DMS in the News
April 2005

National/International Media

The Hindustan Times (India). – April 26, 2005
Malaria parasites may hold the key to its cure
"This is the first quantitative explanation for malaria's drug resistance," said Dr. Bernard Trumpower, professor of biochemistry at Dartmouth Medical School and head of the study. This story also appeared in Medical News Today (UK).

Forbes – April 25, 2005
America's most expensive diseases
Elliott Fisher, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth College's influential health costs group, says that the two most expensive decisions a doctor makes are to send a patient to the hospital and to schedule a new appointment.

The Boston Globe – April 24, 2005
Hospital focuses on helping patients make tough medical decisions
Dr. James Weinstein, the center's medical director, hopes it will move medicine beyond informed consent to informed choice. "If you break your hip, you need to have your hip fixed because you can't walk -- you don't have a choice. But when you have back pain or breast cancer or prostate disease or coronary artery disease, you have lots of choices," he said. "Patients need to be empowered to make those choices." This story also appeared in The Concord Monitor, The Sea Coast Online, The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, The Valley News.

Life Style Extra (UK) –April 21, 2005
Scientists Develop Gel That Prevents Herpes
Dr Victor Ambros, of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, US, said: "A gel like this would have an enormous value in the developing world for women whose partners refuse to use a condom. An antimicrobial cream is something women could use and control." This article also appeared in New Scientist (UK).

The Boston Globe – April 20, 2005
Op-Ed: What's needed on prescription labels
When Vioxx was pulled from the market, it was predictable that other drugs in its class of Cox-2 inhibitors might follow.
By Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz, general internists at the VA Outcomes Group and associate professors of medicine at the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School.

ABC News – April 20, 2005
Calcium Wards Off Colon Polyps Over Long Term
"There is ample epidemiological and experimental data suggesting that a high intake of calcium may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer," Dr. John A. Baron from Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire, said during a briefing at the meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. This story also appeared in Reuters, MedIndia (India).

The New York Times – April 15, 2005
A Time When Less Was Indeed More
But instead of agreeing to the specialists' recommendations, Mrs. Hentschel called Dr. John Wasson of Dartmouth Medical School, her husband's doctor in New Hampshire, where they liveÉ For example, said Dr. John Wennberg, director of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth College, the rates of knee surgery and back surgery for Medicare beneficiaries in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2000-01 were more than three times as high as in Manhattan.

The New Zealand Herald (NZ) – April 14, 2005
'Health' Craze is Pouring Money Down the Drain
After spending 10 months studying the question, retired Dartmouth Medical School professor and kidney specialist Dr Heinz Valtin concluded that if you haven't thought about how much water you're drinking daily, you're probably drinking enough.

The Ottowa Citizen – April 12, 2005
Blowing smoke
The book quotes a Dartmouth University study that says smoking in movies is responsible for half the children and teens who start. This article also appeared in The Calgary Herald, The Edmonton Journal, The Gazette (Montreal), Vancouver Province, The Vancouver Sun, The Times Colonist (England), Medical News Today, The Windsor Star.

ABC News (Online) – April 6, 2005
Senate Hearing on Dying Shaped by Schiavo Case
Dr. James Bernat, a Dartmouth medical professor who represented the American Academy of Neurology, said it can be difficult to accurately diagnose persistent vegetative state. This article also appeared in Reuters, Reuters India, Reuters UK, Xtra News (New Zealand), WebMD.

The Wall Street Journal – April 6, 2005
Hospitals Give Patients More Data
Even at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, where medical researchers were the first to report about wide variations in health-care outcomes around the country, "there was invariably some skepticism and questioning," says Dartmouth-Hitchcock Executive Vice President Paul B. GardentÉ In user surveys of the site, "one common theme has been trust," says Melanie P. Mastanduno, a Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinical measurement analyst.

The New Yorker – April 4, 2005
Medical Dispatch
William Weeks, a Dartmouth professor, has done a number of studies on the work life of physicians. He and his colleagues found that working hours for physicians are indeed longer than for other professions.

