Andrew Smith

Earlier this year, a skin patch designed to reduce the risk of anaphylaxis and other severe reactions to peanuts became the first allergy treatment ever granted a Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA.

New research provides further evidence that data collected by pacemakers can be used to speed the detection of atrial fibrillation.

A meta-study of randomized controlled trials indicates that older TNF-inhibitors such as etanercept or infliximab treat psoriatic arthritis more effectively than newer TNF-inhibitors.

A clinical trial with a choline-rich structured lipid found that daily intake can significantly reduce choline depletion in cystic fibrosis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Secukinumab was more effective than placebo in patients with psoriatic arthritis in a second phase 3 trial, strengthening the case for approval as a treatment for the disease.

Study results show patients with atrial fibrillation who stopped taking warfarin before surgery received no benefit from temporary "bridging" with low-molecular-weight heparin. Patients who received no anticoagulation while off warfarin did not experience significantly more thromboembolic events, but they did experience significantly lower fewer incidents of serious bleeding.

New research has cast more doubt on the theory that drinking coffee, even in large amounts, may increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.

Longer intervals between injections of anti-TNF drugs in patients with psoriatic arthritis is "safe, effective, cost-effective, and facilitates patient compliance," according to researchers.

Research indicates that many nannies know dangerously little about how to prevent, recognize, or treat severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis.

A large retrospective analysis from Canada suggests that dabigatran is about as safe and effective as warfarin in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.

A new study from Korea indicates that children who undergo pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD, aka the Whipple Procedure) generally avoid problems such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and lead relatively normal lives.

A study of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty found that patients with psoriatic arthritis face no greater risk of poor outcomes than patients who get hip replacements because of osteoarthritis.

Over the past year, school officials in several of the nation's largest states have implemented new policies to address the growing prevalence and severity of pediatric allergies by increasing access to epinephrine auto-injectors.

Regulators in the UK have decided not to recommend apremilast as an alternative to DMARD therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

New research into distal pancreatectomies indicates that women and overweight patients have an elevated risk of suffering endocrine function impairment that leads to glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus.

Left atrial appendage obliteration reduces stroke risk in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but a new study suggests that the procedure does not reduce stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients after bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement.

Researchers have found further links between vitamin D deficiency and chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as psoriatic arthritis.

New research suggests that cold weather may be an underappreciated hazard for patients with atrial fibrillation.

New research on the link between diabetes and pancreatitis has shown a strong association between the severity of pancreatic dysfunction and subsequent risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A new review and meta-analysis finds that - despite the lack of drug-specific antidotes to arrest major bleeds - novel oral anticoagulants are associated with a lower risk of fatal bleeds than warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Half of the patients with psoriatic arthritis enrolled in a trial of etanercept continued responding to the medication and complying with treatment guidelines for more than 5 years.

New research suggests that a 10-second self assessment might provide nearly as much information about psoriatic arthritis case progression as complex tests that generally require either require laboratory results or formal joint-by-joint evaluation.

New research concludes that the association between celiac disease and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is strong enough that physicians should check for EPI when celiac patients suffer malnutrition or gastric distress despite adherence to prescribed diets.

Analysis of continuous heart rhythm and outcome data indicates that temporary cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) do raise stroke risk - but the worst danger lasts only a few days after the heart returns to normal rhythm.

A small Italian study found no evidence that use of anti-TNF-alpha agents during pregnancy affects the health or development of children in their first 2 years of life.

New research suggests that the Cox maze IV ablation procedure (CMP-IV) leads to better long-term outcomes than catheter-based ablation procedures in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Patients with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating mutation G551D have insufficient ion transport due to reduced channel-open probability. New information suggests that increased ion transport reduces disease burden in the pancreas, which prevents cystic fibrosis patients from digesting food properly and leads to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in up to 90% of all cases.

A new trial of vitamin D replacement regimens in young people with cystic fibrosis and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency finds twice-weekly doses of vitamin D2 50,000 IU to be as effective as weekly doses of vitamin D3 50,000 IU.

Compared to patients who received no oral anticoagulant treatment at hospital discharge, patients with ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation who received warfarin had a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and spent less time receiving follow-up care at the hospital.

Researchers found that not only are patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis at higher risk for uveitis, the association is bidirectional: patients with uveitis are at increased risk for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis