Context Lead, mercury, and arsenic have been detected in a substantial proportion of Indian-manufactured traditional Ayurvedic medicines. Metals may be present due to the practice of rasa shastra (combining herbs with metals, minerals, and gems). Whether toxic metals are present in both US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines is unknown.

Background: Three warnings of serious adverse events associated with the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs among elderly patients with dementia were sent to health care professionals in Canada. We assessed the impact of these warnings on prescription rates of antipsychotic drugs in this patient population.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) suffered a heavy blow at the hands of two leading diabetes societies. For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) have issued guidelines that explicitly advise against the use of GSK's rosiglitazone for type-2 diabetes.

FDA is investigating new preliminary data regarding a potential increased risk of serious skin reactions including Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) from phenytoin therapy in Asian patients positive for a particular human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele, HLA-B*1502. This allele occurs almost exclusively in patients with ancestry across broad areas of Asia, including Han Chinese, Filipinos, Malaysians, South Asian Indians, and Thais.

 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require the manufacturers of antiepileptic drugs to add a warning to their labeling indicating that use of the drugs increases risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to an FDA Alert issued December 16. A risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, including a medication guide for patients, is also required for each of these drugs.

الأخطاء في الأدوية مع مرضى السرطان تزداد إذا تحول علاج المريض من المستشفى إلى خارجه وهذا وفقا لبحث نشر في مجلة علم الأورام السريري .

ويعتبر استخدام أدوية السرطان (chemotherapy) خارج المستشفى معقد نظرا لأنه يحتاج لمراقبه ، وتغيير مستمر وغير متوقع في الجرعات ، و أخذ الأدوية في أيام محددة من الأسبوع أو الشهر . هذا ما قام بشرحه المحقق الدكتور كاثليين والش في جامعة ماساتشوستس في المركز الطبي في وورسستر

Background: Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone may increase the incidence of fractures. We aimed to determine systematically the risk of fractures associated with thiazolidinedione therapy and to evaluate the effect of the therapy on bone density.

Postmenopausal women who use loop diuretics are at increased risk of fractures, according to a report published in the Jan. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Background Following the release of the 2002 report of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial of estrogen plus progestin, the use of menopausal hormone therapy in the United States decreased substantially. Subsequently, the incidence of breast cancer also dropped, suggesting a cause-and-effect relation between hormone treatment and breast cancer. However, the cause of this decrease remains controversial.

Overweight? Part of the problem may be low vitamin D levels, a new study hints.

Among a group of 90 young women living in sunny southern California, those with insufficient levels of vitamin D were significantly heavier and had greater body mass than their counterparts with sufficient levels of vitamin D, Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and colleagues found.

These findings suggest "obesity is related to vitamin D insufficiency," Gilsanz told Reuters Health.