Q&A With Maureen Mealy, RN, from Johns Hopkins: Neuromyelitis Optica and Multiple Sclerosis Differences Matter in Diagnosis and Treatment
Q&A With Stacey Cofield, PhD, From University of Alabama at Birmingham: NARCOMS Survey Takes Closer Look at Marijuana Use Among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Researchers have demonstrate the efficacy of an implantable organic electronic delivery device for the treatment of neuropathic pain in an animal model. The small organic electronic ion pump could be an effective option for patients suffering from severe nerve pain.
In March, the television news show 60 Minutes devoted a segment to a clinical trial using polio virus to treat glioblastoma multiforme. The segment called "Killing Cancer" did a good job of illustrating the potential power of this new treatment as well as the problems associated with glioblastoma multiforme which typically kills patients in a matter of months.
A presentation at the 2015 CMSC annual meeting made the case that focal, specific, subacute, neurologic problems in otherwise healthy adults should be diligently followed, and MRI can be an useful tool in differential diagnosis.
A recent review article summarized the socioeconomic consequences of Klinefelter syndrome, which is the most frequent chromosomal aberration in humans and is associated with hypogonadism and neurocognitive deficits.
Results from 2 trials presented at the recent Heart Rhythm Society meeting suggest that 2 alternative ablation technologies work about as well as those that are commonly used on patients with atrial fibrillation.
The US Food and Drug Association (FDA) granted approval for eluxadoline (Viberzi) and rifaximin (Xifaxan), to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) in adult men and women.
A drug normally used to treat hypertension reduced the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in mice models of the disease.
Obesity rates have climbed nearly 50 percent since 1997, with as much as 30 percent of the population classified as obese. There is strong belief within the health care industry that obesity should be treated as a primary medical condition, with physicians playing a major role. Evidence suggests that patients are more likely to lose weight when they are advised by their primary care physicians to do so.
GLP-1 receptor antagonists have been associated with thyroid cancer in rodents, and in fact carry a boxed warning about the potential for cancer in humans. This leads many clinicians to ask if they should be concerned about using these drugs in patients who have or develop specific types of thyroid cancer
Sitagliptin appears to have beneficial systemic and adipose anti-inflammatory effects in combination antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV-positive adults with impaired glucose tolerance. The drug may prevent cardiovascular problems by reducing inflammation linked to heart disease and stroke in this patient population.
The results of the largest study of its kind to date indicate that new antipsychotic medications-including quetiapine, olanzapine, and risperidone-do not appear to put women at additional risk of developing gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, or major blood clots that obstruct circulation, all conditions that often develop during pregnancy or with the use of older antipsychotic medications.
In addition to causing pain and discomfort and requiring antibiotics, a Danish study revealed that infections can negatively affect cognitive ability.
Patients with long-standing ulcerative colitis have shown signs of being more at risk for developing cancer. Research has looked at why that is the case and what can be done to prevent the cancer from progressing.
Transplanting a healthy person's fecal microbiota into the digestive tract of a patient believed to have a recurrent C. difficile infection has gone from obscurity to an accepted treatggggment. But a new study finds it was wrongly proposed for more than 25% of patients referred for treatment.
Click here to review the Cardiology Review editorial advisory board.
More than 13,000 physicians and cardiovascular team members attended the ACC 2015 meeting in San Diego on March 14-16, 2015. In this issue of Cardiology Review, we focus on 6 important studies presented at ACC 2015: LEGACY, OSLER, PEGASUS, EMBRACE-STEMI, MATRIX, and CoreValve.
Mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is higher than in the general population, and whether mortality improves or alters with glycemic control is unknown.
Sometimes even the most seasoned endocrinologists will encounter a patient who they have trouble finding a diagnosis. There is now an effort to use advances in science to help find answers for some of the field's most troubling questions
For younger male patients with low testosterone traditional treatments may not be the best method for what could be a temporary condition.
For anyone who has undergone a colonoscopy the worst part of the procedure is usually the preparation. Between the fluids that need to be ingested and the necessary fasting, it can be a long process before ever seeing the doctor. A recent pilot study looked at ways to change that.
Holding family meetings when patients are in intensive care can benefit patients, family, and caregivers. A research team reports on the electronic templates it is developing to keep records of what happens in those meetings.
Refractory angina is a loosely defined term generally referring to the persistence of life-impacting angina despite maximal antianginal medications and, when possible, coronary revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]). Numerous novel pharmacotherapies and mechanical interventions have been proposed, and studies conducted, to treat patients with refractory angina.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist. The use of beta-blockers in HF patients has a class 1A recommendation in both the European and American guidelines. In current guidelines for heart failure therapy, the recommendation for beta-blockers is not restricted to patients with sinus rhythm, and includes all HF patients.
In the era of progressive technology, the diagnostic modalities for stable coronary artery disease are various. The original cardiac stress test has been used in the past for many purposes, including diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease in a patient with chest pain as well as risk stratification for ischemia. More recently, coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has emerged as a great tool to diagnose anatomically obstructive coronary lesions. However, for the past few years, obtaining functional and physiologic data such as comparative fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become the gold standard for evidence of ischemia on CCTA similar to invasive angiography.
The primary objectives of treating acute ischemic stroke are to prevent death and limit functional disability. Similar to acute myocardial infarction (AMI), timely reperfusion using systemic thrombolysis has been shown to improve outcome of acute stroke, namely functional neurologic recovery, but not mortality. But unlike AMI, the role of intra-arterial or endovascular therapy in acute stroke has not been clearly established.
