News

Last week, the FDA and FTC issued a press release which announced that seven companies which manufacture over-the-counter weight loss products containing human chorionic gonadotrpin have been asked to stop selling and marketing the unapproved drugs.

Many children with asthma lose control of their condition after discontinuing therapy with long-acting beta agonists, indicates a small-scale study conducted by researchers at the University of Louisville.

A prototype prostate cancer diagnostic test may aid urologists in determining patients who have a true negative biopsy result from patients who may suffer from occult cancer undetected by prostate biopsy and histopathologic review. Should a larger study confirm these preliminary findings, this test could spare 30% of men who require testing for cancer a repeat biopsy following a negative biopsy.

Knee pain associated with osteoarthritis has increased dramatically over the last few decades independent of age and body mass index, though radiographic osteoarthritis has not increased, a new study finds.

Over the past few years there has been an increasing amount of mobile technologies that enhance the ability to access public health information and improve the delivery of health services to the public at large, as well as to health care professionals. The ubiquity of cell phones makes SMS text messaging the natural platform to deliver these interventions.

When you think mHealth, you might immediately think of health care applications on your iPhone or an EMR on your tablet. But the process that led to that app to making it to your mobile device is a long and tedious one.

This morning's session Harnessing the Power of Social Media and Mobile Technology to Engage Consumers at the mHealth Summit was a popular one, and with good reason. Social and mobile strategies in health care are becoming increasingly important and, when combined with gaming strategies, create what was described in the opening address as the "trifecta of effectiveness" when it comes to engaging patients.

In the afternoon session "mHealth at the Point of Care" at the mHealth Summit in National Harbor, MD, Bella Hwang spoke about an SMS program in Kenya that not only helped improve medication in AIDS patients, but also promised to do so in a highly economical way.

A 13-year-old boy who applied to the Milton Hershey School, a private boarding school which houses and educates young students from low-income families, was denied entry based solely on the fact that he is HIV-positive.

In a move that has been long anticipated by the diabetes community, the FDA has finally issued a draft guidance designed to aid investigators and manufacturers seeking approval for and developing "artificial pancreas" devices.

ADHD may be associated with deviations observed in genes which are connected to brain signaling pathways.

Radiofrequency treatment of patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease appears to improve symptoms by decreasing compliance of the gastroesophageal junction, a new study suggests.

Healthcare is experiencing a myriad of changes in the administrative, legislative and technology pillars, with each contributing to the dynamic as we know it.

Horizon Pharma announced last Tuesday that the FDA had accepted its new drug application for Lodotra, a delayed-release formulation of low-dose prednisone, for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults.

Several risk factors for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency are also risk factors for multiple sclerosis, finds a new study.

Annual worldwide downloads of mHealth apps will be 44 million next year and reach 142 million by 2016, predicts a report released earlier this week by UK-based Juniper Reports.

The novel enzyme inhibitor combined with allopurinol demonstrated significantly better serum uric acid control than placebo plus allopurinol.

Physicians with a financial interest in medical imaging equipment appear to be more likely to refer patients for unnecessary lower back imaging exams, a new study finds.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation announced on Tuesday that a $3.8 million dollar grant will be given to researchers who plan to delve into the role of inflammation in multiple sclerosis.

According to a recent study, a man's sperm count can be lowered and even damaged considerably when exposed to an electronic device utilizing a wireless connection to the Internet, or Wi-Fi.

According to a nationwide review of data from the in-patient register, 31 of the 33 autoimmune diseases studied were associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (a blood clot on the lung), including type 1 diabetes.

Children who present with symptoms of asthma, such as frequent wheezing, usually are treated by pediatricians with an inhaled steroid, but a recent study found that treating a wheezing child with a daily dose of an inhaler is no different than giving the child increased levels of the steroid at the beginning of a respiratory tract infection.

Tolvaptan appears to have both clinical and economic benefits for heart failure patients with hyponatremia, reports a new study.

There is strong evidence that GERD-induced aspiration helps to cause lung transplant failure, though more research is needed to identify the underlying pathogenic mechanism of injury to the transplanted organ, finds a recent review of studies on the topic.

Excess levels of tailpipe exhaust from high traffic areas are already connected to heart disease, cancer, and respiratory ailments, but numerous recent studies indicate that exhaust fumes may also affect mental capacity, intelligence, emotional stability, and overall cognitive function-including increased rates of autism-at every stage of life.

A Phase 3 trial of the investigational multiple sclerosis drug alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) met both of its co-primary endpoints: reduction of relapse rate and reduction of sustained accumulation of disability.

A study covering over half a million patients hospitalized for autoimmune disorders finds that they are at greatly increased risk of pulmonary embolism in the first year after their initial hospitalization.

Weight loss through intensive dieting and moderate exercise reduces pain and increases mobility and function for those with knee osteoarthritis, a new study finds.

Complementary and alternative medicine is highly prevalent among African Americans with rheumatoid arthritis, a new study finds.

In this video, Dr. Neil Riordan, Founder and President of the Stem Cell Institute in Panama, discusses the scientific rationale for using adipose tissue-derived stem cells and T-regulatory cells to treat MS and rheumatoid arthritis.