Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, which comprises the iris, ciliary body and choroid. Uveitis can lead to ocular damage and complete visual loss. Noninfectious etiologies for uveitis are the most common in the U.S.1 The estimated incidence of uveitis ranges from 25–52 per 100,000 in adults and five per 100,000 in children. The…
I glanced up from Amanda Wolf’s chart as the emergency department nurse, followed by the lab technician (tech), followed by the electrocardiogram (ECG) tech flowed into cubicle No. 5. John Benner, MD, pulled up a chair to review the case with me at the nursing station. “Here’s what we’ve got. Thirteen-year-old girl with a one-week…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Heredity plays a substantially larger role than diet in determining serum urate levels, according to new findings in BMJ. Nearly 25% of the variation in serum urate is attributable to common genetic variants, while dietary pattern explained less than 1%, Dr. Tanya J. Major of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New…
Previous research has established that gout and hearing loss have shared risk factors. Now, a recent study found gout itself is associated with an increased risk of hearing loss in adults 65 years and older…
(Reuters Health)—Online socializing may weaken the tie between pain and depression for older people, a U.S. study suggests. People in chronic pain are at risk of depression to start with. When pain makes them stay home more, interacting with friends and family less, it only adds to this risk, the researchers write in the Journals…
After meeting with the FDA, the makers of intravenous meloxicam plan to resubmit the treatment’s new drug application…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Allopurinol does not appear to contribute to decline in kidney function and may actually protect renal function in patients with gout, according to a large population-based study. Gout affects around 4% of Americans and often occurs alongside chronic kidney disease (CKD), Dr. Tuhina Neogi from Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues…
(Reuters Health)—Vitamin D supplementation may not improve bone density or prevent fractures and falls in adults, a large new analysis suggests. After combining data from 81 randomized controlled trials, researchers found no bone benefits from supplementing the vitamin, according to the report in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, online October 4. “Our results show that…
STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters)—Two Americans and a Briton won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for harnessing the power of evolution to generate novel proteins used in everything from environmentally friendly detergents and biofuels to cancer drugs. The fruits of this work include the world’s top-selling prescription medicine – the antibody injection Humira sold by…
New research used multidomain function assessment to better understand the physical and cognitive functioning of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The pilot study found a high prevalence of impairment in SLE patients, similar to or exceeding the prevalence seen in the general geriatric population. Patients scored lower for lower body strength and low average for cognitive flexibility and attention…