David Bai

Calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has comparable diagnostic accuracy as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis. Although it cannot replace DXA for diagnosing osteoporosis, it can be used as an effective prescreening tool prior to a DXA scan, researchers said it a recent study comparing the performance of the 2 screening methods.

The mixture of flavorants and propylene glycol (PG) in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) leads to the formation of acetals that have been shown to activate irritation receptors, predisposing users to the same potential dangers as using traditional cigarettes, a new study said.

The development of resistance to immunotherapy is poorly understood and is detrimental to patients who relapse on multiple lines of treatment. Transcriptional downregulation of class 1 human leukocyte antigen (HLA) may contribute to the developed resistance of immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, and warrants further investigation, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

A recent meta-analysis shows that combined telemedicine involving telecase management or teleconsultation has significant improvements in asthma control and quality of life.

A phase 2 trial evaluating the 2 checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and ipilimumab, found significantly better tumor responses with the combination compared with nivolumab alone in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

The new initiative will not focus on donor-related bone marrow transplants in sickle cell disease, but instead will home in on genetic modifications of a patient’s own stem cells.

Amgen’s pipeline drug AMG 420, a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) for the treatment of patients with relapsing/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), has found positive preliminary results in a phase 1 trial.

The Multiple Sclerosis-Secondary Progressive Multi-Arm Randomization Trial (MS-SMART) is the first multiarm trial designed specifically to address the unmet need for further identification of neuroprotective drugs in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

In their study published in Nature Communications, the authors mapped out the epigenomic profiles of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis for the first time to provide insight on RA-specific pathways and transcription factor motifs. A surprising discovery was that the Huntingtin-interacting protein-1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of RA.

Researchers pinpointed the characteristics of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap (ACO) causing a greater disease burden than either condition alone.

A recent study has discovered that B cells mediate spontaneous T cell proliferation through the HLA-DR15 haplotype, and this interaction between T cells and B cells may serve as a key factor in understanding the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS).

A descriptive, observational study in Switzerland implemented an interprofessional medication adherence program (IMAP) in patients with HIV. The framework for the implementation of services in pharmacy (FISpH) model is described and formulated for other healthcare facilities and professionals to evaluate and execute for themselves.

Using whole-exome sequencing and evaluating germline mutations, researchers have discovered novel mutations in several genes among patients with essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis, which could influence the treatment they receive.

A retrospective analysis of data from patients with severe asthma who participated in the COBRA trial identified key clinical characteristics that may help clinicians recognize patients who may benefit from additional targeted drug therapy, such as benralizumab.

Findings from a retrospective study comparing typical and myelocortical multiple sclerosis (MS) identified major pathological differences between the 2 MS subtypes and determined that demyelination and neuronal degeneration are independent processes.

Patients with neurodegenerative ataxia that are treated with cerebello-spinal transcranial direct current simulation (tDCS) have significant improvements in gait, upper limb coordination, quality of life, and other neurological evaluations of cerebellar deficits, according to results from the CStDCSAtaxia trial.

A recently released report using data from the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) verifies existing data on the prevalence of pneumonia in hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits and provides the first-ever data collection on diagnostic testing, length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and mortality.

E-cigarette use in the United States is more prevalent in people who are younger, have comorbid conditions, or are former or current conventional cigarette smokers, according to results from a recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System national report.

A study has shed new light into the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) and how fingolimod, an immunomodulator drug, affects EVs.

Results from a long-term observational study found that disease-modifying therapies lowered conversion rates to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy was noninferior to TCZ and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) following initial treatment with tocilizumab and MTX to a low disease activity state, according to a recent study.

Benralizumab, an interleukin-5 (IL-5) antagonist used to treat severe asthma, does not weaken antibody response of influenza vaccinations, according to results of a recent study.

A recent study discovered more about the immunological mechanisms correlated with lung inflammation in some severe asthma patients, raising possibilities it may serve as a baseline for future research and drug development.

A study recently published in Brain and Behavior has shown that certain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters correlated with a greater risk of recurrence and progression to multiple sclerosis (MS) within the first year following diagnosis of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).

A phase 1 trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of PRN2246, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, found the drug having no serious medication-related adverse events in healthy volunteers while also being able to reach the brain.

A phase IV noninferiority trial evaluating the difference between video-based and face-to-face inhaler education for patients with asthma did not find a difference in the endpoints that were analyzed. The results were published in PLoS One.

Current therapy management mainly comprises of attempting to delay disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases but have been unable to reverse the myelin damage already done.

Special nutrition bars seem to have a beneficial effect on lung function in patients with noneosinophilic, low-inflammation asthma and obesity, according to a new study.

A study published in the journal Radiology has found that lower susceptibility in the thalamic and higher susceptibility in the basal ganglia, measured using quantitative susceptibility mapping, was associated with patients with MS and MS disease progression.

A new research study, published in JAMA Cardiology, aimed to further confirm a previous correlation between asthma and atrial fibrillation (AF) and to determine if the degree of asthma control affected the risk of developing AF.