Coffee and tea are two of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world. The association of coffee and tea intake with coronary artery calcium and major adverse cardiovascular events remains uncertain.

Comparing risk of frailty in older persons who eat in the "pasta" pattern versus the "biscuits and snacking" or the "healthy" pattern: What does it tell us? A 12-year prospective population-based study from France indicates that those in the "healthy" pattern of eating, which meant a higher intake of fish in men and fruits and vegetables in women, were less likely to become frail over a 12-year follow up.

Sequential labor induction with prostaglandins and oxytocin and augmentation of labor with oxytocin are important risk factors for complete uterine rupture in intact and scarred uteri.

The safety of rechallenging patients after a reaction to rituximab is not clear. Sixty-seven patients with at least one rituximab reaction were identified at a large academic outpatient infusion center. Fifty-one patients (88%) were rechallenged on the same day as the initial reaction. Most patients with a grade 1 reaction tolerated rechallenge; all four patients with a grade 3 reaction reacted during rechallenge; and the outcome after an initial grade 2 reaction was varied. These observations suggest that patients experiencing grade 1 reactions to rituximab can be safely rechallenged the same day; grade 3 or 4 reactions should prompt referral to an allergy specialist for risk assessment; and optimal management of patients with grade 2 reactions requires further study.

Adolescent mental health problems and suicide attempts are on the rise in the United States. This study aimed to identify medications that are commonly used for intentional self-harm. This knowledge can improve preventive efforts from a multidisciplinary approach to inform patients and families.

The authors of this study sought to identify risk of pain medication misuse (PMM) among participants with spinal cord injury by examining associations with multiple risk factors, including demographic and injury characteristics, pain experiences, frequency of pain medication use, substance use, personality, and depressive symptoms. Risk was defined by a cut-off score > 30 as measured by the Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ). 17.6% of participants had scores of 30 or higher. After controlling for demographic, injury, and pain characteristics, logistic regression analysis demonstrated that being a current smoker, recently using cannabis, and multiple psychological factors were associated with risk of PMM. Identification of these variables will help healthcare professionals better prescribe and monitor medication use and/or misuse.

Information on how primary care physicians use immunization information systems (IISs) is limited. Pediatricians, family physicians (FPs), and general internists (GIMs) were surveyed by e-mail and mail from January 2015 to April 2015 from all states with an existing IIS. Eighty-one percent of pediatricians, 72% of FPs, and 27% of GIMs reported using an IIS, while 5% of pediatricians, 14% of FPs, and 48% of GIMs did not know there was a state/local IIS. There were substantial gaps in knowledge of IIS capabilities, especially among GIMs, and barriers to interoperability between IISs and electronic medical records affect all specialties.

Data from a series of studies showed testosterone therapy for older men with low testosterone levels may increase bone density and reduce anemia, but were mixed on whether it affects cardiovascular risks. The studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA Internal Medicine, found after one year of testosterone treatment there were no significant changes in memory or problem-solving.

People who vape may have an increased risk of heart disease, according to a small study published online in JAMA Cardiology. The study evaluated heart activity in 42 participants -- 23 longtime e-cigarette smokers and 19 who never used electronic cigarettes -- and found that longtime users had physiological changes not found in those who didn't smoke.

More physicians are returning to school to get an MBA as their profession demands more from them in areas such as analytics and digital health records. Duke University's Kevin Schulman says MBAs can help physicians innovate in health care and improve both safety and efficiency.

Survey data from 2013 showed 18% of office-based primary care physicians were in practices that were certified patient-centered medical homes. The study in the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics Reports showed the number of primary care physicians in PCMHs increased along with practice size, and that PCMH practices were better able to provide 24/7 access to patient medical records, participate in quality improvement programs and coordinate patient care than non-PCMH practice.

Patients whose surgeons had a high complaint rate regarding their attitude or personality had 13.9% more post-surgery complications than patients whose surgeons were viewed as more respectful, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery. Complications included surgical-site infections, pneumonia, sepsis and other adverse events, and the study's authors suggest that patient safety and malpractice prevention efforts "focus on surgeons' ability to communicate respectfully and effectively with patients and other medical professionals."

Close to 32% of recently diagnosed cancer patients and 28% of those diagnosed at least two years prior said they switched to cheaper medications due to the high cost of their original prescription, researchers report in the journal Cancer. Cancer survivors with chronic conditions including heart disease also are more likely to seek less expensive alternatives, and some patients skip medication altogether.