Internal Medicine

Patients of Indian ancestry living in the United States are at greater risk for all types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than other American populations, according to a new study by Reenu Malhotra, MD, and colleagues published online in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology on July 29, 2014.

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at the steady progression of treatments for patients with degenerative muscular tears as well as the different efficiency levels between those patients who had surgery and those who took another treatment option.

Physicians have few effective weapons to treat a migraine, an ailment that accounts for more than half of disability with a neurological cause. Chronic migraine is said to affect 2% of the world's population.

For individuals without diabetes, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels not only predicted the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), but also anticipated its severity, according to research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection is now the leading cause of infectious nosocomial diarrhea in the industrialized world. But by following Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) treatment guidelines, clinicians can significantly reduce recurrence and mortality, a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy team reports.

Scientists from Sanofi Pasteur's Swiftwater, PA facility have published results of a study indicating that a high-dose, trivalent, inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-HD or high dose Fluzone®) improves antibody responses to influenza among adults 65 years of age or older.

Prescription medications for mental health diagnoses (e.g. antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers) consume approximately 25% of commercial health insurers' pharmacy budgets and almost 35% of public payers' pharmacy spending. In 2011, an estimated 26.8 million US adults-more than 11%-took prescription medications for mental illness.

A letter published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association presents the first microbiologic pathogens trend analysis in hospitalized patients in the United States.

As people spend more time sitting and working in front of computer screens, studies have shown the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has grown. A team of researchers recently worked to take a deeper look at specific factors and their roles in the development in the condition.

Because a key antiviral defense mechanism is present in asthmatics, another defect in their immune system must explain their difficulty combating respiratory viruses, according to researchers from Washington University in St. Louis.

A patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for the deadly virus.

Kevin Skole, MD is a board-certified gastroenterologist practicing in central New Jersey, part of the gastroenterology division of Princeton Healthcare Affiliated Physicians, a multi-specialty medical practice based out of the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro (see www.princetonhcs.org). He discusses the increased incidence, risk factors, and prevention of Clostridium Difficile (C. diff) infection.

There is a wide variety of evidence to support benefits of low-fat diets versus low carbohydrate diets and vice versa. As of today, no one can tell us with certainty whether the well-worn dictum "calories in calories out" is really true. The National Weight Control Registry data give us some confidence in recommending that to lose weight most people need to alter their diet to reduce calories, and need to exercise on a near-daily basis.

Device therapy eligibility requirements are underestimated using 2D echocardiography compared to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, according to a study from the Netherlands Heart Journal.

Omega-3 supplementation can help reduce behavioral issues in adolescents who may be particularly prone to oxytocin receptor gene methylation.

The start of the fall season means that around the country children are settling into their school routines. It also means cold and flu season is just around the corner, and with a particularly harsh winter predicted for parts of the country that could mean bad news for the end of 2014.

Study results show many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may experience cognitive deterioration that becomes more severe as their COPD worsens.

Resistant hypertension is common among patients with type 2 diabetes, and is strongly associated with microvascular disease.

In this installment, we look at underlying causes of metabolic acidosis, approaches for evaluating patients with suspected metabolic acidosis, and why measurement of the anion gap is of great usefulness in these cases.

Fifth American reportedly infected with the Ebola virus will be heading back to this country to receive treatment.

Looking at the growing problem of childhood obesity it is easy to show the importance of exercise in preventing the younger generations from risking their health through a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers recently published study result showing that not only is exercise important, but also that the type of exercise also matters in the final result.

A new drug with the potential to join the existing class of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for plaque psoriasis has shown promising results in a Phase II study.

Allergan's Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) 0.7 mg is now approved for use in the general diabetic macular edema patient population.

Do longer periods of androgen-deprivation therapy significantly improve prostate cancer survival rates or needlessly impair quality of life for recovering patients?

New research suggests that low testosterone levels may indicate that men face a greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Study results show that treatment with a proton pump inhibitor does not reduce the effectiveness of metformin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.

As more practices and hospitals enter the digital age with Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other health information technology tools, a recent article points out that all those efforts are only half the battle.

Airway inflammation, a common symptom among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, does not contribute to muscle atrophy and nutrient depletion, according to researchers at the University of Leicester.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" and "seeing the same glass as being half-empty or half-full" are two commonly cited adages and nowhere is their meaning more evident than in the ongoing debate of whether a pelvic examination should be part of the routine check-up of a female patient.

Ponesimod, a selective S1P1 receptor agonist, has been shown to be efficacious for improving both disease and quality of life markers in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.