How is treatment for myasthenia gravis evolving?
Myasthenia gravis (MG) — a medical term that translates as “serious muscle weakness” — is a rare neuromuscular disease. An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people in the United States have this disorder, which affects people of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. Recently updated consensus guidelines have added to our knowledge of different forms of myasthenia gravis and improved approaches to treatment.
What are the symptoms of myasthenia gravis?
Myasthenia gravis impairs the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles at a site called the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), where nerves make contact with muscle. This causes...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 12, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Pushpa Narayanaswami, MD, FAAN Tags: Autoimmune diseases Neurological conditions Source Type: blogs
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Luna G, Alping P, Burman J et al. Infection risks among patients with multiple sclerosis treated with fingolimod, natalizumab, rituximabm and injectable therapies. JAMA Neurology2020; 77:184-91.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 " ));var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker( " UA-3639768-12 " ); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview();Swedish study examines risk of infections severe enough to caus...
Source: neurologyminutiae - November 22, 2020 Category: Neurology Source Type: blogs
FDA Approves Sixth United States Biosimilar
Recently, the FDA announced that it approved Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm), the second biosimilar to AbbVie’s blockbuster Humira and sixth biosimilar in the United States. “Cyltezo is the first biosimilar from Boehringer Ingelheim to be approved by the FDA and marks an important step towards our goal of providing new and more affordable treatment options to healthcare providers and patients,” said Ivan Blanarik, Senior Vice President and Head of Therapeutic Area Biosimilars at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Chronic inflammatory diseases collectively affect 23.5 million people in the U.S., and Cyltezo h...
Source: Policy and Medicine - November 17, 2017 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 438
I apologize that this week ' s case is rather disturbing - and not in usual the creepy crawly parasite way.The following structure was coughed up by a 70-year-old woman with advanced stage lymphoma. She had recently received chemotherapy consisting of rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (R-ICE). At the time, she was quite ill and in the intensive care unit. Likely identification? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - March 13, 2017 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
New Warnings About Two MS Disease-Modifying Drugs
The decision to take any of the approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug therapies can be a difficult one for anyone. All drugs come with the risk of side effects, and disease-modifying drugs for MS are no exception.
I often read comments on social media by those who have decided not to take MS medications berating those who do. But I believe this is a personal decision, to be made with a person’s family and doctors.
Most people with MS do take disease-modifying drugs and do so with varied levels of success. Some eventually stop a drug or switch to another, either because of a lack of positive effects or because of both...
Source: Life with MS - January 27, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis drug trial MS in the news MS treatment trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
Updated Medicare and Medicaid Drug Spending Data Released
On November 15, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated Medicare and Medicaid drug spending data, to include information for calendar year (CY) 2015 through its online interactive dashboards for Medicare and Medicaid. The inclusion of the Medicaid drug spending data on the public dashboard is new this year, as is the addition of high-level (aggregated) Medicare drug rebate data.
CMS noted that “there is significant growth in spending on prescription drugs, representing a significant burden.” In CY 2015, total prescription drug costs amounted to roughly $457 billion – an estimated ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - December 14, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 52-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 52-year-old man is evaluated during a follow-up visit for a 2-year history of progressively symptomatic rheumatoid arthritis. He reports increased difficulty with his job due to persistent pain and swelling in the first proximal interphalangeal joints, second and third metacarpophalangeal joints, and bilateral wrists. He also has increased difficulty climbing stairs due to persistent pain and swelling in the right knee. Medications are methotrexate, 25 mg weekly; prednisone, 10 mg/d; naproxen; and folic acid.
...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
Society must decide what it wants from health insurance
Jeffrey Lurie is the owner of my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. He pays the players. He picks the coaches. But I think we would agree that his checkbook should not allow him to be the one who calls the offensive plays. The coach should do that.
So why is it different in health care?
I have a patient who was diagnosed with polymyositis. Polymyositis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of muscles and generalized weakness. It is treated with high-dose steroids to reduce inflammation and with medications, such as Imuran, methotrexate and IV immunoglobulins (IVIG) to suppress the immune system. My ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 7, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Mark Lopatin, MD Tags: Physician Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
Bio-Tech U, Version 2 - Current Board Member of Four Biotechnology Companies, Fomer Pfizer Director, Former Genentech Executive to be President of Stanford
DiscussionTo summarize, the incoming president of Stanford, on of the most prestigious American universities, one of the foremost US sites for biomedical research, and home to an equally prestigious medical school and academic health center, spent most of the last 15 years heavily involved with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He was a top Genentech executive for eight of those years, served as a director of the then biggest US pharmaceutical company, and currently is a member of the boards of directors of four biotechnology companies, and is chairman of one of them. He earned nearly $2.5 millio...
