Month: March 2020

Dr. M. Comments

1. Well who knew??  Maybe those Temperance Women were right all along.  There is a short article in the following issue of JAMA regarding this topic

JAMA  25 February 2020    Volume 323   Number 8  page 700

 ALCOHOL -RELATED MORTALITY INCREASES MAY STILL UNDERESTIMATE THE TOLL.

 No specific author is given on this article but in essence it cites information from a study by individuals at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). This article says that between 1999 and 2017 alcohol related deaths increased almost 30 per cent.. It also said the deaths of these substances along with or in combination with other drugs were the cause of approximately half of these deaths. This was true for all but the youngest and oldest age groups.   

JAMA 2 July 2019 Volume 322 Number 1 Page 30

TANEZUMAB FOR PAINFUL OSTEOARTHRITIS

Jeffrey N. Katz MD MSc

New medications and therapeutics are always in progress and research continues. This article by Jeffrey Katz MD in the edition of JAMA cited above, makes comments on a new pharmaceutical currently in the pipeline.

The topic being discussed is that of osteoarthritis , a condition in which the pain and deterioration of the joints can be significant and eventually disabling.

He comments on the benefits and drawbacks of a new medication called TANEZUMAB. It is not currently available but is one of many approaches constantly sought for alleviating this common yet disabling malady.