Curated News: Medical Meetings

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Apremilast, an orally available small molecule modulating several inflammatory pathways, which is pending approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration, is showing promise in the treatment of mouth and genital ulcers in people with Behcet’s syndrome, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego.

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People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions are at higher risk of heart disease. Who is in the most danger, why and how best to prevent and detect cardiovascular complications are important questions for physicians and researchers.

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Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery found that people who lacked good social connections were much more likely to experience serious, ongoing pain following total hip replacement surgery two or more years after the procedure.

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Using Facebook chats to convey health information is becoming more common. A study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City set out to find the best way to boost participation in the chats to raise awareness of lupus, an autoimmune disease.

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Delaying treatment for rheumatoid arthritis could greatly increase the likelihood that patients will suffer joint damage and experience disability two years out, according to a new study from Hospital for Special Surgery.

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Pregnant women who have lupus are at increased risk of adverse outcomes. Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City have identified a biomarker that may predict who is most at risk.

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Highlights • After a median of 2.4 years of follow up, 86.5% of transplants of donor kidneys considered “high-risk” for infection and disease were functioning with no evidence of infections. • Such “high-risk” organs are relatively safe when screened with current methods.

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Highlights • Kidney transplant recipients who discontinue immunosuppressive drugs before conception have a higher rate of live births and a lower rate of birth defects without an increased risk of kidney problems.

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Results from a willingness to participate study, led by Charles B. Simone, MD, chief of Thoracic Oncology and assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, found that focusing on particular factors—including hope for positive outcomes, randomization and altruism— and increasing the time spent with patients increased their likelihood of participating in a clinical trial for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare cancer often diagnosed in people who have been exposed to high levels of asbestos.

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Research presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif. shows scientists’ first steps into the unexplored territory of interfacial materials that could someday yield smaller, faster, more energy-efficient devices.

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E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular and widely available as the use of regular cigarettes drops. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that e-cigarette use by children doubled from 2011 and 2012. The health effects of e-cigarettes have not been effectively studied and the ingredients have little or no regulation. Mayo Clinic’s Nicotine Dependence Center experts are available to discuss what people should know before trying e-cigarettes.

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Accurately diagnosing traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions is difficult, as standard CT or MRI scans can’t see most changes to the brain caused by these injuries. Borrowing a tactic used to identify lung infections, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a potential method to identify TBI that uses positron emission tomography (PET) scans and the body’s immune response to a brain injury.

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When the pros and cons of prostate cancer treatment are spelled out using an online interactive program, more patients choose active surveillance over therapy.

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Francis O. Walker, MD, is the new president of the AANEM. Walker is a national expert in neuromuscular ultrasound and a dedicated member of the organization since 1985.

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Women with common forms of urinary incontinence have various bacteria in their bladder, according to data presented today by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Researchers also found that some of these bacteria may differ based on their incontinence type.

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ALS patients using diaphragm pacing experienced improved quality of life, with better sleep and daytime functioning, better breathing, and less fatigue.

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Thomas D. Kirsch, M.D., M.P.H., a Johns Hopkins emergency physician who was among key responders to the Sept. 11 attacks on the New York World Trade Center and the 2010 Haitian earthquake, is the inaugural recipient of a new national award for outstanding achievement and excellence in the field of disaster medicine.

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Patients with bladder cancer are two times more likely to have complications after a radical cystectomy procedure if they have a biomarker for poor nutritional status before the operation, according to study findings presented last week at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. Surgeons from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center identified a potentially modifiable risk factor for such postsurgical problems: a low preoperative level of albumin, a marker of the protein level in the blood.

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First step taken in collection of data on vaccine-preventable illnesses in patients with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder causing weakness and rapid fatigue of voluntary muscles.

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Emerging data regarding vemurafenib, a BRAF-targeted inhibitor used with good effect for BRAF V600E mutation positive melanomas, are much anticipated.

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A study designed to compare cure rates, postoperative pain, cosmetic satisfaction, and length of the procedure and of the hospital stay for patients with hyperparathyroidism who underwent BNE versus minimally invasive video-assisted (MIVAP) parathyroidectomy.

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Review of cases spanning more than 12 years found that nearly a third of patients with DTC and neck metastases would not have had adequate operations if the surgeons had relied on pre-referral imaging studies and had not performed US themselves.

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A novel drug target, and evidence of the strong anti-tumor effects of an inhibitor capable of blocking expression of the target are described.

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Socioeconomic factors used to rank the different geographic regions that together are associated with higher use of radioactive iodine (RAI). These factors include significantly lower levels of income, education, and white collar employment.

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contrary to popular belief, effective treatment with levothyroxine (LT4) to restore normal thyroid hormone levels is not associated with clinically significant weight loss in most people.

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Decreased thyroid function can have a detrimental effect on pregnancy outcomes. A majority of thyroid specialists surveyed recommend thyroid function testing for all pregnant women.

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Applications of stem cells in developing thyroid function. This is an important area to treat anyone with thyroid deficiency, whether congenital or acquired. Chinnaiyan, explores how genes and mutations can cause cancer, and how genome sequencing can be used to diagnose and treat cancer.

