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Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Geriatrics for December 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
MONDAY, Dec. 31, 2018 -- Catheter ablation is better than drug therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure, according to a review published online Dec. 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 28, 2018 -- For patients with knee osteoarthritis and at least 12 months of follow-up, there is uncertainty around estimates of effect size for the change in pain in association with medications versus placebo, according to a meta-analysis published in the Dec. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 28, 2018 -- Anxiety and depression predict poor future physical health as strongly as obesity and smoking in older adults, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Health Psychology.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 27, 2018 -- Announcement and implementation of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) were associated with increased 30-day postdischarge mortality following hospitalization for heart failure and pneumonia, but not acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published in the Dec. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
THURSDAY, Dec. 27, 2018 -- The lowest-priced generic drugs are more likely to experience shortages, according to a study published in the November issue of Value in Health.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 27, 2018 -- For older women, participation in dancing is associated with a reduced likelihood of incident disability in activities of daily living (ADL), according to a study published online Dec. 18 in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 27, 2018 -- The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has developed new guidelines for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE); the clinical practice guidelines were recently published in Blood Advances.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- An institutional gender equity initiative (GEI) can reduce gender-based salary gaps among medical school faculty, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Network Open.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- The Infectious Diseases Society of America has updated their recommendations for the care of patients with suspected or diagnosed influenza; the clinical practice guidelines were published online Dec. 19 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- The majority of nurses have an unfavorable opinion of their hospital's end-of-life care, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- States in the West and in Appalachia have a higher prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than other states, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Network Open.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with several improved outcomes in men but not women, according to a study recently published in the British Journal of Surgery.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 2018 -- Weekly massage sessions may provide short-term symptom relief for knee osteoarthritis patients, but the benefit is not maintained over one year of follow-up, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 21, 2018 -- After infections tied to unapproved stem cell treatments sent 12 people to the hospital this past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a stern warning about the products.
FRIDAY, Dec. 21, 2018 -- Home health care workers' beliefs about infection prevention seem to have a greater influence on prevention protocol compliance than their absolute knowledge of infection control practices, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
FRIDAY, Dec. 21, 2018 -- The number of people living with dementia worldwide more than doubled from 1990 to 2016, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in The Lancet Neurology.
THURSDAY, Dec. 20, 2018 -- From 2005 to 2017, there was a substantial increase in telemedicine use, although use was still uncommon in 2017, according to a research letter published online Nov. 27 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
THURSDAY, Dec. 20, 2018 -- Despite numerous difficulties, early figures show that sign-ups for health coverage next year under the Affordable Care Act are higher than expected.
THURSDAY, Dec. 20, 2018 -- Both restrictive and obstructive lung disease are associated with an increased risk for incident dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 20, 2018 -- Patient-centered care is emphasized in updated clinical practice recommendations from the American Diabetes Association 2019 Standards of Care, published as a supplement to the January issue of Diabetes Care.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- The labels of prescription opioid painkillers should advise doctors to consider simultaneously prescribing the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, two U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panels recommend.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Postmenopausal women with edentulism are at an increased risk for developing hypertension, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the American Journal of Hypertension.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Several comorbidities are associated with an increased risk for early readmission after hip fracture surgery, according to a study recently published in Injury.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Modifying diagnostic criteria to require impairment on at least two memory tests for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis can improve prediction of medial temporal atrophy and conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study published online Dec. 4 in Brain Imaging and Behavior.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- A considerable proportion of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths in Shandong Province, China, may be attributable to high sodium intake, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered by respiratory nurses is associated with reduced anxiety symptoms and is cost-effective for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study recently published in ERJ Open Research.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Legacy prescribing of certain drugs, such as antidepressants and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), is common, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- Opioid use is associated with small improvements in pain and physical functioning in patients with chronic noncancer pain, according to research published in the Dec. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- For older adults, declines in memory after heart surgery and cardiac catheterization are similar, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
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TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- Older men and women have different fall risk profiles, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- From 2007 to 2017, the number of physicians excluded from Medicare and state public insurance programs increased, according to a study published online Dec. 14 in JAMA Network Open.
TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- An analysis of electronic health record data reveals considerable differences in hypertension control across health systems, according to a study published in the November-December issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
TUESDAY, Dec. 18, 2018 -- Routine use of vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent chronic disease is not recommended, according to an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper published in the November issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
MONDAY, Dec. 17, 2018 -- For patients with heart failure, follow-up care within seven days of discharge from the emergency department is associated with lower rates of long-term mortality and subsequent admissions, according to a study published in the Dec. 17 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
MONDAY, Dec. 17, 2018 -- Adherent patients receiving high-intensity statin and/or ezetimibe therapy have the lowest cardiovascular risk, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in JAMA Network Open.
