Internal Medicine Alert – April 30, 2013
April 30, 2013
View Archives Issues
-
Does MRI Have Your Patient’s Back?
MRI scan was unable to discriminate between patients with favorable outcome and those with an unfavorable outcome when conducted at 1-year follow-up in patients who were treated for sciatica and disk herniation. -
Doxycycline May Protect Against Clostridium Difficile Infection
This retrospective study of hospitalized patients receiving ceftriaxone found that additional treatment with doxycycline compared to other antibiotics was associated with a lower risk of Clostridium difficile infection. -
‘Off-target’ Effects? The Role of Statins in Cancer Biology
Statin use among cancer patients with diverse malignancies is associated with reduced cancer-related mortality. The mechanism is plausible since statins inhibit cholesterol synthesis, which reduces the pool of compounds necessary in cellular proliferation and maintenance of critical cellular functions, such as membrane integrity, signaling, protein synthesis, and cell cycle progression. Prospective clinical trials are warranted. -
Pharmacology Update: Canagliflozin Tablets (Invokana)
The first in a new class of drugs has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This new class of drugs decreases the renal threshold for glucose excretion by inhibiting the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2), thus increasing renal clearance of glucose. Canagliflozin is licensed from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and marketed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals as Invokana. -
Clinical Briefs By Louis Kuritzky, MD
Omalizumab for Asthma in Real Life; Tenofovir: New Hope for Hepatitis B Patients; H. pylori: Frequency of Recurrence After Successful Eradication