As the Oct. 1 deadline to transition to ICD-10 approaches, the CMS has released multiple resources, including a joint guidance statement with the AMA that details one year of claims leniency to help physicians adjust to the new coding system and smooth the transition process…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Continued efforts are needed to increase the number of women and minorities in graduate medical education (GME) to ensure a diverse U.S. physician workforce, say the authors of a research letter published today. “Diversifying the physician workforce has been discussed as requisite to addressing health disparities and inequities. Minority physicians continue to…
New research in mice has found that treatment with a vitamin C derivative can effectively suppress the generation of mitochondrial superoxide, which plays a role in cartilage degeneration and the progression of osteoarthritis…
(Reuters Health)—Mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, may partly explain why people with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Researchers linked anger, anxiety, depressive symptoms, job stress and low social support to increasing risk of hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, for people with rheumatoid arthritis…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Commensal microbes in the gut can activate retina-specific T cells that go on to cause autoimmune uveitis in a mouse model, researchers report. “These findings allow us to understand the biological basis for the disease,” lead author of the study, Dr. Rachel Caspi from National Eye Institute at the NIH in Bethesda,…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have alterations in their oral and gut microbiomes that partially normalize with treatment, according to results from a metagenome-wide association study. The microbiota influence metabolic and immune homeostasis, and microbial triggers have been postulated in RA, but little is known about the oral and gut microbiomes of…
Two Phase 3 trials have shown that epratuzumab did not meet its primary endpoints for treating SLE. Meanwhile, a Phase 3 study has shown adalimumab is effective for treating enthesitis-related arthritis in juveniles…
(Reuters)—Manufacturers of duodenoscopes linked to recent superbug outbreaks at U.S. hospitals skirted a host of testing, manufacturing and reporting requirements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in warning letters to the companies released on Monday. The letters, sent on Aug. 12, cite Olympus Corp Pentax Medical and Fujifilm Holdings Corp with multiple violations found…
(Reuters Health)—Doctors know smoking can increase the risk for certain common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but many patients haven’t gotten the message, a new study suggests. Out of 239 patients with two common types of IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) only half were aware of the smoking risks associated with these conditions. “The take-home…
What struck me first as I walked by the exam room where Lynn P. sat was the swelling in her fingers and wrists. The bloated hands rested unnaturally on her thighs, palms up, fingers slightly flexed. Her strawberry-blond curls were offset by a high-neck, loose-fitting, burgundy sweater. Her pale skin matched her trim slacks. She had…