THURSDAY, Nov. 29, 2018 -- When using brief cognitive assessments, dementia is often misclassified, according to a study published online Nov. 28 in Neurology Clinical Practice.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 14, 2018 -- Physician mothers experience discrimination in a range of ways, which can impact the medical profession, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in The BMJ.
FRIDAY, Dec. 14, 2018 -- The inverse association between fiber intake and the risk for incident symptomatic knee osteoarthritis may be partially mediated by body mass index, according to a study published in the December issue of The Journal of Nutrition.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 13, 2018 -- Women with military-related risk factors have an increased risk for developing dementia, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Neurology.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 13, 2018 -- Medication errors in acute care that result in death occur most often in patients older than 75 years, with the most common error category being omitted medicine or ingredient, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12, 2018 -- Both short and long sleep duration and poor sleep quality are associated with increased odds of recurrent falls in women, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12, 2018 -- Enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is down with just days left to sign up, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12, 2018 -- National health care spending slowed in 2017, according to a report published online Dec. 6 in Health Affairs.
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12, 2018 -- Continuity of care scores are significantly associated with lower expenditures and hospitalization rates, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12, 2018 -- About 17 percent of patients with diabetes report experiencing hypoglycemia when fasting for lab tests, according to a study recently published in the International Journal of Endocrinology.
TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- Policies for paid childbearing or family leave for residents are lacking at top-ranking medical schools and may be exacerbated by lack of direction from specialty boards, according to two research letters published in the Dec. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- After implementation of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) diversity accreditation standards, U.S. medical schools saw increasing percentages of female, black, and Hispanic matriculants, according to a research letter published in the Dec. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- Free flap breast reconstruction is a viable and safe procedure in elderly patients, according to a study published in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- An expert consensus decision pathway has been developed for tobacco cessation treatment; the report was published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- After extensive adjustment for confounders, influenza vaccination is associated with a reduced risk for all-cause and cardiovascular death among patients with heart failure, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Circulation.
TUESDAY, Dec. 11, 2018 -- Intellectual engagement is associated with level of cognitive performance in later life but does not influence the trajectory of age-related decline in cognitive performance, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in The BMJ.
MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 -- Stress related to use of health information technology (HIT) is common and predictive of burnout among physicians, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
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MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 -- Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals outperform non-VHA hospitals for 14 of 15 outcome measures in 121 regions, according to a research letter published online Dec. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 -- For older patients, small-head cemented metal-on-polyethylene implants are the cost-effective choice for total hip replacements, according to a study recently published in Value in Health.
MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 -- Statins are associated with a low risk for side effects, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published online Dec. 10 in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 -- Less than an hour a week of resistance exercise (RE) is associated with decreased risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related events and all-cause mortality, independent of aerobic exercise, according to a study recently published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 7, 2018 -- Nearly two-thirds of insured adults with a previous health care visit did not use an online patient portal in 2017, according to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 7, 2018 -- For individuals with heart failure, those with impairment in activities of daily living (ADL) take as many medications as those without ADL impairment, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 6, 2018 -- Pictorial presentation of silent atherosclerosis contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in The Lancet.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5, 2018 -- Only 15.4 percent of physicians work in practices that use telemedicine for a wide spectrum of patient interactions, with larger practice size being an important correlate of telemedicine use, according to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs.
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5, 2018 -- Skin autofluorescence predicts incident type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and mortality in the general population, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in Diabetologia.
TUESDAY, Dec. 4, 2018 -- Many patients intentionally withhold information from clinicians, according to a study published online Nov. 30 in JAMA Network Open.
TUESDAY, Dec. 4, 2018 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed a draft strategy to reduce the health information technology (IT) burden, and the strategy is open for public comment through Jan. 28, 2019.
TUESDAY, Dec. 4, 2018 -- For very elderly patients undergoing acute-care hospitalization, an exercise intervention is associated with benefits in reversing functional decline associated with hospitalization, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
MONDAY, Dec. 3, 2018 -- Achieving and maintaining 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) blood pressure (BP) goals could prevent a greater number of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than achieving prior U.S. guideline goals, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in Circulation.
MONDAY, Dec. 3, 2018 -- Among patients with employer-sponsored insurance, there was a decline in visits to primary care physicians (PCPs) from 2012 to 2016, according to a brief released Nov. 15 by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).
MONDAY, Dec. 3, 2018 -- Patellar mobilization therapy (PMT) plus exercise has the potential to reduce pain and improve function and quality of life for patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to a phase 2 study published Nov. 12 in the Annals of Family Medicine.
Posted: January 2019