by Ashley WennersHerron, Pennsylvania State University Researchers developed novel contrast agents that target two proteins implicated in osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease commonly characterized as wear-and-tear arthritis, and imaged the proteins using a photon-counting CT scanner. Here, the green and red are the targeted nanoparticles, while the yellow is adipose tissue. The white is bone and...
Category: <span>Clinical Practice</span>
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Poor Arm Position May Significantly Skew BP Readings
Common arm positions for blood pressure (BP) measurements that stray from guidelines — arm in lap or hanging at side — led to substantial overestimation of hypertension in a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Guidelines for BP measurement recommend arm support on a desk with the midcuff at heart level. Overestimating BP can lead to unnecessary...
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New Hypertension Approach Hits Multiple Targets at Low Dose
LONDON — Single-pill combinations that include three or four antihypertensive medications are the way forward for the management of patients with elevated blood pressure, according to experts evaluating the new approach. This multidrug strategy — in which ultralow-dose triple combinations can be used as a starting treatment and four full-dose combinations can be used to...
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How Effective Is the High-Dose Flu Vaccine in Older Adults?
How can the immunogenicity and effectiveness of flu vaccines be improved in older adults? Several strategies are available, one being the addition of an adjuvant. For example, the MF59-adjuvanted vaccine has shown superior immunogenicity. However, “we do not have data from controlled and randomized clinical trials showing superior clinical effectiveness versus the standard dose,” Professor Odile Launay,...
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The Rising Tide of Atrial Fibrillation: Is Primary Care Ready?
The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is on the rise, and recent joint guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) stress the role of primary care clinicians in prevention and management. One in three White and one in five Black Americans will develop AF in their lifetime, and the projected number of individuals diagnosed with AF...
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Heat waves and an aging population increase the risk of severe electrolyte imbalances
by Karolinska Institutet Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that global warming, combined with an aging population, could lead to a significant increase in people with severe electrolyte imbalances in the blood. The results are published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. ADVERTISING Researchers have discovered that the risk of severe...
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Psoriasis patients can get clearer skin with at-home treatment instead of at doctors’ offices, study suggests
by Alex Gardner, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Credit: Estzer Miller on Pixabay For decades, people with psoriasis have been treated in clinics with narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy, or light therapy, to reduce sores, scales, and inflammation. Now, new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows...
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Long-term upadacitinib use feasible for adolescents with atopic dermatitis
by Lori Solomon Long-term treatment of adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with upadacitinib is safe and effective through 76 weeks, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in JAMA Dermatology. Amy S. Paller, M.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and adverse events of upadacitinib in adolescent patients with...
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New First-Line Therapies for Migraine
I’m Dr Neil Skolnik and today we are going to talk about the position statement from the American Headache Society (AHS) “Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Targeting Therapies Are a First-Line Option for the Prevention of Migraine,” which is focused on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)–targeting therapies. This update is of critical importance because about three fourths of people with migraine get their...
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CDC lowers age for first pneumococcal vaccine to 50
by Ernie Mundell The recommended first age at which Americans should get the pneumococcal vaccine has been lowered from 65 to 50, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. “Lowering the age for pneumococcal vaccination gives more adults the opportunity to protect themselves from pneumococcal disease at the age when risk of infection substantially...