MKSAP: 56-year-old woman with Sjögren syndrome
A 56-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit for a 6-year history of Sjögren syndrome treated with low-dose hydroxychloroquine and cyclosporine eyedrops. She has had two episodes of cutaneous vasculitis, which resolved with corticosteroids.
On physical examination, temperature is 36.4 °C (97.6 °F), blood pressure is 116/64 mm Hg, pulse rate is 72/min, and respiration rate is 18/min. Oral mucous membranes are dry. There is a new firm, left parotid gland enlargement without tenderness or warmth, reported by the patient to be progressive over several months, with asymmetry of the parotid glands.
Laboratory stu...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 5, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Conditions Cancer Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
FDLI 2013: Insights in Enforcement, Litigation & Compliance for Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturers
The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) recently held its annual Advertising & Promotion Conference, which included in-depth presentations, discussions and updates from various government officials and industry insiders regarding interesting cases, new policies and guidance, and enforcement actions and criminal investigations.
Representatives from all four of FDA's medical product centers (CBER, CDER, CDRH, and CVM), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch, and the Federal Trade Commission provided attendees with the...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
The LITFL Review 107
Conclusion = use it, or don’t. Either is fine (but Carley does).
As UK docs changed over to new terms, Damian Roland (@damian_roland) started a #paedstips hashtag where people posted…well…paeds tips. You can see the storify of it here.
News from the Fastlane
Need some inspiration? Check out LITFL’s very own Michelle Johnston who gave a SMACC talk on The Physiology Of Inspiration - truly awe inspiring and magical!
The master of FOAMed has a talk posted from SMACC as well. Check out Mike’s rant on Forget Social Media… Get #FOAMed!
LITFL Review EM/CC Educational Social Media Round...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - August 19, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Kane Guthrie Tags: Education eLearning Emergency Medicine Featured Health Intensive Care LITFL review LITFL R/V Source Type: blogs
Pfizer Pays $491M For Illegal Rapamune Marketing That Targeted Blacks
One of the more sensational whistleblower episodes has finally been resolved now that Pfizer has agreed to pay nearly $491 million to settle civil and criminal charges that Wyeth, which the drugmaker purchased four years ago, spent a decade promoting the Rapamune kidney transplant drug for a variety of unapproved uses, and these resulted in false claims submitted to federal healthcare programs.
The pair of lawsuits drew considerable attention because the drugmaker was accused of targeting African-Americans, a high-risk patient group. Wyeth managers were allegedly aware of limited data for Rapamune use in such patients, but...
Source: Pharmalot - July 30, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: esilverman Source Type: blogs
Why does coconut oil clog my pores but not my friend’s?
ThinkArt says….Why is it that coconut oil can be one person’s best friend, and another one’s enemy? I read somewhere that it had to do with its fatty acid ratios being suitable for large pores, but not small pores…is this a fact? I can’t find enough evidence to back this up.
The Beauty Brains respond:
The way we see it there are two possibilities:
a) Your friend is lying to you about not having clogged pores and she’s just using good concealer.
b) There some confounding factors that could be triggering a response in you but not her. Let’s take a closer look.
Causes of clogged pore...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - June 24, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
What do you do if you’ve got osteoarthritis of the knee?
Film director Baz Luhrmann made a spoof graduation speech famous with his hit “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” back in 1999. At the time, I wasn’t particularly worried about the line in that track: “Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.” But, you get older, knees become more of a focus, so what are you to do if you suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee (thankfully, I don’t…yet).
According to SBM, here’s what a massive scientific review of the various possible treatments has to say:
Exercise – strong evidence for effectiveness
Weight los...
Source: Sciencebase Science Blog - June 11, 2013 Category: Medical Scientists Authors: David Bradley Tags: Science Source Type: blogs
Asthma drug Singulair linked to suicidality
Monday, 6 May 2013, 12:58 pm
Article: Martha Rosenberg
Asthma drug Singulair linked to suicidality
by Martha Rosenberg
May 6, 2013
World sales of Merck's blockbuster asthma drug, Singulair, were about $5 billion a year until last year when its patent expired in the United States. But the drug also has a darkening cloud over it. The Australian medicine watchdog has received 58 reports of adverse psychiatric events in children and teenagers taking Singulair since 2000 and reports have also surfaced in the US.
Singulair, a leukotriene receptor antagonist or LTRA, is one of several "add-on" asthma drugs that were debuted ...