U.S. News and World Report – April 4, 2005
Inside Terri's brain
"The examination is tedious. It's time consuming," says James Bernat, professor of neurology at Dartmouth Medical School. "For example, if you say, 'Open your eyes,' and they happen to open their eyes, you have to do it again and again."..."All mammals eventually stop eating and drinking," says Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

U.S. News and World Report- April 4, 2005
When life is on the line
Neurologist James Bernat of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, former chair of the American Academy of Neurology's ethics committee, told me that aware patients are diagnosed as unaware with "disturbing frequency."

Time – April4, 2005
When Does the Brain Go Blank?
Much of the ammunition in the battle over Terri Schiavo's fate has been medical language that's fairly new in the public realm. The terms can mean one thing to experts and another thing entirely when wielded by passionate partisans in the debateÉBased on interviews with Dr. James Bernat of Dartmouth Medical SchoolÉ

Newsweek– April 4, 2005
The Legacy of Terri Schiavo
After so many years in a persistent vegetative state, says James Bernat, a Dartmouth neurologist, the chance of recovery is "so close to zero, you might as well call it zero." This article also appeared in The New Zealand Herald (NZ).

The Washington Post – April 3, 2005
A Mystery of Body and Soul
James Bernat, a professor of neurology at Dartmouth Medical School, has put it clearly: "The brain is the central generating, regulating and integrating organ of the body, and it is responsible for the unity of the organism."

The Khalsa News Network (India) – April 3, 2005
Study Shows Innovative Use of Sound Has Potential to Relieve Back Pain
Dr. James Weinstein, head of orthopedics at Dartmouth Medical School and Dr. Richard Deyo, professor of medicine at the University of Washington state that 85% of patients with lower back pain often cannot be given a precise diagnosis. This article also appeared in Obvious News.

Other Media

Science Magazine – April 29, 2005
High Hopes and Dilemmas for a Cervical Cancer Vaccine
"The fact that we've done this as fast as we have is remarkable," says Diane Harper, a clinician at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire, who has worked on trials of both vaccines.

Foster's Daily Democrat – April 27, 2005
Trial lawyers speak out against malpractice panel
"This example holds the promise for considerable savings to the entire health care system," said Dr. Barry Smith, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. "Unless we pass meaningful, and I stress meaningful, tort reform, we will lose physicians, especially in high-risk areas.

The Union Leader – April 21, 2005
Top Psychiatrist: Goto Probably Not Competent
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center neurologist Dr. James Bernat told the New Hampshire Union Leader at the time that lupus dementia was a "pretty obscure diagnosis" and he had never heard of it.

Forbes (Online)– April 20, 2005
Most U.S. Kids Now Vaccinated Against Chickenpox
"We are happy to see that incidence has dropped in all age groups, and are very pleased to see the success of the vaccine," said Dr. John Modlin, chairman of the department of pediatrics at the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H. This story also appeared in Drkoop.com, Modern Mom.

Foster's Daily Democrat– April 18, 2005
N.H. researchers doubts increase in toxic shock
A Dartmouth Medical School expert on toxic shock syndrome has doubts about recent studies that indicate cases of the potentially fatal bacterial infection are on the rise. But Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet nevertheless is urging health care providers to be cautious of a new antibiotic-resistant strain of the bacteria that causes the illness.

American Medical News – April 18, 2005
CMS reports spike in Medicare spending on physician services
In a recent conference call with reporters, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, referenced studies by Dartmouth Medical School researcher John Wennberg, MD, MPH, which found that striking geographic differences exist in the level and quality of care in the hospital setting.

The National Post (CA) – April 18, 2005
The last paxil show: Why some psychiatrists are supplementing their freud with celluloid
"Movie directors aren't mental health professionals," says Dr. Fritz Engstrom. "But they know human nature."É Over the past two decades, Engstrom, an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, has collected scenes from movies for teaching mental-health workers.

