Ruth J Hickman, MD

Patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease treated with 13.3 mg rivastigmine patch showed greater improvements in cognitive, functional, and behavioral performance from baseline compared to patients who received 4.6 mg patches.

Despite current guideline recommendations against the use of routine neuroimaging for uncomplicated headaches, physicians still tend to order imaging tests for many patients who present with headache and migraine, driving up annual healthcare spending.

Study results show that patients who received combination treatment demonstrated improvements in cognition, function, and behavioral outcomes compared to treatment with either medication alone or placebo.

Patients with advanced Parkinson's disease treated with an investigational extended-release carbidopa-levodopa formulation experienced greater reductions in "off" time and greater improvement in dyskinesia-free "on" time compared with similar patients treated with carbidopa-levodopa plus entacapone.

Results from the first multi-center interventional trial in premanifest HD research show that the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 is associated with only mild or moderate side effects, even at higher doses.

Study results indicate a significant correlation between depression and hallucination in patients with Parkinson's disease, while anxiety is a significant predictor for both the number and severity of hallucinations.

Study shows that the use of telemedicine by primary stroke centers and other hospitals increases access to specialized stroke care for patients living in rural and medically underserved areas.

Study results show that a structured educational intervention for staff aimed at improving knowledge of pain assessment and treatment has little effect on outcomes as measured by pain scores.

Correlation between change in brain volume and a clinical measure of cognitive function could be potential marker for clinical progression of multiple sclerosis.

Recently released testing guidelines and expanded access to insurance coverage under the ACA may improve awareness and treatment among HIV-positive, economically underserved, and minority populations that are disproportionately impacted by viral hepatitis infection.

By providing HIV testing, counseling, screening for other STDs, transportation assistance, and other services, these programs were able to successfully identify new cases of HIV in high-risk groups and provide them with follow-up care.

In addition to recommending antiretroviral therapy for all HIV-infected individuals to reduce the risk of disease progression, the revised document also offers guidance on initial treatment regimens, early HIV infection, drug-resistance testing, and more.

Study shows patients who switched from treatment with a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor maintained virologic suppression, experienced improved lipid profiles, and suffered fewer side effects.

New insurance protections, changes in how AIDS Drug Assistance Program benefits are counted, Medicaid expansion, and other provisions in the law will mean better care for many patients.

A unique program that focuses on specific neighborhoods in Philadelphia with high hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS infection rates provides free testing, works with local leaders to destigmatize testing, and connects infected individuals with needed health care services.

Researchers have had little success in developing an HIV cure, but recent studies involving gene therapy, immune-based therapy, reactivation of the immune system, and "very early" treatment have produced promising results.

Due to improvements in treatment and other factors, the number of HIV-positive patients over age 50 is growing rapidly. With their greater risk for serious comorbidities such as depression and addiction, these patients represent a unique challenge for clinicians and caregivers.

New guidelines discussed at AAP 2012 cover assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infections in children up to two years of age.