Source: Health Care Renewal - February 11, 2016 Category: Health Management Tags: boards of directors conflicts of interest Genentech Stanford Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error, Continued: Did the PACE Study Really Adopt a ‘Strict Criterion’ for Recovery?
By David Tuller, DrPH
David Tuller is academic coordinator of the concurrent masters degree program in public health and journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
First, some comments: When Virology Blog posted my very, very, very long investigation of the PACE trial two weeks ago, I hoped that the information would gradually leak out beyond the ME/CFS world. So I’ve been overwhelmed by the response, to say the least, and technologically unprepared for my viral moment. I didn’t even have a photo on my Twitter profile until yesterday.
Given the speed at which events are unfolding, I thought it made sense to ...
Source: virology blog - November 4, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Information adaptive pacing therapy CFS chronic fatigue syndrome clinical trial cognitive behavior therapy Dave Tuller exercise graded exercise therapy mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis outcome PACE trial recovery Source Type: blogs
David Tuller responds to the PACE investigators
David Tuller’s three-installment investigation of the PACE trial for chronic fatigue syndrome, “Trial By Error,” has received enormous attention. Although the PACE investigators declined David’s efforts to interview them, they have now requested the right to reply. Today, virology blog posts their response to David’s story, and below, his response to their response.
According to the communications department of Queen Mary University, the PACE investigators have been receiving abuse on social media as a result of David Tuller’s posts. When I published Mr. Tuller’s articles, my intent was to provide a...
Source: virology blog - October 30, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information adaptive pacing therapy CFS chronic fatigue syndrome clinical trial cognitive behavior therapy Dave Tuller exercise graded exercise therapy mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis outcome PACE trial recovery Source Type: blogs
TRIAL BY ERROR: The Troubling Case of the PACE Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study
By David Tuller, DrPH
David Tuller is academic coordinator of the concurrent masters degree program in public health and journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
A few years ago, Dr. Racaniello let me hijack this space for a long piece about the CDC’s persistent incompetence in its efforts to address the devastating illness the agency itself had misnamed “chronic fatigue syndrome.” Now I’m back with an even longer piece about the U.K’s controversial and highly influential PACE trial. The $8 million study, funded by British government agencies, purportedly proved that patients could “recover” fr...
Source: virology blog - October 21, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Information adaptive pacing therapy CFS chronic fatigue syndrome clinical trial cognitive behavior therapy Dave Tuller exercise graded exercise therapy mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis outcome PACE trial recovery Source Type: blogs
New Treatments For FSGS -ASN Conference
Idiopathic focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis or FSGS is one of the most common causes of non diabetic kidney disease in the world and also one of the least satisfying to treat due to the difficulty with initiating and maintaining a durable remission. For decades the standard of treatment has been steroid therapy in high doses given either daily or every other day. This results in significant toxicity which includes the development of diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, personality changes, weight gain, easy bruising etc. Yet these negative effects of steroid therapy are outweighed significantly by the result of not tre...
Source: All Kidney News - September 29, 2015 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: jadhavbca Tags: Kidney News FSGS TNF Source Type: blogs
New Treatments For FSGS -ASN Conference
Idiopathic focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis or FSGS is one of the most common causes of non diabetic kidney disease in the world and also one of the least satisfying to treat due to the difficulty with initiating and maintaining a durable remission. For decades the standard of treatment has been steroid therapy in high doses given either daily or every other day. This results in significant toxicity which includes the development of diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, personality changes, weight gain, easy bruising etc. Yet these negative effects of steroid therapy are outweighed significantly by the result of not tre...
Source: All Kidney News - September 29, 2015 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: jadhavbca Tags: Kidney News FSGS TNF Source Type: blogs
TWiV 345: How a vaccine got the nod
On episode #345 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVonauts review how the weather affects West Nile virus disease in the US, benefit of B cell depletion for ME/CFS patients, and an autoimmune reaction induced by influenza virus vaccine that leads to narcolepsy.
You can find TWiV #345 at www.twiv.tv. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 12, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antibody autoimmunity B cell chronic fatigue syndrome hypocretin influenza vaccine influenza virus mecfs meterological conditions myalgic encephalitis narcolepsy pandemrix rituximab viral weather West Source Type: blogs
