News

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of an experimental drug to treat patients who have Ebola Virus Disease.

Scientists in Germany have discovered a causal relationship between psychological factors and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after viewing high rates of anxiety and depression among IBS patients.

The same week that there was a confirmed case of the Ebola virus in the United States, a California university has joined the fight to battle the deadly outbreak.

A team of researchers at the University of Cambridge recently announced findings from a study that showed there is likely no link between a person's vitamin D levels and their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

News reports on the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the US have stoked fears that we could be facing an outbreak of the disease. However, experts say that characteristics of the disease itself, plus a robust public health infrastructure, make that highly unlikely.

Trials of tabalumab showed "insufficient efficacy."

For patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, statin therapy is often not enough to reduce LDL cholesterol. In two articles in The Lancet, researchers report on promising results of two international Phase 3 trials of evolocumab. The drug is a monoclonal antibody to proprotein convertase sudbtilism/kexin type 9 (PCSK9).

Study results show that a multifaceted pilot telehealth program designed to improve self-management among patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was well received by patients.

Research from Denmark finds that people with diabetes are nearly twice as likely as non-diabetic people to develop atrial fibrillation.

The majority of patients with psoriatic arthritis treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs will switch medications, discontinue treatment, or add an additional medicine, usually within a few months of initiating treatment.

Because a key antiviral defense mechanism is present in asthmatics, another defect in their immune system must explain their difficulty combating respiratory viruses, according to researchers from Washington University in St. Louis.

Reports indicate the patient presented with Ebola-like symptoms at a local emergency room and told staff he had recently traveled to Africa. If so, why wasn't CDC protocol followed, and why was the man sent home?

Concerned about a mysterious outbreak of pediatric paralysis, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked physicians to report any similar cases. In Denver, CO, 10 children have been admitted to Children's Hospital Colorado with limb weakness and paralysis since Aug. 1, according to the hospital.

Citing a "public health epidemic" of death and addiction related to use of prescription opioids, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) calls for a multi-pronged approach to curbing prescriptions. But the group stresses that finding ways to help patients in chronic pain is worthwhile and difficult.

A patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for the deadly virus.

The start of the fall season means that around the country children are settling into their school routines. It also means cold and flu season is just around the corner, and with a particularly harsh winter predicted for parts of the country that could mean bad news for the end of 2014.

Study results show many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may experience cognitive deterioration that becomes more severe as their COPD worsens.

Patients with the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis have shown improvement with glatiramer acetate. Although it is unclear exactly how the drug works, recently published research has shed light on the ways in which glatiramer acetate affects B cells.

Resistant hypertension is common among patients with type 2 diabetes, and is strongly associated with microvascular disease.

Schools could do more to ensure that children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are getting adequate exercise, a team of Oregon State University researchers found. Writing in Autism Research and Treatment Kiley Tyler and colleagues reported on their study measuring the physical fitness of children with ASD. The study was done at OSU in Corvallis, OR, where Tyler is a doctoral student in exercise and sport science.

In this installment, we look at underlying causes of metabolic acidosis, approaches for evaluating patients with suspected metabolic acidosis, and why measurement of the anion gap is of great usefulness in these cases.

Fifth American reportedly infected with the Ebola virus will be heading back to this country to receive treatment.

Looking at the growing problem of childhood obesity it is easy to show the importance of exercise in preventing the younger generations from risking their health through a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers recently published study result showing that not only is exercise important, but also that the type of exercise also matters in the final result.

When Jana Shaw, MD heard hospitals in the Midwest were seeing a surge in pediatric cases of Enterovirus-D68, she and colleagues at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital went on full alert. That meant adding beds, supplies, and staff, and gearing up public relations to keep the public informed about EV-D68. Nationally, with physicians already watching for outbreaks of Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, specimens from respiratory illness patients were soon on their way to testing labs. An unintended consequence was the that the US Centers for Disease Control an Prevention facilities were soon overwhelmed. In an opinion piece in Jama Pediatrics and an interview with HCPLive.com, Shaw talks about the merits and downside of the all-out preparedness effort.

A new drug with the potential to join the existing class of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for plaque psoriasis has shown promising results in a Phase II study.

Allergan's Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) 0.7 mg is now approved for use in the general diabetic macular edema patient population.

Do longer periods of androgen-deprivation therapy significantly improve prostate cancer survival rates or needlessly impair quality of life for recovering patients?

New research suggests that low testosterone levels may indicate that men face a greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Study results show that treatment with a proton pump inhibitor does not reduce the effectiveness of metformin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Airway inflammation, a common symptom among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, does not contribute to muscle atrophy and nutrient depletion, according to researchers at the University of Leicester.