusion Does Not Increase Prostate Cancer Recurrence Risk
Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) does not increase the risk of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy (RP), according to a report in the December issue of BJU International.
Risks of Transfusion
Bruce D. Spiess, MD, FAHAIntroductionBlood transfusion has evolved into a mainstay medical therapy. It has never undergone efficacy and safety testing the way in which a drug would be tested for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.[1,2] Today, some 107 years after Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO histocompatibility antigens, we are still learning […]
Patients With Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency May Not Need Flu Vaccine
Despite guidelines that recommend influenza vaccination for patients with alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), new research suggests that such vaccination has little impact on disease outcomes in those patients.
Science and Sensibility: An Interview With Professor Rolf M. Zinkernagel
Science and Sensibility: An Interview With Professor Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine 1996 Interviewers: Hrishikesh Satish Kulkarni; Ajit H. Goenka, MBBSInterviewee: Rolf M. Zinkernagel, MD, PhDIntroduction Science is perceived to be the panacea to many of the world's problems. No wonder then that scores of brilliant minds are busy applying time-tested scientific […]
New Statement on Safety of MRI With CV Devices
News Author: Lisa NainggolanCME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd The American Heart Association has published a scientific statement on the safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with cardiovascular devices, which has also been endorsed by the American College of Cardiology, the North American Society for Cardiac Imaging, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic […]
Guidelines for Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Patients Considering Noncardiac Surgery
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) have issued a new guideline (last published in 2002) on the perioperative cardiovascular evaluation for patients considering noncardiac surgery. The new algorithm is simpler and gives clinicians more latitude in individualizing decisions, but does not apply to patients who require emergency surgery or who […]
