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An oral selective phosphodiesterase 4 (pde4) inhibi-tor has been approved for the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Roflumilast is the first drug of this type to be approved for this indication. It is marketed by Forest Pharmaceuticals as Daliresp.
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The health improvement network UK primary care database was queried for all patients aged 50-84 who were prescribed low-dose aspirin (75-300 mg/day) for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in 2000-2007.
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The 2006 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sexually transmitted disease (STD) guidelines have been updated.
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People who are told by their physicians that they are overweight or obese are more likely to identify themselves as such, more likely to want to lose weight, and more likely to try.
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In a report produced by The Moran Company for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in Alexandria, VA, data from the Hospice Cost reports and the Medicare Claims data were used to evaluate the impact of Medicare reimbursement cuts on the hospice industry.
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Clinicians rely upon family members or other surrogates to make health decisions, such as entering hospice care, when an adult patient is incapacitated. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine evaluates the effect of this practice on the surrogates.
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Hospitals accredited by Joint Commission can now seek Advanced Certification in Palliative Care with the introduction of a new program. The certification program launches Sept. 1, 2011 and the standards will be available July 1, 2011.
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The Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) offers a new, free online webinar that examines the important role that volunteers play in hospice, and explores creative ways that hospices can recruit and retain volunteers.
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Hospital ethics committees could clarify and improve the way they handle issues involving life support in the intensive care unit (ICU) if they brought more nuance to any definition of the word "futile," an expert says.