by University of Auckland Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A researcher has defined kindness and believes this could hold the key to better communication within health care teams and improve care for patients. Nicki Macklin came up with a definition of kindness through a structured analysis of published research papers, and found it was action-oriented, positively focused and purposeful in...
Category: <span>Clinical Practice</span>
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Fluctuating blood pressure tied to problems with thinking skills in older adults
by American Academy of Neurology Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates over time may be more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills, according to a study published in the December 11, 2024, online issue of Neurology. The association was found in Black participants but not in white participants in the study. The...
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People with inflammatory arthritis currently taking gabapentinoids are more likely to suffer bone fractures
by Andy Cain, Keele University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research led by Keele University and published in the journal BMC Medicine has shown that people with inflammatory arthritis currently using gabapentinoids are more likely to break their bones. Inflammatory arthritis (IA) refers to conditions causing joint inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It is common, affecting more than 1 in...
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Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all—machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient
by Brody H. Foy, The Conversation Credit: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels If you’ve ever had a doctor order a blood test for you, chances are that they ran a complete blood count, or CBC. One of the most common blood tests in the world, CBC tests are run billions of times each year to diagnose conditions and monitor patients’...
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Hypnosis won’t put you under a spell. But it can open your mind to change—and help treat pain
by Peta Stapleton, The Conversation Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Thanks to films and cartoons, you probably have a lot of vague ideas about what hypnosis involves. What do you picture? Maybe a fob watch swinging back-and-forth, a therapist saying “you are getting verrrry sleepy”. But clinical hypnotherapy isn’t a creepy magic trick—it’s an evidence-based therapeutic technique psychologists can...
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A blood test may be a more reliable indicator of liver disease than asking how much a person drinks
by University of California, San Francisco Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study finds that a blood test may be a more reliable indicator of liver disease than asking how much a person drinks. Excessive drinking can damage the liver. Yet, unlike obesity or high cholesterol, clinicians only screen for alcohol use by asking their patients how much...
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Nemolizumab Reassures in Long-Term Follow-Up Atopic Dermatitis Study
Liam Davenport October 21, 2024 059 Added to Email Alert AMSTERDAM — The monoclonal antibody nemolizumab offers long-term efficacy and safety, as well as quality-of-life benefits, in the management of adolescents and adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), revealed an interim analysis of the ARCADIA open-label extension study. The research was presented at the European Academy...
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Why Topical Retinoids Are a Key Component of Every Acne Regimen
Doug Brunk November 15, 2024 1297 Added to Email Alert LAS VEGAS — No matter which treatment regimen is recommended for patients with acne, it should always include a topical retinoid, according to dermatologist Hilary Baldwin, MD.Hilary Baldwin, MD Patients with successfully treated acne typically use an average of 2.53 different medications, Baldwin, director of the...
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The Cause of All That Stress: Tonsillectomy?
F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE DISCLOSURES | December 10, 2024 Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly dose of commentary on a new medical study. I’m Dr F. Perry Wilson from the Yale School of Medicine. You know those times in your life when you’re just feeling… stressed? You’re on the edge; you have no chill; everything just sort...
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Personalized blood count could lead to early intervention for common diseases
by Mass General Brigham Credit: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels A complete blood count (CBC) screening is a routine exam requested by most physicians for healthy adults. This clinical test is a valuable tool for assessing a patient’s overall health from one blood sample. Currently, the results of CBC tests are analyzed using a one-size-fits-all reference interval,...