Bill Schu

Part of an ongoing series that takes a high-level look at the positions of the leading nominees for President when it comes to political issues potentially impacting physicians, this installment focuses on Ben Carson.

A new study suggests that bone material strength index (BMSi) is weakly associated with spine and hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD) but not with prevalent fracture in women.

Study results suggest that gout itself and not hyperuricemia alone is associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and left atrial volume enlargement.

Researchers report that tailored, computer-based training and interventions can increase the effectiveness of health promotion programs for many workplaces.

A study in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders suggests that multinucleated giant cells (MGC) may contribute to osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in addition to their known association with synovitis severity. The finding adds to other recent research and points to the therapeutic potential of targeting MGCs to improve pain and joint damage in both types of arthritis.

A study in PLOS One found evidence that fat metaplasia in sacroiliac joints (SIJ) is significantly associated with spinal progression for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

A study in JAMA Dermatology provides evidence that the use of two tests to assess cutaneous sarcoidosis disease severity should be expanded. The research has applications for dermatologists, rheumatologists, and pulmonologists, all of whom have a role in treating sarcoidosis.

A new study in Nutrition Journal shows that patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) demonstrated significant improvement by taking fish oil supplements.

A systematic review of alopecia areata (AA) in Clinical, Cosmetic & Investigational Dermatology highlighted the unpredictability and lack of treatment options for the condition. But it also pointed to a larger problem: more than half of patients with AA experience poor health-related quality of life (QOL). Patients with AA are at risk for depression and anxiety, atopy, vitiligo, thyroid disease, and other autoimmune conditions.

A recent study in The Journal of Headache and Pain sheds some additional light on the chronobiological experience of patients with cluster headache (CH). However, it still leaves lingering mysteries around the pattern of pain CH that patients typically experience, the triggers of those headaches, and the mechanisms and interactions that drive headache frequency and severity.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is one of the pain conditions that has remained fairly mysterious, but a new, effective treatment may be on the horizon. It is known that CRPS most often develops following trauma, however, and evidence suggests a maladaptive response to nervous system damage involving immune and inflammatory pathways as well as abnormalities in both peripheral and central processing of afferent inputs. No single therapy – including pharmacologic therapy – wholly addresses the condition.

Study shows that adalimumab led to sustained clinical and functional responses in nearly one-third of treatment-refractory patients who completed 10 years of treatment. Patients with shorter disease duration achieved better outcomes, highlighting the need for early treatment.

A recent review looked at the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis, identified key mediators of psoriatic plaques that are being targeted by new and emerging biologic therapies, and highlighted the latest efficacy and safety data from trials of these new agents.

Evidence continues to emerge that biologics-in combination with DMARDS-offer a solid line of defense for patients with rheumatoid arthritis at risk of rapid disease progression .

Allopurinol's overall impact on the risk of mortality has been studied but is not yet well-understood. Now, a study has shown that the benefits from this treatment likely outweigh the risk of serious side effects.

Philip Getson, DO, takes an in-depth look at a condition that is as difficult to treat as it is to diagnose, tackling many myths about CRPS along the way.

Mary Lynn McPherson gave attendees some poignant reminders about methadone treatment in a lively, entertaining, and informative session.