News

The cost critics at the non-profit Institute for Clincial and Economic Review today charged that a heart monitoring device is too expensive by 60% and a new cardiac drug costs 17% more than it should. It's the same group that attacked the cost of PCSK9 inhibitors and predicted hepatitis C antivirals would be pricey.

Melanoma and other types of skin cancer are among the many types of cancer poised to benefit greatly from genomic research that identifies susceptibilities and potential targets for genetic-based therapy. A recent paper in Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research suggests, however, that an entire category of genetic mutations – one that could be incredibly fruitful in terms of diagnosis and treatment – is largely being ignored.

Treatment advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including the development and widespread deployment of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologic therapies, mean that patients now often have significant periods of low disease activity. But a study in Arthritis Research & Therapy indicates that even patients reaching sustained remission report some potential neuropathic pain even when inflammation is well-controlled.

Women suffering from primary dysmenorrhea – painful menstruation in the absence of any sort of pelvic pathology – are unlikely to think much of it, chalking it up to a normal part of the menstrual cycle. A review in Human Reproduction Update, however, suggests that health professionals and pain researchers also generally ignore the condition.

A study in Drug Design, Development, and Therapy provides further evidence that omalizumab is safe and effective for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Omalizumab is currently used to treat adult and pediatric patients with asthma and is FDA-approved for use in patients with CSU refractory to antihistamines. These results further outline the effectiveness of the drug in treating CSU and suggest a bump for omalizumab in the typical treatment protocol for CSU.

A new methodology for analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has demonstrated the difference between autistic and non-autistic brains for the first time, according to a study published in Brain.

The Asthma Ally app can track patients' symptoms and alert their physicians when those symptoms are not under control, according to findings of a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

As summer comes to a close and many have already sent their children off to a new year of school, a study in PLOS One suggests that children who have asthma or eczema may face significant challenges fitting in with their peers.

Adalimumab gets new indication for hidradenitis suppurativa.

A recent review looked at the underlying reasons for the care challenges still facing rheumatologists in treating lupus nephritis (LN). Among those, the review looks at how to better predict individual risk for LN in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus patient; identify optimal therapy for LN patients, and how to monitor immunologic activity for signs of persistent kidney damage.

Several states – including Delaware and Georgia – are beginning to take action to increase diagnosis and access to treatment for patients with hepatitis C. The news comes in the wake of several studies showing that patients are often denied treatment. In addition, a highly regarded health council recently asked the White House to remove the restrictions that Medicaid often places on costly treatments that effectively amount to a cure for the potentially deadly disease.

A pilot study found very promising results for treating actinic keratosis with an off-label usage of topical 5- fluorouracil (5-FU).

An analysis in Canadian Family Physician casts further doubt on the ability of marijuana to provide pain relief for patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). Yet, in an accompanying editorial in the same issue, Roger Ladouceur, MD, Associate Scientific Editor of CFP, suggests that pain management specialists continue to prescribe it.

Using an ultrasound to predict tenosynovitis may also predict early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the results of a study presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) in Rome, Italy earlier this summer.

Using biomaterial scaffold in a spinal cord injury promotes nerve regeneration, according to findings published in the journal Tissue Engineering, Part A.

The three-day gathering drew policymakers, patient groups, and physicians and other key stakeholders from more than 60 countries around the world

A series of physician guidelines for headache care recently published in Canadian Family Physician was aimed at family physicians but has applicability for physical and occupational therapists, nurses and practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and psychologists, among others. The brevity of the guidelines is among its strengths, along with the breadth of issues for which care guidelines are listed.

Studies show that certain factors, including age, gender, and, importantly, location of treatment may contribute to the increased incidence of migraines.

An alarming new study determined that one in two adolescent patients are misusing their prescription opioids – and that's actually an improvement from previous years.

Pain is pain, regardless of the race, gender, or ethnicity of the person experiencing it. But pain treatment may not be so blind. Some studies in adult patients have shown that ethnicity and race might be associated with disparities in analgesia and opioid treatment in Emergency Department (ED) patients with limb fractures. Fortunately, a study in The Annals of Emergency Medicine suggests that ethnic differences did not make a difference in pain treatment in a pediatric ED in northern Israel.

Hepatitis C patients' liver damage may be severely underestimated and under diagnosed, according to a recently published study inThe American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The molecular mechanism permitting the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to survive in nearly 50% of humans' stomachs has been identified, according to research published in Science Advances

Regulators in the UK have decided not to recommend apremilast as an alternative to DMARD therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Precision medicine's role in the management of hypogonadism is still in its formative stages. Researchers suggest that identifying biomarkers associated with individual patients' treatment responses is possible.

Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle reported that the use of avatars (digital representations of a coach, buddy, or teacher) improved user satisfaction in interactive, online weight management programs for obese teens.

Study results show patients who took statins following ischemic stroke were significantly less likely to have post-stroke early-onset seizures.

In 2010, about 3% of Americans had tried e-cigarettes. Today, around 10% of the population has tried them, with sales growing every year.

Norwegian researchers found that lung cancer patients with brain metastasis who got aggressive treatment for the brain lesions did better overall than patients with stage IV lung cancer.

Middle-aged men with prediabetes are more likely than healthy peers to suffer from depressive symptoms and signs of andropausal syndrome.

Phototherapy is significantly underutilized, in part because it isn't adequately taught during core dermatology training.