FDA approves first tests to screen for tickborne parasite in whole blood and plasma
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Imugen Babesia microtiArrayed Fluorescent Immunoassay (AFIA), for the detection of antibodies to Babesia microti (B. microti) in human plasma samples, and the Imugen Babesia microtiNucleic Acid Test (NAT), for the detection of B. microti DNA in human whole blood samples..... read more
High dose rifampicin safe for treatment of pulmonary TB
New findings presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston show that treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) with high dose rifampin (20 mg/kg/day) was safe versus the standard of care, and may shortened the time to clearance of the infection..... read more
Caregivers also report stress when heart failure patients receive LVADs
When heart failure patients receive a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), their caregivers also seem to suffer, at least initially, according to new research published March 7, 2018 in Journal of the American Heart Association. While patients reported dramatic improvement in quality of life in the first month after receiving an LVAD,.... read more
Living in a sunnier climate may reduce future risk of MS
People who live in areas where they are exposed to more of the sun’s rays, specifically UV-B rays, reduce their risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life by 45% across all pre-MS onset age groups when compared to those living in areas with the lowest UV-B ray exposure,.... read more
Updated clinical practice guidelines on management of hirsutism in women
Updated clinical practice guidelines on management of hirsutism in women recommend that all women who have unwanted dark, course hair growing on the face, chest or back should undergo testing for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and other underlying health problems..... read more
FDA expands approval of replacement heart valve, smallest mechanical valve size approved in the world
The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approval of a heart valve to include a size small enough to be used in newborn pediatric patients to treat heart defects. It approved the Masters Series Mechanical Heart Valve with Hemodynamic Plus (HP) Sewing Cuff to include the 15-mm valve size,.... read more