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New Dentists Just Part Of The Solution To Problems, Says BDA
The British Dental Association (BDA) has given a broad welcome to today"s announcement of the award of a tender for 38 new dentists in Northern Ireland as part of the solution to the problems some patients face accessing care. But the BDA has also warned that this is not the whole solution to the problems facing Health Service dentistry. Also required, says the BDA, are full support for the more than 800 dentists already working in Northern Ireland and a new contract that allows dentists to provide the kind of modern, preventive care they are trained to do.
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Health Care Reform Legislation Would Expand Access To Pharmacist Patient Care Services
Legislation released June 9 by Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) would expand access to pharmacist-delivered medication therapy management (MTM) services for patients suffering from chronic diseases.
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Can Omega 3 Fatty Acids Prevent Depression In Coronary Heart Disease?
Depression is an established risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy patients and for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with existing CHD. Dietary factors resulting in lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids not only increase CHD risk, but may also be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. The investigators measured red blood cell levels of two omega 3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and assessed depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional study of 987 adults with CHD. Omega 3 fatty acids were blindly measured in fasting venous blood samples using capillary gas chromatography to measure the fatty acid composition of red blood cell membranes. Red blood cell levels of EPA and DHA are presented as a percentage composition of total fatty acid methyl esters. The investigators assessed current depression using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. They evaluated the association between omega 3 fatty acid levels and depressive symptoms as continuous variables using linear regression.
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Common Antibiotics May Be Best First Treatment For Children With MRSA-related Infections

Penicillin and other antibiotics in the beta-lactam family work as well as other antibiotics to treat MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcuss aureus) infections in the skin and soft-tissue of children and may help prevent further resistance to antibiotic treatment, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The study, published in the June, 2009 issue of Pediatrics, compared treatment outcomes for three different antibiotics beta-lactums (which include penicillin, cephalosporins, carbapenems and monobactams), clindamycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP -SMZ). The study concluded that children treated with clindamycin for skin and soft tissue infections potentially caused by MRSA did not show greater improvement compared to those treated with beta-lactam therapy. Children treated with TMP-SMZ were less likely to show improvement. Among the study"s findings: -- Beta- lactams may still be the best first line initial therapy for skin and soft tissue infections possibly caused by MRSA. -- Community- Acquired MRSA may not be the cause of skin and soft tissue infections even when MRSA is prevalent. -- The use of beta-lactams may help prevent further resistance to antibiotic treatment of skin and tissue infections. -- Beta-lactam therapy is more palatable to children than clindamycin because it is not associated with side effects, such as nausea and mild diarrhea. It is also not as expensive as other treatments. The authors of this study recommend further research to establish a higher level of evidence and to confirm study results. This study was funded by a cooperative agreement through an AHRQ grant to the Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) research network, which is part of the agency"s Effective Health Care Program. The Effective Health Care Program sponsors the development of new scientific knowledge through studies on the outcomes of health care technologies and services. AHRQ


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