Little Evidence Available on Whether Universal Screening for Hearing Loss Improves Health Outcomes
By Mike Mitka on August 13, 2012
There's insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for age-related hearing loss in asymptomatic adults aged 50 years or older, says the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). However, the USPSTF recommendation statement, which appears… Read More ›
JAMA Forum: How Can Medicaid Succeed After Absorbing Millions of New Enrollees?
By Mark D. Smith, MD on August 10, 2012
The term "Obamacare," once derisive, has now been embraced by the President, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is likely to be an important issue in the upcoming election. Since the Supreme Court ruling surprised nearly everyone and struck down… Read More ›
Drug Resistance Claims Another Gonorrhea Treatment
By Rebecca Voelker on August 9, 2012
Drug resistance has eliminated another antimicrobial agent from the clinical arsenal against gonorrhea. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that it no longer recommends the oral cephalosporin cefixime at any dose as a first-line treatment… Read More ›
JAMA Forum: Women's Health and the Presidential Race
By Diana Mason, PhD, RN on August 8, 2012
In 2007, the American Journal of Nursing published a cover photo of a weeping 4-year-old boy, his hands and face pressing on the inside of a car window. At the time, I was editor in chief of the journal and… Read More ›
Author Insights: An Obesity Paradox Found Among Some Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
By Mike Mitka on August 7, 2012
Public health officials warn that today's obesity epidemic could result in tomorrow's type 2 diabetes epidemic. And while obesity is associated with the development of diabetes, a paradox has emerged suggesting that some patients who are of normal weight when… Read More ›
Chemotherapy May Co-opt Healthy Cells to Support Tumors
By Bridget M. Kuehn on August 6, 2012
Chemotherapy may induce changes in healthy cells that protect nearby tumors from the effects of such treatment, according to a study published in Nature Medicine Sunday. This discovery came as a surprise to the researchers who were probing the molecular… Read More ›
As Cigarette Smoking Declines, Pipe Tobacco Use Soars
Some smokers apparently would rather switch to puffing on pipe tobacco than pay rising cigarette taxes in the United States. The shift has federal health officials worried that fewer smokers will quit and more youths will start if they can… Read More ›