Using vibrational spectroscopy, investigators have discovered a characteristic signature in the blood of fibromyalgia patients that is distinct from other clinical conditions, including RA, OA and SLE…
Over the past decade, physicians, patients and policy makers have expressed increasing concern about the high frequency of opioids being prescribed and the association between opioid use and poor outcomes. Rates of opioid prescriptions in the general population rose considerably from the 1990s through 2010, with a plateau in the early 2010s. In 2015, 38%…
(Reuters Health)—Patients who have real-time video visits with their primary care providers instead of in-person exams are generally satisfied with the convenience and quality of their checkups, a new study suggests. There’s a lot about these telemedicine visits that can sound appealing: no need to get stuck in traffic on the way to the doctor;…
LONDON (Reuters)—Scientists in the U.S. say they have taken a step toward developing a possible diagnostic test for chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition characterized by exhaustion and other debilitating symptoms. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say a pilot study of 40 people, half of whom were healthy and half of whom had the…
Although antimitochondrial antibodies are present in SLE patients, researchers have has difficulty investigating the phenomenon due to barriers in isolating pure mitochondria. The study describes a technique that allows for such an investigation and provides insight into how the adaptive immune system recognizes mitochondrial organelles…
The ACR is greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, wife of rheumatologist Howard Kaye, MD. Mrs. Gilbert-Kaye was tragically killed in the San Diego-area synagogue shooting on April 27 after she dove in front of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, saving his life. We send our deepest condolences to Dr. Kaye and his family. CNN…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rates of osteoporotic fracture were similar three years after starting either denosumab or alendronate in a real-world Danish population-based cohort study. “Previous studies have shown that denosumab is more efficacious than alendronate in increasing bone mineral density (BMD), possibly the best proxy outcome for subsequent fracture risk. However, previous studies were underpowered…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—How parents and children reminisce about the child’s recent surgery affects the child’s pain memory, researchers from Canada report. Children who recall pain that is higher than initially reported are more likely to report more pain and distress during future pain experiences. These negatively biased memories, formed early in life, set the…