New research finds an accurate way of diagnosing fibromyalgia and differentiating it from other related conditions. Using blood samples and innovative techniques, scientists have detected a “molecular fingerprint” that is unique to the condition. People with fibromyalgia experience pain in many areas of their body. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that affects 2–8 percent of…
“One of the most difficult things we ever have to do is to tell a child he or she has a very serious condition and may not survive it, or that a parent has a condition they may not survive,” said Dr. Alan Stein, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of…
My column last April, “Weighing the Pros and Cons of Statins,” has so far elicited nearly 700 online comments, many of them from people who accused me of selling out to Big Pharma. Yes, statins are blockbuster drugs with sales in the billions, but that doesn’t mean they’re not safe and effective. In this column,…
The kind of thing we have done instinctively in our workplaces for two decades — sending a quick email instead of setting up a meeting — has until recently eluded many doctors. Electronic consultations, or eConsults (sometimes called eReferrals), are a growing way for primary care doctors and specialists to communicate with each other securely.…
Lisbon, Portugal – 18 March 2019: Late-breaking results from the ElectroCRT trial presented today at EHRA 20191 a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress, pave the way for a new standard of care to improve the heart’s pump function in selected patients with heart failure. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT), or biventricular pacing, is used to…
Lisbon, Portugal – 18 March 2019: Remote monitoring keeps heart failure patients out of hospital, according to late-breaking findings from the RESULT trial presented today at EHRA 2019, a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress.1 The set-up is so effective that it has won reimbursement from the national health system. Study author Dr Mateusz Tajstra,…
IMAGE: This is an example of a set of images for testing knowledge and thinking. view more Credit: UPF Knowledge of the facts is called factive knowledge. In the phrase “He knows [that it is warm outside]”, the embedded clause is assumed to be true. However, in the phrase “It seems [that it is warm outside]”,…
The first evaluation of pharmacists based in accident and emergency departments has concluded that with additional clinical skills, they are able to take on overall clinical responsibility for patients. Daniel Greenwood a PhD student from The University of Manchester studied the work of people they termed Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners (EDPPs) from 15 NHS Trusts…
New Orleans, LA (Mar 17, 2019) – The choices we make every day can have a lasting effect on our heart and vascular health. Adopting a heart healthy eating plan, getting more exercise, avoiding tobacco and managing known risk factors are among the key recommendations in the 2019 Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease guideline from…
NEW ORLEANS (March 17, 2019) — Encasing cardiac devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators in an “envelope” –a mesh sleeve embedded with antibiotics–reduces the risk of major device-related infection by 40 percent within one year with no increase in complications, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session. The…