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Care Management Reduces Depression And Suicidal Thoughts In Older Primary Care Patients
Depression in older adults too often goes unrecognized and untreated, resulting in untold misery, worsening of medical illness, and early death. A new study has identified one important remedy: Adding a trained depression care manager to primary care practices can increase the number of patients receiving treatment, lead to a higher remission rate of depression, and reduce suicidal thoughts.

Six Finance Senators Strive For Bipartisan Compromise
As the public face of health reform devolves into a partisan fight - with one GOP Senator [Jim DeMint, S.C.] saying the reform push is President Obama"s "Waterloo," and Democrats retorting that Republicans would derail the overhaul for political gain - a group of legislators in the Senate Finance Committee has continued to strive for a compromise behind closed doors, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "If a bipartisan compromise is to clear Congress this year, its main lines are likely to emerge here."
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Iowa's Criminal HIV Transmission Law Examined
A recent court decision in Black Hawk County, Iowa where a 34-year-old HIV-positive man was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of parole for not informing a sexual partner of his status, might lead to a national discussion on state criminal transmission laws, the Iowa Independent reports. Nick Clayton Rhoades pleaded guilty to criminal transmission of HIV, a felony in Iowa, although he did not transmit the virus to his partner. Under state law, "in direct contradiction to its formal title," transmission is not required for a person to be prosecuted - engaging in activity that intentionally exposes others to the body fluids of an infected person could result in prosecution, including kissing, according to the Independent. Some say that such unintended consequences might encourage Iowa and other states to revisit their transmission laws, the article states (Waddington, Iowa Independent, 6/29).
Diagnostics

Fecal Incontinence And Quality Of Life

Fecal incontinence (FI) is a normal part of aging, or the perception that no treatment is available. Doctors may fail to comprehend patient hints about diarrhea and FI or may be reluctant to ask about fecal leakage, perhaps because of their own embarrassment or the perception that FI is a trivial concern. A team led by Lynne Bartlett from James Cook University in Australia addressed this issue and their article was published on July 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. The Fecal Incontinence Quality Of Life (FIQL) questionnaire, a disease-specific tool, was designed to evaluate the impact of FI on four aspects of patients" QOL: lifestyle; coping behavior; depression or self perception; and level of embarrassment. Each aspect is described as a score measured on a scale between 1 and 4, where 1 is very affected and 4 is not affected. The results revealed that more than 22% of patients had their QOL affected severely by FI. Patients reported that they had not previously been asked about FI by a medical practitioner nor did they voluntarily disclose its presence. Furthermore, the negative impact on participants" lives worsened with the loss of both solid and liquid stool and the increased frequency and quantity of soiling. Recent reports have highlighted the impact conservative treatments have had on the QOL of patients with FI. This study reports that despite these improvements many people continue to suffer unaware of some advances. Reference: Bartlett L, Nowak M, Ho YH. Impact of fecal incontinence on quality of life. World Journal of Gastroenterology 2009; 15(26): 3276-3282 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/3276.asp Correspondence to: Lynne Bartlett, Fecal Incontinence Research Group, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine & Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia. Lai-Fu Li World Journal of Gastroenterology


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