What is the basic epidemiology of the Zika virus? Here is the World Health Organization’s fact sheet, updated January 2016, outlining the disease characteristics. Continue Reading
Ranibizumab Treatment of DME Can Restore Driving Ability
Studying patient-reported vision function adds dimension and meaning beyond visual acuity to clinical studies and patient care. One metric of function is the ability to drive–an ability frequently lost with center-vision involved DME caused by diabetes mellitus. A study published in JAMA Opthalmology this month shows the relationship between ranibizumab treatment for DME and the… Continue Reading
Diabetes Patients in the US Not Getting Necessary Vision Care and Treatment
While diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of new cases of blindness among working-age Americans, many people with diabetes are not receiving the special vision testing and care necessary to protect and prolong their vision. In 2010, only 44.7% of DME patients were even told by their physicians that they had retinopathy. The full… Continue Reading
Ranibizumab Drastically Reduces Cases of Visual Impairment and Legal Blindness from DME
Diabetic macular edema is one of the leading causes of vision loss among workers in the US. Several studies looked at over 37,000 Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites with DME and visual impairment in the US in 2010. Data from the RISE, RIDE, and DRCR Network trials show that treatment with 0.3 mg of ranibizumab every… Continue Reading
IARC Reports That Processed Meat is a Carcinogen
In October 2015, a working group from IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer–a division of the World Health Organization)met in Lyon, France and reviewed data from more than 800 epidemiological studies that looked at the relationship between red meat and processed meat consumption and cancer rates around the world. Read the full official report… Continue Reading
The Mediterranean Diet Actually Saves Your Brain
In a randomized clinical trial reported in JAMA, researchers looked at the possible benefit of the Mediterranean Diet in preventing cognitive decline with aging. From 2003 to 2009, 447 people who were cognitively healthy but considered at “high cardiovascular risk” were assigned to one of three groups: a traditional Mediterranean Diet supplemented with olive oil,… Continue Reading
Increasing PSA Levels in mCRPC Patients Are Unreliable Markers for Making Treatment Decisions
In an article in the Southern Medical Journal authored by Karzai et al, the role of PSA in evaluating patients with mCRPC is clarified. In early trials of prostate cancer therapies, rising PSA levels were used to define “progression” and therefore to allow discontinuation of treatment based on those rising levels. However, more recent studies… Continue Reading
WHO: Cut Sugar Intake by Half
The BBC reports that the WHO is recommending everyone cut their sugar intake by half. Currently, WHO guidelines dictate that no more than 10% of daily caloric intake should be from sugar, but rising obesity levels suggest that amount should be reduced. New guidelines will suggest that no more than 5% of daily caloric intake… Continue Reading
Health Crisis Following Ebola: Measles Outbreak
There is a fear that following the current Ebola outbreak, a measles outbreak could potentially kill thousands. Mathematical modeling by John Hopkins researcher Justin Lessler, PhD estimates that there could be over 1.1 million unvaccinated children in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Planned vaccination drives have been cancelled due to the current Ebola crisis, leaving… Continue Reading
Measles Outbreak Spreads
The 2015 measles outbreak that begin in Southern California Disney parks has spread across 17 states and Washington DC, and has affected 121 people as of February 6. The total number of cases in the US this year will most likely surpass the total number of cases in 2014: 644. It was only one week… Continue Reading
