News

The 2014-2015 flu season has been one of the worst in recent years due to several factors. Robert Pedowitz, DO, of the CentraState Healthcare System explains some of the issues facing patients and doctors during the most recent epidemic.

Gynecomastia-the growth of breast tissue in men-can be an embarrassment for adolescents, but for professional bodybuilders it can be a career-ender. Two plastic surgeons said steroid use is to blame and surgery-not liposuction-is the best treatment.

A new drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients diagnosed with HIV-1.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Evotaz tablets in combination with other antiretroviral agents for an innovative treatment option for adults suffering from HIV-1 infection – delivering proven suppression through 48 weeks.

Hair loss, whether partial or close to baldness, is a condition that is frequently associated with feelings of poor self-confidence (even depression in severe cases) across all demographics of affected patients.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have prevented cardiac arrests and deaths, but they carry a risk of giving patients shocks when they don't need them. That inappropriate shock rate has been estimated as occurring in 10 to 20% of patients with the devices, causing unnecessary hospital admissions, and a negative impact on patients' quality of life. They are also associated with increased morbidity and mortality for some patients. But in a study in Heart Rhythm Angelo Auricchio, MD, PhD, and colleagues report on technological improvements in a Medtronic device that has reduced those shocks to 1.5% with a dual/triple chamber defibrillator and 2.5% for a single chamber ICD after one year.

Just 3 days before the state hosts the nation's biggest sporting event, public health officials in Arizona are locked in an off-the-field battle with a different kind of opponent.

Corticosteroid (steroid) is associated with an approximately 5-fold increase of venous thromboembolism in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

When it comes to ordering the correct test for Vitamin D, too many doctors just can't get it right, a new study found. A Seattle team found 66% of tests ordered for one type of test were made in error, delaying care and potentially putting patients at risk. But it took the laboratory specialists 2 years of trial and error--and a lot of patience--to get the doctors to order the right tests.

Women tend to become addicted to drugs and relapse faster than men. In a study in the Journal of Neuroscience, Helen Scharfman and Teresa Miller write that high levels of estrogen may be responsible for this difference.

According to the results of a recent study, ethnicity may play a large role in the mortality rate of patients with lupus

A systematic review recently reported that antidepressants were beneficial for GERD patients – curbing esophageal sensation and reducing functional chest pain.

Addressing a controversy that arose in the UK, the Lancet published a study that concludes oseltamivir (Tamiflu/Roche) does show efficacy in treating influenza. Researchers in London and the US concluded "Our findings show that oseltamivir in adults with influenza accelerates time to clinical symptom alleviation, reduces risk of lower respiratory tract complications, and admittance to hospital, but increases the occurrence of nausea and vomiting." That refutes the findings of a 2014 British Medical Journal study that charged the drug had no antiviral effect, the authors said. The earlier study also alleged that the drug's adverse effects outweighed any benefits.

A novel oral anticoagulant's trial performance has led European regulators to approve its use in cardioversion for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah recently discovered the mechanism potentially triggering pancreatic cancer from the defects resulting from extrusion, the process through which cells are squeezed out of overcrowded tissue to die.

Major depressive episodes (MDEs) have physical symptoms such as anhedonia, anorexia and weight loss-all of which can be triggered by activation of the immune system.In a report in JAMA Psychiatry Elaine Setiawan, PhD and colleagues said their research shows that translocator protein density intensifies during an MDE, and that shows brain inflammation.They measured translocator protein by distribution volume (TSPOVt) assessed through PET scans.

Alzheimer 's disease (AD) has a long preclinical phase in which pathology develops years or decades before clinical symptoms. In study in JAMA Psychiatry, Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH and colleagues report that depression, anxiety and cognitive decline are associated with presence of Amyloidβ but that patients will benefit if their depression and anxiety are treated.

The self-described naturopath who made millions after his dubious weight-loss product was touted as "magic" on "The Dr. Oz Show" has agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

Everyone involved in the care of a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) wants to know that child's long-term prognosis. In a study in JAMA Psychiatry Peter Szatmari, MD reports on his study of 421 newly diagnosed preschoolers in a Canadian multisite longitudinal study. Data were collected over 4 years, until each child was age 6.The author found that there are several trajectories ASD can take.

Researchers recently evaluated the clinical utility of fecal concentration of elastase 1 as a means of identifying exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Hospitals in New York and New Jersey expect to return to normal by tomorrow morning, after making extensive blizzard readiness preparations that disrupted schedules and had the public on edge.State of emergency declarations were lifted this morning, as the storm that was supposed to be "snowpocalypse" or "snowmageddon" turned east from its predicted path by 50 miles and spared much of the NY-NJ region that was expecting it to be a winter version of 2012's Super Storm Sandy.

Adult male hypogonadism (HG) is the most common form of diminished gonadal activity in men. Most clinicians prescribe testosterone replacement therapy to treat primary HG, but other therapeutic options are available.

Renal clearance can be significantly elevated in the critically ill. Treating these patients with renally cleared drugs can present a problem. Drugs-whisked through the body with greater than expected efficiency, a process called augmented renal clearance (ARC)-reach only suboptimal levels and, consequently, patients experience no improvement or actual clinical decline. ARC is often associated with elevated urinary creatinine clearance.

In March 2014, the Society of Surgical Oncology Susan G. Komen for the Cure Symposium focused on the literature on the epidemiology, molecular pathology, and therapy considerations of triple-negative breast cancer. The Annals of Surgical Oncology has published a summary of this work ahead of print.

Since children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may also have epileptic disorders, physicians usually want electroencephalograms (EEGs) of their brains.One sign of autism is staring spells. That can also be a form of epilepsy, an absence seizure.But an Australian study of children referred for these episodes showed EEGs offer little diagnostic benefit.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic version of AstraZeneca's heartburn blockbuster, Nexium.

Abandonment alters children's brain tissue.Children who experienced extreme neglect showed physical changes in the white matter of their brains, a Boston team found.Writing in JAMA Pediatrics Johanna Bick PhD and colleagues at Boston Children's Hospital reported on the Bucharest Early Intervention Project.

Finding brain beta amyloid is usefull in assessing Alzheimer's Disease. In a report in JAMA Neurology, Craig Curtis, MD, and colleagues report on a multicenter PET imaging study on terminally ill dementia patients using flutemetamol injections tagged with radioactive fluorine 18. In cases where autopsy was later possible, the team assessed how accurate the tests had been in diagnosing Alzheimer's.

Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) in young and middle-aged adults is on the rise. A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that ISH puts these patients at higher relative risk for heart disease and mortality than their peers with normal blood pressure. That raises the question of whether these younger ISH patients should be getting drug therapy.

As a blizzard predicted to break snowfall records bears down upon the Northeast, hospitals and physicians are shifting into disaster-planning mode. With the worst of the blizzard expected to hit coastal New England, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency and instituted a travel ban that will take effect at midnight. , per Boston.com. Shriner's Hospital in Boston canceled elective procedures and clinic visits. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency at noon Monday, closing state offices and urging motorists to stay off the roads. In a news conference this afternoon, he said the state's emergency workers and transportation department can handle the storm.