April 2015

A 50-year-old forest ranger noted this rash, which he thinks has been present for several weeks. He noticed a similar rash on his dog. It is itchy, with a raised red border and a clear center. It may have increased in size slightly over several weeks. He is otherwise asymptomatic. What is the next step in treating him?

A recent study observed the likelihood of survival and other aspects of melanoma depending on a patient's NRAS and BRAF status.

A recent study looked specifically at patients on Medicare who require surgery for their melanoma and their wait time before going under the knife.

For patients with Androgenic Alopecia (AGA), Finasteride is a popular treatment option.

A pair of studies has demonstrated promising drug regimens for the treatment of HCV/ HIV co infected patients, according to an editorial published in JAMA.

Vascular aging may play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and brachial artery pulse pressure is a well-established marker of vascular aging.

Research, led by Michela Ripolone, PhD, Centro Dino Ferrari, Universita degli Studi Milano, concluded that an altered regulation of myogenesis and a downregulated mitochondrial biogenesis contribute to pathologic changes in the muscle of patients afflicted with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), recommending that therapeutic strategies aim at counteracting these changes.

A study in JAMA Surgery identified several factors that cause a frequently used antireflux surgery to be unsuccessful.

While acetaminophen can be credited with killing emotions, the same can't be said about back pain or osteoarthritis.

Across the United States, especially within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, heart failure (HF) is reported to cause hospitalization, disability, and death.

Although stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, in China, it is the most frequent cause of death. Some trials and meta-analyses have found that folic acid supplementation has no effect on cardiovascular events in general, but it may reduce stroke risk.

In a perspectives piece published in the April 2015 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, physicians from Montefiore Medical Center in New York City underscored the importance of removing language barriers.

A team of investigators from the University of Toronto and McGill University discovered a correlation between hospital ward antibiotic prescriptions and Clostridium (C) difficile infections.

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported a vast improvement in survival rates despite a decrease in primary tumor resection (PTR) to treat stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC).

With the increasing number of patients turning to epidural steroid injections for pain relief, specialists with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safe Use Initiative gathered specialists to improve the procedure.

To prescribe or not to prescribe? – That is the question that practitioners face regarding antibiotics. While they can be extremely beneficial, the medication proved to be the deadly approach for one patient.

Infants can be effectively treated as outpatients using antibiotic regimens in the case of parents refusing hospital referral, according to a trio of studies published in The Lancet and The Lancet Global Health.

Patients resuming oral anticoagulants do not show greater risk of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage, according to a study published in JAMA.

Researchers hope to combat dengue virus transmission by using a computer model to track how the Wolbachia bacterium can prevent the spread of the disease in mosquitoes.