(MedPage Today) — A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.
Author: MedPage Today
The Dangers of Playing Piano: That’s Improbable!
(MedPage Today) — A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.
Stop Smoking, Cut Cataract Risk
(MedPage Today) — The cataract risk associated with smoking slowly fell after ceasing tobacco use, although not to the level of a never-smoker, a Swedish population-based study showed.
Lab Notes: Malaria Dx by Ear
(MedPage Today) — Detecting malaria parasites’ digestive waste products noninvasively with a photoacoustic device passed initial bench tests and animal studies. Also this week: rabbit-free cosmetics testing.
Lab Notes: It’s Yogurt — and an Ulcer Vaccine
(MedPage Today) — An oral vaccine for peptic ulcers — administered via yogurt culture — shows some promise. Also this week: light therapy for leukemia.
Mumbling Masculine Men; Avoid Eye Exams: That’s Improbable!
(MedPage Today) — A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.
Diabetes: Eyes Often Overlooked (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — A large proportion of people with diabetes mellitus are not getting the appropriate care to prevent visual impairment and blindness, a study reported. Clinicians need to speak up.
Autoantibodies a Big Deal in Sjogren?s
SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) — A broader range of autoantibodies may play a role in Sjogren’s syndrome than has previously been appreciated, researchers found.
TNF Blockade Eases Eye Disease in Kids (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Children with chronic autoimmune uveitis showed favorable responses to treatment with either adalimumab (Humira) or infliximab (Remicade), although not with etanercept (Enbrel), a meta-analysis found.
Methotrexate OK as Therapy for Retina Disorder
NEW ORLEANS (MedPage Today) — Patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) responded well enough to oral methotrexate therapy that it could be a reasonable long-term therapy for the disorder, a researcher said here.
African Americans With MS at More Visual Risk (CME/CE)
COPENHAGEN (MedPage Today) — Retinal damage and visual impairment appear to impact African Americans diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than Caucasian-Americans, researchers reported here.
Early, Steady MS Treatment Cuts Progression Risk (CME/CE)
COPENHAGEN (MedPage Today) — Patients who received early and consistent disease-modifying treatment at the first signs of multiple sclerosis appeared to have a slower progression to disability, researchers reported here.
Double Vision Not Unusual in Parkinson’s (CME/CE)
VIENNA (MedPage Today) — Some 14% of Parkinson’s disease patients seen in routine practice reported double vision, with most saying they had never discussed it before with their physicians, a researcher said here.
Type 1 Diabetes Not Controlled in Teens (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Glucose control remained inadequate in a cohort of teens with type 1 diabetes, and many of these young patients already had microvascular complications, a British observational study found.
Statins Linked to Cataracts (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Statins clear cholesterol from the blood but they may do so at the risk of obstructing vision, a large propensity score-matched study suggested.
Clinical Notes: Yervoy Falls Short in Prostate Ca Trial
(MedPage Today) — Ipilimumab (Yervoy) failed to improve overall survival when combined with radiation in patients with advanced prostate cancer, researchers said. Also this week: Sanofi pulls lixisenatide application.
Clinical Notes: New Flu Shot Tops for Elderly
(MedPage Today) — Quadrupling the antigen dose in a flu vaccine boosted its effectiveness in preventing illness in older patients, its manufacturer said. Also this week: new trouble for compounding pharmacies.
ESC: Statins May Protect Brain, Eyes (CME/CE)
AMSTERDAM (MedPage Today) — Statins might help prevent dementia and cataracts, according to two studies presented here.
Morning Break: Dry AMD Drug, Google Glass in the OR
(MedPage Today) — Health news and commentary from around the Web, gathered by the MedPage Today staff.
Lucentis Bests Laser in DME (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with the costly drug ranibizumab (Lucentis) reported more clinically meaningful improvement in visual functioning than those who received laser treatments alone, according to a new s…