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Early-stage lung and prostate cancers as well as their recurrence can be detected with a simple blood test, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013™ annual meeting. Serum-free fatty acids and their metabolites may be used as screening biomarkers to help diagnose early stages of cancer, as well as identify the probability of recovery and recurrence after tumor removal, researchers found.

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Breast cancer patients who received the combination of a nerve block with general anesthesia for their breast cancer surgery had less cancer recurrence and were three times less likely to die than those who received only general anesthesia, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ annual meeting. Additionally, patients who received the nerve block needed less opioid pain relief from drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone.

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Complications in the recovery room decreased by 58 percent between 1990 and 2010, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting. In a previous study completed in the late 1980s, recovery room complications occurred in 23.7 percent of the patients. Today, the complication rate is 9.9 percent. The study also found that less-healthy patients are more prone to recovery room complications.

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Late starts to the first surgical case of the day can be improved, according to two studies presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting. Improving efficiency potentially reduces costs, increases patient and staff satisfaction, and increases the number of cases that can be performed daily.

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The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is the largest neurosurgical society in the world and the global leader in neurosurgical education, serving to promote health by advancing neurosurgery worldwide through innovation and excellence in education. The CNS Annual Meeting is an essential destination for medical professionals and others seeking to learn about important medical advances in the field of neurosurgery.

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Humans rarely walk the straight and narrow; something's always in the way. So Michigan Tech scientists are developing a computer-controlled artificial limb that can turn like a flesh-and-blood foot.

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Emergency Departments across Michigan are better prepared to handle a disaster today than they were seven years ago, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. The study found that 84 percent of emergency departments said they are more prepared to handle a terrorist attack or natural disaster than they were in 2005.

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Elderly surgical patients are more likely to suffer from debilitating post-operative delirium if they have diabetes, undergo longer surgery or respond poorly to stress, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting.

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Researchers have identified hundreds of variants in a patient’s DNA sequence or genetic code that predict which military service members are more likely to develop persistent, chronic pain after amputation, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting.

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More than 4,000 gastroenterologists, physicians and other health care professionals from around the world will convene this week for the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 78th Annual Scientific Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA, to review and present the latest scientific advances in gastrointestinal research, treatment of digestive diseases and clinical practice management.

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Harry Eugene Sarles, Jr., M.D., FACG was elected by the membership as the 2013-2014 President of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), a national medical specialty society representing more than 12,000 clinical gastroenterologists and other specialists in digestive diseases. Dr. Sarles officially took his position as President during the College’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting, held this week in San Diego. As President, Dr. Sarles will direct ACG’s programs, which include continuing medical education in the clinical, scientific and patient-related skills of gastroenterology, policies involving national and state medical affairs, managed care issues and clinical investigation.

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Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal adenocarcinoma, according to a new meta-analysis of published observational studies presented by Mayo Clinic researcher Siddharth Singh, M.D., at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA.

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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is effective in resolving Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in immunocompromised patients with few serious adverse events according to an retrospective series presented at the 78th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Two other studies looked at FMT in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients who also suffered from C. difficile infection, as well as the impact of altering gut flora with transplant of fecal bacteria upon symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

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A smartphone virtual coach application for colonoscopy preparation is shown to be easy to use and engaging, even among people who have previously undergone colonoscopy. Results of a usability study were presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA.

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Two separate studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego analyze inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) health outcomes in the United States and Canada. IBD, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic inflammatory condition of the intestinal tract and is estimated to affect over 1.4 million people in the U.S.

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Severe liver damage, and even failure, has been associated with the consumption of weight loss supplements, an herbal supplement and an energy drink, according to four separate case reports presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA. Use of herbal and dietary supplements is widespread for a variety of health problems. Because many patients do not disclose supplement use to their physicians, important drug side effects can be missed.

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A marker in bile known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the growth of cancerous tumors according to new research presented at the 78th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that VEGF levels from bile aspirated from the pancreas can accurately distinguish pancreatic cancer from other causes of common problems in the bile duct. The results of this pilot study indicated that using this marker in bile can correctly identify pancreas cancer with high sensitivity, detecting pancreas cancer accurately in 93 percent of cases.

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Childhood and infancy factors have been linked to a predisposition to developing Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection, the leading cause of health-care associated diarrhea, according to new research being presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA.

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Data on new treatment options and combinations of therapies to treat chronic viral hepatitis C infection were presented at the 78th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Diego in a scientific session dedicated to liver disease. Three research teams reported on trials of several experimental treatments, including interferon-free drug combinations and direct acting antiviral agents effective against genotypes 2 and 3 of the Hepatitis C virus, as well as new agents which have the potential to shorten the duration of therapy.

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A blood-test could easily determine whether a patient is suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), eliminating the need for extensive and expensive dialogistic testing in order to rule out more serious conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), suggests Mark Pimentel, M.D., lead author of a multicenter study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 78th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA.

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Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of stroke and heart attack according to a new study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American College of Gastroenterology’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Oct. 11–16, in San Diego.

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Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of esophageal cancer, according to a new study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American College of Gastroenterology’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Oct. 11–16, in San Diego.

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Ninety-seven percent of bariatric surgery patients avoided post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) with the addition of a second drug to the standard treatment given during surgery, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting.