Fewer patients were studied as part of expedited reviews of new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 and some safety questions remain unanswered, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
The FDA is authorized to make new drugs available more quickly if they would be a significant therapeutic advancement and if they fulfill unmet therapeutic needs for serious illnesses, according to the study background.
Centuries of economic theory have been based on one simple premise: when given a choice between two items, people make the rational decision and select the one they value more. But as with many simple premises, this one has a flaw in that it is demonstrably untrue.
The fields of psychology and behavioral economics have experimentally identified a laundry list of common biases that cause people to act against their own apparent interests. One of these biases — the mere fact of possessing something raises its value to its owner — is known as the "endowment effect."
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal PLOS ONE shows that when colorectal cancer is targeted by the drug bevacizumab (Avastin), tumors may switch dependence from VEGF-A, which is targeted by the drug, to related growth factors in including VEGF-C, VEGF-D and placental growth factor. This change to new growth-factor dependence may allow colorectal cancer to push past bevacizumab's blockage of VEGF-A to continue to drive tumor growth.
SAN DIEGO -- It may seem counterintuitive, but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms and poorer quality of life than older patients, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Fibromyalgia most often strikes women. It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain with fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. The research, one of several Mayo studies being presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, suggests the disorder plays out differently among different age groups.
People with a type of arthritis affecting the skin and joints respond significantly better to early, aggressive drug treatment compared to standard care, according to preliminary results presented by a University of Leeds lecturer to a major US conference.
Dr Philip Helliwell, who is leading an Arthritis Research UK-funded multi-centre clinical trial into psoriatic arthritis, revealed today (Monday October 28) at the prestigious American College of Rheumatology Congress in San Diego that patients benefited from a rapid escalation of medication.
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AstraZeneca and Ardea Biosciences today presented results from a large study of allopurinol, a treatment commonly used to lower uric acid in patients with gout. The LASSO (Long-term Allopurinol Safety Study evaluating Outcomes in gout patients) study was a multinational, 6-month, open, prospective observational study involving 1,735 patients with gout and was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medically appropriate doses of allopurinol. Results of the LASSO study showed no new safety signals with allopurinol doses of approximately 300mg/day.
Social science graduates are more likely to be in employment after their first degree than graduates in other areas such as science and the arts, and a higher proportion are in managerial and senior official roles, a new report says.
The report, by the Campaign for Social Science, analyses data from higher education surveys on graduates 3.5 years after they finished their first degree.
An eICU uses telecommunications technology to diagnose and treat patients in the ICU remotely. Using two-way cameras, video monitors, microphones, and alarms to provide round-the-clock care for patients in ICUs, eICUs can provide care to patients in multiple hospitals, using the skills of intensive care physicians, called intensivists, and intensive care nurses.
On a daily basis for a period of 3 months, researchers surveyed critical care physicians in five ICUs in one health-care system to identify patients receiving futile treatment. On days when the ICU was full and when there was at least one patient in the unit receiving futile treatment, they evaluated the number of patients who had to wait in the ED for more than 4 hours before being transferred to the ICU, as well as the number of patients who waited for more than one day to be transferred to the ICU from outside hospitals.
"We found that the use of ultrasound to diagnose patients greatly reduced radiation exposure for patients without negatively affecting their health," said Margarita Oks, MD, Long Island Jewish Hospital, North Shore-LIJ Health System. "It was also cost-effective."
Ultrasound, also called sonography, is an imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images that lead to diagnosis and treatment of many diseases and medical conditions. Radiation is not used in ultrasound testing, but is used in x-rays and CT scans.
An estimated 24 million Americans may have COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. Patients with COPD have trouble pushing used air out of their lungs, making it difficult to take in healthy new air. Although there is no cure for COPD, a patient's quality of life can be improved by controlling symptoms, such as shortness of breath. COPD, most commonly caused by cigarette smoking, affects both men and women, and often, symptoms are seen in people in their 40s.
Delaying treatment for rheumatoid arthritis could greatly increase the likelihood that patients will suffer joint damage and experience disability two years out, according to a new study from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals on October 28 in San Diego.
Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City have identified a biomarker that may predict poor pregnancy outcomes in lupus patients.
The study, titled "Angiogenic Factor Dysregulation and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcome In Lupus Pregnancies" will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting on October 27 in San Diego.
A survey among rheumatologists finds many face moral dilemmas when trying to do what's best for their patients in the current health care environment.
The study, titled "Bending' Ethical Norms to Serve Patients' Interests: Tensions in Medical Professionalism," will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology/ Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting on October 28 in San Diego.
The complete study was published in the October issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Being able to regulate your emotions is important for well-being, but new research suggests that a common emotion regulation strategy called "cognitive reappraisal" may actually be harmful when it comes to stressors that are under our control. The study is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.