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Fibromyalgia: Doctor Offers Unbiased Overview In New Book
As many as fifteen million American women suffer from a disabling medical condition known as fibromyalgia. In the medical community, sides have been drawn over whether fibromyalgia is a genuine syndrome or a catchall diagnosis based on vague clinical criteria. In The Fibromyalgia Controversy, M. Clement Hall, MD presents an unbiased overview of the fibromyalgia situation today and reviews the most up-to-date opinions and studies on this condition and its surrounding controversy.

Silver Nanoparticles Show "immense Potential" In Prevention Of Blood Clots
Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Their study, scheduled for the June 23 issue of ACS Nano, a monthly journal, involves particles of silver - 1/50,000th the diameter of a human hair - that are injected into the bloodstream.
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Low Vitamin D Levels In Blacks Could Contribute To Higher Rates Of Cancer, Other Diseases, Researcher Says
Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to health gaps between white and black U.S. residents, Michael Holick, a professor at Boston University and a vitamin D researcher, said recently, the GNS/Chicago Sun-Times reports. According to Holick, blacks have lower levels of vitamin D than whites in part because the higher amount of pigment in their skin makes it harder for their body to absorb the nutrient, which is produced in response to sun exposure. Although scientists are debating optimum vitamin D levels, some scientists have said that vitamin D can reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. Holick added that some scientists believe blacks are more likely to have prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer and have more aggressive forms of the cancer because they have lower levels of vitamin D. John Flack, principal investigator at the Center for Urban and African American Health at Wayne State University, said lower vitamin D levels among blacks is "potentially a very important explanation for some of the differences, from hypertension to cancer to heart failure," adding, "The actual proof is not there, but it"s plausible." Flack added that many factors -- including decreased access to health care and differences in income and education -- contribute to the overall poorer health among blacks. The Institute of Medicine next year is expected to release new guidelines on recommended daily intake for vitamin D. "All Americans, but particularly people with darker skin, should pay attention" to the new guidelines, according to Adit Ginde, a researcher at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine who led a recent study that found vitamin D levels are decreasing in all racial groups and are particularly low in blacks (Painter, GNS/Chicago Sun-Times, 5/28).
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Academic Physicians Who Spend Time On Their Most Meaningful Work Pursuits Appear To Have A Lower Risk Of Burnout

Faculty physicians at academic medical centers may be less likely to experience burnout if they spend at least one day per week on the aspect of their work that is most meaningful to them, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Physicians are responsible for caring for the nation"s sick, promoting the public health, advancing the science of medicine and passing the torch of knowledge to the next generation of physicians," the authors write as background information in the article. "Unfortunately, despite the value and importance of these pursuits, an expanding body of literature reports growing personal distress among physicians and a decrease in their satisfaction with the practice of medicine. Specifically, numerous studies have documented high rates of burnout and poor mental health among U.S. physicians and have suggested that physician distress can have a profound impact on patient quality of care as well as on a physician"s personal health." In addition to factors affecting all physicians, such as increased administrative work and less time with patients, academic faculty must navigate a variety of requirements that compete for their time. Each individual physician derives varying levels of satisfaction from these components, which include research, education and administrative responsibilities. To better understand how career fit-the extent to which an individual is able to focus on those aspects they find they most meaningful-influences burnout, Tait D. Shanafelt, M.D., and colleagues at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., conducted a survey of faculty physicians in the Department of Internal Medicine at a large academic medical center in the fall of 2007. Of 556 physicians selected to participate, 465 (84 percent) returned surveys. When asked which aspect of work they found most meaningful, most (68 percent) reported patient care, whereas 19 percent selected research, 9 percent education and 3 percent administration. Overall, 34 percent of faculty members met criteria for burnout, which include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment. A total of 385 of 437 physicians (88 percent) spent at least 20 percent (about one day per week) of their effort on the activity they reported to be most personally meaningful; those who did had about half the rate of burnout as those who spent less than 20 percent of their time on this activity (29.9 percent vs. 53.8 percent). "The association between time spent in the most meaningful activity and burnout was strong and was the largest predictor of burnout on multivariate analysis after other factors were controlled for," the authors write. "These findings have important implications for the administrative leadership and department chairs at academic medical centers. These centers are responsible for training the next generation of physicians, for serving as the primary origin of scientific discovery and advances in the fields of medicine and health care delivery, and for providing tertiary medical care to patients with complex and unusual health care problems. Their physician faculty is the most critical re for academic medical centers to discharge these responsibilities to society," they conclude. "Efforts to optimize career fit may promote physician satisfaction and help to reduce attrition among academic faculty physicians." Arch Intern Med. 2009;169[10]:990-995. Journal of the American Medical Association


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