News

Medical technology is constantly evolving across fields, and ophthalmology is no exception. A new hypersonic vitrectomy device is currently in development and could be on the market in 2017.

Scientists found that amyloid beta proteins accumulate in the retinas of AMD patients – the same types of proteins that settle in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

In a recent survey of pediatric dermatologists, cyclosporine (Neoral/ Novartis, SandIMMUNE/ Sandoz, others) was the most common choice of systemic agent to treat severe pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD), followed by methotrexate (Trexall, Teva, others).

High-dose biotin may be an effective treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis, researchers in France found.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina examined the gene expression and regulation in colon tissue from patients to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that make up Crohn’s disease.

For many patients who are vitamin D deficient, there are oral supplements which can be found over the counter which can help bring their levels into the normal range. That and other steps can help play a role in lessening the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

A new study of inner city schools found evidence that high levels of mouse allergens correlated with hindered lung function and an increase in sick days caused by asthma symptoms.

Babies exposed to Zika virus in utero can look normal at birth but develop microcephaly months later as their head growth decelerates, the CDC reports.

Many previous studies have shown that smoking causes lung cancer, but a recently published report explained that heavy smokers with diabetes also have an increased risk of death unrelated to lung cancer.

A study looking at pregnant women in Finland showed a potential connection between low levels of vitamin D and the development of multiple sclerosis.

With sexual activity being a leading cause of HIV infection, researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Barcelona, Spain aimed to find how dolutegravir impacts the risk of HIV transmission.

AerobiKa, a vibratory positive expiratory pressure device meant to reduce mucus plugging, “did not demonstrate statistical significance in terms of improved clinical asthma score or reduced hospitalization rate.”

“While the concept of biofilms in atopic dermatitis is relatively new, antimicrobial and biofilm dispersing agents have been included in the treatment regimen for atopic dermatitis for decades," according to the study authors.

With diabetes affecting so many parts of a patient's life sometimes it is not enough for one provider to help them manage the condition.

It can be easy for providers to be lost in numbers as they go through a busy day in the clinic. However, there is evidence to suggest that finding different ways to help patients beyond symptom management can do as much if not more to help improve quality of life overall.

Patients with diabetes face a number of challenges in their daily life, especially monitoring their blood glucose levels. There is work being done in the medical community to monitor other potential issues that can affect quality of life overall and how to address them.

Novo Nordisk’s Xultophy combines a previously marketed basal insulin with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, and was yesterday accepted by the FDA. The company plans to have the drug on the market in 2017.

Researchers are getting closer to understanding the pathogenesis of one type of age-related macular degeneration.

Patients who discontinued long-term treatment with omalizumab (Xolair/Genentech and Novartis) were more likely to experience an episode of severe asthma exacerbation during a one-year monitoring period than those who continued the treatment, in a recent study to determine whether therapeutic effect persists after discontinuation.

The CDC's Lauri A. Hicks, DO, captain, US Public Health Service, director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, explains how antibiotics can be harmful if they are not used appropriately.

Despite intense efforts to disinfect hospital surfaces, C. difficile can be difficult to eliminate a two-year followup showed in Costa Rica.

For men afflicted with type 2 diabetes and at high risk for heart attacks; however, relief might be found in an unlikely source – the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil).

Whether patients need to move to stronger medications, or find a more effective treatment, doctors need as much information as possible before making a decision on what course to follow.

As patients cycle between treatments for multiple sclerosis, there can be questions about how they will react to the various medications after switching. Comparing alemtuzumab and natalizumab provided doctors with at least some insight into this question.

Healthcare workers might be expected to have the facts on HIV transmission rates. A study showed that at a Kansas tertiary care hospital, more than a quarter of workers who answered a survey harbored misconceptions.

A recent study found that Puerto Rican children who lived closer to major roadways exhibited higher levels of certain inflammation-related cytokines in their blood.

Over the course of a patients lifetime they will likely shift between various multiple sclerosis treatments. A recent study compared some of the more popular options on a variety of levels.

Depression is associated with cardiac risk factors in HIV-positive people. But does depression make these HIV patients more likely to die?

What happens to patients who walk away from care at their HIV clinic? A Pennsylvania team found which ones were most likely to die.

Combining the common cold virus and a DNA-based vaccine revs up the immune system to fight the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide in South Australia.