Medical Literature

Nearly one-third of antidepressant drug studies are never published in the medical literature, and nearly all happen to show that the drug being tested did not work, researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. And in some of the studies that are published, unfavorable results have been recast to make the medicine appear more effective than it really is, said the research team led by Erick Turner of the Oregon Health & Science University. Even if not deliberate, they wrote in their report, "Selective publication can lead doctors to make inappropriate prescribing decisions that may not be in the best interest of their patients."

Nearly one-third of antidepressant drug studies are never published in the medical literature, and nearly all happen to show that the drug being tested did not work, researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. And in some of the studies that are published, unfavorable results have been recast to make the medicine appear more effective than it really is, said the research team led by Erick Turner of the Oregon Health & Science University. Even if not deliberate, they wrote in their report, "Selective publication can lead doctors to make inappropriate prescribing decisions that may not be in the best interest of their patients."

The very successes we are having in medical care will soon confront us with some tough questions. One is familiar, if not easy: How should we allocate scarce resources? Who gets the fresh kidney? How much is a life worth? Is it right to spend $300,000 saving the life of a rich, elderly widow in a hospital--in a world where children are dying every day for the lack of $2 worth of medicine or clean water?

The federal government on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited AIDS education pamphlet, which will be mailed to every household in America within the next eight weeks. "This is a first in the history of our country--the first time the federal government has attempted to contact virtually every resident, directly by mail, regarding a public health crisis," Health and Human Services Secretary Otis R. Bowen said at a press conference. He added: "This brochure cannot mince words--and it doesn't.

Many drug advertisements in medical journals--long believed to influence doctors' decisions about prescribing--are unbalanced, misleading and in apparent violation of federal regulations governing drug promotion, UCLA researchers have found. In the first large study of its kind, medical specialists reviewed 109 prescription drug ads published in 10 leading medical journals. They concluded, among other things, that more than half the ads studied had little or no educational value.

The first computerized, peer-reviewed, scientific journal is set to begin publication in April in response to mounting pressure within medicine for faster release of research findings that could prolong or save lives. The Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials will make research results available worldwide within 24 hours of peer review, eliminating the weeks or months often spent on typesetting, proofing, printing and delivering journals.

The adage "You're your own best doctor" seems to have gotten a shot in the arm on the Internet, where an increasing number of health-related Web sites are dispensing information on everything from the causes and symptoms of diseases to the potency and side effects of prescription drugs. And demand for that information--in an age of growing frustration with HMOs and insurance companies--appears to be insatiable. Visits to one site, OnHealth.com (http://www.onhealth.com), reached 1.

The very successes we are having in medical care will soon confront us with some tough questions. One is familiar, if not easy: How should we allocate scarce resources? Who gets the fresh kidney? How much is a life worth? Is it right to spend $300,000 saving the life of a rich, elderly widow in a hospital--in a world where children are dying every day for the lack of $2 worth of medicine or clean water?

Adding fuel to the debate over misleading drug advertisements, a consumer advocacy group charged Thursday that pharmaceutical manufacturers are providing physicians with "potentially dangerous misinformation on an extremely wide scale." The Public Citizen Health Research Group announced its conclusion after analyzing data that it obtained from a widely publicized UCLA study of advertisements in medical journals.

Much of the latest research on childhood obesity is focused on prevention and intervention: breaking children of their bond to television, guiding them toward more physical activity and improving their eating habits. Effects of television: In landmark studies in the 1980s and '90s, Dr. William H.

The adage "You're your own best doctor" seems to have gotten a shot in the arm on the Internet, where an increasing number of health-related Web sites are dispensing information on everything from the causes and symptoms of diseases to the potency and side effects of prescription drugs. And demand for that information--in an age of growing frustration with HMOs and insurance companies--appears to be insatiable. Visits to one site, OnHealth.com (http://www.onhealth.com), reached 1.

A major change in how diabetes is diagnosed will mean that 2 million to 3 million Americans may learn within the next year or two that they have the disorder. While that information may be unsettling for some, health experts say they hope the updated guidelines will serve to alert Americans to the importance of a diagnosis as early as possible. The course of many diseases can be altered if they are caught early.

When Jason Sprenkle, a 28-year-old attorney in Columbia, S.C., thought his mother might have breast cancer, he did the first thing any good son might do: He went to the Internet for more information. Two mammograms had identified a suspicious mass in Linda Sprenkle's right breast, and now the 51-year-old Guilford, Conn., woman was facing a biopsy to rule out cancer. Jason found 15 relevant Internet articles about biopsy methods and treatments for the disease, and his mother was reassured.

Jim Clark, the onetime Stanford professor whose launch of 3-D computer maker Silicon Graphics and Internet phenom Netscape Communications have already made him one of the most successful high-tech entrepreneurs ever, is launching another new venture--an online health-care service called Healthscape. Clark and the elite venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which also funded Netscape, have invested a total of $5 million in the new venture.

Adding fuel to the debate over misleading drug advertisements, a consumer advocacy group charged Thursday that pharmaceutical manufacturers are providing physicians with "potentially dangerous misinformation on an extremely wide scale." The Public Citizen Health Research Group announced its conclusion after analyzing data that it obtained from a widely publicized UCLA study of advertisements in medical journals.

A tiff between the nation's top medical journal and an international wire service over reporters' rights to scoop the journal on its own stories threatens to unravel a tradition that controls how medical news reaches the public.

Much of the latest research on childhood obesity is focused on prevention and intervention: breaking children of their bond to television, guiding them toward more physical activity and improving their eating habits. Effects of television: In landmark studies in the 1980s and '90s, Dr. William H.

Many drug advertisements in medical journals--long believed to influence doctors' decisions about prescribing--are unbalanced, misleading and in apparent violation of federal regulations governing drug promotion, UCLA researchers have found. In the first large study of its kind, medical specialists reviewed 109 prescription drug ads published in 10 leading medical journals. They concluded, among other things, that more than half the ads studied had little or no educational value.

The first computerized, peer-reviewed, scientific journal is set to begin publication in April in response to mounting pressure within medicine for faster release of research findings that could prolong or save lives. The Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials will make research results available worldwide within 24 hours of peer review, eliminating the weeks or months often spent on typesetting, proofing, printing and delivering journals.