Gale Scott

Whether it is because of geography, family ties, or greater availability of training slots, New Jersey has a higher percentage of international medical graduates in its medical residency programs than any other state.

Restricting sodium can actually be detrimental to patients with heart failure, a new analysis found.

Refining data presented earlier this month at the American Epilepsy Society meeting, NYU Langone researchers published a report on medical marijuana and intractable epilepsy in Lancet Neurology.

Marijuana doesn't help much for glaucoma, but a research study finds many patients want it anyway. Where cannabis is legal, the authors warn,physicians should expect patients will use it to self-medicate.

Though physicians are less likely to belong to an organized religion than the average US resident, they are just as likely to be caught up in the cultural pressure to celebrate Christmas. More than 90% of US residents, despite relious beliefs or lack of them, celebrate the holiday.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved selexipag (Uptravi/Actelion Pharmaceuticals US) for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adults.

The much-criticized high prices of directing-acting antivirals for hepatitis C are headed for a plunge -- but not in the US. Much as they did with HIV drugs years ago, pharma companies are giving away patents in many poor nations. Prices in the US will likely not change much.

The bad-boy pharma executive Martin Shkreli has been arrested—not for raising the prices of rare disease drugs like Daraprim—but for allegations he defrauded investors at another pharma company, Retrophin, Inc.

Pregnant women who take antidepressants during the second or third trimester may be putting their babies at an increased risk of developing autism, a Canadian study found.

Injection drug users who reuse or share syringes spread hepatitis C and HIV. About half of these users live outside the cities, but there are relatively few needle exchange programs available to them, according to the CDC.

Patients in many nations do not yet have access to direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C infection. A Saudi gastroenterologist advises colleagues to consider the drugs, despite their cost.

The contrast media injected into patients' vascular systems in a heart procedure can cause injuries to the kidneys. That is particularly true for patients with chronic kidney disease. Diluting the effect by hydrating a patient helps, but can risk overloading the heart. Chinese doctors offer a solution.

When epilepsy patients use marijuana their memory test results may not be accurate, researchers report.

Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, a banned yet still available rat poison, is considered a potential terrorist weapon, largely because there is no specific antidote. Poisoning causes status epilepticus and death. Perampanel may be an antidote, researchers found.

Epileptic seizures that go on for 30 minutes or more put children in mortal danger. Researchers report on promising treatments, and ones that appear ineffective.

There are pros and cons to giving patients once-weekly injections of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), a new group of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes.

MRI scans of patients with intractable epilepsy showed their brains age prematurely, a study found. These patients' brains looked almost 9 years older than they really were.

Older patients with heart and kidney failure can be helped with cardiac resynchronization therapy, a new study finds. But implanting devices to treat them is expensive, invasive, and not a full cure for many patients. Maybe it's better to ask these patients if they wouldn't rather die, two physicians argue.

Cannabidiol-a marijuana plant extract that does not have psychoactive effects-is showing promise in treatment-resistant forms of epileps

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is poorly understood. In research presented at the American Epilepsy Society 69th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, there is new evidence that mutations in genes that control heart rhythm may explain some cases.

Could personal monitoring devices give patients with epilepsy advance warning of seizures? An array of such gizmos is already available and more are coming.

Sleep disorders are common in children with Dravet syndrome, a genetic epileptic encephalopathy. Researchers call for medicating these young patients.

Ketamine, an anesthetic drug that is also being used for patients with treatment-resistant depression, may hold promise for refractory status epilepticus.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is used by about 20% of epilepsy surgery programs, but not without controversy. Researchers came up with case data and showed MEG is a valid approach and useful tool.

Genetic testing is increasingly used in studying epilepsy, but few studies have looked at how patients and their families feel about getting tested from a religious standpoint.

Researchers are looking at how cannabidiol interacts with traditional anti-seizure drugs. It appears to have a synergy with one but an antagonistic effect with others.

Drugs do not usually help patients with autoimmune epilepsy but surgery may. The severity of illness appears to vary depending on which antineuronal antibodies are present.

Analysis of study data from patients in real-world clinical setting showed a rapid increase in mean hemoglobin levels in this patient population, often as early as 3-4 weeks following initiation of treatment.

In cardioverting a patient with atrial fibrillation, physicians accidentally overstimulated an implanted vagal nerve stimulator, harming the patient.

The outrageous $750 a pill price of pyrimethamine (Daraprim/ Turing) could soon be undercut by the appearance of a new compound selling for a dollar a pill.