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Lab Notes: Sugar Sours Memory, Fish Oil Trumps

(MedPage Today) -- Rats fed a sugary diet forgot how to run a maze they had previously mastered, but the effect was countered by omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Also this week: new hope for Fanconi anemia. (Fri, 18 May 2012 17:08:07 -0400)

Genetic Testing May Not Drive Up Health Costs

(MedPage Today) -- Having the results of a personalized genetic test did not drive patients to utilize potentially costly follow-up healthcare services, a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found. (Fri, 18 May 2012 16:43:27 -0400)

PodMed: A Medical News Roundup from Johns Hopkins (with audio)

(MedPage Today) -- This week's topics include stress testing after heart procedures, coffee and mortality, air pollution and markers of inflammation, and laxative-free colonoscopy. (Fri, 18 May 2012 16:27:43 -0400)

Biodegradable Stents Hold Up (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The next generation of drug-eluting stents that do a disappearing act, whether with a biodegradable polymer or an entirely bioabsorbable platform, appears to be holding up to conventional stents over the short term. (Fri, 18 May 2012 16:17:22 -0400)

Diabetic Nerve Damage Linked to Metabolic Factors (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Targeting the various aspects of the metabolic syndrome may provide a means for preventing the development of diabetic neuropathy, authors of a review suggested. (Fri, 18 May 2012 15:23:48 -0400)

'Parachute' Promising for Heart Failure (CME/CE)

PARIS (MedPage Today) -- A percutaneous device that walls off part of the left ventricle to help failing hearts appears to have a big impact on outcomes, pilot study results showed. (Fri, 18 May 2012 14:56:23 -0400)

Glitazones Take New Hit for Bladder Ca Risk

CHICAGO (MedPage Today) -- British patients followed after starting on glitazone drugs for type 2 diabetes were significantly more likely to develop bladder cancer than those taking sulfonylurea agents. (Fri, 18 May 2012 14:45:46 -0400)

CDC: Test All 'Boomers' for Hepatitis C Infection

ATLANTA (MedPage Today) -- With "baby boomers" believed to account for 75% of the hepatitis C infected population in the U.S. -- the CDC wants everyone ages 47 to 67 be tested for infection. (Fri, 18 May 2012 13:41:48 -0400)

Nerve Ablation Safely Lowers BP in CKD (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Catheter-based renal nerve ablation helps lower resistant hypertension, but now researchers have found that it works as well in those with chronic kidney disease, a pilot study showed. (Fri, 18 May 2012 13:25:06 -0400)

Bigger BP Drop Goal for Renal Denervation (CME/CE)

PARIS (MedPage Today) -- More dramatic blood pressure reductions may be on the horizon for patients with resistant hypertension given the phalanx of renal denervation systems under development. (Fri, 18 May 2012 12:28:19 -0400)

Smoking Tied to Back Pain, Arthritis (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Two new studies have implicated smoking in ?the development of psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory back pain. (Fri, 18 May 2012 12:19:24 -0400)

Child's Epilepsy Keeps Household Up All Night (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Children with epilepsy and their parents reported suffering from sleep problems, researchers found. (Fri, 18 May 2012 11:31:15 -0400)

Dabrafenib Safe in Melanoma With Brain Mets (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- For a second time this week, a study has shown the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib to be active and safe in advanced melanoma, with positive results in patients with brain metastases. (Fri, 18 May 2012 11:17:10 -0400)

Heart Is Focus for Hypertension Meeting

NEW YORK CITY (MedPage Today) -- Hypertension specialists will take a closer look at the connection between high blood pressure and the cardiovascular system at this year's meeting of the American Society of Hypertension here, according to the chair of the scientific program committee. (Fri, 18 May 2012 10:33:55 -0400)

Junk Food Not Cheaper Than Healthy Food

?WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- It doesn't cost any more to eat healthy food than it does to eat junk food, a government study found, casting doubt on the popular belief that many people can't afford healthful foods. (Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:00 -0400)

Endocrine Group Calls for Vitamin D Trials

(MedPage Today) -- Large randomized trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D can prevent or treat cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other nonskeletal disorders, according to the Endocrine Society. (Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400)

Weight-Control Diet for Mom Builds a Better Baby (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- ?A calorie-controlled diet to reduce excess weight gain during pregnancy is not only safe for mother and baby but also can improve pregnancy outcomes compared with exercise alone or a combination of the two, a meta-analysis showed. (Thu, 17 May 2012 18:30:00 -0400)