Summary: The April 2008 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch explains how to understand medical advice that seems to change from day to day: 1) Know the differences between types of research. 2) Focus on results published in respected medical journals. 3) Don't get frustrated by contradicting research. 4) Fit each piece of information into the larger puzzle.

Comment: Given the variety of sources for medical information and the amount of research data released every data, it can be overwhelming to try to understand what the latest news really means. The practical philosophy suggested by Harvard medical staffers may be conservative, but it is also the safest and most reliable approach to adopting new medical ideas.

Summary: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this month posted new survey information at the Hospital Compare website, offering consumers more insight about the hospitals in their communities. The website provides three critical types of information about healthcare providers: quality information, patient satisfaction survey information, and pricing information for specific procedures. This information can help consumers make effective decisions about the quality and value of the healthcare available to them through local hospitals.

Comment: Much of the information is based on the first nationwide survey of patients about their experience during a hospital stay. Although the pricing and volume information pertains specifically to Medicare payments, the quality and satisfaction results provide useful comparison data for any patients, regardless of who pays for the services. A link to the Hospital Compare website is provided below.

Summary: Genetic tests can screen blood and other tissue to find genetic disorders and markers. Increasingly, people are opting for commercial genetic tests to identify their potential health risks. But without the expertise of a medical professional, the information from home genetic tests might not be very helpful or easy to understand. It could even be detrimental.

Comment: Genetic testing can reveal a range of health information, including whether a person carries a gene associated with Parkinson's disease. There are several hundred kinds of genetic tests and (it seems) nearly that many online offers to perform them. Before you submit to a commercial genetic test, consult this information from the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health to protect yourself as a patient and consumer.

Summary: A study published by the American Academy of Neurology links abdominal fat in mid-life with dementia in later life. The study found that people in their early forties who had a high level abdominal fat were nearly three times more likely to develop dementia in the following 35 years than those with the lowest amount of abdominal fat.

Comment: Although this is the first time researchers have demonstrated that belly fat increases the risk of dementia, the results do not mean that abdominal fat causes dementia. Rather, the two are linked by a complex set of health-related behaviors, suggesting that the risk of developing such diseases as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease might be reduced by controlling how and how much fat is stored in the body.

Summary: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just awarded $38.1 million to develop systems to exchange patient data between healthcare providers and payers, including the government. A recent statement from the Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) condemned this as a violation of a patient's Fourth Amendment privacy rights, accusing the government of "surreptitiously conducting research and 'sentinel surveillance'" amounting to what CCHC president Twila Brase calls "unreasonable search and seizure."

Comment: Ms. Brase's concerns about patient privacy are reasonable, but her accusations inflate and skew the real value and intent of exchanging patient records. Regional health information exchanges have been proposed in many states for the purpose of improving the quality and efficiency of health care, making it possible for healthcare providers to make more accurate treatment decisions and deliver more affordable services. The benefits to patients include better-coordinated treatments among diverse healthcare providers, including less wait time. The second and third links below describe such an initiative underway in Maine.

Summary: Researchers have identified a gene that, when switched off, causes folded proteins to accumulate within brain cells. Such accumulations, or "protein misfolding," is linked to age-related neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Comment: This research provides a better understanding of the genes and processes that make some people more susceptible to neurological diseases. It will contribute to the development of better diagnostics and therapies for Alzheimer's disease.

Summary: Drug-maker UCB has begun recalling batches of its Parkinson's drug Neupro, but not due to contamination or toxicity. The company says the clinical performance of some product on the market was not up to standard. As a result of the recall, pharmacies in the U.S. may be out-of-stock of Neupro in late April.

Comment: Patients should not discontinuing Neupro because of the recall. The product is safe to use. However, because the defective batches may not be as effective as they should be, and because the product will be out-of-stock soon, patients should talk to their doctor about whether they need to alter their regimen.

Summary: A recent story on National Public Radio notes the attraction of blogs written by healthcare workers, including physicians. These blogs allow readers to find out about the latest medical gadgets, read physicians' views on health care issues, and view insider photos of surgery and scans. These blogs have also raised concerns about patient trust, confidentiality, and legal consequences, since there is some possibility that personal medical information could be traced to or discovered by a patient.

Comment: Blogs can give patients useful insight into health conditions and treatments. And, they can provide a supportive forum as a patient endures on-going treatment. However, no patient should have to worry about coming across their own personal information in someone else's blog. To find out about how to discuss privacy concerns with your doctor and safeguard your patient privacy, see the Patient Privacy Toolkit at PatientPrivacyRights.org. (You do not have to become a member to access the links listed in the toolkit.)

Summary: A new blood test may become the best diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease. The test profiles molecular biomarkers in the blood, looking for a unique pattern of "metabolomic" alternations that signals Parkinson's disease.

Comment: Currently, a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is based solely on a clinical review of symptoms. A reliable blood test would make it possible to diagnosis the disease earlier and more conveniently. It would also eliminate PD in the 10% of patients who have look-alike conditions and speed an accurate diagnosis and treatment for them.

Summary: Data from a pioneering genome-wide association study (GWAS), which focused on Parkinson's disease, is now available to researchers through the the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funded in part by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the data was generated by the first genome-wide association study applied to Parkinson's disease and was previously available only to a few researchers.

Comment: The NIH and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) hope to speed research by making the GWAS data openly available to the research community. Because of the sensitive nature of the patient data, it cannot be deposited in unregulated public databases, which is why access to it had previously been so restricted. However, by implementing new access procedures, the NIH can now protect the confidentiality of the data and still make it available to qualified researchers. This move will significantly enhance current and upcoming research into Parkinson's disease.