A first-in-human study featured in the February issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine reports that the novel positron; emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) tracer 18F-GP1 showed excellent image quality and a high detection rate for the diagnosis of acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). Well-tolerated in patients; 18F-GP1 PET/CT also identified blood clots in distal veins of…
In a large UK population-based study, Ian Wong and colleagues at the University of Hong Kong and University College London, UK, found no statistically significant association between the antidepressant trazodone and a reduced risk of dementia when compared to other antidepressants. Their findings were published this week in PLOS Medicine. Health Improvement In vitro and animal…
Heberden’s nodes Heberden’s nodes are hard or bony swellings that can develop in the distal interphalangeal joints (DIP) (the joints closest to the end of the fingers and toes). They are a sign of osteoarthritis and are caused by the formation of osteophytes (calcific spurs) of the articular (joint) cartilage in response to repeated trauma at the joint. Heberden’s nodes typically develop in middle age, beginning…
When a car crash or explosion results in an optic nerve injury; eliminating an enzyme known to promote inflammation appears to aid recovery, scientists report. They have shown for the first time in a mouse model of tough-to-treat optic nerve trauma, that removing the enzyme arginase 2; which increases with injury; decreases neuron death in…
New research suggests that the relationship between physical and brain fitness varies in older adults by virtue of their sex. The study is publishing ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology. The researchers investigated sex differences in the association between a measure of physical health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and brain function using resting…
Geneticists discovered a molecular trigger for a severe autism-related disorder that has enabled them to start testing a potential therapy targeting a specific protein in the brain. A UT Southwestern study involving humans and mice details one of the few instances in which researchers have found a precise pathway that causes; a neurodevelopmental disorder in…
A multi center phase II clinical trial investigating pembrolizumab as a first-line and programmed cell death therapy in patients with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma reports lasting tumor control, generally manageable side effects and improved overall survival. The results are published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. LSU Health New Orleans’ Adam Riker, MD, FACS,…
A single hour of general anesthesia in early infancy longer than is necessary to perform the most common types of minor surgeries in childhood does not result in measurable underdevelopment or behavioral problems up to the age of 5 years, according to the first randomized trial of its kind involving 722 infants in seven countries,…
Tobacco smoking is the practice of smoking tobacco and inhaling tobacco smoke (consisting of particle and gaseous phases). The practice; believed to have begun as early as 5000–3000 BC in Mesoamerica and South America. Tobacco; introduced to Eurasia in the late 17th century by European colonists, where it followed common trade routes. The practice encountered…
People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) need more support when understanding and acting on new chest symptoms; a study in the journal Psycho-Oncology reports. During this unique study, led by the University of Glasgow and the University of Surrey; researchers investigated how the experience of COPD; influences how individuals understand new or changing chest…
Low back pain (LBP) is a common disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back. Pain can vary from a dull constant ache to a sudden sharp feeling. Low back pain may be classified by duration as acute (pain lasting less than 6 weeks), sub-chronic (6 to 12 weeks); or chronic (more than 12 weeks). The condition may…
According to a new statement from a panel of national and international experts in gastroenterology, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other areas, interventional IBD endoscopy has an expanding role in the treatment of disease and of adverse events from surgery. The report from the panel, Role of interventional inflammatory bowel disease in the era of…