Latest Conference Articles

Literature review by the AAN shows that oral and oral spray forms of medical marijuana effectively treat some symptoms of MS, but there is little evidence to support efficacy in treating other neurologic diseases such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and Tourette syndrome.

Patients treated with ofatumumab, an anti-B cell antibody, for 24 weeks showed a significant reduction in disease activity, as measured by the appearance of new brain lesions.

Scientists studying patients with chronic pain have uncovered four specific genes that are associated with pain perception.

Study results to be presented at the 2014 AAN annual meeting show asymptomatic carotid stenosis may also contribute to impaired memory, cognitive function, and decision making.

Data from two studies involving drugs that target the calcitonin gene-related peptide for migraine prevention will be released at the 2014 AAN annual meeting.

A large multinational observational study of patients with hepatitis C reveals etiology does not play a major role in HCV survival rates and that early detection and access to treatment have a greater impact.

Preliminary results from the M12-999 study show that treatment with ABT-450/ritonavir/ombitasvir plus dasabuvir and ribavirin is well tolerated and associated with high rates of sustained virologic response in adult liver transplant recipients with recurrent HCV genotype 1 infection.

Although they offer an alternative to warfarin for preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, effective use of the new anticoagulants requires careful patient selection.

Results from the phase III ION-2 study show a 24-week regimen of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir does not produce significantly better cure rates than a 12-week regimen in treatment-experienced patients.

Results from the NEED study show combination treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a and either adefovir or entecavir does not increase HBeAg seroconversion rate compared to monotherapy alone in patients with hepatitis B.

The ACC/AHA cholesterol guideline can be a powerful tool for making multifactorial measures of cardiovascular disease risk assessment, particularly in African American populations, but clinicians should be aware of its limitations.

Results from the SAPPHIRE-I trial show that Abbvie's 3D therapy produced 96% sustained viral response rates at 12 weeks in treatment-naive patient with genotype 1 hepatitis C.

Data from the PEARL-I trial of patients with hepatitis C genotype 4 show high rates of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks associated with combination treatment with ABT-450 (a protease inhibitor boosted by ritonavir) and ombitasvir.

An 8-week course of treatment with a fixed dose combination of ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir produced sustained virologic response in more than 90 percent of treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C.

Clinicians should consider a patient's risk of hypoglycemia, the duration of time with the disease, age, comorbidities, vascular complications, and other factors when setting treatment goals.

With state-of-the-art treatment regimens for hepatitis C becoming more effective and easier to administer and monitor, care delivery will shift away from specialists to include more involvement by primary care physicians.

Several studies have shown good results with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic gastric banding when combined with lifestyle modifications in severely overweight patients with type 2 diabetes.

Once confirmation of an asthma diagnosis is made, most primary care physicians can manage the condition and need refer only challenging cases to a pulmonologist.

Thorough screening, advance planning, careful medication selection, and caregiver education and training are the keys to effective management of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Mitigating the risk of stroke, heart failure, and death when treating patients with atrial fibrillation requires a careful consideration of patient characteristics and management options.

Results from the ELECTRON-2 study presented at EASL 2014 show treatment with fixed-dose combo of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir produced sustained virologic response in three cohorts of patients.

Study of farnesoid-x receptor agonist demonstrates protective effects on bacterial translocation from the small intestine in rat model of cholestatic liver disease.

SAPPHIRE II trial results show sustained virologic response in 96% of treatment-experienced patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C who were treated with interferon-free, triple-drug regimen.

In atrial fibrillation patients, high blood pressure is associated with increased risk of stroke, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Washington, DC in March.

Treatment with methylprednisolone was associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction in high-risk patients 30 days after bypass surgery.

Trial data presented at ACC.14 showed bariatric surgery was associated with much better long-term glycemic control in obese patients with diabetes compared with standard intensive medical therapy alone.

Trial results presented at ACC.14 demonstrated that treatment with metformin immediately after PCI in non-diabetic patients presenting with acute STEMI does not lead to improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction or other measure of cardiac function.

Darapladib, a novel agent targeting an enzyme known to be associated with increased instability of atherosclerotic plaque, failed to show real-world benefit in a large global trial examining mortality and coronary outcomes.

Trial results showed the anti-gout medication colchicine reduced the rate of pericarditis recurrence and hospitalization compared to placebo.

Results from the CHOICE trial presented at ACC.14 showed the Sapien balloon-expandable valve performed slightly better than the CoreValve self-expanding device according to a composite measure of "device success."