Kids Safe With Cell Phones
Cell phones do not, after all, appear to increase brain tumors in children and adolescents who use the devices, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The multicenter case-control study was conducted in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland, and included 352 children aged 7-19 years diagnosed with brain tumors between 2004 and 2008. Some of the subjects had used cell phones for more than 5 years. “The absence of an exposure-response relationship either in terms of the amount of mobile phone use or by localization of the brain tumor argues against a causal association,” the authors said.
Multiple Sclerosis Is Costly
Certain multiple sclerosis therapies result in modest health benefits but come at significant cost to patients, according to a study published in Neurology. “Using DMT [disease-modifying therapies] for 10 years resulted in modest health gains … compared to treatment without DMT,” the authors reported. They looked at the costs and effects of three beta interferons (Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone). The cost-effectiveness ratio of all four therapies “far exceeded” $800,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, the team reported. Using any of the therapies for 10 years offered patients only about one extra quality-adjusted month of life. “Use of DMT in MS results in health gains that come at a very high cost,” the researchers concluded.
Emergency Scanning Way Up
Use of computed tomography in emergency departments more than quadrupled between 1996 and 2007, according to study published in Annals of Emergency Medicine. The authors analyzed data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey representing 1.29 billion emergency department encounters, indicating that 97.1 million patients (7.5%) underwent at least one CT scan during that period. While 3.2% of the patients received CT in 1996, 13.9% did by 2007. The authors noted that the increase has been associated with a decline in hospital admissions but that that effect has stabilized in recent years. CT scanning increased most among patients with chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, and flank pain, the authors reported. “Research on understanding how and under what conditions CT is being performed in the ED and developing better strategies for optimizing its use in this setting is needed,” they said.
Haiti Volunteers Needed
The American Academy of Neurology is seeking neurologists to volunteer to ease Haiti's physician shortage since the country's devastating earthquake last year. The academy is working with Operation Blessing International, which provides housing, meals, and in-country transportation to volunteers. In Haiti, “there continues to be a lack of medical care to support those affected by the earthquake and poverty overall,” Dr. Anthony G. Alessi, an academy fellow and longtime volunteer with Operation Blessing International, said in a statement. Volunteers will diagnose, treat, and manage conditions such as brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, and stroke, he said. To see trip dates and to volunteer, visit
www.ob.org/haitiprojects/volunteer.asp
Physicians Delay Retirement
Slightly more than half of physicians have changed their retirement plans since the Great Recession hit in 2008, and 70% say they'll need to work longer until retirement, according to a survey by staffing firm Jackson & Coker. Many of the doctors said they're pursuing ways to augment their income as a result. Most of those who have changed their plans had intended to retire within 6 years, and 46% blame depletion in their personal savings or unexpectedly poor growth in their nest eggs for delay. Nearly one-third of physicians postponing retirement said they will pursue locum tenens or part-time assignments, while about one-quarter said they'll continue to work for their current employers. About one-fifth said they intend to move to another position in the same field, and another fifth said they'll leave medicine and try a new career.