Source: PharmaGossip - May 6, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
No Disguise for that Double Vision
The brain, even a brain with multiple sclerosis is an amazingly complex and resilient organ. We don’t see our mouth as a forkful heads from plate to gob, but the food (usually) makes it to its destination. Hear a spring Robin singing in the trees? Close your eyes and your brain will help you locate which tree and even which part of that tree to look for the bird. One pathway gets interrupted: the brain tries to reroute signal through a process known as neuroplasticity. The brain even has to flip the images which are projected onto our retina upside-down and backwards for us to see the world aright.
I believe that my bra...
Source: Life with MS - April 10, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: admin Tags: MS symptoms double vision vision and MS Source Type: blogs
Acute otitis externa
What is Acute otitis externa?
Acute otitis externa is a common condition involving inflammation of the ear canal. It is caused by bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Acute otitis externa often occurs following swimming or minor trauma from inappropriate cleaning.
What are the symptoms of Acute otitis externa?
The rapid onset of ear canal inflammation leads to otalgia (earache), itching, canal edema, erythema, and otorrhea. Tenderness with movement of the tragus or pinna is a classic finding.
What is the treatment for Acute otitis externa?
For uncomplicated cases, use topical antimicrob...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - March 21, 2013 Category: Professors and Educators Tags: Infectious Disease AFP ENT Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, February 18, 2013
This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Sandy’s Impact on Clinical Trials Still Being Felt. When Hurricane Sandy shut down a number of its hospitals, New York University researchers worked overtime to keep clinical trials going, but enrollment in new trials is down, according to investigators.2. Diabetes: Control Better, But Still Short of Goal. More patients with diabetes are meeting targets than was the case a decade ago, but there is still room for improvement, especially within certain subgroups.3. Steroids Reduce Benefits of Prostate Ca Tx. Men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) on treatm...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 18, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Cancer Diabetes Source Type: blogs
Meningococcal meningitis and corticosteroids
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); Brust JCM. Meningococcal meningitis, dexamethasone and Class III evidence(editorial) Neurology 2012; 79: 1528-9.The most recent Cochran review shows a benefit of adjunctive dexamthasone to mortality in Streptococcalbut not N meningitidis meningitis with benefits to adults and children in high but not low income countries ( See Brouwer MC et al, 2010). Significantly, however, dexamethasone does no...
Source: neurologyminutiae - February 16, 2013 Category: Neurologists Source Type: blogs
Post #37 Asthma: A Pedi Perspective - Part 5 of 5
Frequently Asked Questions: I have asthma. Does this mean my child will have it too?There is definitely a genetic component to asthma, but how big a role genes play is unclear. While there isn't a specific asthma gene, it is more likely that your child will inherit the tendency to develop asthma. Why does asthma seem to come and go?Asthma is inflammatory in nature, and there are certain things (triggers) that can cause a flare up. I don't like the thought of my child being on daily medication. I also worry about the medication losing its effectiveness, and then not working when we really need it to. Can't he jus...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - February 16, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Source Type: blogs
Post #35 Asthma: A Pedi Perspective - Part 3 of 5
Tenets of treatment Inhaled medications are the mainstay of therapy, and are delivered two different ways. The first is a nebulizer, which is a machine that emits humidified air combined with medication. The child inhales the air through a mask.The other way to receive inhaled medication is through "Metered Dose Inhalers." MDIs are the puffers that most people are familiar with. Medication is sprayed directly into the mouth, but a contraption called a "spacer" helps make sure the medication goes directly into the lungs. Using an MDI without a spacer leads to half of the medication missing its mark – a waste of money that...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - February 16, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Source Type: blogs
Study Identifies Itch-specific Nerves
Scientists have been looking for itch-specific nerves for decades. New research from investigators at Johns Hopkins University and Yale University in the United States and several universities in China has identified sensory neurons in mice that are dedicated to relaying itchy sensations from the top layers of skin to the spinal cord [1].
In 1835, Johannes Peter Müller proposed the law of specific nerve energies. It stated that everything we feel and experience relies on the stimulation of particular neuronal pathways — and thus that the actual, external stimulus is irrelevant. He wrote:
The same cause, such as e...
Source: Highlight HEALTH - January 29, 2013 Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Diana Gitig, Ph.D. Source Type: blogs
Breakthroughs in Research and Clinical Practice Helping Patients
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies make significant breakthroughs in research to develop innovative treatments and technologies that have prolonged the lives of millions of Americans and made millions more live healthier, pain free lives. Consequently, several recent articles have underscored the critical contributions such companies and their products have had on in several disease areas including Crohn’s disease, hypertension, and cholesterol.
Crohn’s Disease
A recent article from Med Page Today reported that “Patients with treatment-refractory Crohn's disease obtained long-term improvement when tr...
Source: Policy and Medicine - January 11, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
