(MedPage Today) — Twenty cases of Ebola virus infection, including 14 fatal ones, have been reported in the Uganda, setting off a new round of concern about the untreatable illness. Also this week: electronic sensors in oral meds.
Author: MedPage Today
Lab Notes: Alzheimer’s Bad Guy, MS Hero?
(MedPage Today) — Beta amyloid protein, believed by many to cause Alzheimer’s disease, halted nerve damage in animal models of multiple sclerosis. Also this week: cancer stem cells look real.
PodMed: A Medical News Roundup from Johns Hopkins (with audio)
(MedPage Today) — This week’s topics include the outlook for a malaria vaccine, melanoma and tanning beds, cataract surgery and its effect on fracture risk, and endoscopic versus open surgery for harvesting veins.
Fracture Risk Falls with Cataract Repair (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Cataract surgery not only restored vision, it can also lessened the likelihood of hip fracture, a large retrospective study found.
FDA Panel Says OK to New Use for Eye Drug
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend approval of a new indication for ranibizumab (Lucentis) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.
FDA Panel to Mull Diabetic Eye Disease Drug
(MedPage Today) — Ranibizumab (Lucentis) helped improve vision for diabetic patients with macular edema, according to FDA reviewers, but the drug’s higher of two doses comes with more adverse events.
What’s in Name? Lots, Says JAMA
(MedPage Today) — An ongoing redesign of the JAMA specialty journals will include a new name for each of the publications, according to a statement from JAMA Network.
Fireworks Cause Eye Abrasions, Not Lens Damage (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Injuries to the eye caused by fireworks mostly involve the cornea and do not appear to be associated with blast pressures, but rather result from detritus projected into the eye, a simulated experiment found.
FDA Approves Stent for Glaucoma
(MedPage Today) — An intraocular stent to improve fluid drainage from the eye in glaucoma patients has won FDA approval, the agency said Monday.
Drug Combo Shines for Eye Condition
(MedPage Today) — Two angiogenesis targets are better than one for drug therapy in age-related macular degeneration, results of an industry-sponsored study suggested.
Vision Trouble in Preemies Tied to Brain Damage (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — A global developmental deficit — an indicator of cerebral damage — may be the primary risk factor for visual impairment in children born extremely premature, a Danish study showed.
System Boosts Glaucoma Compliance (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — An automated and interactive program of telephone calls improved adherence to glaucoma treatment in a randomized trial but so did usual care, researchers reported.
Avandia, Actos May Raise Risk of Macular Edema (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — The diabetes drugs pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) appear to substantially boost the risk of macular edema in type 2 disease, an observational study found.
FDA Recalls All Lab’s Sterile Eye Products
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The FDA has announced a recall of all sterile ophthalmologic preparations from Franck’s Compounding Lab because of the possibility of a fungal eye infection following use.
Changes in Eye Vessels Signal Heart Troubles (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Changes in diameter of the tiny blood vessels in the retina predicted the later development cardiovascular disease in African-Americans with type 1 diabetes, researchers found.
New Study Also Finds AMD Agents Equal (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — A head-to-head comparison between bevacizumab (Avastin) and ranibizumab (Lucentis) for wet age-related macular degeneration adds to mounting evidence that both agents are equals in improving visual acuity, British researchers reported.
Lucentis, Avastin Equally Good in Wet AMD (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — After 2 years of treatment, the endothelial growth factor inhibitors ranibizumab and bevacizumab are proving similar in ability to improve visual acuity in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration, researchers found.
‘Visual Snow’ Called Real, Not Drug Related
NEW ORLEANS (MedPage Today) — A mysterious and troubling phenomenon called “visual snow” is a distinct syndrome that does not appear to stem from illicit drug use, nor is it a migraine aura, a researcher said here.
‘Visual Snow’ Called Real, Not Drug Related
NEW ORLEANS (MedPage Today) — A mysterious and troubling phenomenon called “visual snow” is a distinct syndrome that does not appear to stem from illicit drug use, nor is it a migraine aura, a researcher said here.
Macular Degeneration Tied to Stroke Risk (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Patients with age-related macular degeneration appear to be at risk for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, researchers found.