La Voz (CA) – April 18, 2005
A su salad
Based on his findings, Dr. Heinz Valtin, a Dartmouth Medical School physician, concluded that the "eight-by-eight" rule is more of an urban myth than a scientific fact.

The Concord Monitor – April 17, 2005
Researcher disputes toxic shock data
Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet is an associate professor at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, whose research contributed to the consumer warning labels on tampon package inserts. "People should have their antennas up, but we're not seeing national phenomena," he said. This article also appeared in The Valley News.

The Nashua Telegraph – April 13, 2005
"Dying Well" author suggests end-of-life crisis
Americans need to accept a basic fact of life: We're all going to die someday, and dying well means living well all the way to the end of life. That was the heart of the message Dr. Ira Byock, an internationally recognized leader in end-of-life care, relayed to a group of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and other cliniciansÉ

People's Weekly World – April 9, 2005
Nine state sue U.S. on mercury rules
Dr. Richard Nordgren, professor of pediatric neurology at Dartmouth Medical School, told the World, "I wouldn't eat a fish out of a New Hampshire lake."

The Caledonian Record – April 7, 2005
Dialysis Wins State Backing For Newport
A North Country center will not prevent St. Johnsbury from hosting its own dialysis clinic, said Steve Marion of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Alliance.

Congressional Testimony by Federal Document Clearing House – April 6, 2005
End of Life Care
Oral Testimony of James L. Bernat, M.D.
In my limited time, I wish to briefly clarify the medical syndromes causing disorders of consciousness. In my written testimony I have provided further detailed information regarding diagnosis, treatment, and the elements of clinical decision- making on these unfortunate patients. I have also included practice guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology.

The Concord Monitor – April 6, 2005
Report: Medical advertising erodes trust
"What really surprised us was how often, and it wasn't the bulk of the ads, but they were really promoting services that were of unclear value," said Dr. Robin Larson, instructor in medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and lead author of the study, published in a recent Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Valley News – April 6, 2005
PB & Pickles? You Bet
Ellen Lewis, a clinical nutrition manager at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said it has the "good" fats of the monounsaturated variety, magnesium, a fair amount of zinc, and also folates, which can be fortified by grains in whole wheat bread.

Modern Healthcare – April 4, 2005
Pushing procedures; Study condemns ads by academic medical center
"When you see these kinds of ads from, say, a car company, that's one thing,'' said Robin Larson, an internist who is the lead author of the study and an instructor at Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H.

The Conservative Voice – April 3, 2005
New Research on Brain-Injured Patients
"This is extremely important work, for that reason alone," said Dr. James Bernat, a professor of neurology at Dartmouth. Bernat believes such findings are relevant to cases such as those of Terri Schiavo and Sarah Scantlin.

The Seattle Times - April 2, 2005
How we die in the 21st century
Yet another study, conducted by the Dartmouth Medical School, found no correlation between the amount of treatment given to dying patients in particular regions and that region's overall mortality rate: Just because you see more specialists doesn't mean you'll live longer. This article also appeared in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (IN), The Oakland Tribune, The Decatur Daily Democrat, The Capital Times & Wisconsin State Journal (WI).

NH Business Magazine – April 1, 2005
The Tort Reform Battle
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center supports the legislation to institute a screening panel. John Collins, CEO of Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic, believes there is a need for tort reform in NH that mirrors Maine.

The Philadelphia Inquirer – April 1, 2005
Experts fear battle could mislead others
"After a stroke, if we can't withdraw a feeding tube without being seen as killing our elders, we will be much more reluctant in the future to start," said Ira Byock, professor of anesthesia at Dartmouth Medical School and a palliative-care expert. This article also appeared in The Billings Gazette (MT), The Detroit Free Press.

Nation's Health – April 1, 2005
Proposed cuts to Medicaid may harm the most vulnerable
"The other code language for creating a Medicaid block grant is state flexibility," said Kay Johnson, MPH, EdM, a faculty member at Dartmouth Medical School and past chair of APHA's Maternal and Child Health section.

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