revisiting 2011 a significantly higher risk of events than women with noncalcified plaques.
Patients referred for studies by physicians who owned their own scanning equipment had significantly more negative scans than those referred by doctors who did not have a financial interest in the scanners (42% vs 23%, p < 0.0001) (Dr Ben Paxton, of Duke University Medical Center). Eating fish at least once a week could help lower older patients’ risk of developing dementia. Those who ate baked or broiled - but not fried - fish on a weekly basis had a greater volume of gray matter in areas of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people who didn’t eat fish as often. (Dr Cyrus Raji, of the University of Pittsburgh). In a small functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, men who took aim at video game characters for about 10 hours during one week had diminished activity in areas of the brain associated with control of aggressive behavior. (Dr Vincent Mathews of Indiana University in Indianapolis). Extreme dieting - cutting calories to just 500 kcal/ day - may eliminate the need for insulin and improve heart function in some patients with type 2 diabetes. After four months of a calorie-restriction diet, obese diabetes patients were able to come off insulin, and 75% were able to remain insulin-free for more than a year, even though they returned to their regular diets. (Dr Sebastiaan Hammer, of Leiden University Medical Center). Soccer players who use their head to work the ball may be at risk for white matter abnormalities similar to those seen in traumatic brain injury. (Dr Michael Lipton, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY).
Rheumatology update 2011 (ACR)
Women ages 40 to 49 with no family history of breast cancer have similar rates of invasive disease as those with familial risk. (Dr Stamatia Destounis, of Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, NY). Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder appear to have different patterns of activity in brain regions associated with attention processing. In a small fMRI study, kids with ADHD had greater involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex and diminished activity in the connections between the frontal and parietal lobes compared with controls. (Xiaobo Li, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine).
Treatment with hydroxychloroquine in SLE was significantly protective against the development (50%) of renal failure. (Dr Michele Petri, of Johns Hopkins University in American College of Rheumatology meeting 2011). Monotherapy with etanercept can keep some rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in long-term remission. Combination therapy with etanercept and methotrexate is considered standard of care for RA. (Dr Roy Fleischmann, of University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas at American College of Rheumatology annual meeting 2011). Treatment with the oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib resulted in statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in all RA patient-reported outcomes. (Dr Vibeke Strand, of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.) Treatment of early RA with glucosteroids provides relief of symptoms, but the therapy comes with a price - worrisome changes in body fat composition that are significantly increased within the first year. (Dr Michael Nurmohamed, at Jan van Breemen Research Institute/Reade, in Amsterdam). Long-term treatment with the biologic agent etanercept reduces a rheumatoid arthritis patient’s risk of heart attack and malignancy, and may also reduce the risk of death, when compared with therapy using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. (Dr Duncan Porter, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland) RA patients try almost anything to relieve symptoms - including special jewelry, household oils and even homemade concoctions. Dr Ashutosh Tamhane, at University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that 76% of patients used store-bought lotions for treatment of RA, and 80% utilized heat treatments. About 21% of patients took fish oil supplements; 27% utilized jewelry such as copper chains; 19% tried garlic; and 4% took raisins soaked in vodka or gin for relief. (American College of Rheumatology 2011). A strategy of methotrexate-based tight control in early RA was more effective in preventing joint damage if the initial regimen also included lowdose prednisone. Among patients who received methotrexate plus prednisone, 78% were erosionfree at two years compared with 67% of those
Indian Journal of Clinical Practice, Vol. 22, No. 8, January 2012
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