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WHO recommendations for antiviral use for H1N1 flu; antibiotic use trends for acute respiratory tract infection; denosumab clears FDA Expert Panel; FDA Actions.
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High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (ASCT) is standard therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after salvage chemotherapy. In this retrospective study of 39 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL) who had undergone ASCT, the authors assessed outcomes based on post-salvage pre-ASCT PET imaging. PET scans were positive in 17 (44%) and negative in 22 (56%) after salvage. A negative PET scan predicted for less relapse and better three-year OS at 81%, compared to 39% for PET-positive patients. Results are excellent for patients achieving PET negativity prior to ASCT; the optimal approach for PET-positive patients remains undefined.
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A 61-year-old man presented to the emergency room with back pain of approximately one month duration. His medical history was significant for hypertension, for which he received diltiazem 180 mg daily. His weight had been stable at 175 lbs and, other than back pain, he suffered no constitutional symptoms. He has worked as an auto mechanic for 40 years. He smokes approximately 20 cigarettes a day and has done so for all of his adult years. He has no family history of cancer.
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Hospitals are beginning to see the trend of increasing use of electronic medical records (EMRs) as the national stimulus package funds and the health care reform act influence changes in health care practice.
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One path that leads to better care transitions and reductions in hospital readmissions is to break down the silos where care traditionally is delivered.
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Hospitals that have poor or no medication reconciliation processes have dismal medication safety statistics, one expert says.
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A new model for redesigning the health care transition process could result in improved care transition, reduced care fragmentation, and revitalization for the primary care model. Best of all, it's designed by a health plan payer, which might be the signal hospitals have been waiting for that payers will begin to fund discharge planning.
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When Winchester (VA) Medical Center worked on developing a best practice in medication reconciliation and patient discharge, the hospital focused on one point-of-care delivery: the medication list at intake.
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In this issue: Antiviral drugs and birth defects, bisphosphonates and esophageal cancer, naltrexone plus bupropion for weight loss, 2010-11 influenza vaccine, FDA Actions.
