Doctors

Genetic tests that can help predict and refine a patient's response to drug therapy may be the first big thing in personalized medicine. But the vast majority of physicians don't know how to use them, a new survey finds. Individual genetic variations can affect how a patient will respond to many antidepressants, pain medications, cardiovascular medicines and certain drugs that treat cancers and gastrointestinal ailments. In all, roughly one in four American patients take medications whose effectiveness could be tweaked or predicted by a pharmacogenetic test.

A psychiatrist described as a close friend and maternal figure to Anna Nicole Smith repeatedly prescribed excessive amounts of sedatives and opiates despite the model's history of substance abuse, an expert testified Monday. The expert told a judge hearing evidence against Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and two others that medical and pharmacy records indicated at least five instances in which the psychiatrist overprescribed Valium, Vicodin or other drugs in the three years leading up to Smith's death.

When the raucous gay pride parade coursed through West Hollywood's thronged streets four years ago, a slim, soft-spoken physician from Studio City rode in the back of a shiny convertible next to one of his patients, Anna Nicole Smith. "It was mesmerizing watching the crowd wave at us, at Anna and me, up there all buffed out on the car," Dr. Sandeep Kapoor recalled in his diary. Even more heady than the police escort and the paparazzi, he wrote, was the nightclub after-party. "I was making out with Anna, my patient, blurring the lines.

With a historic House vote on a $1-trillion healthcare bill barely 48 hours away, battle lines are hardening as lobbying groups for seniors and doctors endorse the legislation, while thousands of protesters swarmed Capitol Hill to oppose it. "Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" chanted conservative and small-government advocates on Thursday, some having traveled on short notice from as far as California and Texas to protest what they saw as tantamount to socialized medicine. "No Marx.

Doctors supervising Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's medical training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center frequently discussed concerns about the Muslim psychiatrist's behavior, including his aggressive proselytizing of patients, a Defense Department official said Wednesday. The problems led the doctors to question Hasan's fitness for military service, but no action was taken in the months before he was transferred from Washington to Ft. Hood, Texas, where he is suspected of opening fire last week on military and civilian personnel, killing 13 and wounding dozens.

Re "Doc's a chart topper," Column One, Jan. 3 I was delighted to see your article on Morris Collen; it's so rare that the elderly are visible, let alone celebrated, in our youth-fixated society. I happen to know someone equally impressive. My good friend, an almost 96-year-old psychiatrist, also drives daily, works full time (three days seeing patients, several more writing a book ), makes frequent supermarket runs for himself and his wife, maintains a large house at the end of an impossibly steep road and revels in season tickets to the L.A. Philharmonic.

Re "Dying for a way out," Column One, May 7 Doctors contend the better response is to offer patients adequate pain medication and reassurance. Reassurance about what? That the patient will be in pain and die pretty soon? Proponents of "death with dignity" are motivated by the opportunity to make more money from people before they die. Doctors and insurance companies feed off each other's greed. Putting our pets to sleep is the "humane" thing to do. Allowing terminally ill patients to suffer in pain is the "conscience-able" thing to do. Terry Brannon Los Angeles -- If professor William L. Toffler, an opponent of assisted-suicide statutes, were required to be at Stephen Wallace's bedside to witness the horrific pain and suffering, his conscience would surely dictate that he change his mind and support a person's right to die. Roy T. Kobayashi Fullerton -- We wouldn't treat a dog the way Wallace was treated.

L.A. Doctors Symphony Orchestra: A listing in Sunday's Arts & Books for a performance at Plummer Park Auditorium in West Hollywood by the L.A. Doctors Symphony Orchestra incorrectly gave the date for the show as this Sunday. The performance will be Saturday. The phone number was also incorrect. The number is (323) 848-6535.

Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra: A listing last week for a performance at Plummer Park Auditorium in West Hollywood by the L.A. Doctors Symphony Orchestra incorrectly dated the show for today. The performance was Saturday.