Combining medications that suppress the immune system has been successful in treating young patients with Crohn’s disease, but some physicians have been reluctant to use this strategy in older patients because of concerns about safety. Now an Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics study indicates that older patients can be safely and effectively treated with such combined […]
More primary care physicians leads to longer life spans
New research shows us just how important primary care physicians are in prolonging our lives. Every 10 additional primary care physicians per 100,000 people in the United States was associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy during the decade from 2005 to 2015, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University […]
When organs start to scar: Connective tissue on the wrong road: Physicians discover a protein that reprograms connective tissue cells
Scientists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Department of Medicine 3 — Rheumatology and Immunology, headed by Prof. Dr. Georg Schett, have now decrypted a molecular network that controls these processes and could in future provide a new way to treat organ scarring. The results show that the protein PU.1 causes pathological deposition of connective tissue. The […]
AI doctor could boost chance of survival for sepsis patients
Scientists have created an artificial intelligence system that could help treat patients with sepsis. The technology, developed by researchers from Imperial College London, was found to predict the best treatment strategy for patients. The system ‘learnt’ the best treatment strategy for a patient by analysing the records of about 100,000 hospital patients in intensive care […]
No sweat required: Hypertension treatment mimics effect of exercise: By targeting the liver, scientists open door to new way of treating high blood pressure
Couch potatoes rejoice — there might be a way to get the blood pressure lowering benefits of exercise in pill form. Hypertension researchers at The University of Toledo have shown that by increasing the body’s supply of beta hydroxybutyrate, a chemical produced predominantly by the liver, it is possible to regulate high blood pressure without […]
Beyond skin deep: Understanding disparities in dermatology services
The odds of a black or Hispanic patient visiting an outpatient dermatologist are about half that of a white patient with the same skin condition, according to a new study in JAMA Dermatology. Patients most likely to receive outpatient dermatologic services in the study were white, educated women. The findings are among several that describe […]
People with COPD suffer fewer lung-related problems when treated with targeted lung denervation
First results from a clinical trial of a procedure to open obstructed airways in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have shown that it significantly reduces problems associated with the disease and is safe. Presenting findings from the AIRFLOW 2 phase II clinical trial, the principal investigator, Dr Dirk-Jan Slebos, from the University Medical […]
New York State sepsis reporting mandate appears to improve care, reduce deaths
A New York State requirement that all hospitals report compliance with protocols to treat severe sepsis and septic shock appears to improve care and reduce mortality from one of the most common causes of death in those who are critically ill, according to a new study published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal […]
Study illustrates challenges of lowering tetanus mortality
The overall mortality in patients suffering non-neonatal tetanus is high. Efforts to reduce mortality in one sub-Saharan African intensive care unit (ICU) by implementing a standard tetanus protocol did little to change mortality rates, although they shifted causes of deaths, researchers have now reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Tetanus is a vaccine-preventable neglected disease […]
How low is too low? Study highlights serious risks for intensive blood pressure control: Kaiser Permanente study finds aggressive blood pressure control efforts can lead to falls and fainting, especially in elderly patients
Kaiser Permanente research published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found if patients with hypertension taking prescribed medications experience unusually low blood pressures — systolic blood pressure under 110mmHg — they are twice as likely to experience a fall or faint as patients whose treated blood pressure remains 110mmHg and above. This research […]