Research has explored the connection between Sjögren’s syndrome and intestinal dysbiosis associated with ocular mucosal disease. A recent study found that oral antibiotics and desiccating stress lead to extreme changes in the gut microbiota in mice. In patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, researchers found that patients with the most severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca and combined systemic and ocular disease had the lowest diversity of stool microbiota…
For researchers, obtaining a highly sought after NIH grant may seem impossible. But Martin Kriegel, MD, PhD, says collaboration and persistence can help. Here are a few tips to help your next grant application pass muster…
(Reuters Health)—Doctors who were asked about causes of inappropriate care at the end of life didn’t have to look far to place blame. They blamed themselves. Australian researchers interviewed 96 physicians from 10 medical specialties and asked them to describe situations when patients received end of life care that the doctors felt was inappropriate. Futile…
Spotting the signs of autoimmunity as early as possible is often viewed as a positive goal for rheumatologic research. The premise: Patients may begin treatment years before their disease is active and destroying joints and tissue. Although much progress has been made in identifying early stages of rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis, the clues are not as…
(Reuters Health)—Doctors in states that track painkiller prescriptions were nearly one-third less likely to offer patients dangerously addicting opioids, a new study found. The launch of drug-monitoring programs in 24 states led to an immediate 30 percent drop in prescriptions for Schedule II opioids, the most addictive, in patients with pain complaints, the study showed….
As healthcare delivery increasingly moves from volume-based care to value-based care, providers are needing to adopt new practices to meet what is now commonly referred to as the triple aim of healthcare delivery—improving the patient experience of care (which includes satisfaction and quality), improving the health of populations and reducing cost.1 Among the most difficult…
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while acknowledging and non-judgmentally accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. Known in Sanskrit as smrti, meaning “to remember,” in Pali, the language of early Buddhist scriptures, it is recognized by the word sati (mindfulness).1 Derived from ancient meditative Buddhist disciplines,…
The American Medical Association consists of two key groups: 1) the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), which oversees the annual updates to the physician work relative values, and 2) the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel, which assigns new or revised codes in the CPT book. The CPT Process Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) was…
(Reuters Health)—Mind-based therapy programs may help ease chronic back pain, new research suggests. Patients who took part in such programs were more likely to have noticeable and lasting improvements in back pain than those who stuck to their usual routines, investigators found. Both of the approaches tested in the study—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive…
Patients suffering from fibromyalgia and those suffering from bipolar spectrum disorder experience similar symptoms. Research suggests that these diseases may share a pathophysiological process, particularly a similar impairment in the prefrontal-limbic networks of the brain. A new editorial addresses how a better understanding of the potential shared biological underpinning of these diseases could result in unique drug targets…