Thought the team might be interested in these,

-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Journal Discussion Club
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Sent: 03 September 1998 05:03
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Subject: JMEDCLUB Digest - 1 Sep 1998 to 2 Sep 1998
News Digest

     * The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced its first-ever
       approval of a vaccine to prevent rotavirus.
         - note: rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea
           in children.
         - the Rotashield vaccine, from Wyeth-Ayerst, is an orally-
           administered vaccine was approved by the FDA for use
           at two, four, and six months of age.
         - according to the FDA, up to 80% of children in the U.S.
           develop symptoms of rotavirus infection before the
           age of five and treatment of the infection costs an
           estimated $1.4 billion annually.
         - data taken from an FDA release, a copy of which is
           available at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/hpnews.html
           (August 31, 1998).

     * A recent study sought to examine the optimal depression treatment
       length with Prozac.
         - researchers at the University of Utah randomized 395 patients
           with major depression whose symptoms remitted after 12-14
           weeks of treatment with 20 mg doses of Prozac to one of
           four treatment groups: 1) 50 weeks of placebo only treatment,
           2) 14 additional weeks of Prozac treatment followed by
           26 weeks of placebo, 3) 38 additional weeks of Prozac
           treatment followed by 12 weeks of placebo, and 4) 50 weeks
           of Prozac treatment only.
         - found that 48.6% of placebo-only participants relapsed,
           compared to 26.4% of participants that received Prozac
           for up to 26 weeks; 9% of patients who received Prozac
           for up to 38 weeks relapsed while taking the drug and
           23.2% relapsed after being taken off the drug.
         - it was further found that, after 38 weeks of Prozac therapy,
           there was no significant difference in relapse rates between
           persons who continued to take Prozac and those transferred
           to a placebo.
         - authors say the findings suggest that, as has been previously
           recommended, anti-depressive therapy should be continued
           for a significant period of time following the remission
           of symptoms.
         - the study is in the American Journal of Psychiatry
           (September 1, 1998).


Dr Trefor Roscoe
Beighton Health Centre
Queens Road, Beighton,
SHEFFIELD

GP Tutor Informatics - N Trent
Member of the BHIA 


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