Internal Medicine

Researchers in Japan have developed a method to slow growth in bacteria that causes pneumonia in hospitalized patients with low immunity and is resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers concluded that blood sampling analysis as the only method of diagnosis for hypogonadism is leading to under- and overdiagnosis of low-T.

Whether direct-to-consumer advertising is a good or bad thing remains a matter for debate, but what is not up for discussion is the need for due diligence on the part of physicians in managing patients who are motivated by those ads to seek medical attention.

Cutaneous reactions occurred in most participants in a Netherlands-based multiple sclerosis therapy study, lowering dermatologic-specific quality-of-life scores.

In addition to its recognized anti-inflammatory effects, dimethyl fumarate also produces antioxidative effects that may be neuroprotective.

Minimally invasive surgical technique for patients with atrial fibrillation who cannot tolerate standard anticoagulant therapy uses sutures to tie off the left atrial appendage and offers increased stroke protection.

Although they have all participated in the development of treatment guidelines for a variety of pain conditions, 3 comprehensive pain experts openly acknowledged and discussed the practical limitations of published evidence-based recommendations during the closing session of the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2014 Annual Meeting.

Reducing high-dose opioid therapy does not worsen pain severity, functional ability, or aberrant drug-related behaviors in chronic pain patients when concurrent biopsychosocial services are offered.

Even if a chronic pain patient had been taking opioid medications exactly as prescribed, it would still be possible for the patient to experience negative cognitive and emotional responses to dose tapering that could amplify sensory pain and lead to opioid addiction.

In light of the fact that many physicians continue to rely on observational analysis and patient self-reporting to monitor opioid addiction or misuse, results from a scientific poster reinforced the benefits of routine urine drug testing in improving compliance with prescribed opioid medications and ultimately enhancing pain care.

Though different sets of treatment recommendations for knee osteoarthritis send conflicting messages to practicing physicians, James W. Atchison, DO, pointed out that the guidelines focus solely on the knee, while pain management specialists focus on the whole person.

Researchers engineered an intravaginal device that will act as not only a contraceptive but also protect against HIV and herpes, according to a write up in PLOS ONE.

To curb the symptoms associated with Kawasaki Disease, researchers are recommended use of the drug infliximab, according to a study published online in the February 24 issue of The Lancet.

The implementation of DSM-5 criteria will result in a decrease of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses, according to a meta-analysis published in the February issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Myalept, a drug form of the hormone leptin, for the treatment of lipodystrophy.

Scientists from the University of Rostock in Germany explored the range of multiple sclerosis treatment options and examined them for possible infectious outcomes, side effects, and potential fatalities.

Preliminary research data revealed a significantly higher incidence of opioid-induced constipation among patients taking opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain than self-reported constipation complaints suggest.

Aveed (testosterone undecanoate), an injection drug designed to combat hypogonadism, has been approved by the FDA after being rejected 3 times.

Multiple sclerosis is considered to be caused by deterioration of white matter in the brain, but a meta-analysis of recent studies concluded that grey matter atrophy could also be a factor.

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology was held from Feb. 28 to March 4 in San Diego and attracted more than 5,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in allergic and immunologic disease. The conference highlighted recent advances in allergy, asthma, and immunology.

When encouraging and supporting patients to quit smoking, varenicline is unlikely to increase the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events such as suicide, depression, and aggression, even in patients with pre-existing psychiatric illness.

Although fibromyalgia lacks an effective standardized treatment, one part of the problem is the condition's diverse constellation of symptoms that include chronic widespread pain, fatigue, and even depression.

In joint studies, researchers concluded the bacteria Streptococcus sanguinis requires manganese in order to cause endocarditis.

Study results derived from animal immune system models of rheumatoid arthritis show that deactivating the B-lymphocyte protein PTP1B allows the B-cell to become more responsive.

Older age, chronic corticosteroid use, severe trauma, abrasion, or some combination of red flags predict an increased risk of spinal fracture, but a prior history of malignancy is the only useful predictor of spinal malignancy.

Results of a long-term study indicate that when both parents smoke, children's absorption of secondhand smoke leads to increased artery wall thickness.

Estimates from a national survey indicate that there are 2.7 million people in the United States who are chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a decline over previous years.

Hepatitis C often goes unreported on death certificates and people who have the virus are more likely to die younger than those who don't, according to results from 2 mortality studies.

Pneumonia developed more frequently in people with sleep apnea than in those without, according to research from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.

Mice models demonstrating colorectal cancer development were influenced by nongenetic factors such as gut microbes.