Andrew Smith

New research on the ability of particular peanut proteins to trigger IgE reactions in blood samples may reduce the need for potentially dangerous oral challenges.

New research indicates that restaurant workers are willing to accommodate patrons with severe food allergies, but are dangerously ill-informedill informed about the number of precautions needed to guard against reactions such as anaphylaxis.

Results from a Japanese study show that testosterone replacement therapy may improve nocturia, sleep conditions, and quality of life among men with hypogonadism and nocturia.

Analysis of health records from across the country indicates that improvements in ablation procedures are making them a safer and more effective treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Analysis of a large patient cohort indicates a strong association between self-reported stress levels and atrial fibrillation.

Analysis of records from a national insurance database indicates that statin use reduces the danger of cognitive decline associated with atrial fibrillation. Dose strength and duration may be associated with greater benefits.

A study of left atrial appendage ligations in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) found that leaks are common when doctors perform the surgery with a device called the Lariat and that those leaks can lead to neurological events.

Results from a small trial suggest that injections of botulinum toxin, administered after bypass surgery into the fat pads that surround the heart, may reduce the danger of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and virtually eliminate the danger of recurrent AF.

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.

Analysis of data from a previous study indicates that opioid use may increase the risk of heart attack by triggering atrial fibrillation.

Research indicates that, despite the relative simplicity of dabigatran regimens, physicians and pharmacists must follow up with patients repeatedly to maximize the chances they'll adhere to prescriptions.

Analysis of a large patient cohort indicates that atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of just 1 of the 2 major types of heart attack - but the association is strong enough to increase the overall heart-attack risk by 63%.

A new review of existing research on hypogonadism suggested that testosterone replacement therapy can ameliorate the morbidity associated with renal failure in many men.

Exposure to electromagnetic fields had been recently found to reduce the amount of testosterone men produce, potentially reducing their fertility.

Numerous studies have attempted to quantify the medical toll that severe food allergies inflict upon children. Now, a study from Sweden provides new data about the financial toll they inflict upon families.

New research indicated adolescents are twice as likely as younger kids to suffer from anaphylaxis and other severe allergic reactions while they are in school.

The use of corticosteroids for anaphylaxis or other severe allergic reactions is not associated with a reduction of relapses in the days following treatment.

A study of men with borderline testosterone levels found that half of them suffered either depressive symptoms or overt depression.

Research indicates that around 12 percent of all children with diagnosed peanut allergies are accidentally exposed to peanuts in any given year, and that the majority of those exposures take place inside their own homes.

Patients with atrial fibrillation at low risk of stroke treated with antithrombotic agents experienced low rates of stroke-related events, but the rate increased significantly in patients with even one additional risk factor.

Study results indicate that obstructive sleep apnea is an independent predictor of atrial fibrillation in cardiac surgery.

Results from a recent study may help physicians decide when to use pulmonary vein isolation on patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and when to try an alternative treatment.

Analysis of a large patient cohort indicates that "isolated" events of atrial fibrillation precipitated by temporary secondary conditions tend to become chronic long-term cases of atrial fibrillation.

FDA approval of the left atrial appendage closure device after a long review process provides a potentially useful alternative to warfarin.

Study results show that incorrect use of inhalers and epinephrine autoinjectors is widespread among patients, which should prompt treating physicians to focus more on educating patients on proper use.

Study results indicate that the increasing rate and severity of obesity in western nations has rendered today's epinephrine autoinjectors an ineffective anaphylaxis treatment for many people.

Analysis indicates that updates to atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment guidelines will encourage American doctors to prescribe oral anticoagulants to almost 1 million more patients.

A new analysis of insurance company records indicates that doctors frequently give testosterone therapy to men with "normal" hormone levels and that they fail, more often than not, to screen patients for prostate cancer each year.

A second trial of intranasal flu vaccines in children with egg allergies has reached the same conclusion as the first: The trace amounts of egg protein do not trigger systemic reactions such as anaphylaxis.

An analysis of more than 20,000 records indicates that patients who choose catheter ablation rather than cardioversion for atrial fibrillation face an elevated stroke risk immediately after the procedure but a lower stroke risk thereafter.