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Steroids may reduce length of hospital stay in patients with pneumonia

Patients with pneumonia may spend fewer days in the hospital if they are given steroids along with antibiotics and supportive care. That's the finding of a Mayo Clinic analysis of eight randomized-controlled clinical trials involving more than 1,100 patients.

1 Mar 2013

Mutant HSP70i protein may offer potent treatment opportunities for vitiligo

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have developed a genetically modified protein that dramatically reverses the skin disorder vitiligo in mice, and has similar effects on immune responses in human skin tissue samples.

28 Feb 2013

Ampio Pharmaceuticals starts Optina clinical trial

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced oral dosing of the first patient in a 505(b)(2) clinical trial of the investigational drug Optina in diabetic macular edema.

27 Feb 2013

Outcomes no better with epidural steroids for patients with spinal stenosis

For patients with spinal stenosis, epidural steroid injections (ESI) may actually lead to worse outcomes-whether or not the patient later undergoes surgery, according to a study in the February 15 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

19 Feb 2013

Severe childhood asthma blood test hopes dashed

Blood eosinophil counts do not reliably reflect airway eosinophil concentrations in children with severe, therapy-resistant asthma, and therefore cannot be used to make therapeutic decisions, researchers report.

19 Feb 2013

Study determines effectiveness of sewage lagoons at removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater

2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which established regulations for the discharge of pollutants to waterways and supported the building of sewage treatment plants. Despite these advances, sewage remains a major source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and naturally occurring hormones found in the environment.

15 Feb 2013

Santarus launches UCERIS for induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis

Santarus, Inc. announced today the U.S. commercial launch of UCERIS (budesonide) extended release tablets for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

14 Feb 2013

Early detection, treatment needed to reduce risk of death and CVD in older Cushing's disease patients

Even after successful treatment, patients with Cushing's disease who were older when diagnosed or had prolonged exposure to excess cortisol face a greater risk of dying or developing cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

13 Feb 2013

Intratympanic versus systemic steroid improves sudden hearing loss

Intratympanic treatment with the steroid dexamethasone should be considered as a salvage therapy for patients who have not responded to systemic treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss, suggest study findings.

12 Feb 2013

Steroid therapy impedes Duchenne’s cardiomyopathy

Steroid therapy is associated with a considerable reduction in all-cause mortality and new-onset and progressive cardiomyopathy in patients with the debilitating X-linked disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

11 Feb 2013

Roundup: Calif. missing out on millions of dollars because of disagreements, software problems; Mass. finds more problems at compounding pharmacies; Hope for Kan. Medicaid managed care

California's court-run prison health care program is missing out on tens of millions of dollars a year in federal funds because of disagreement with counties and software problems, a new legislative report states. The legislative analyst's office found increasing numbers of prison inmates who, because of their low income status, are eligible for the state's Medicaid program.

6 Feb 2013

Steroid injections not advisable for tennis elbow

Results from a placebo-controlled trial show that patients given corticosteroid injections for treatment of unilateral lateral epicondylalgia, or tennis elbow, have a worse outcome after 1 year than those treated with placebo.

6 Feb 2013

Tumor suppressor mutant may predict poor outcome in breast cancer

An oncogenic variant of the Krüppel-like family 6 tumor suppressor gene appears to play a role in driving breast cancer metastasis and may be a prognostic marker for poor patient outcome, report researchers.

6 Feb 2013

Study shows how female steroid hormones can make changes to the breast genetic material

Melbourne scientists have discovered how female steroid hormones can make dramatic changes to the genetic material in breast cells, changes that could potentially lead to breast cancer.

2 Feb 2013

DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment that affects AIDS patients

A team of scientists from Canada, Thailand and Morocco have found that DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment that affects a significant percentage of AIDS patients. In a report appearing in the February 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, they describe how a network of steroid molecules found in the brain, termed "neurosteroids," is disrupted during HIV infection leading to brain damage.

2 Feb 2013

Top ten tips for keeping bed bugs at bay

Bed bugs are on the rise and $1,000 per day ordinances are being suggested in cities like Chicago to enforce combat of the pests. "Know thy enemy," says Jorge Parada, MD, medical director, infection control, Loyola University Health System. "There are lots of myths out there about bed bugs and people may be getting caught up over nothing."

30 Jan 2013

Botox relieves plantar fasciitis pain

Botulinum toxin A may be more effective than steroids for the treatment of plantar fasciitis, research suggests.

25 Jan 2013

African-American women who reported childhood abuse had greater risk of uterine fibroids

According to a new study from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University, African-American women who reported sexual or physical abuse before age 11 had a greater risk of uterine fibroids in adulthood compared with women who had no such abuse history.

25 Jan 2013

Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal

General anesthesia is made up of three components: hypnotic medicines, to induce sleep; analgesics, or medicines to inhibit pain; and NMB agents that induce muscle relaxation. Anesthesiology professionals use NMB to relax a patient’s muscles and prevent involuntary movement that could impact surgery.

24 Jan 2013

FDA approves Ampio’s IND for Optina for treatment of diabetic macular edema

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the FDA has accepted the Company's IND for Optina™ for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Ampio plans to commence enrollment in a clinical trial in the first quarter of 2013. The FDA granted Optina™ 505(b)(2) status in July, 2012. Drugs designated under this pathway can be approved on a single trial.

22 Jan 2013