Oct 7th, 2022 - Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), history of previous serious infection is a strong predictor for serious infection, according to study results published in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. To evaluate predictors of serious infection in SLE, a prospective single-center study was conducted that included individuals with SLE who met the American College of Rheumatology ...

Oct 7th, 2022 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to FibroLux laser for adjunctive use in temporary relief of pain associated with fibromyalgia. FibroLux is a laser based therapy that delivers optimal doses of light energy using a combination of curated wavelengths. The FDA cleared the device based on data from a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel group cli...

Oct 7th, 2022 - Overall and site-specific fracture rates vary by kidney failure cause in patients receiving dialysis, a new study finds. It remains unclear whether disease- or treatment-related factors or both account for these differences. Among 491,496 patients receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis in the 1997-2014 US Renal Data System (USRDS) database, 62,954 patients (12.8%) experienced a first fra...

Oct 6th, 2022 - The use of therapeutic drug monitoring to assess response to ustekinumab during the first 16 weeks of administration may predict endoscopic and clinical disease outcomes after 1 year in patients with Crohn disease (CD), according to study findings published in Digestive and Liver Disease. Researchers conducted a monocentric, retrospective study from October 2016 to August 2020 that analyzed the...

Oct 6th, 2022 - The days of strictly classifying rosacea patients as having erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, or ocular forms of the skin condition are over. At least they should be, according to Julie C.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is most commonly used for the surgical management of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) in high-risk locations. The ability for 100% margin evaluation with MMS also has shown lower recurrence rates compared with wide local excision for less common and/or more aggressive tumors.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 treated with brensocatib had no improvement in clinical status after 29 days of treatment, according to clinical trial findings published recently in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Increased neutrophil serine protease has been reported in cases of severe and fatal COVID-19 infection. Dipeptidyl peptidase (DDP-1) is the enzyme responsible for neutrophil seri...

Oct 6th, 2022 - In symptomatic, tobacco-exposed individuals with preserved lung function, respiratory symptoms did not decrease with inhaled dual bronchodilator therapy, according to clinical trial findings published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine. Because inhaled dual bronchodilator therapy is effective for controlling symptoms in patients with COPD, there is speculation that such treatment w...

Oct 6th, 2022 - Among patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who are ineligible to receive cisplatin, carboplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) may be a better option than cetuximab-based chemoradiotherapy, according to a new cohort study of U. S.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) is a common yet potentially blinding condition caused by a primary or reactivated herpetic infection of the cornea. 1 The Herpetic Eye Disease Study established the standard of care in HSK management.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Pleural Disease Section Aspirate or wait: changing the paradigm for PSP care There is considerable heterogeneity in the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). Although observation for small asymptomatic PSP is supported by current guidelines, management recommendations for larger PSP remains unclear (MacDuff, et al.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Patients with advanced HIV infection who have not achieved virologic suppression with antiretroviral therapy (ART) may be at increased risk for severe monkeypox infection, according to study findings published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Current evidence from the United States and Europe suggests up to 51% of monkeypox cases are among patients with HIV coinfection. Although no tre...

Oct 6th, 2022 - To the Editor: Segmental neurofibromatosis, or neurofibromatosis type 5 (NF5), is a rare subtype of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)(also known as von Recklinghausen disease). Phenotypic manifestations of NF5 include café-au-lait macules, neurofibromas, or both in 1 or more adjacent dermatomes.

Oct 6th, 2022 - To the Editor: Vedolizumab is an innovative monoclonal antibody targeted against the α4β7 integrin that is approved for treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease refractory to standard treatment. 1 Vedolizumab is thought to be gut specific, blocking integrins specific to T lymphocytes destined for the gastrointestinal tract and their interaction with endothelial cells,.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Don’t like needles? Have we got a vaccine for you Here’s a quick question: How do you turn the most annoying thing ever into something positive? No, we’re not talking about politicians this time. No, not Elon Musk, either.

Oct 6th, 2022 - Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially those with interstitial lung disease (ILD), are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes, according to study results published in The Lancet. The retrospective multicenter cohort study included individuals with RA and COVID-19 as well as comparators with COVID-19 alone. Data were collected from Mayo Clinic and Mass General Brigham. Study in...

Oct 6th, 2022 - Fractures are more common among children with glomerular disease, especially girls, compared with the general pediatric population, according to investigators. In a study comparing 4598 children with glomerular disease and 553,624 patients in the general pediatric population, girls with glomerular disease were 1.6 times more likely than those in the general pediatric cohort to experience any ty...

Oct 6th, 2022 - Researchers have identified a low incidence of uveitis associated with theUS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency-use-approved COVID-19 vaccines, with approximately 1094 cases reported, between December 11, 2020 and May 9, 2022, according to a study published in Ophthalmology. Investigators examined publicly-available, deidentified data posted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prev...

Oct 6th, 2022 - The news that an active case of poliovirus with flaccid weakness/paralysis was confirmed in an unvaccinated, immunocompetent adult in June 2022 in Rockland County, New York, should give the medical community in the US great pause. This is the first US case in almost 10 years. A previous case was reported in 2013 in a 7-month-old immunocompromised infant who had recently immigrated from India, w...

Oct 6th, 2022 - When Are Doctors Too Old to Practice? More than half of practicing physicians are older than 60, raising the question: Can a person be too old to practice? Few age limits exist for physicians in the private sector, but some observers favor regular age-related assessment testing by more institutions. Some 57% of physicians in a recent Medscape survey were 60 or older; 17% were 50 to 59; and 12% ...